Community Updates

Asking for an Integrity Commissioner

City Council’s vote to approve the Capitol condominium project last Tuesday evening was an important decision, both for the future direction of downtown development and for the future of our city. For this reason, it is very important that all Kingstonians have full confidence in the integrity of the vote itself and the process in which council came to…
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5 Reasons the Capitol Condo Approval is Good News for our Downtown

After more than a year of community discussion, debate and several design revisions, the proposed Capitol condominium development was approved by City Council at our September 20th meeting. Here are 5 reasons why this is good news for our downtown.  The future residents of the Capitol will shop downtown. Estimates suggest spending by the future residents of the condo…
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From the Mayor’s Chair – September 20

Check out the latest version of From the Mayor’s Chair, where I break down the decisions of Council in 3 minutes or less. Highlights from the September 20 Council meeting include approval of the Capitol condo project at 223 Princess Street, the sale of the former Bailey Broom Factory on Rideau Street for redevelopment, and approval of…
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Fresh Made Daily – Building Kingston’s Tourism Brand

  This has been a big year for tourism – from the national spotlight of The Tragically Hip concert, to the Amazing Race episode, to the Kingston Penitentiary tours, and our award winning festivals and events!  Building on this exciting momentum is the new collaborative tourism brand for Kingston – ‘fresh made daily’. This new…
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Innovative Redevelopment of a Former School

School closures can be difficult for any community to deal with, but with some creative thinking at the city level we can turn a negative into a positive by encouraging smart redevelopment. A good example of this approach is with the former St. Joseph/St. Mary Catholic School at the corner of Brock and Napier Streets…
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From the Mayor’s Chair – September 6

Check out the latest version of From the Mayor’s Chair, where I break down the decisions of Council in 3 minutes or less. Highlights from the September 6 Council meeting include debate and discussion about the future of the the former St. Joseph/St. Mary Catholic School located at 671 Brock Street,  approval of the exterior look…
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Emerging Entrepreneurs Right Here in Kingston

Economic development is critical to the future prosperity of our city, and in my view one of the most important ways we can grow our economy is by growing new businesses right here in Kingston. This is a key part of my vision to make Kingston a smart city, where we create an environment where…
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A Night to Remember

  August 20 – The Tragically Hip Day in Kingston – is a night that I, along with all Kingstonians, will always remember. As I reflect on the night I am filled with pride and gratitude. I am grateful to Gord, Paul, Rob, Gord and Jonny, our hometown boys who became national music icons, but…
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Advocating for Kingston & Eastern Ontario

Earlier this week I was in Windsor attending the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference. The AMO conference is the largest annual municipal gathering in Ontario with over 1,700 municipal leaders in attendance –  a great chance to compare notes and share ideas with other mayors from across the province. Ranked ballots, Uber and…
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From the Mayor’s Chair – August 9

Check out the latest version of From the Mayor’s Chair, where I break down the decisions of Council in 3 minutes or less. Highlights from the August 9 Council meeting include an update on Kingston’s new integrated tourism strategy from Kingston Accommodation Partners and Tourism Kingston, the introduction of the made-in-Kingston Youth Employment Strategy,  and…
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