Dear Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour
The most important item in this newsletter is that this Tuesday, Sept 6 Council will decide on whether to accept Patry’s request for a Ministerial Zoning Order for the Inner Harbour Tannery property that would allow him to fill in a portion of the Provincially Significant Wetland south of Belle Parki and build on it without any environmental constraints. This would be in the upper left hand part of the map provided above. Many are opposed for a variety of reasons outlined below.
Second, I am going on a Northwest Passage adventure cruise starting Sept 6 for most of the month of September so there will be no mid-September news update this month.
LOCAL POLITICAL ISSUES AND EVENTS
1. Protect the River: Protest vs Ministerial Zoning Order for Tannery Development Mon, Sept 5
2. Meet the River II: Belle Park Project’s Exciting Family Event, Sat, Sept 3
3.All Candidates Meetings for upcoming October Municipal Elections
4. Police Community Survey
5. City Webinar on Participatory Budgeting
6. Makers and Shakers New Fun Event Series
7. Roger Healey, our Treasurer, recognized Internationally for Kingston School Street Initiative. Now also at Central Public School
FROM FARTHER AFIELD
8. Your Lakes – Your Voices
9. Kingston Inner Harbour federal proposed clean-up webpage
10. Great series of articles on the St. Lawrence
11. Wetland Offsetting Discussion
12. Possible Solution for Destroying Forever Chemicals
13. Good video on Problems with Batteries
14. Checking Up on the Great Lakes
15. Kingston Rowers named to Team Canada
16. Fun Facts about Cucumbers
LOCAL POLITICAL ISSUES
NOTE: Details about the proposed development will be available on the City’s website – https://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/city-calendar-events/-/calendar/QUmzuR567ExT/event/39101973
Details will be posted this Friday.
What is included in this newsletter, for your information, are accounts of activities opposed to what is being proposed that are not so widely publicly available.
1. Protect the River:
Protest vs. Ministerial Zoning Order for Tannery Development,
At the Woolen Mill, Mon, Sept 5, 4:30 pm
Received from River First YGK August 31
Flotilla to show that the community cares for the Cataraqui River and the Orchard Street Marsh.
This will be a paddling demonstration of public opposition to the proposed Tannery lands development.
All welcome!
We encourage Councillors to put the river first and vote no on the proposed development of the Tannery lands.
The river is forever. There is too much at stake to approve a proposal full of “to be determineds” and unanswered questions.
Kingston deserves forward-thinking developments that respect the land, the water, and the community, and that take climate change seriously.
Join us!
When: Monday, September 5th, 2022 @ 4:30 pm
Where: The boat ramp at the Woollen Mill.
Bring canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, rowboats.
Or join us on the shoreline with signs and your own messages for City Council. They vote on Tuesday, September 6th.
Media Release submitted by No Clearcuts in Kingston:
Received earlier this month:
We are still feeling thrilled and relieved that 4 of the 6 Planning Committee City Councillors voted against Jay Patry’s plan to clearcut, excavate, and pave over the former Tannery property!
Thank you again to Councillors Lisa Osanic, Simon Chapelle, Rob Hutchison, and Jim Neill for being forward-thinking, realistic, and green! (Unfortunately, Robert Kiley and Wayne Hill supported Patry’s efforts to totally destroy what is now a vibrant urban forest.)
The courageous 4 were up against Mayor Paterson, City Staff, Jay Patry, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Business Improvement Area.
BUT, the fight isn’t over yet!! The full Council will vote on this “development” on Tuesday, September 6. There is still work to do!!
We’ve put together a template letter for you to send to the Mayor and Council with a list of their addresses below. Please phone them as well! Their numbers are available by googling Mayor & Councillors, City of Kingston.
We’ve heard that the 4 Planning Committee members are being pressured to change their vote. The entire Council is being lobbied heavily by powerful pro-clearcut interests. They need to hear from us, too!
If you have questions about any points listed in our letter, please let us know!!!
