We recently learned that Kingston now has the lowest rental vacancy rate in the entire province. The graph above is from the 2017 Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) report and shows that the vacancy rate in Kingston is just 0.7%, which is now lower than anywhere in the Greater Toronto area. This compares to…
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This week I was thrilled to present the first ever Mayor’s Arts Awards and recognize the contributions of five tremendous artists in our community. This exciting new event has been a number of years in the making, as a way to celebrate Kingston’s arts and culture scene and to raise the profile of great artistic…
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Check out the latest version of From the Mayor’s Chair, where I break down the decisions of Council in 2 minutes! The December 5th Council meeting began with a land deal between the City and Podium Developments. This is good news for the downtown as it will expand the supply of parkland in the core…
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This is budget week at City Hall. After two nights of presentations and deliberations, City Council approved the proposed city budget for 2018. The budget includes spending forecasts for all city departments and also a range of city funded agencies; everything from the library board to policing to tourism and economic development. I’m happy to…
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I was heartened this week to hear the Prime Minister’s announcement of a new national housing strategy that will provide billions of dollars for affordable housing across the country. Expanding the supply of affordable housing here in Kingston is both a personal priority and a key element in City Council’s strategic plan. There’s no question…
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Check out the latest version of From the Mayor’s Chair, where I break down the decisions of Council in 2 minutes! The November 21st Council meeting began with a recommendation from staff to begin some preparatory work on the Third Crossing with the hope that a decision on federal funding for the bridge could come…
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A question I’ve heard often over the years is if it’s possible to have a deep water dock that would allow cruise ships traveling through the Great Lakes to stop in Kingston. I think Kingston would be a very attractive place for cruise ships to land for a day. Every cruise ship would mean hundreds…
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Check out the latest version of From the Mayor’s Chair, where I break down the decisions of Council in 2 minutes! One of the big topics on the agenda at the November 7th Council meeting was the potential for a deep water dock for cruise ships. Council decided to move ahead with the plan to look…
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When I talk about the vision to make Kingston a smart and livable 21st century city, people sometimes ask me what I mean by a “smart city”. Well, one of the most important ways to make Kingston a “smart city” is to harness new technology that will improve services for our residents. A great example…
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I’m a big believer in the importance of two way communication between City Hall and residents. It’s vital that the city (and the mayor!) provide regular updates to the community on what projects we are working on, what decisions are being made at City Council and what changes people can expect. However, it’s equally important…
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