Council Priorities 2019-2022 Refresh

Please stop cutting down the wildflowers and natural foliage along the Cataraqui River trail.

We don't need more monoculture grass; we need a variety of indigenous plants growing naturally along the trails.

Stop Urban Sprawl

Urban sprawl costs city tax payers more to build and maintain than dense neighbourhoods. In a new development, which is usually single-family homes, the following services are paid for and maintained by the city: new roads, sewage, water, drainage, transportation, etc. Instead, let's focus on fixing our existing infrastructure and increasing density in a sustainable and visually appealing way. More roads mean more GHG's and a further commute. A further commute means less time for physical activity, etc.

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.

Stop spending on bikelanes that are not used enough. Use the money to reduce emissions elsewhere. It’s great to fund pet projects but...

Carbon tax

Collaborate with NPOs/churches to address housing issues

Many orgs. care about the city but feel they lose out on "say" when they invest/work with a government agencies. Is there a way to collaborate on funding, resources and development?

Ban AirBnB-style short-term rentals of suites that can be long-term.

AirBnB rules favours landlords and removes legal rights normally afforded to tenants. Landlords convert otherwise normal rentals into AirBnBs to get more power and extract more rent from tenants. There might be a space for ethical use of AirBnB (for actual Bed & Breakfasts for tourists...) but that's not the major use case.

Increase priority of affordable/universal housing

I think that the pandemic has shown that universal housing needs to be a top priority, as we're all only as safe as the most vulnerable among us. I have been appalled by the recent decision to demolish the encampment at Belle Park, now of all times.

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?

Immediately develop flexible, as of right zoning provisions in areas with high development potential

Allow a broader range of permitted uses (e.g, residential, retail, office, etc.) that allow buildings to adapt to changing market demands without requiring rezoning

Bus route servicing the base

CFB Kingston is NOT serviced by a direct bus route from the East end of the city. A large number of military members live in the East end of the city and in order to get to the base they need to take 2 buses. The 602 bus goes by the base and no longer goes through as it once did years ago. I'm sure more people would commute if there was a direct bus and would take 15-20 mins to commute rather than 45 -55 it is now. Even if the bus was only offered during peak base hours it would be beneficial and allow for members to commute without a car.

Improved Road Maintenance for Cycling

I have seen some positive developments with bike lanes and trails over the last few years. However, one area that could improve is road maintenance - specifically large potholes and cracks in the cycling lanes. It's a major safety issue for cyclists (much more than motorists, obviously). If the city creates and maintains bike lanes, part of that program should include regular maintenance especially after the winter thaw.

Extend Kingston transit to all of the city limits.

Extend transit servicing area

Improve walkability in all areas, one high need area- Montreal St.

I and others regularly walk with kids on Montreal St.- it lacks sidewalks on one side of the road, and opportunities to safely cross everywhere north of Stephen St. As a major road into town, with a well-used bus route, it is a dangerous area to walk and to cross the street to catch a bus.

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.

Coordinate/cooperate with Queen's to help spark activity in fields that produce high-paying jobs

It would be a win-win for the city and the university to cooperate more on advancing more favourable conditions for startup activity, in economically relevant fields. It's clear from the start that Queen's students coming from away, do not settle here in large numbers despite longstanding efforts to encourage that. We need to create conditions under which locals can deepen knowledge that is economically valuable, in fields like engineering. Working engineers are shut out of graduate courses that require attendance during the day, which is mainly the case at Queen's right now. City should encourage Queen's to teach courses in areas that produce saleable skills, in an asynchronous way or in the evenings. In Ottawa, many telecom and software companies have been founded by people in industry who met in graduate courses taught at night, at Carleton and Ottawa U - they have been doing this since the 1990s and the Ottawa economy is much more balanced between the public and private sectors in terms of six figure jobs. There are night courses in economically hot fields like drones and the students are thinking about how they can capture the economic opportunities by starting businesses. The universities there are demonstrating a strong interest in contributing to their community. Another missed opportunity is that there is no way for a working St. Lawrence grad to upgrade to an engineering degree because the courses are taught during the day. Part-time is not allowed because the six year time limit the faculty sets, totally blocks part time study by working people. St. Lawrence grads are very close to practical problems that industry faces, have great ideas, but are being held back from developing further insight and credibility that can lead to startup companies. Queen's' offers to promising professors are quite often declined because nonacademic spouses have little economic opportunity in Kingston. Even when the offer is accepted, there are retention problems when the spouse is unable to find a job commensurate with his/her education. One of the drivers of the family doctor shortage is that nobody is going to open a practice here if the husband or wife has no chance of getting a good job. The city and the university should work together to give Kingston the best chance to develop a more resilient economy, one less dependent on the public sector for six figure jobs.

Help local business thrive so they can hire more people.

More businesses that attract younger families to the city and encourage new grads to settle in the city.

Too many young families and grads with valuable skills (doctor, engineer, lawyers) leave the city because there is no opportunities for them. We need people to stay and keep the city running. Bringing in more business that hire young talent will help people make Kingston their home.

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.

Developer/financier incentives/subsidy for affordable commercial/industrial spaces for creative boutique businesses and craft manufacturers

Examples of businesses might include soap making, pottery, jewellery making, fine art painting, metalworks, cabinet making, coffee roasting, microbrewery or winemaking, handcrafted clothing manufacture, custom shoe manufacture, hat and accessory manufacture, printmaking, papermaking, screenprinting, video and filmmaking, photography, furniture restoration, sound studio recording, musical rehearsal spaces, writing hubs, dance/yoga/martial arts studios, leather tooling, saddle making, art framing, art restoration, bookbinding, musical instrument making, etc.

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.

Offer free cooking workshops at the new Rideau Heights Community Centre.

Plan public spaces from an age-friendly and accessible lens

Seating, shade, lighting, public washrooms and recycling bins are needed in public parks and squares

Improve mowing of areas along Kingston West's roads to prevent the spread of weeds, especially hog weed on Progress Ave. and McKay Street.

Combine public art into functional bike racks at all shopping spaces.