One thing we want to make clear. We aren’t just opposing the Tannery clearcut. We have been in touch with scientists at Phyto Action, University of Montreal, who say that the majority of the 37-acre Tannery site can be cleaned up naturally by a process of phyto- or bio-remediation.
So, we want to create a cutting-edge Bio Park to show the world how to remediate damaged land properly!!
Here is the template letter. Do consider sending it. Letters matter.
Dear Mayor and Members of Kingston City Council:
As a local citizen, I am writing to voice my concerns regarding the request of Jay Patry Enterprises for amendments to the Official Plan and zoning bylaws to allow the company to build on the former Davis Tannery land. This site includes a Provincially Significant Wetland (PSW), a Significant Woodland of some 1800 mature trees, and an Environmental Protection Area.
I encourage you to support the Planning Committee, which after careful review and several public meetings, voted on August 4, 2022, to reject the developer’s request for these changes. Planning Committee also rejected Planning Staff’s recommendation that the city request a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) from the province to permit the developer to fill in and build on the wetland.
Many local citizens, like myself, and representatives from groups like the Kingston Field Naturalists, River First YGK, 350 Kingston, Little Forests Kingston, Turtles Kingston, and No Clearcuts Kingston, as well as provincial groups like Ontario Nature, strongly oppose this development and any request for an MZO for the following reasons:
An MZO would be a mistake
Filling in and building on a PSW is forbidden by provincial legislation. If granted, an MZO would remove this environmental protection and override locally determined zoning. It would take final decision-making power from the city and allow part of the wetland to be destroyed. It would also remove the democratic right that elected municipal governments have to make planning decisions. An MZO would also eliminate the need for permits and oversight from our local Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority.
Wetlands are essential to mitigate flooding
70% of wetlands across this province have already been destroyed. They are our best protection against flooding and our ally in carbon capture, as well as providing habitat for biodiversity. If granted, an MZO would set a dangerous precedent and open the door to demands from other developers across the province to build on PSWs.
This proposed development fails to take climate change and the climate crisis into account
We are in a climate catastrophe and yet this proposed development has not been reviewed through a comprehensive climate lens. Neither the developer’s Environmental Assessment report nor the City’s Staff report weighs the impact of the loss of 1800 mature trees on this land, nor the effects of extreme rain and heat events if this massive, overcrowded development were to proceed. The impact on biodiversity (threatened turtles, multiple species of birds, and other living creatures making their home on this land or along the shoreline) has not been considered important enough to study carefully.
Indigenous peoples have not been consulted
The former Davis Tannery lands are located close to sacred Indigenous lands on Belle Island and yet City Staff did not believe it was their “duty” to consult with local Indigenous communities. However, if we do not wish to repeat the mistakes of the past, we need to listen carefully to the wisdom and perspectives of local Indigenous communities.
Too many questions remain
The Tannery property is a complex site and there are too many unanswered questions and missing details to permit Council to make a fully informed decision about the proposed development at this time: Will the developer’s remediation plan actually work? (Staff want to assess this AFTER the vote.). How is groundwater moving on the site and what, if any, contaminants are leaching into the river? Could clear-cutting all trees and vegetation and filling in and building on part of a wetland actually increase contaminants leaching into the river? Who would be financially liable if this happened? Councillors and citizens deserve clear answers to these important questions. I believe that, as Council wisely requested last fall, the city needs to hire a hydrogeologist to conduct an independent study of what is happening with the water on the site before any changes to zoning are considered.
This proposed development is high-end riverfront housing that will not address housing affordability
Kingston has an affordable housing crisis and addressing this crisis needs to be a top priority. However, this development will not solve this crisis. All but a possible 100 of the 1700 condos and apartments proposed for this development will not be affordable to people who are presently unhoused or living with constrained incomes. Intensification is important but it should fit with the land and with present neighbourhoods and involve wise urban planning and environmental sensitivity. An urban forest, a PSW, and a shoreline adjacent to a UNESCO World Heritage Site are not the place to build such an aggressive, profit-driven development. There are more appropriate locations along major city corridors for mixed-use, affordable intensification.
