One concern I hear constantly from the community is, “What’s being done to fix the roads?” There’s no doubt that many of Kingston’s roads need serious attention. I experience it myself every day on my commute downtown from the west end, so I know firsthand how important it is that we invest more in our…
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Starting July 1st, Kingston is taking an exciting step towards automated waste collection. Instead of workers manually picking up and emptying your garbage can and green bin, this task will now all be done with an automated garbage truck. This is a much safer, lower cost and more efficient system for waste collection, and it’s…
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There is no single solution to the ongoing housing crisis. No single approach or individual project will solve the challenge of housing affordability. Instead, it will require a variety of strategies, with different types of housing projects and partnerships spread throughout the city.For example, here at the former Travelodge Hotel on Princess Street, more than…
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Kingston now stands in the face of a new challenge. The United States, our nation’s largest trading partner, imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports. These measures are both misguided and punitive, and they put our most vital sectors – manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism – especially at risk. Now is the time to act. Let me…
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As we plan for Kingston’s future, a key issue we face is ensuring reliable, convenient and affordable transportation to and from our community. Over the past eight years, I’ve been advocating VIA Rail to improve train service to major cities like Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. However, I’m incredibly disappointed and frustrated by last week’s announcement…
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Every year one of the most important discussions at council is my presentation of the city’s annual budget. While as Council we can talk about important issues and priorities for the community, it’s the budget that ultimately determines where our municipal tax dollars are spent, and which City projects and initiatives move forward. The 2025…
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As we kick off a new year here in Kingston, the City has been approached with an interesting proposal for one of the oldest and most prominent recreation sites in the community. The potential project is a new soccer stadium that would be constructed here on the northeast corner of the Memorial Centre property. This…
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One of the most important actions we can take in response to the homelessness crisis is to create pathways that help people get back on their feet. While it’s important to meet people where they are, it is equally as important that, as a community, we can offer hope and support to help them move…
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Earlier this month, I joined with other mayors from Ontario’s largest cities to discuss the ongoing homelessness, mental health, and addictions crisis.. The Ontario Big City Mayors (OBMC) Caucus represents 29 cities with populations over 100,000. It’s a very diverse group of mayors with different political leanings and backgrounds, but over the last two years we have been united…
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Like most other cities in Ontario, in Kingston, we continue to grapple with the multiple, overlapping crisis of homelessness, mental health and addictions. These challenges are incredibly complex and cannot be fully addressed without adequate funding from upper levels of government. But in trying to do our best with the resources we have, there are…
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