Town Honours and Awards

In 2014 the Town of Perth received a rating of 5 Blooms in the Ontario Provincial Edition of Communities in Bloom and also received a criteria award for Heritage Conservation.  The award was very much deserved.  Each year, the Town of Perth Community Services Department, in conjunction with the Downtown Heritage Perth BIA, undertakes the planning and implementation of street beautification in the Business Improvement Area of downtown Perth.  This seemingly daunting task is easy in Perth.  We have a vibrant downtown which showcases a streetscape of beautiful heritage architecture - the perfect backdrop for the many floral arrangements which are placed on the street from spring until fall.

Communities receiving a score of 5 blooms from the judges are automatically entered into the National Communities in Bloom contest, which means Perth went National in 2015!

We are proud to say that we won the 2015 National Communities in Bloom Award for communities of 9,999 and under. This was a cooperative effort and the whole community deserves the credit for this wonderful achievement.

The awards are on permanent display in the Town Hall.

On Friday, September 30, 2005, Shellee Evans, Director of Community Services, along with Jeff Dean, CGIS Spatial Solutions and Todd Stone, iCompass, accepted the Economic Development Association of Canada "2005 Marketing Canada Award." The Town of Perth's website was chosen from 188 submissions as the best website in Canada with a budget of under $200,000. The website won for having a clear effective message, a design that supports that message, innovative merchandising and successfully meeting objectives.

The Town's website, created with a view to providing basic information for taxpayers, has undergone many changes since its creation in 2000. The site was completely revamped in 2004 and is now an important tool in attracting new business and development, encouraging and promoting area events and keeping residents and visitors informed of the "business life" in Perth, Ontario, CANADA.

The Perth Live Map is what makes the site leading edge. Here, the user has access to a virtual map of the Town of Perth, all of its properties, the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw, which demonstrates to the user potential uses of each property. The map shows all streets, municipal addresses and parking lots.  It even shows information for residents such as garbage and recycling schedules.

A special layer on the map shows Perth's commitment to environmental issues, as all properties have been assessed for their potential for solar panel installation. Information on our Downtown Heritage Perth BIA is readily available, as well as historic walking tours. Public documents and information provide easy answers for those with questions about town services. Once the Business Registry is updated, even more detailed information will be available.

The Marketing Canada Award is located in the Community Services Office at Town Hall.

On December 16, 2008 at the inaugural meeting of Lanark County Council, the Seven Wonders of Lanark County were revealed. After making the nomination earlier in 2008, the Town of Perth received the honour for Stewart Park, a 5+ acre parkland considered to be the jewel of the town.

Residents of Perth have been enjoying the atmosphere of Stewart Park since the late Jessie Mabel Stewart began designing and maintaining the area, which is located behind Perth's Town Hall

Mrs. Stewart deeded the parkland to the Town of Perth in 1947, in memory of her late husband, the Honourable John Alexander Stewart. Throughout his career, Mr. Stewart was president of the Henry K. Wampole Co. Ltd., the Andrew Jergens Co. Ltd., and Perth Shoe Co. Ltd. He served on Town Council from 1900-1904. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1918 where he served as Minister of Railways in the Meighen administration. He passed away in 1922.

The park is home to majestic maples, rock wall gardens that come alive with summer blooms, and the serene and historic Tay River. The park is also the breeding ground of the famous Stewart Park Music Festival, held each July, attracting 20,000+ people to Perth's downtown core for a free, three-day music festival under the trees. The traditional 19th century Bandshell and the beautiful Millennium Gates add to the park's welcoming atmosphere.

2008 County Warden Bob Fletcher admitted, "It was not easy for the committee to narrow it down to just seven... We have been working on this throughout my term as Warden and it has been an exciting and fun project. Congratulations to our Seven Wonders and to all the nominees. This certainly shows that Lanark County is truly an outstanding place."

After 83 years, Stewart Park is still a natural beauty!

Nominations came from several Perth residents and groups, which was enough to convince the judges that Perth was the most deserving and "prettiest" small town in Ontario!