“High-level” reassurances mean nothing
During the August 4, 2022, Planning Committee meeting, City Staff and the developer’s consultants tried to reassure members of the public and Councillors on the Planning Committee – who voiced some of the above concerns – that, once the zoning changes had been approved, the details would be fleshed out. They also promised that the MZO would be a collaborative process between the city and the province, but past experiences with MZOs are not reassuring.
Council has to act to protect city interests with “due diligence”
Council does not have complete answers to the many questions that have been raised by Councillors and members of the public. Approving the requested Official Plan and zoning bylaw amendments, and asking the province for an MZO, means this proposed development would move forward without sufficient safeguards and with inappropriate zoning for waterfront property – for example, eight-storey buildings with further rooftop elements – further ruining Kingston’s precious waterfront.
Again, the environmental legislation and zoning designations that protect this land will be gone and local citizens and City Councillors will have no power to protect the wetland, the trees, and the wildlife living on this land and along its shoreline – and the river that may suffer from additional toxic contamination.
Therefore, I ask you to protect the interests of residents and to support the Planning Committee’s decision. Please vote NO to the recommendations in the Staff Report for changes to the Official Plan and zoning bylaws and to the request from the City to the province for an MZO. This development proposal, as presented, is bad planning and not in the public interest.
Thank you for considering this letter and for all the work that Councillors and City Staff have put into this file.
Sincerely,
Name and Address
Please send to John Bolognone, the City Clerk: – jbolognone@cityofkingston.ca requesting that it be recorded as official correspondence and sent to the Mayor, Council, and relevant City Staff.
If you would prefer to send directly to Councillors in addition, here are their e-mails.
The Mayor: mayor@cityofkingston.ca
Councillor Gary Oosterhof: goosterhof@cityofkingston.ca
Councillor Simon Chapelle: schapelle@cityofkingston.ca
Councillor Lisa Osanic: losanic@cityofkingston.ca
Councillor Wayne Hill: whill@cityofkingston.ca
Councillor Bridget Doherty: bdoherty@cityofkingston.ca
Councillor Rob Kiley: rkiley@cityofkingston.ca
Councillor Mary Rita Holland: mrholland@cityofkingston.ca
Councillor Jeff McLaren: jmclaren@cityofkingston.ca
Councillor Jim Neill: jneill@cityofkingston.ca
Councillor Peter Stroud: pstroud@cityofkingston.ca
Councillor Rob Hutchison: rhutchison@cityofkingston.ca
Councillor Ryan Boehme: rnboehme@cityofkingston.ca
b) Second Media Release from No Clearcuts in Kingston
Received August 31, 2022
Belleville Councillor Expresses Hope for Tannery Land Preservation
Kingston, ON – A Belleville city councillor who helped save valuable land along that city’s shoreline has expressed his hope that Kingston will do the same.
Chris Malette, chair of the city’s Green Task Force, stated that:
“We in Belleville often look to Kingston as a municipal example of responsible stewardship of important and proper development where neighbourhoods, sensitive lands, and social issues are at stake.
As a Belleville councillor who worked with our City’s Green Task Force to promote our recent council decision to buy from developers 8.4 acres of sensitive shoreline lands on the Bay of Quinte – lands that were once home to a terribly polluted brownfield site known as Bakelite Thermosets – I would hope Kingston once again shows its collective wisdom in preserving valuable shoreline lands, wherever and however it can, and continues to set an example among municipal governments in Eastern Ontario in ‘doing the right thing.’”
Belleville purchased 8.4 acres for $3.15 million recently from two developers. The land had been considered a highly toxic brownfield at one time. The earth was removed by a previous developer who unfortunately allowed toxins to flow into the Bay of Quinte.
