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Here are the highlights from the Lanark County Council meeting held Sept. 25, 2024.

Council Updated on Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Program: Lanark County Council has accepted revised child care expansion plan targets and directed staff to enter into revised agreements with the Municipality of Mississippi Mills and Calvary Christian Academy for expansion of their child care centres. 

Director of Social Services Emily Hollington updated the community services committee last week about the expansion of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) in the county. CWELCC is being implemented across the country, with the goal of bringing participating licensed child care costs to an average of $10 per day by 2025-26. The Ministry of Education has announced new cost-based funding guidelines that come into effect Jan. 1, 2025. 

Hollington explained cost-based funding provides support for costs for licensees participating in CWELCC for the delivery of child care to children aged 0 to 5 years. The formula includes benchmark-based allocations with adjustment factors for geographic variances, growth top-ups for new spaces or top-ups for existing licensees whose structures exceed the benchmarks, and amounts in lieu of profit and surplus. 

She added the county will be required to reconcile the allocations against actual eligible costs at the end of the year, complete compliance reports and conduct cost reviews. “Some of these tasks are new responsibilities for the county,” she said. 

Effective Jan. 1, 2025, CWELCC-enrolled spaces will see fees capped at $22 per day. Some providers may already have fees lower than this and will remain at the lower rate. Hollington explained licensees not participating in CWELCC may continue to operate under existing provincial licensing and regulations but will no longer be eligible for routine funding programs they may have previously accessed for the 0 to 5 age group.

“The county will stop providing operational funding, the wage enhancement grant and/or fee subsidy funding to four providers that were not operating under the CWELCC system,” Hollington said. “Children currently attending those centres who receive fee subsidy may continue to benefit from the funding until the child ages out, no longer qualifies or leaves the licensee.”

Hollington further outlined the plan for expanding the number of child care spaces, which was originally approved in May 2023. “Due to the many challenges in delivering child care, such as a lack of early childhood educators, rising costs, etc., it is difficult for some providers to even consider expanding.” 

An expression of interest outlining child care expansion opportunities was released by the county earlier this year and received five responses, two of which met all the necessary criteria: Mississippi Mills for 75 spaces and Calvary Christian Academy for 16 spaces. A further 24 spaces are anticipated as part of a future expansion in Perth. For more information, contact Emily Hollington, Director of Social Services, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 2101. 

Status Quo for Medical Tiered Response Program Continues for Now: Lanark County Council has deferred discussion on the medical tiered response program until later next year in order to assess the effects of the implementation of the new Medical Priority Dispatch System in Ontario. Until then, the current medical tiered response agreement will remain in place. 

At the corporate services committee meeting last week, Clerk Jasmin Ralph explained the county and local municipalities have participated in the program since 2008 and have been working to ratify an updated agreement since 2019/2020. “The Medical Assist Response agreement provides the Kingston Central Ambulance Communication Centre (KCACC) the criteria to ask respective local fire departments to be used as an additional resource in a medical situation.” Municipalities are not required to participate in the agreement.

The request for assistance can only happen in four specific emergency situations when the Lanark County Paramedic Service (LCPS) resources are more than 20 minutes away:

• Vital signs absent 
• Unconscious patient 
• Airway is compromised 
• Chest pains 

In February, council created a working group consisting of the LCPS chief, representatives of local fire departments, a county councillor and staff support. The group was tasked with reviewing statistics and data related to the program in Lanark County and other jurisdictions, as well as potential agreement and training parameters, and to make recommendations to council.

Ralph indicated the group found a clear delineation between rural and urban response times for medical calls, with very rural areas having more medical tiered response calls. She said privacy and medical information regulations prevent analysis of patient outcomes. 

She added issues affecting decisions about the program include: 

• The implementation of the Medical Priority Dispatch System in 2025 
• Challenges of effective and clear statistical analysis
• Consideration of other models of care, such as placing paramedic first response vehicles in rural areas or the Neighbours Saving Neighbours program. 

The new Medical Priority Dispatch System in Ontario prioritizes and triages emergency medical calls to 9-1-1. Dispatchers ask callers key questions in order to increase understanding of the nature of the call and improve the assignment of paramedics to the highest priority calls. The new system has been rolled out to five dispatch centres so far, with the Kingston site, which covers Lanark County, planned for next year. For more information, contact Jasmin Ralph, Clerk, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1502. 

Lanark County to Host Free Tree Seedling Giveaway: Lanark County will be giving away tree seedlings on Saturday, Oct. 19 in partnership with Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. The annual Fall giveaway will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. (or until supplies last) at two locations: the Almonte Depot, 4752 County Road 29 North, Almonte and the Public Works Garage, 99 Christie Lake Road, Perth.

To take part in the giveaway, participants must be a Lanark County resident and bring a bag or box in order to transport the seedlings. There is a maximum of 10 trees per household. Seedlings available include red maple, bur oak, red oak, white oak, hackberry, white birch, yellow birch and tamarack.

At the Perth location, explore the Learning Centre for information on wildflower seed, tree identification/planting tips, local programs and more. Attendees are also encouraged to use a provided map and enjoy a walk on the property. For more information, contact climate@lanarkcounty.ca.

Upcoming Meetings: County Council, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 5 p.m.; Community Services, Oct. 9 (following County Council); Corporate Services, Oct. 9 (following Community Services). County Council, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 5 p.m.; Public Works, Oct. 23 (following County Council); Economic Development, Oct. 23 (following Public Works). Watch for details about public access to meetings on agendas and through online notifications.

For more information, contact 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1502. Like “LanarkCounty1” on Facebook and follow “@LanarkCounty1” on X!