The Township of Rideau Lakes provides planning services for both the review of development applications and the long-term planning of the community. The Township employs two planners to facilitate the review of applications, plan for the long-term growth of the Township, and help ratepayers and the development community with general zoning and development related inquiries.
The Township maintains a database and information sheets on private and public lands available for strategic investment. Please see some examples below. Please contact the Township’s CAO, listed below, for personal and direct service, and owner introductions.
For current commercial listings, please visit: Investment Ready Properties in Rideau Lakes
If you are a property owner in Rideau Lakes and would like to see your commercial or development lands featured here, please contact the Township’s CAO, to discuss further.
The need for better internet service was identified as a top priority in the Rideau Lakes Business Retention and Expansion (BR+E) study, and a recommendation outlined in the Rideau Lakes Strategic Plan to support Village Renewal. In an effort to have villages connected to 1GB fibre by the end of 2022, the Township’s 3-year roll-out of 1Gbs Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) between 2020 and 2022 resulted in 1400 homes in Rideau Lakes gaining FTTH, 1200 homes received 50/10Mbs fixed wireless and many more have access to improved fixed wireless reliability/capacity through a fibre backhaul. These actions have established Rideau Lakes as a rural leader in the provision of fibre.
Internet services were extended into the Jones Falls, Morton, Bush Rd, Cove Rd, Sheldon’s Landing and Big Rideau Lake Road areas. Further, three existing wireless towers in the Jones Falls area were upgraded allowing for 50/10Mbps wireless service. This means an additional 351 homes/business received fibre access in 2022 and 998 homes/businesses gain access to 50/10 wireless service. This translates to approximately 1/5th of homes in Rideau Lakes having access to 1Gbs FTTH and 1/5th having access to 50/10Mbs wireless service. Nearly half of all properties in Rideau Lakes now have access to next generation internet.
Since 2020, 386 people have tested the strength of their internet using the national test page at https://performance.cira.ca. From this small sample of data, Rideau Lakes shows a Median Download speed of 9.7Mbps, and Upload of 1.05 Mbps. At the Municipal Office in Chantry, the Download Speed is 51 and the Upload Speed is 62 Mbps.
The Rideau Lakes Broadband Project was awarded funding through the Government of Canada’s Universal Broadband Fund’s (UBF) Rapid Response Stream in 2019 and provincial investment through the Improving Connectivity for Ontario (ICON) program in 2021, which directly supported the Township in bringing internet connectivity to our community. With the UBF and ICON funding, the Township leveraged its initial three-year $800,000 partnership investment into a nearly $6 million dollar build that serves the community, its residents and businesses for decades to come.
Internet Connectivity map courtesy of WTC Communications (2024)
Internet Connectivity map detail courtesy of WTC Communications (2024)
Details are available at the following link: Rideau Lakes Broadband Project - Final Report
Need Internet? Contact a Provider:
The Township is considering introducing a Licensing By-Law to regulate Tourist Campgrounds in the Township of Rideau Lakes. A Licensing By-law is a tool under the Municipal Act that grants municipalities with the ability to require licenses for a business, conduct ongoing monitoring of their operations, and include conditions that must be followed with the issued license. For campgrounds, this tool can be used to gather information about how these businesses are structured and where essential features, like sanitation facilities, water services, and waste management, are located. This type of by-law grants the Township the ability to monitor property changes over time and address operating dates, while providing a mechanism to ensure that other by-laws are adhered to as well.
The Township previously held a Campground Licensing Open House on November 2, 2023 for campground owners, users, and the general public. The Township continues to be eager to hear your opinions and suggestions on the proposed components of a Campground Licensing By-Law. The Township understands that consultation with the public, and specifically with campground operators, is a crucial aspect to the successful implementation of this by-law.
Resources & Additional Information:
This webpage is for those who received a letter concerning the 2024 iteration of the Site Plan Control Follow Up and Support Program. Please complete the below form to submit your property photos as outlined in the letter.
The photos that are required by the Development Services Department are as follows:
Monday to Friday
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
1-877-798-5725
4427H Old Kingston Road, Portland
1-800-928-2250 ext. 230
Open: Wednesdays & Saturdays
8:00am to 4:00pm