“In light of increasing climate tragedies, we appreciate hearing that our neighbour has confidence in our City Council to reject unaffordable housing that utterly devastates nature when they vote on the Tannery clearcut and MZO on September 6,” said Kathleen O’Hara, No Clearcuts Kingston. “Perhaps Mayor Paterson should give Belleville’s Mayor Panciuk a call to find out how to save our irreplaceable waterfront.”
More info? Contact Kathleen O’Hara 613-400-8444
Kingston, ON – As the debate over Jay Patry’s application to pave over part of a Provincially Significant Wetland heats up, misinformation continues to plague this controversial plan.
For example, certain proponents have been incorrectly citing a tweet (see below) from former Toronto City Councillor, now an NDP MPP, Kristyn Wong-Tam.
The proponents have been using Wong-Tam’s tweet to lobby City Councillors to support a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO), being promoted by City Staff, which would allow Mr. Patry to ignore the legal protections the Tannery wetland now has.
The MZO and the entire Tannery development project were opposed by 4 of the 6 Planning Committee members on August 4.
The Patry supporters are claiming that Wong-Tam’s tweet indicates that the MPP considers some MZOs to be progressive – as they argue Kingston’s will be.
“We couldn’t believe that Kristyn Wong-Tam would actually see the Tannery MZO as a positive thing, so we contacted their office,” said Kathleen O’Hara, No Clearcuts Kingston. “They responded within hours expressing their unhappiness that Wong-Tam’s words are being misused, calling it ‘deeply inappropriate’.”
Wong-Tam sent No Clearcuts Kingston the following letter:
“In late October 2020, Ford Government dropped a surprise MZO on West Don Lands Blocks 3, 4 and 7. They up-zoned the site without any notice or consultation.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ministerial-zoning-orders-don-lands-toronto-1.5778887
Shortly, afterwards, I placed a motion before City Council expressing displeasure about the unilaterally imposed MZO from the Ford Government. I then set into motion the request for City Planning to create a municipal framework for MZO use in Toronto.
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2020/mm/bgrd/backgroundfile-157905.pdf
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2021.PH22.8
I would never endorse the use of an MZO over the development of any wetlands or other environmentally sensitive area.
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP for Toronto Centre
www.kristyn.ca
No Clearcuts Kingston added “We find it politically dishonest to use the words of a progressive politician who cares about the environment in order to make a destructive and anti-environment project seem more acceptable. We hope that City Councillors who will be voting on Patry’s Tannery proposal September 6 see through this misleading information.”
Unfortunately, there are other instances of misinformation surrounding this controversial project. From the claim that the wetland is without living creatures and “silent” – completely disproved at Planning Committee when Councillors were presented with an audio recording of the sounds of the property in early morning – to the fallacy that planting young trees will make up for the loss of 2000 carbon-storing mature trees.
The failure of the city to follow Council’s interest in hiring a hydrogeologist before it makes its decision, to advise on the impact of waterflow through the property after the clearcut and during and after construction, remains a cause for deep concern.
The world is facing climate catastrophes. We should be trying our hardest to find honest, co-operative solutions to the increasing need for both affordable homes and a protective tree canopy.
More Info? Kathleen O’Hara, 613-400-8444
NOTE: We have received other concerns from persons who prefer to remain anonymous pointing to three areas in the City where Patry has promised planting after removing trees and where the promises appear not to have been fulfilled – at least of yet: Princess & Victoria, Princess & Nelson, and 501 Frontenac St. These contnributors suggest that the agreement with the city should include lots of detail on what will be planted, how they will be maintained, how dead trees will be dealt with, etc as there is a significant difference between seedlings and mature trees and some sense of how long it might take to fulfill these requirements seems only reasonable..
2. Meet the River II Belle Park Project’s Exciting Family Event, Sat, Sept 3
Received August 31
Since the summer of 2021 when the Belle Park Project hosted our first Meet the River event, the Cataraqui River continues to be a site of life and action. Turtles are flourishing, mute swans and herons are abundant (not to mention Canada geese!), and the water — while murky – is alive with fish. Citizens are engaging vociferously in discussion about plans to dredge the river and to clear cut 1500 trees in the tannery lands. People watch the sun rise over the east shore, cruise by on bikes, and linger at picnic tables to visit.
