Plans, Reports and Studies

The Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands created and adopted an Age-Friendly Action Plan in 2018. The plan was produced from information gathered through community feedback and the Inventory of Age-Friendly Community Dimensions completed in 2016. The Action Plan is the third step in the Ontario Age-Friendly Community Planning process and is the guide for the fourth step of implement and evaluate.

This document sets out a strategy for developing a community that meets the needs of its aging population through strategies and action items. It takes into consideration 8 World Health Organization Age-Friendly Dimensions addressing items such as buildings and outdoor spaces, transportation, housing, social participation, communication and information, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment as well as community supports and health services.

Background

The Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands retained MMM Group Limited, a WSP company, to assist the Township with the preparation of an Inventory of Age-Friendly Community Dimensions (funded by the Government of Ontario). This Inventory consisted of the first two steps in the Ontario Age-Friendly Community Planning process and laid the foundation for developing the Age-Friendly Action Plan. Through the process, the inventory set course for the Township to develop the plan to promote and facilitate active and independent aging across the Township.

The Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands Annual Report serves as an opportunity to communicate with citizens, stakeholders and visitors regarding what was accomplished and achieved throughout the year. These reports will highlight department accomplishments and statistics for the year completed.

The Asset Management Plan is updated on a regular basis and is the primary source of information for the development of the operating and capital budgets as well as any long term financial planning by the Township.

The assets identified by the Township for the purpose of this plan include:

Village of Lansdowne water/wastewater system
Municipally owned roads
Municipally owned bridges and culverts

The 2020 Asset Management Plan is available for download and review.

The province has established the goal for everyone in Ontario to have access to reliable high-speed internet and cellular connections at home, work and in our communities.

All levels of government are looking for ways to bring improved connectivity to rural communities. However, municipal governments do not have a mandated role in telecommunications, which is regulated at the federal level. Since the infrastructure and service is privately owned by internet service providers (ISPs), the location and availability of broadband is typically not available to municipalities.

The cost of broadband infrastructure also makes it difficult for many rural municipalities to support or influence the rate or location of broadband expansion in their communities. Almost all incentive funding is provided directly to ISPs by the federal and provincial governments through various grant programs.

To achieve this, the province is making an investment of nearly $4 billion to help bring high-speed internet access to every community across the province by the end of 2025.

Rural areas typically involve significantly larger landscapes and a much lower population density. This means that expansion of broadband would be very costly for ISPs since there would be a limited number of households to fund the expansion or generate a sufficient profit.

This problem is exacerbated by the limited number of ISPs providing service in many rural markets across Ontario and the lack of competition means there is little incentive for these companies to improve the service they offer.

The combination of expensive infrastructure, fewer households, and limited competition has resulted in a gap of broadband services for some rural residents. This problem is referred to as “market failure” because the typical market for goods and services (basic supply and demand) has failed to provide what consumers want.

For more information regarding internet projects happening in our area please see the mapping and information provided by the province at the following link:

Ontario connects: making high-speed internet accessible in every community | ontario.ca

You can also consult the National Broadband Internet Service Availability Map to see a list of which service providers are operating in your area. Click here to access the map

On February 12, 2024, Council Approved the Community Improvement Plan for the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands.

A Community Improvement Plan or “CIP” is a planning and economic development tool used by municipalities in Ontario to guide strategic investment, development, and revitalization initiatives that support the physical improvement of a municipality or areas within a municipality. A CIP can focus on addressing a range of key issues such as main street revitalization, affordable housing development, tourism, or brownfield redevelopment. To do this, a CIP seeks to coordinate improvement efforts between the public sector (Township) and private sector (businesses, community organizations, developers, and landowners), through the administration of incentive programs and municipal initiatives.

Goals of the CIP

Enhance the vitality of the Township’s main streets
Increase the number of designated heritage properties and support heritage conservation.
Cultivate inviting public spaces that are accessible to everyone.
Promote a high standard of property maintenance and care.
Establish cooperative partnerships among the Township, Community Groups, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, First Nations, and the public.
Facilitate more affordable and attainable housing options.
Ensure the fair allocation of improvement efforts, funding, and resources across all communities in the Township.
Use physical improvements to further build the Township’s identity and branding across its distinct communities.
Encourage the establishment and growth of businesses, including those in the agri-tourism sector.
Support the preservation, restoration, and sustainable use of natural heritage resources and ecosystems.

For the application, deadline and further details, visit the Community Improvement Plan webpage.

The development of a Community Safety and Well-being Plan was mandated by the legislation under the Police Services Act. Township Council approved the County-wide Plan in June 2021.

As a municipality, we are required to record and report our annual energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

In our Conservation Demand Management Plan we outline our goals for conserving and reducing energy and our proposed conservation efforts. We strive to improve the energy efficiency of our facilities especially in the face of rising fuel costs, energy security and environmental concerns.

