Council Priorities 2019-2022 Refresh

With climate change, the house of the future cannot burn natural gas any more. The City should prepare for electrification.

electricity replacing the burning of natural gas

Wildflowers in medians

Ban single use plastics in Kingston immediately.

We now know that plastic is in everything and everyone. We still do not know how harmful this is to us. We do know it is killing our birds and the whales. We live on a waterway that goes to the Ocean. We are in a position to make a big difference. The federal government may postpone there 2021 ban on single use plastics. We could still go ahead in Kingston.

Prioritization of sidewalk maintenance

Maintain sidewalks and bike lanes through the winter!! So many times I have fallen or almost fallen because of horrible sidewalks in the winter, and I am very able bodied. I can only imagine those with any hesitancy would skip the walk to the bus and just drive.

Provide incentives for use of alternate forms of energy for homeowners - not just developers -

If the province will not step in - can the municipality? Make new home developers install solar panels and alt energy for their developments

Specialized supported housing for people whose addictions and mental health challenge their participation in shelter system or housing

Transitional and supported housing is needed to avoid evictions, support people who have significant needs

Where does food security fit within the existing priorities? People need proper employment and food - basic needs

Too many students, seniors and families go hungry.

Diversify Shelter Options

Go back to a diversified shelter system, not a one-provider system HBH has proven itself unable to provide the kinds of shelter that respect the dignity of all, and to facilitate healing and wellness. Some people don't mind HBH/IFTC, but many really can't be there. City should be more careful about their service provider relationships in the future. The Housing and Homelessness Plan is done. DIdn't work the way you thought it would. Try something Different.

Quit acting like there is no money to house people, and just start housing people

We need a little less conversation and a little more action. The market solution has failed so a public sector or PPP solution has to be found. What gain was made by evicting people from the park at the barrel of a gun?

Tax landlords and use the money to house the poor

Outrageous that student houses are operated as businesses yet are taxed as residential housing. Base landlord license fees on the equity they have in the property, set to a level where you can hire an inspector to address the fire safety and property standards issues. Use any money left over to house the people you evicted from the park.

Remove pedestrian/bike "beg-buttons".

Requiring pedestrians to push a button to get a proper "walk" light exposes them to an unsanitized surface, and the only benefit is for motorists who get faster cycles. Remove these buttons and make every intersection behave as if someone is walking.

Make downtown a REAL pedestrian zone instead of mucking about with bits & pieces of it.

We lived in Europe for many years and where European and British cities created significant pedestrian-only areas in their downtown cores we saw a big increase in small business success, etc. Kingstonians could park on the outskirts and walk or bus in to a wonderful pedestrian-only downtown core alive and vital if we stopped kowtowing to vehicles instead of people.

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

Better snow removal from sidewalks

Sidewalk plows, while removing the bulk of the snow, leaves behind a smooth layer of snow on top of the sidewalk. This creates a walking surface that is very slippery and worsens as snow melts and re-freezes due to fluctuating temperatures.

Upgrade transit fareboxes

Kingston Transit's 5-year business plan (2017-2021) identified numerous important upgrades for transit service, most of which have been achieved, with the exception of farebox upgrades. Upgrading fareboxes to allow "real-time, online payment options using a credit card or other emerging payment methods" will lessen the need for in-person smart card replacements AND reduce the amount of cash used on transit. This upgrade will reduce in-person interactions, helping to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

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

Clamp down on parasitic businesses.

We need more regulation of parasitic businesses that take money out of the economy such as landlords, loan agencies, and brokers of all types. These businesses add no value to the economy or to the good & service that they manage. There's a reason we call their income "rent" and not "profit".

Future Economic Growth means investing today

We need to ensure projects such as a deep water dock and a multi use/Conference centre receive proper consideration now to ensure our industry rebounds and returns to a strong growth pattern. Tourism requires continual investment which results in economic wins through long term employment opportunities as well as supporting relocation to the Kingston community. We currently lose significant economic gains to our competitors in surrounding regions without the above assets. I understand these projects will not happen overnight but to postpone development will place us in a further competitive disadvantage and ultimately detrimental to Kingston's tourism industry.

I think in light of COVID, priorities must be chosen based on city-preservation and best for YGK citizens....

Economic development and affordable housing become top priorities in light of this...

pandemic forces us to re-evaluate; focus just on essentials to help business

Enforce physical distancing on campus and downtown during this influx of students to the city and throughout the coming weeks/months.

Help stop potential spread of Covid-19

Stronger efforts to deal with student parties, noise and garbage needs to come from City Counsellors. Neighbourhoods are changing badly.

Build Food Security and Production into all city public spaces

This past year Kingston residents planted its first two food forests. They aren't producing much yet but everyone who has seen them has been excited to see them grow especially after this springs potential food shortage scare. All city parks and green spaces should have edible plant species mandated as a certain percentage of what is planted. Many options are as low maintenance as other plantings currently in place. Think of the benefit to the food security of our most vulnerable and all citizens that this could add to the city.

Get Queens to enforce social distancing

If students are stopped by bylaw officers, have Queens also punish them academically. Expulsion would work better than fines which their parents would probably pay.

Healthy communities are aided by reduced policing.

For safe and healthy communities there is increasing evidence—not only in the US but also in Canada—that we should rethink the role of police, focusing on providing many services through other programs (bylaw enforcement, health services, etc). The city may consider freezing police budgets as a first step here.