And who wouldn't agree? Perth is a layered architectural gem. Start with a backdrop of beautiful, Victorian storefronts in the BIA then add the grand architecture of hundreds of heritage homes and buildings scattered throughout the Town, and you have the perfect base. Add to the mix the dedicated work of the Town of Perth Parks & Facilities staff who, in conjunction with the Downtown Heritage Perth BIA, make sure the downtown core is vibrant with many beautiful floral units, benches, clean streets and sidewalks, and the jewel of the town - Stewart Park. 

Stewart Park was highlighted in the TVO feature; it was deeded to the Town of Perth by the late Jessie Stewart in honour of her late husband. Parks staff are continually working to keep the park a natural, lush green and pristine, with the beautiful Tay River winding through it, and to develop new features such as rock wall gardens, adding to the quaintness and heritage appeal of the park.

Downtown shop keepers are to be commended as well; their efforts in creating beautiful window displays and adding to the already abundant floral units should not go unmentioned.

The Perth BIA also undertakes seasonal beautification promotions, such as the downtown Christmas tree lighting, cedar garland on storefronts, fall and spring initiatives and sidewalk sales and specials during special events.

All Town of Perth parks are naturally weed-free, with an anti-pesticide bylaw in place.  Trees, young and old, line many of our heritage streets in both the business and residential districts.

More than what's on the surface, the spirit of Perthites contribute to the beauty of our small town. Perth has a rich history and our residents ensure that the Scottish legacy lives on, by keeping our history alive and contributing to the cleanliness of the town.

The TVO award is on permanent display in the main foyer of Town Hall.

The Prize is awarded by the Heritage Canada Foundation annually to a deserving community showing outstanding stewardship of built heritage. Perth's 19th century mills and factory buildings along the Tay River, Victorian storefronts and grand homes reflect its rich history, as well as the legacy of the Scottish stonemasons who built them.  

Perth was the first community to participate in Heritage Canada's Main Street program in the 1980s. The program led by John Stewart spawned decades of preservation efforts. According to Peter Code, of the Perth Historical Society, who nominated Perth for the award, "we're fortunate that we had the fabric and had only to strip off the outer layer to reveal the beauty beneath."

The Heritage Canada Foundation award jury cited the presence of Algonquin College's Heritage Institute, which has been teaching heritage carpentry and masonry in Perth since 1989. The jury praised the restoration projects by students and added their work and dedication has further strengthened the town's commitment to conservation.

The Prince of Wales Prize, established in 1999, honours municipal governments for commitment to the preservation of heritage buildings. Previous recipients include Markham, ON; Victoria, BC; Saint John, NB and Quebec City.

The Town received a plaque, framed scroll and a pennant with the insignia of the Prince of Wales and Heritage Canada Foundation.  The award was presented at the awards ceremony September 10, 2004 in Saint John. The plaque is on permanent display at Town Hall.

The application was written in the fall of 2008. This prestigious award recognizes both the work done in the past to conserve the town's heritage as well as the town's policies and community attitudes towards heritage.....it's quite an honour for Perth to be recognized in the first year of this award.

The Lieutenant Governor's Award is the provincial equivalent of the Prince of Wales Prize, which the Heritage Canada Foundation awarded Perth in 2004.

Some of the criteria the award committee examined included the presence of a town heritage committee, research initiatives, tax incentives for preserving heritage buildings, heritage-friendly bylaws and policies, stewardship programs such as Perth's Main Street Program and the number of historic sites.  One aspect of particular interest is Perth's "adaptive re-use" of historic buildings, such as housing Town Hall in a historic building while maintaining its original character.

Perth has been described as "....a terrific setting...the buildings are really substantial stone buildings of terrific age, which you see in larger communities, but rarely in a small town in Ontario like Perth. That is unique."

It's true - everywhere you look in Perth you can see a connection to the past. When you walk into Perth you can feel the warmth and the sense of place....Perth has a story, and we're part of that story; we're the stewards of it.