Nearly 300 people from across Lanark County have signed up with LBIN as basic income supporters and, to date, 20 organizations have endorsed LBIN’s Statement of Principles. They include:

• Canadian Federation of University Women Perth and District;
• Family and Children’s Services of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville;
• Lanark County Community Justice;
• The Hunger Stop Food Bank;
• Rideau Community Health Services;
• and The Table Community Food Centre.

LBIN has also secured resolutions in support of basic income from municipal councils of Perth, Smiths Falls, and Tay Valley Township.

In partnership with Lanark County Interval House, LBIN hosted an event in Carleton Place last year which highlighted the connection between basic income and the financial security it could provide for women and children needing to escape domestic violence in their homes. LBIN has made presentations across Lanark County and staffed the LBIN booth at Perth’s Festival of the Maples in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

PDCF Community Grants have helped LBIN produce display materials, create and maintain the LBIN website, launch Facebook and Instagram accounts, and create LBIN merchandise (lawn signs, totes, pens.)

Lily Roy lived her values of community involvement every day. The PDCF Lily Roy Memorial Bursary, created in her memory by her loving (and equally community-minded) husband, Frank Roy, is awarded each year to a graduating student from each of St John Catholic High School and Perth and District Collegiate Institute who, through their community involvement, reflect Lily’s belief that pitching in and participating in community is the key to a good life.

Lily was born in Hanna, Alberta, on June 23, 1932. She met Frank in the summer of 1956 when they were both working in British Columbia. They married in 1957 and moved to Ontario, and while raising three young boys, Lily got involved in the Nursing Division of St. John Ambulance in 1964, and, in 1990, was invested as a Commander in the Order of St John. For 40 years, even after she was diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment, Lily helped make others’ lives better through her volunteer work.

Lily taught CPR and First Aid to Girl Guides and Scouts, as well as healthcare workers and other adults in Stittsville, Burlington, and Carleton Place. After moving to Perth in 1990, Lily volunteered with Heart and Stroke, the Canadian Cancer Society, Rideau Lakes Home and Community Support Centre, EcoPerth, The Perth Public Library, and taught fitness classes at Perth Community Care, and Lanark Lodge. She instructed at Algonquin College and provided financial support for student awards. She grew connections and friendships with her active participation in skiing, canoeing, Scottish country dancing, and cycling with others. And, to take one sport to the extreme, Lily was a regular participant in Perth’s Annual Polar Bear Plunge, raising money for local organizations.

Lily’s commitment to community and her can-do spirit were infectious, and she was declared “Volunteer of the Year” in 2001 by the Safe Communities of Perth and District. When she received the award, Kara Symbolic, of North Lanark Community Health Centre (ConnectWell), honoured Lily beautifully, saying: “I consider Lily Roy to be a volunteer ambassador in our community. She leads us by example, by cajoling, by her sense of humour, and by her presence. In her volunteer life, she demonstrates care for both individual and community health, safety, fitness, environment, literacy…”

Lily died peacefully, at home, surrounded by family on April 14, 2005. As one family friend wrote to Frank, after Lily passed, “Her light will live on in all who knew her.”

Queer Connection Lanark, founded in 2014, has become a vital force for belonging in Perth and District.

In 2024, PDCF funded Queer Connection Lanark in partnership with Perth & District Union Public Library to hold the Lanark Speaks: Queer Speaker Series. This series featured five 2SLGBTQI+ community members talking about a range of topics including: drag, sports, gardening, comedy, business and identity. This January, QCL received a PDCF Community Grant to help promote the documentary Lanark County Voices … There’s a Place for Me Here. The film, made by QCL, features thirteen incredible members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, offering a glimpse of what their lives are like in Lanark County.

The documentary weaves their stories together into a vital archive of their insights, struggles and hopes for the future. You will hear how people have built a community; how, amidst many positive changes, the continued need for progress persists.

QCL hopes these and their other initiatives build belonging and create allies across the community. When community comes together, across diversity, we all thrive. Many thanks to QCL for their life-changing work. Follow QCL on Facebook to find out more about their work and upcoming events!

PDCF is proud to have been awarded a 2025 Rainbow Champion Award at this year’s Pride Parade.

From left to right: Elizabeth Snyder (QCL), Victoria Gibb-Carsley (PDCF Executive Director), Youssef Sawan (PDCF Board member), Steve Scott (Board member), Meredith Toivanen (admin assistant) and Terry Daly (Board member). Photo by Stephen Jones