CARLETON PLACE — Carleton Place council received updates on local health care delivery, municipal communications and election readiness at its Jan. 27 committee of the whole meeting, including an overview of the new Costello Drive health hub, a snapshot of the town’s growing digital engagement and preparations for a joint compliance audit committee ahead of the 2026 municipal election.
Carleton Place health hub brings team-based care under one roof
Council received an overview of the newly opened Costello Drive health hub, highlighting how doctors and health professionals are now working side by side under a team-based model of care.
Executive Director Ashley Killeen explained how Ontario’s Family Health Teams work in partnership with Family Health Organizations to deliver co-ordinated patient care. Patients continue to see their family doctor or nurse practitioner while also gaining access to a broader team of health professionals, including nurses, pharmacists and mental health providers. Physician groups operate the clinics, while the Family Health Team provides additional services focused on prevention, chronic disease management and overall wellness.
The Ottawa Valley Family Health Team, which has operated in Almonte since 2010, expanded into Carleton Place in 2023. It now includes 15 physicians and a growing team of health professionals shared between both communities. Bringing services together under one roof has already improved collaboration, efficiency and the patient experience. New online booking tools, secure messaging and automated appointment reminders are helping reduce phone backlogs and missed appointments. Residents looking for a local health provider can register through the health hub’s website.
Looking ahead, priorities include recruiting more doctors, attaching more patients to local providers, encouraging residents to use Healthcare Connect and tailoring programs to meet community needs. Councillors asked about recruitment challenges, limits on providers, nurse practitioner funding, foreign-trained doctors and how the municipality can help promote Carleton Place as a place to practise and live.
“I think one of the ways that the municipality might be a good support is around how do we appropriately market Carleton Place? How do we talk about what it means to come here, the schools in the area, the recreation, the reasons that people make the decision to practise here, proximity to Ottawa, things like that,” said Killeen.
Carleton Place council sees steady growth in digital engagement
Residents are increasingly choosing to connect with the town online, according to the 2025 year-end communications report.
Communications co-ordinator Amanda Charania reported that the town’s CP Scoop newsletter now reaches 4,003 subscribers, an increase of 633 new email addresses over the previous year. The newsletter also has an average open rate of nearly 67 per cent.
The municipal website recorded about 401,000 visits in 2025. The most visited pages included the home page, pool and beach information, waste collection, employment opportunities and the arena. Major community events such as Canada Day, Pumpkinfest and the Santa Claus Parade continued to generate significant spikes in website traffic.
Residents also made use of online services, submitting 137 reports through the Report an Issue form. More than 63 per cent of households have signed up for e-billing, and Virtual Town Hall accounts grew to 1,813. Social media platforms also performed well, reinforcing the town’s shift toward digital-first communication.
“I want to thank you for not only doing what you’re doing, but the initiative taken to come up with new things, new ways to contact and connect with residents. It’s been very, very good,” said Coun. Dena Comley. “There’s communities out there trying to get e-billing going, trying to get connection with their communities, and we’re blowing it out of the water.”
Carleton Place to join joint compliance audit committee ahead of 2026 election
As preparations begin for the 2026 municipal election, Carleton Place council received a report outlining its obligations under the Municipal Elections Act, including the requirement to establish a compliance audit committee.
Town clerk Stacey Blair explained the committee is mandated by provincial legislation and deals with concerns related to campaign finances.
“It’s something that we’re required to have. It’s for if there’s any problems or questions about the campaign finances of either a candidate in the upcoming election or a third party contributor,” Blair said.
To meet this requirement, Carleton Place will partner with Lanark County and the Town of Smiths Falls to form a joint compliance audit committee. The shared model has been used successfully in past elections.
“The different municipalities of Lanark County have gotten together and that’s why it’s called a joint compliance audit committee. We’re proposing to do that again, and the bylaw associated with this is the same one being passed by the other municipalities,” Blair said.
Once council adopts the bylaw, a joint recruitment process will begin. Candidates will be sought with experience in law, finance, municipal governance and election rules.
Sharing the committee reduces costs by pooling advertising and recruitment expenses, which are charged to each municipality’s election budget. Committee members receive a $150 stipend per meeting, with travel costs covered by the municipality requesting the committee’s services. Any audit-related expenses will be paid by the municipality involved.
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