One of the most important ways that Kingston can lead the way as a 21st century city is by embracing innovation in every sphere of our community. When most people hear the word ‘innovation’, they tend to think of a new technology or some new app for their smartphone, and certainly those are examples. To me, however, innovation is far broader. When I think about innovation, I think of any sort of new approach or tool or method that can add real value to a group of people or to society as a whole. Innovation is about finding creative solutions to everyday problems.
Innovation can be found in many different forms across our community and as mayor I want to share these stories. I want to showcase these exciting new approaches and technologies. Right now in Kingston there are state of the art technologies being produced by local businesses, cutting edge surgical techniques being developed at our post-secondary institutions, and innovative approaches to food security created by local social service agencies. Over the coming months I will be visiting local companies, public sector institutions, city departments and community agencies to learn more about innovation in Kingston.
What’s really exciting is that not only are these innovations making a positive impact here in our city, but they have the potential to spread to other communities. In fact, the impact from the innovation taking place in Kingston is astonishing. That’s what a leading, innovative, 21st century city can do, and I could not be more proud of how Kingston is leading the way. Get ready to follow along with me in the coming weeks as we celebrate the powerful ways innovation is transforming our community.