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

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 6 years, the Villages of Chaffeys Lock, Delta, 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.

Three input sessions, both virtual and in-person, have been scheduled over the next two months to allow everyone the opportunity to provide a positive contribution to the vision for Elgin and determine what the community desires for the future. The survey is open for responses until December 31, 2023. Residents, visitors, business owners and other interested parties are encouraged to participate.

A virtual input session will take place on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and in-person sessions will be held on Saturday, November 4^th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and on Saturday, November 18^th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. To register, contact Marie White at 1-800-928-3097 or by email at

With the guidance of the Rideau Lakes Visioning Steering Committee, comprised of community representatives including a member of Council, the Community Enhancement Committee, the Elgin and Area Heritage Society, the business/tourism community, and active resident volunteers. The role of the volunteer committee involves reviewing the timeline and logistics for visioning sessions, reviewing 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 under 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 Elgin is expected to be published in April 2024.

The Rideau Lakes Economic Development Committee continues to gather input through the Village Visioning process each year. Following the Village of Elgin, a Village Visioning for Lombardy will take place.

More information is available at the project website: https://www.elginvillagevision.com/