Please join us for our 2nd Meet the River event, from 2pm to 4:30pm! This family event will take place at our installation, by the sign of the fish at the south end of Douglas Fluhrer Park. We will again spend some time together and with the water, to learn about these waters and all that they are sustaining and the challenges they face, and this year, we’ll also do some fishy art!
We will have four short presentations:
1) Learn about our Augmented Reality piece: Swimming Upstream;
2) We will hear from the new Director of the Kingston Indigenous Language Nest, Mandy Wilson;
3) Jeremy Milloy of River First YGK will speak about the potential effects of dredging the river, and
4) Isabel Fleisher, the Manager of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper Programs at Swim Drink Fish will speak about the Work of Swim Drink Fish’s community-based water monitoring hubs in Kingston and Toronto, and the value community-based participatory science has for communities and the environment.
There will be arts activities for kids and adults including paper folding led by the Calliope Collective and the creation of fish masks designed by Clelia Scala.
The event is free and open to all ages; no registration required.
Please bring a folding chair or a blanket.
Please note that the rain date is September 10, 2022, from 2pm to 4:30pm.
More info? https://belleparkproject.com/events/meet-the-river-ii
3. All Candidates Meetings for October Municipal Elections
Come learn about the issues and express your views!
The Coalition of Kingston Communities invites you to the following
ALL-CANDIDATES MEETINGS
*September 24 King’s Town
Central School 6:30-8:30pm Moderator Ian Wilson
Attendance confirmed: Rob Hutchison
*September 25 Collins-Bayridge
Bayridge Public School, 6:30-8:30pm Moderator Ted Hsu
Attendance confirmed: Lisa Osanic
*October 1 Loyalist-Cataraqui
Holsgrove School 6:30-8:30pm Moderator Helen Cooper
Attendance confirmed: Bittu George, Georgina Riel
*October 1 Kingscourt-Rideau
Meeting 1: Rideau neighbourhood Kingston Community Health Centre 6:30-8:30pm Moderator Helen Mabberly
Attendance confirmed: Cheryl-Anne Dorey Bennett, Mary Rita Holland, Darryl McIntosh
*October 2 Countryside
Glenburnie School 6:30-8:30pm Moderator Steve Ward
Attendance confirmed: Louis Cyr, Gary Oosterhof
*October 3 Lakeside
Henderson School 6:30-8:30pm Moderator Ted Hsu
Attendance confirmed: Wayne Hill, Ashley Johnson, Dave McKenna, Jordan Morelli, Chris Morris, Ed Smith
*October 3 Kingscourt-Rideau
Meeting 2 sponsored by KCA: 6:45-9:15 Kingscourt Free Methodist Church Hall, 255 Kingscourt Ave.
Attendance confirmed: Cheryl-Anne Dorey Bennett, Mary Rita Holland, Darryl McIntosh
*October 4 Portsmouth
Centennial School 6:30-8:30pm Moderator Jonathan Rose
Attendance confirmed: Chris Ball, Bridget Doherty, David Dossett, Carly Francke
*October 9 Trillium
Truedell School 6:30-8:30pm Moderator David Gordon
Attendance confirmed: Robert Kiley, Floyd Patterson
*October 10 Williamsville
Sponsored by WCA – Princess St. United Church 7-9pm Moderator John Clements
Attendance confirmed: Vincent Cinanni, Andre Imbeault, Jim Neill
*October 11 Mayor
Memorial Hall, Kingston City Hall 7:30-9:30pm Moderator Bill Hutchins
Attendance confirmed: Eric Lee, Rob Matheson, Bryan Paterson, Vicki Schmolka
*October 12 Meadowbrook-Strathcona
Lord Strathcona School 6:30-8:30pm Moderator Sally Barnes
Attendance confirmed: Jeff McLaren, Taylor Pearce
*October 14 Sydenham
Sponsored by SDA – 3-5pm KCVI Auditorium Moderator Justin Connidis
Attendance confirmed: Dylan Chenier, Steve France, Matt Gaiser, Peter Stroud
For up-to-date information on the meetings see:
https://coalitionofkingstoncommunities.wordpress.com
4. Police Community Survey
This is an opportunity to let the police know YOUR priories for their Strategic Plan.
