The Town of Greater Napanee and the County of Lennox and Addington appear ready to put recent tensions over homelessness and planning behind them.
At a special meeting of the Council of the Town of Greater Napanee held on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Matthew Grant updated Council on the County's response to the Town's calls for a homelessness strategy and bylaw addressing encampments. Grant recommended that the Town allow the County to use local facilities free of charge to host public consultations on its forthcoming encampment bylaw.
The move marks a shift from just weeks earlier, when, on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, Napanee Council debated a letter from the County's solicitor demanding the Town stop distributing an "encampment protocol map" that extended onto County lands because, in the County's opinion, the map was effectively directing unhoused people to the address where the County's administrative offices, courthouse, and museum are located.
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Napanee responded on August 28 with a letter urging the County to pass its own bylaw and to fulfill its provincial role as service manager for housing, according to the CAO.
On Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, County Warden Nathan Townend wrote back to Napanee Council to confirm that the County would take that step. "The County of Lennox and Addington does not intend to pursue any further legal remedy to the recent disputes that have existed between us," Townend wrote, noting that County Council had directed him to pursue a bylaw rather than litigation. That letter was included in a report to Council for the special meeting.
Grant welcomed the development.
"We're now at a place where I kind of wish we had started," he said. "It is [the County's] intention to pursue their own bylaw."
He reminded councillors that Napanee had asked the County to produce a homelessness strategy, as required by Ontario law, and to engage the public in its development.
"I know that Council and staff look forward to putting this unfortunate incident behind us... Staff are very much looking forward to proceeding with our partners, with mutual respect and mutual support," Grant said.
Some Napanee councillors voiced cautious optimism. Councillor Bob Norrie said he appreciated the County's decision:
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"I want to thank County Council for the decision they made to speed this up," he said, though he did note he was reluctant support waiving fees for the use of Town facilities.
Mayor Terry Richardson also expressed frustration with the County's earlier approach, noting its letter defended the threat of legal action as a necessary tool. Still, he urged cooperation going forward.
"We've got to move on from this," Richardson said. "We have to work together to resolve a multi-faceted problem that exists in every municipality in this country and probably on this continent. If we don't, we're going to continue to spin our wheels, and the people that we're supposed to be representing are not going to be represented."
Napanee Council ultimately passed a motion to receive CAO Grant's report and to waive facility fees for the County's consultations on its encampment bylaw.
Meetings of the Council of the Town of Greater Napanee can be viewed virtually (or watched afterward) on the Napanee Town Council YouTube channel or attended in person in Council Chambers at Napanee Town Hall, 124 John Street. Further information about Council meetings, including agendas and reports, is available on the Town's CivicWeb portal.
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