Growing tourism activity and regional coordination highlighted in Perth council briefs
PERTH – Perth town council reviewed several updates during its March 10 committee of the whole meeting, including a new partnership with Lanark County on community safety programs, a report highlighting strong tourism activity in 2025, and the town’s annual drinking water system report.
Perth formalizing partnership with Lanark County on community safety programs
Council members have recommended that the Town of Perth formalize a new partnership with Lanark County to support the administration of provincially funded community safety programs.
Under the recommendation, the town will sign a memorandum of understanding with the county and authorize staff to continue working with county officials.
The agreement clarifies how the two municipalities will work together to deliver programs connected to the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan and the local Situation Table. While these initiatives are now co-ordinated at the county level, current provincial rules prevent the county from directly applying for or receiving certain grants.
As a result, the Town of Perth must remain the official applicant. Under the agreement, the town will submit grant applications, sign funding agreements with the province and transfer grant funds to the county once received.
The county will be responsible for administering the programs, meeting reporting and compliance requirements and ensuring the funds are used appropriately.
The arrangement reflects a shift toward county-wide co-ordination of safety initiatives following governance changes under the Community Safety and Policing Act.
Tourism and museum report highlights growing visitation in Perth
Perth town council has received a report highlighting a busy and growing year for the town’s tourism and cultural programming.
The 2025 Tourism and Culture report notes increased visitation at the Perth Museum and the Perth Visitor Information Centre, along with strong participation in local events and programs.
Presented for information, the report outlines the work of the town’s Tourism and Culture Division, which oversees the museum, visitor services, heritage management, marketing and community event co-ordination. According to the report, both museum attendance and overall visitor traffic increased in 2025.
“What we’re doing is a repatriation project that’s occurring across Canada. We’re identifying all the objects in the collection and any Indigenous objects we’ll offer back to the Indigenous community because, in essence, they don’t belong to the museum. They belong to them,” explained Cathy McNally.
Council also heard about priorities for 2026, including master plan updates, new booking software and preparations for a municipal accommodation tax.
“When you read the report and you see how much work staff do for a town the size of Perth, it’s amazing,” said Deputy Mayor Ed McPherson.
Annual report confirms Perth drinking water system remains safe
Perth town council has also received the town’s 2025 drinking water system reports, providing an annual overview of the community’s water supply and treatment operations.
“These reports show the level of detail and the amount of work that goes into the system. I think we can all drink our water with great comfort,” said Michael Touw, Perth chief administrative officer.
The reports are required under Ontario’s Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002 and must be presented to council each year.
The summary outlines the system’s compliance status, any incidents that may have affected operations and the amount of water treated and supplied to residents. It also reviews treatment capacity and identifies any potential deficiencies.
“When you tell people we’re getting 99-point-something on the reports, you really can’t complain. When you see the ministry’s comments, it was a fantastic report for the town and the staff. So hats off to the water team,” said McPherson.
The accompanying annual report includes system details, infrastructure investments and water quality sampling results and is available for residents to review on the town’s website.
Council received the reports for information as part of its oversight responsibilities as owner of the municipal drinking water system.
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