http://survey.kpf.ca/s3/2022-Kingston-Police-Community-Survey
5. City Webinar on Participatory Budgeting – Sept 7, 2022
Enrol in City webinar with the city’s Financial Services team as they welcome representatives from other municipalities to speak about their community’s experience with Participatory Budgeting:
Event overview. Sept 7, 2022 12:00 pm
Introductions and opening remarks.
What is participatory budgeting and why
Presentation by Ryan Hagey, Director of Financial Planning & Reporting, City of Kitchener
Presentation byh Melinda Jolley, Citizen Engagement Coordinator,
City of Victoria
Visioning exercise with question prompts from the project team to guide the exercise.
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2816602291042/WN_4k683jwfTNu0ddyCbA2g7g?utm_source=ehq_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ehq-Get-Involved-Third-Crossing-Landscaping-and-Restoration-and-2023-Budget&utm_campaign=website&utm_source=ehq&utm_medium=email
6. Makers and Shakers New Fun Event Series
Received from Clarke Mackey mid August
“I’m pleased to let everyone know that The Makers and Shakers Society will be broadcast on CFRC 101.9 FM radio in Kingston, Ontario on Thursday nights at 7:00 pm from September 15 to October 20.
Podcasts of each episode will be available the next day on your favourite podcast app or from the website.
How to listen:
If you live in Kingston, tune in to CFRC on Thursday nights. If you live outside the broadcast area, anywhere in the world, you can listen live through CFRC’s website. If you want to listen at another time, podcasts will be available through the show’s website or your favourite podcast app. We’ll send you a reminder closer to the day.
Save the date:
We’re having a live launch for the series on Saturday evening, September 24 at The Broom Factory, 305 Rideau Street in Kingston. This event is presented by our partner The Kingston Canadian Film Festival. It will include live music, an on-stage interview with me as the show’s writer and director, and a Q and A with the cast and crew. It’s a free ticketed event. More details to follow in the next newsletter.
What is it?
Grace, Seth, Leah and Oliver come from very different backgrounds. Inspired by Greta Thunberg, the meet in grade twelve at KCVI and become climate activists. Each in their own way, they struggle to survive the climate apocalypse. A climate-friendly government takes power in Ottawa, but is battered by backlash and scandal. By 2038, the four friends are forced to make hard choices.
The Makers and Shakers Society is a scripted audio drama in six parts written and directed by Clarke Mackey. All cast members have Kingston connections. Performers include Jackson Watt-Bowers, Vishmayaa Jeyamoorthy, Stephanie Fung, Paul Smith, Anna Sudac, Liam Karry, and Cassel Miles. The music is composed and performed by Kevin Bowers.
More info?makersandshakers.ca
Help us spread the word:
You can help spread the word about this project by sharing and reposting items from our Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok pages. Or tag us @radiolandmedia in posts about your own experiences. Our hash tags include #makersandshakers, #radiolandmedia, #audiodrama, #environmentalpodcast, and #climatechange.
7. Roger Healey, our Treasurer,
Recognized Internationally for School Street Initiative
Roger Healey, also of the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation, has received an invitation to speak in Ireland as part of the Walk 21 Ireland conference this September 20. His talk is entitled “Encouraging Children to Walk to Learn.” Roger will be recounting the experience of implementing a “School Street” in Kingston at Winston Churchill Public School that turned out to be one of the first attempts in all of Canada to run the program for a full school year.