2024 Energy Consumption Report

2023 Energy Consumption Report

2022 Energy Consumption Report

2021 Energy Consumption & Emissions Report

2020 Energy Consumption & Emissions Report

2019 Energy Consumption & Emissions Report

2018 Energy Consumption & Emissions Report

2017 Energy Consumption & Emissions Report

Under the Clean Water Act, the Township is required to report on it's source protection plan implementation.

Drinking Water Source Protection

Drinking water in Ontario is protected via a multi-barrier approach. Protection is achieved through controls established at the source, during treatment, distribution, testing, and finally consumption. Source water protection plans are a mechanism used to mandate protection at the source level. These plans were developed as a requirement by the Clean Water Act in 2006 as a response to the Walkerton Tragedy in 2000 and are intended to help prevent future drinking water issues.

The Township of Leeds and Thousand Islands falls within the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority and municipal drinking water sources within this area are subject to the Cataraqui Source Protection Plan (the Plan) which was established in 2014. This locally developed plan of action establishes policies which are intended to keep our local sources of drinking water clean and plentiful. These policies outline recommendations and requirements to reduce the risk of pollution near drinking water supplies and protect supplies from overuse.

The Township of Leeds and Thousand Islands provides municipal drinking water to the residents of the village of Lansdowne from two wells located within the Lansdowne Well Head Protection Area (WHPA). The WHPA includes four areas A, B, C and D.

Some residents living on islands within the St. Lawrence may be located within the James W. King Intake Protection Zone (IPZ) which services the Town of Gananoque.

Mitigating Drinking Water Threats

The Cataraqui Source Protection Plan identifies a number of activities that could become threats to drinking water if not managed properly. The majority of potential risks to drinking water within the Township of Leeds and Thousand Islands are related to outdated and improperly maintained fuel oil tanks. Examples of other potential risks include:

Handling and storage of liquid fuel
Storage of agricultural source material
Application and/or storage of some pesticides
Use of land for livestock grazing or pasture land
Runoff containing chemicals used in de-icing of aircraft
Handling and storage of DNAPLs and/or organic solvents
Storage of hazardous waste
Storage of small quantities of waste
Application or storage of fertilizer
Malfunctioning Septic Beds

The Source protection plan requires that these activities be managed by specific policies, restricted, or in some cases prohibited if occurring within the Well Head Protection Areas. Prohibition of these activities occurs at the planning level when new development is proposed. Management of restricted activities (e.g. heating oil tanks) is achieved via establishing Risk Management Plans (RMPs). These RMPs outline specific measures that are required to protect against future impacts to the water supply.

Implementation within the Township

As a part of communicating and educating the public regarding the SWP plan, policies and how they may impact residents, a letter was sent to residents who may be directly affected by policies outlined in the Cataraqui Source Protection Plan. Following the initial letter, the Township held two public information sessions.

The Township evaluates properties within the Lansdowne WHPA and James King IPZ for potential risks to drinking water. Following completion of this evaluation, Risk Management Plans will be established with landowners where threats to drinking water are identified.

The Township of Leeds and Thousand Islands retained Malroz Engineering Inc. to assist with implementation of the Cataraqui Source Protection Plan Policies and with fulfillment of the mandated Risk Management Official responsibilities.

Additional Resources

Home Heating Oil Fact Sheet

The goal of the Emergency Response Plan of the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands is to protect the health, safety, welfare and property of our citizens from the effects of a natural, technological or human-caused emergency.

The plan provides guidelines to staff and members of the Community Control Group (CCG). The CCG is responsible for the direction and control of the overall emergency response within the Township and consists of the following members:

Mayor
Chief Administrative Officer
Administrative Assistant
Community Emergency Management Coordinator
Director of Operations
Fire Chief
Public Information Officer
Treasurer

Resources

Emergency Management Ontario

The Facilities Master Plan is a municipal guidance document designed to further effective planning, budgeting and implementation of stated goals and objectives for facilities in the Township until the year 2026.

The work and recommendations of both the Parks Master Plan and Facilities Master Plan will be used to create a comprehensive Recreation Master Plan for the Township.

A fire service review and modernization plan (FSR) is a process of identifying a fire department’s present status, and developing a strategy for future goals and needs, along with assisting the department in making decisions in relation to more efficiently allocating its resources.

The fire service review created for the Leeds and the Thousand Islands Fire Service (LTIFS) consists of a review of the community and the fire department, along with identifying present and future population statistics and anticipated growth of the community.

Read the full Fire Service Review and Modernization Plan now.

The Township operates three waste disposal sites also known as landfill sites. Regular monitoring and reporting of their status is required. Reports are listed below.

Escott

Lansdowne

Lyndhurst - Briar Hill (Lot 18 Concession 11)

Closed Waste Disposal Sites

The Strategic Master Fire Plan Final Draft Master Fire Plan for the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands provides a framework to guide future policy, organizational, capital and operational planning decisions. For questions regarding the plan, please call the contact listed below.

The Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands maintain several drains. Find details for the different locations by visiting our Municipal Drains page

The Ontario Planning Act requires municipalities to prepare and adopt an Official Plan to provide guidance for the development of communities. The purpose of the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands Official Plan is to establish goals, objectives, and policies to manage and direct physical development and the effect of change on the physical, social, cultural, economic, and natural environment for the planning horizon (i.e. until the year 2031). Good land use planning leads to orderly growth and the efficient provision of services. The Official Plan will balance development with the wider interests and objectives of the Municipality, the upper-tier municipality of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, and the Province.

The Township Official Plan and Schedules represent the policies approved by Council, meant to guide and direct future growth and developments within the municipality. The polices of the Plan are intended to be consistent with and conform to the Provincial Planning Statement and the Official Plan for the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, respectively, to recognize and meet community aspirations and protect the natural environment. The Plan provides a basis for decisions by both public bodies and private interests and will serve to coordinate activities and development for the benefit of the Township as a whole.

View the Official Plan of the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands.

Schedules:

The Quarterly Workplan for Road Maintenance, Capital Projects, Bridges and Municipal Drains can be found on the Road Construction ad Closures Page.

The Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands and the Town of Gananoque partnered on a Joint Recreation Master Plan to guide the direction for parks, recreational facilities, recreation and leisure programing. This plan was adopted in January 2020 to guide the next ten years.

The Joint Recreation Master Plan for the Town of Gananoque and the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands covers subjects like park space, indoor facilities, programming, future infrastructure and more! This report should be read in conjunction with the associated Background Report.

This Master Plan endorses the community’s enthusiasm to effect change, which became prevalent through the project’s engagement process.

In August 2019, the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands retained Dillon Consulting to complete a review and update of the 2005 Rockport Strategic Plan and a Transportation assessment for the study area.

The purpose of the update was to identify short-term and long-term options and recommendations for the design and operation of the road to address the use of the road by buses, passenger vehicles, trucks and boat trailers, and pedestrians and cyclists.

The update included a land use review and transportation analysis including recommendations regarding active transportation opportunities, public and private open space and the operation of the public boat ramp.

The final draft of the plan was approved by Council at their meeting on December 14, 2020. Please see the links below to the staff report and Council approved Strategic Plan update.

Committee of the Whole - 07 Dec 2020 (civicweb.net)

Rockport Strategic Plan and Community Transportation Strategy

In 2023 the Township engaged ConceptDash to provide site investigation and Engineering services for the village of Rockport.

The urbanization includes road resurfacing throughout the study area, crosswalks at Thousand Islands parkway intersection and Front Street, delineation of boat ramp near Front Street, 3 parking lots, relocation of bus entry/exit, and installation of speed cushions are included in the scope of work.

The Township is committed to managing growth in a responsible manner, planning for the safe, efficient and reliable movement of people and vehicles, and ultimately achieving the Township’s vision for a safe, accessible and livable community. With these goals in mind, the project will guide the development of the Village’s long-term, multi-modal transportation network, define policies, programs, and infrastructure required to meet the Village's mobility needs, and provide a context for transportation decisions.

Public Consultation took place July 31, 2024 at the Rockport Recreation Hall.

Supporting Documentation

This project was undertaken in 2021 through funding provided by the Municipal Modernization Fund.

The objective of the project was to review the internal workflow and service processes with the goal of recommending improvements, cost savings, and efficiencies. A third-party reviewer was obtained to conduct a Service Delivery Review that assessed internal processes and workflow based on efficiency and overall organizational performance.

Specifically measured was Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands capacity to perform business functions and deliver its programs and services efficiently. The final recommendations were focused on cost savings opportunities and efficiencies in services, as well as digital modernization.

Township Council adopted the Service Delivery Final Analysis and Recommendations in January 2022.

There are 11 nautical speed zones on the St Lawrence River within the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands.

Canadian Middle Channel
Lost Channel
Pine Island to Benson’s Rift
Needle’s Eye
Gananoque Narrows
Hay Island
Wanderer’s Channel
Raft Narrows
Canadian Small Vessel Channel
Tar Island Narrows
30 Meter from Shore 8 km/hr Zone

The following documents provide an assessment and recommendation(s) for each zone.

Strategic planning is one of the most important tools that a municipality can use to bring together Council, staff, residents, and local businesses to develop a common vision and direction. It provides clear goals and can act as a mechanism to benchmark actions to ensure that the Township is moving in the right direction.

The current Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands Strategic Plan was adopted in 2021.

In 2022 the Township engaged JL Richards to assess treated water storage solutions for the Village of Lansdowne. The Village’s potable water system currently supplies water to approximately 550 people.

In October 2024, Council authorized staff to engage JL Richards and Associates Ltd for engineering service to complete a detailed design for a new treated water storage facility.

Background Information

31681 Lansdowne Project Completion Notice

31681 Lansdowne Phase 1 Report_final

31681 Lansdowne Phase 2 Report_final

31681 Lansdowne PIC Notice - June 3, 2024

The drinking water system for the village of Lansdowne is owned by the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands and operated by the Ontario Clean Water Agency. The water is tested weekly and annually. Submit a request to review the reports or to ask questions abut the plan.