Council Priorities 2019-2022 Refresh

Picking up litter as a community service

We are still struggling with litter in the streets, and as we are on Lake Ontario, this is particularly worrisome. If students could collect litter as part of their community service, and offenders could do so as their community service, it might help to clean up the area.

Audit any entity receiving city services to ensure they are in compliance with recycling policies. Blue bins are being dumped in the trash.

Enforce recycling responsibilities

Develop an urban forestry strategy

Planting trees is not only good for the environment, but it also aids with storm water management, provides shade and has been proven to increase local property values.

Provide continuous sidewalks on all streets - Like Collins Bay Road

If you want people to walk you need to make it safe - there either is no sidewalk on roads like Collins Bay or it moves from the east to the west side - and no lights to cross the road when it does that

Re-instate the tree planting project from the Samsung Community Benefit Fund . There are 15 years remaining in this funding stream.

Replace the clear cut trees

City should build units

Counting on a trickle down effect of expensive private development to someday provide more vacancies for the most vulnerable doesn't make sense. City needs housing NOW, and could/should be reprioritizing to purchase existing buildings and to convert to RGI housing. New builds take too long. We need housing NOW.

Build 10k units of purpose built student housing on campuses

Make it easier for individual property owners to add additional residential units

A quick, easy solution for increasing rental housing supply

Actually build more affordable housing

Depending on private developers to add a sprinkling of "affordable" units in their buildings is not cutting it. The city needs to step up and build the units. Efforts so far have been a drop in the bucket.

use funding efficiently to build as many supportive housing units as possible

more supportive housing

I applaud addition of bike lanes to main E-W arteries. Must be continuous for safety. example:Bath Rd @Gardiners, @Queen Mary are dangerous!

Continuity of bike lanes

While downtown development is great, there should be a focus on developing all across the City -more neighbourhood shops, businesses, patio

More walkable opportunities in different neighbourhoods (not just box stores and strip malls); attractive areas - simllar to Vancouver so each district has vibrancy

"Quiet Streets" is a solution without a problem!

The streets where the barriers have been placed are already super-quiet residential streets! Unclear what the benefit is there. There is already minimal car traffic on these roads, and no existing pedestrian or cyclist congestion that would require the use of road space for walking, in order to increase physical distancing. On the other hand, closing down a pedestrian-busy street like Princess also didn't work out... So let's just stop forcing this idea. It's a solution without a problem. It makes sense to close down Lakeshore Blvd in Toronto to let pedestrians and cyclists use the road without over-crowding on the sidewalks or in the cycling lane. We don't have a pedestrian over-crowding problem outside of core downtown, so let's stop losing focus and wasting city resources on something that is not an issue.

Promote and Support Safe, Active Transportation for Children

UNICEF stated that ‘sustainable thinking from a young age onwards is more likely to have a lasting effect than trying to modify already ingrained habits later in life’. We need to build on what our schools are teaching our children about the environment and climate change by providing them with opportunities and examples of how to engage in a healthy lifestyle. A significant place for improvement lies in transportation. Children need access to active and safe transportation to their schools (which means local elementary school and high schools are important) and to get to know their community by independently exploring it. As it stands, most Canadian children don’t even get the minimum amount of recommended exercise in a day and many children are driven in greenhouse gas emitting private vehicles to school and other activities. One of the main reasons for private vehicle usage is that our streets are not safe because of traffic speeds, wide roads, too many intersections without signage, etc. Kingston needs to support parents in giving their kids the best opportunities for a successful future. Three of these strategic priorities are linked: Demonstrate Leadership on Climate Action; Improve Walkability, Roads and Transportation; and Foster Healthy Citizens and Vibrant Spaces. Changing our default travel pattern of the private vehicle and chauffeuring kids around the city to active transportation is a step to addressing all 3 of these priorities.

Re-pave earl street + add dedicated bike lane

Re-pave earl street between victoria and albert. Add bike lane. Consider making Earl street a bike boulevard, by making it a one-way alternating directions every block to deter traffic (similar to some roads in Toronto)

Talent attraction campaign

With many workplaces going remote, now is a great opportunity to bring more high skilled workers to town from overcrowded cities with poorer quality of life.

Offer support to provide more short term leases and/or reduced rents for space in downtown core: encourage pop-up/trial businesses.

Bring in commercial variety and give newbies a chance.

Good jobs for people with skills

Look at Economic development with an employee lens, not just a. Business focused lens. What is being done to create good well paid living wage (at a minimum) jobs. Many are not employed in spite of good skills, training, education. Creation of jobs should be a prioirty. Investment and incentives for businesses should be based on the quality and quantity of jobs being sustained in the community, not warehouses or minimum wage jobs

Keeping looking ahead with vision for full recovery; tourism

Tourism is a $36 billion industry in Ontario, we need to keep current, competitive and looking ahead to keep our piece of that pie. Tourism is the largest employer of youth in Ontario with some of the highest employer rates in Canada here in Kingston (Conference Board of Canada). As we continue to work through Covid- 19 impacts here in Kingston and with our Provincial and Federal counterparts, I would stress that we need to continue to look ahead so that we can continue to be relevant and at the table in the future, our municipal economy and SME's depend on this. It's important to keep considering the heavily researched Integrated Destination Strategy for Kingston and how a multi purposed Conference Centre and Deep Water Dock will greatly benefit our community in the long run, and help a very successful and integrally connected industry get back on their feet and continue to thrive producing jobs and tax dollars. Consider too, the massive economic spin off the tourism industry produces.

I am hoping that projects geared towards tourism will now take less of a priority (e.g. deep-water dock for cruise ships).

Prioritize other projects over tourism

Public Art

Would just really like to see something engaging on a wall somewhere.

focus on essentials of society, safety, shelter, food

Put money back into bettering public spaces

The list of projects that was delayed or cancelled because of COVID is an example of projects that help to make a city great and it’s citizens happier. Examples include a much needed revitalization of Skeleton park, expanded walking paths, creating a master plan for Belle park and revitalization of downtown waterfront. One need only look at the crowds along the Gord Downiest pier to see that the creation of great public spaces should be the priority.

Partner with the library to provide free education for all ages about nutrition and physical activities.

Plant more trees