More info?https://walk21ireland2022.exordo.com
Congratulations Roger!
For more information on Kingston’s School Street initiatives: https://globalnews.ca/news/8103571/kingston-council-closures-school-street-play-street/
https://www.kingstonist.com/?s=school+street+initiative
Scroll down on this Central Public School webpage for more info specific to Central Public School.
https://www.smore.com/hws53
FROM FARTHER AFIELD
8. Your Lakes – Your Voice
| 2022 is a big year for the Great Lakes – it’s the 50th anniversary of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), an important framework for cooperation between the Canadian and United States governments that outlines their commitments and responsibilities to restore, protect and enhance the water quality of the Great Lakes. This year, Canada and the US are hosting the triennial Great Lakes Public Forum in Niagara Falls, Ontario on September 27-29. In-person and virtual registration is available on their website. At the Public Forum, the governments of Canada and the United States will update the public based on two reports: 1 – The State of the Great Lakes 2022 Report provides a summary of the health of the Great Lakes using indicators of ecosystem health, such as drinking water, fish consumption, and beach closures. 2 – The 2022 Progress Report of the Parties describes recent achievements in restoring and protecting Great Lakes water quality and ecosystem health. Another important initiative being conducted concurrently by the International Joint Commission (IJC) is their Triennial Assessment of Progress (TAP). The IJC is tasked with conducting the TAP as part of its responsibilities with respect to advising the US and Canada regarding implementation of the GLWQA. You can share your perspective on Great Lakes issues with the IJC in many ways, including participating in events at the Public Forum and responding to a survey. The next TAP report is due in 2023. For more information on the TAP report and the other Great Lakes reports discussed above, check out this informative article by the IJC. |
9. Kingston Inner Harbour federal proposed clean-up webpage
http://www.kihproject-projetpik.ca/Home/IndexEN
Comments will be forthcoming in October.
10 Great series of articles on the St. Lawrence
https://theconversation.com/ca/topics/st-lawrence-river-in-depth-122698?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20August%2020%202022&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20August%2020%202022+CID_2205940d8fab8b519f634fb5f01842cc&utm_source=campaign_monitor_ca&utm_term=St%20Lawrence%20River%20In%20Depth
11.Wetland Offsetting Discussion
https://ontarionature.org/wetland-offsetting-does-it-really-work-blog/
https://theconversation.com/a-gourmet-revival-for-st-lawrence-river-marine-algae-189295?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20August%2025%202022&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20August%2025%202022+CID_cd63fd0a7c946bd85027322988f290bd&utm_source=campaign_monitor_ca&utm_term=A%20gourmet%20revival%20for%20St%20Lawrence%20River%20marine%20algae
12. Possible Solution for Destroying Forever Chemicals
https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/there-is-now-a-simple-solution-to-destroying-forever-chemicals-study-1.6035152?lid=wqynfjoy1v56
13. Good video on Problems with Batteries
https://www.freethink.com/series/hard-reset/battery-lifespan?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=freethinkweekly
And here is an older piece on Li-Cycle, Kingston’s lithium recycling place
https://www.kingstonist.com/?s=lithium+recycling
14. Checking up on the Great Lakes, Ontario OUT of DOORS Magazine, August 30, 2022. The governments of Canada and the United States, through the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, have committed “to protect and restore the water quality and aquatic ecosystem health of the Great Lakes” along with their partners. To help keep their efforts on track, the Environmental Protection Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada release an annual assessment on the state of the lakes. Here’s a snapshot of where things stand (as of 2019). Each rating has a current status and trend.
15. Kingston Rowers named to Team Canada
Wonderful that Kingston’s Inner Harbour provides such a great venue for rowers – along with great coaching!
Received from the Kingstonist Aug 31 – Dylan Chenier
Four members of the Kingston Rowing Club will represent Canada at the upcoming World Rowing Championships.
