What they do
Welcome Centre and visitor services
Open year round at town hall, 77 Beckwith Street North; the town also lists visitor desks at Victoria Park Marina and at Heritage House Museum.
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Town of Smiths Falls
Smiths Falls · Corporation of the Town of Smiths Falls · Ville de Smiths Falls · Смітс-Фоллз · Місто Смітс-Фоллз · Смітс Фоллс
Festival supporter
The Rideau Canal town twinned with Zolochiv, Ukraine.
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About
The Town of Smiths Falls is the municipal government of a town of 9,254 people — the figure the town itself publishes from the 2021 census — in Eastern Ontario, on the Rideau Canal. Town hall and the year-round Welcome Centre share one address, 77 Beckwith Street North. Council is made up of the mayor and six councillors, elected for a four-year term.
The town calls itself the heart of the Rideau Canal, which its own pages describe as Ontario's only UNESCO World Heritage Site. Four locks in three locations carry boats through town, operated by Parks Canada. Beckwith Street, the main street, is known locally for its summer flower displays; Heritage House Museum, in an 1861 house at 11 Old Slys Road, opens Wednesday to Sunday from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm with changing displays of Smiths Falls artifacts, travelling exhibits and art shows. Elsewhere in town stand the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario, the 1912–13 bascule bridge that now sits permanently raised, and Victoria and Centennial parks on the banks of the canal.
On 16 June 2025 the town signed a twinning and cooperation agreement with the city of Zolochiv in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. The town's media release lists the fields of exchange as science and education, sport, economic development and tourism, culture and historical architecture, and protection of the environment, and thanks the Ukrainian Embassy and the local people who moved the initiative along. Mayor Shawn Pankow is quoted in it: “This partnership is more than symbolic — it is a commitment to learning from one another, sharing our strengths, and promoting peace and cooperation across borders.”
By UAFest's own record of its family, Smiths Falls backed the festival in 2024. Carleton Place, where UAFest is held, is 29 km from Smiths Falls according to the distance table the town publishes on its Invest in Smiths Falls page; Ottawa is 78 km.
For businesses and visitors, the town runs an economic development and tourism office, a searchable business directory, an events calendar and the weekly What's Happening newsletter. Its tourism side keeps a separate Facebook page, Experience Smiths Falls, and a Pet Friendly Smiths Falls program that lists shops, museums, parks and lockstations where pets are welcome.
Twinned with Zolochiv, Ukraine — 16 June 2025
29 km from Carleton Place, 78 km from Ottawa
On the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Organization
What they do
What they do
Heritage House Museum
A municipal museum in an 1861 house at 11 Old Slys Road, open Wednesday to Sunday, 10:30 am to 4:30 pm, phone 613-283-6311.
What they do
Twinning with Zolochiv, Ukraine
Signed 16 June 2025 and covering science and education, sport, economic development and tourism, culture and historical architecture, and the environment.
What they do
Events calendar and What's Happening newsletter
A town-run calendar of festivals, markets and community celebrations, plus a weekly email listing what is on; the tourism Facebook page is Experience Smiths Falls.
What they do
Economic development and business directory
Support for start-ups and established businesses, a searchable directory of local companies, and an Invest in Smiths Falls page carrying the town's own census, cost and transport figures.
What they do
Pet Friendly Smiths Falls
A community program listing shops, museums, parks and lockstations that welcome pets; the town names a staff contact for businesses that want to join.
Open to
Community groups planning an event in town — the town has a Planning an Event page and a Grants and Funding pageBusinesses and investors looking at Smiths FallsVisitors and day trippers; the Welcome Centre is open year roundVolunteers, through the town's Be a Volunteer pageCultural, educational and youth exchange under the Zolochiv twinning
Town of Smiths Falls
Photos
Town of Smiths Falls
Where to find them
Smiths Falls sits in Eastern Ontario on the Rideau Canal, between Ottawa and Kingston. It has its own council and administration, separated from Lanark County while remaining inside the county's census division, and the town's own pages describe it as the heart of the canal, Ontario's only UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its land area is 9.66 square kilometres and its 2021 census population 9,254.
The distance table the town publishes puts Carleton Place at 29 km, Perth at 19 km, Ottawa at 78 km, Brockville at 51 km and Kingston at 96 km, with VIA Rail passenger service running daily through town to Ottawa and Kingston. Riverside Park in Carleton Place, where UAFest is held on 13 September 2026, is that 29 km up the road — a short drive for anyone in Smiths Falls.
UAFest participation
Their story and UAFest
54
1854
Incorporated as a village.
82
1882
Incorporated as a town.
24
2024
Listed among UAFest's supporters for the 2024 festival.
25
2025
16 June: signs a twinning and cooperation agreement with Zolochiv, Lviv Oblast; the mayors of both towns are photographed with the signed copies.
26
2026
Publishes the 2026 Visitor Guide and runs the municipal election.
Town of Smiths Falls
Questions & answers
How do I reach the Town of Smiths Falls?
The town publishes one general line for enquiries: 613-283-4124, toll free 1-888-983-4124, info@smithsfalls.ca. By mail or in person the address is 77 Beckwith Street North, Smiths Falls, ON, K7A 2B8. For after-hours road, water, sewer or park emergencies the town lists 613-284-1430.
How far is Smiths Falls from Carleton Place and Ottawa?
The town's own distance table gives Carleton Place at 29 km (18 miles), Ottawa at 78 km (48 miles), Perth at 19 km, Brockville at 51 km and Kingston at 96 km. VIA Rail runs daily passenger service through Smiths Falls to Ottawa and Kingston.
What is the twinning with Zolochiv?
A formal twinning and cooperation agreement between the Town of Smiths Falls and the city of Zolochiv in Lviv Oblast, signed on 16 June 2025. The town's release sets out exchange in science and education, sport, economic development and tourism, culture and historical architecture, and protection of the environment, and says it opens the door to community-led cultural initiatives and youth cooperation.
What is there to see in Smiths Falls for a day?
The town's own Things To Do page points to the Rideau Canal locks operated by Parks Canada, Heritage House Museum, the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario in the 1912 station, the permanently raised bascule bridge, the 1913 Carnegie library and Town Square, the Station Theatre, and Victoria and Centennial parks with Murphy Park Beach along the canal. Downtown shopping and dining sit on Beckwith Street and Russell Street.
We are organising an event in Smiths Falls — who do we talk to?
The town keeps a Planning an Event page under Recreation & Community, alongside pages on Grants and Funding and on volunteering, and a Report a Problem form. General enquiries go to 613-283-4124 or info@smithsfalls.ca, which is the route the town publishes for reaching the right department.
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