The Township of Rideau Lakes welcomes community members to participate in conversations about the future for the Village of Lombardy.

In order to gather information about how residents and stakeholders want to see their community in the next ten to fifteen years, “Community Visioning” Sessions will be held, and people are encouraged to complete a survey.

Over the past 7 years, the Villages of Chaffeys Lock, Delta, Elgin, Newboro and Portland have undergone a Community Visioning process. These visioning documents directly informed the Township’s Community Improvement Plan (CIP) that was re-developed last year to incorporate all six villages in Rideau Lakes: Chaffeys Lock, Delta, Elgin, Lombardy, Newboro and Portland.

Two input sessions, virtual and in-person, have been scheduled this month to allow everyone the opportunity to provide a positive contribution to the vision for Lombardy and determine what the community desires for the future. The survey is open for responses until August 31, 2024. Residents, visitors, business owners and other interested parties are encouraged to participate.

A virtual input session will take place on Thursday, August 15, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and an in-person session will be held on Saturday, August 24^th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Lombardy Agricultural Society Fair Hall. To register, contact Marie White at 1-800-928-2251 ext.288 or by email at

Project outreach is performed under the guidance of the Rideau Lakes Visioning Steering Committee, comprised of community representatives including a member of Council and the active resident volunteers that serve on the South Elmsley Community Enhancement Committee. The role of the steering committee involves reviewing the timeline and logistics for visioning sessions, the survey, meeting agendas and communications, and to help spread the news about the program within the community.

The Township of Rideau Lakes has engaged Hawn Consulting to work within the mandate of the Economic Development Committee of Council and in concert with the volunteer Steering Committee to develop and implement the consultation strategy, facilitate stakeholder sessions in the community to gain input, advice, ideas and concerns and to develop a draft community vision based on the input received and best practices in community building, community planning and economic development. The draft vision document will be presented to the Committee and the final version will proceed to Council. Once approved, the Village Vision for Lombardy is expected to be published in December 2024.

Details are available on the township website: www.rideaulakes.ca/LombardyVision