Four rowers from Kingston will be heading to Racice, Czech Republic next month for the 2022 World Rowing Championships, as Cassidy Deane, Kristina Walker, Jennifer Casson, and Will Crothers were recently named to Rowing Canada’s contingent for the event. In total, 35 Canadian athletes will make the trip to the Championships, as Canada looks for a dominant performance on the world stage.
The Kingston-based athletes competing at this year’s Worlds are all members of the Kingston Rowing Club, an organization with deep roots in Canadian rowing. KRC Head Coach John Armitage says it is normal to see Kingston athletes represented on the national team: “This is not new to us… it’s become almost an annual occurrence that Kingston-based rowers have been selected to represent Canada.”
Jennifer Casson will compete in the Lightweight Women’s Double (LW2x) race, with the 2022 World Championships marking her third appearance in the event. In 2019, Casson finished in eighth place in the LW2x race, an improvement on her ninth-place finish in 2018. Last year in Tokyo, Casson competed in her first-ever Summer Olympics, finishing with a 12th-place result.
Cassidy Deane, who originally hails from Whistler, British Columbia, will be making her World Championship debut next month, as she looks for a strong result in the Women’s Four class. Deane recently earned a silver medal at a World Cup event, competing as a member of the Women’s Eight team. While 2022 marks Deane’s first World Championships, the rower is no stranger to international competition. In 2017, the then Queen’s Gael took home a silver medal at the FISU World University Rowing Championships.
Another member of the 2017 University Worlds team, who will also be making her World Championship debut next month, is Wolfe Island’s Kristina Walker.In Racice, Walker will try to improve on her results from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where she finished tenth as part of the Women’s Four team.
No Kingston rower has more international experience than Will Crothers,who has participated in three Olympic games as well as seven World Championships. At the 2012 Summer Games in London, Crothers took home a silver medal as a member of the Men’s Eight team. At the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, he won two gold medals.
Kingston’s contingent at the 2022 World Championships includes several former Olympians
As for what makes Crothers such a strong athlete, both in the boat and on land, it’s “his heart,” says John Armitage. “I coached Will in high school at KCVI, and I always put him in a stroke seat because he just would not quit… In rowing, we talk about the ‘wall.’ At some point in a race, physiologically and psychologically, you’re depleted and you’re hitting a wall… Will [comes in] and climbs the wall, [while] the rest of us fear it, and [that’s] a rare trait in any sport.”
With four local athletes represented on the national team, the sport of rowing in Kingston is alive and well. When asked what makes Kingston such a hotbed for national-level rowers, Armitage says the club and the city provide all the necessary elements for success.
“You’ve got to have great athletes, great coaches and great facilities,” says Armitage. “[They’re] all great athletes in this case, [and] we’ve got a talented pool of local coaches, and these athletes are the beneficiaries of these coaches. And then [we have] great facilities… The inner harbour and the Cataraqui river [are] ideal for rowing — which is ironic in a city that has held [Olympic] sailing — but it is sheltered from the winds.”
As for how KRC athletes will do at next month’s Worlds, Armitage acknowledges, “The post-Olympic year is always a tough year to predict because you don’t know what level of [strength] your competitors have. So what we say to our athletes is ‘You compete to the very best of your ability, in your seat, in your boat, and in your lane.’ And if you’ve left nothing out there, then look up at the finish line and figure out where you finish because we cannot control our competition.”
The 2022 World Rowing Championships have been several years in the making after the 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last time out, at the 2019 Championships in Ottensheim, Austria, Team Canada finished with three medals. This year’s competition officially kicks off on Sep. 18 and runs until Sep. 25.
16. Fun Facts about Cucumbers
NOTE: I haven’t actually tested these out but fun to consider.
1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
So that’s it for September.
As I said at the outset, I am going on an adventure cruise to the Northwest Passage, leaving Sept 6 and returning at the end of the month so there will be no mid-September update this month.
Wishing you all good things for the month ahead.
Cheers,
Mary Farrar, President,
Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour