Dear Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour,
Thanks so much city staff at the request of Turtles Kingston for putting up this new sign along Wellington St.
Turtle season is beginning soon. Exciting!
Sadly, last month’s meeting re the $70,000,000 of the Environment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Policies Committee (EITP) was cancelled due to lack of quorum.
It is to be rescheduled for some time later in April.
Details to follow in the next newsletter.
However, this April 10 will be another interesting and CRITICAL PUBLIC MEETING ABOUT THE NORTH KING’S TOWN SECONDARY PLAN.
This plan will establish the amount and type of housing in our areal as well as roads and trails, for the foreseeable future.
Do consider attending to learn more about it and to express your thoughts and concerns.
LOCAL ISSUES AND EVENTS
1. North King’s Town Secondary Plan Public Meeting – Apr 10
2. Repair Cafe, KFL&A Public Library, Apr 6
3. City’s Total Ecliipse Event, Apr 8
4. Recent Turtle Motion by Councillors Osanic and Glenn
5. Fun Poetry and Music Event at the Royal, Apr 15
FROM FURTHER AFIELD
6. Are Canada’s Lakes Becoming Salty?
7. Images Highlight Just How Drastic Change in Great Lakes Ice Coverage Has Been in Recent Years
8. Ontario Marine Council Welcomes Funding for Ship Building in Ontario
FOR FUN AND GENERAL INTEREST
9. Dandelion Recipes
10. Scientists Have Genetically Engineered a Cow to Produce Human Insulin in its Milk
11. At Prom, Fast Fashion Slowly Bows Out
12. Moncton Effort to Protect Waterways from Road Salt Gets Encouraging Results
13. The Great Charcuterie Board Experience
LOCAL ISSUES AND EVENTS
1. North King’s Town Secondary Plan Public Meeting
What: A Public “Drop-In” style meeting where community members can look at poster boards of plans, meet with the city planners involved, and offer comments, both written and spoken. The North King’s town Secondary Plan will direct future planning decisions for the foreseeable future, stipulating the types and sizes of future developments, roads, and trails.
Where: Royal Canadian Legion, 628 Montreal Street.
Attending virtually?https://getinvolved.cityofkingston.ca/north-kings-town
When: 6-8 pm
Editor’s Notes: Some members of the North King’s Town Working Group are especially concerned by the potential addition of the northern portion of the Wellington St. Extension. The planners are now referring to this as New Road #1. We feel that this road would destroy the feel of the K&P trail and is unnecessary because Elliot St. Harvey and Hagerman already perform the function of allowing traffic to move easily from Division to Montreal and vice versa. The current K&P Trail would now be either a bike lane or separated from the new road by only a small stretch of grass or sidewalk?
On a more positive note, there are some nice trails and some interesting design possibilities.
Do consider coming to the meeting to find out more and express your thoughts and concerns.
Here is the announcement received from members of the City’s Planning staff.
“We would like to thank all those who participated in the Open House, Workshop, online engagements through Get Involved Kingston and interviews that occurred last summer. We received a diverse range of interesting ideas and comments through those consultation events and the Project Team has spent the past several months incorporating a balanced approach to these comments into draft planning, cultural heritage, transportation and servicing materials. We would like to invite you to participate in an Open House to review the currently available draft materials and collect any further comments that you may have.
The Open House materials will be available:
- In Person
Wed, April 10, 2024
Time: 6 – 8 pm
Location: 734 Montreal Street (Royal Canadian Legion Branch 560)
- Virtually
https://getinvolved.cityofkingston.ca/north-kings-town
Materials will be posted April 11, 2024, with a commenting window open until April 25, 2024.
More info? Niall Oddie – noddie@cityofkingston.ca, or Sukriti Agarwal – sagarwal@cityofkingston.ca
2. Repair Cafe KFLA Public Library –Apr 6
Received from the KFL&A Public Library, March 30, 2024
Where: Central Branch, 130 Johnson St.
When: Sat, April 6, 2-4 pm
More Info? https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/9004314
3. City’s Total Eclipse Event – April 8
What: City’s first total e in nearly 700 yearsclipse
When: Monday, April 8 – four hours – beginning 2:09
Where: Grass Creek Park
Notes:
On April 8, 2024, Kingston will experience its first total solar eclipse in nearly 700 years. For a few minutes in the afternoon, we will be in the path of totality, which means the Moon will be perfectly aligned between the Earth and the Sun, blocking out the Sun’s rays entirely. Kingston won’t be in the path of totality again until the year 2399, so we won’t let this once-in-a-lifetime celestial event pass us by!
The total solar eclipse will begin in Kingston at about 2:09 p.m. and will reach the path of totality (maximum coverage by the Moon at 3:23 p.m. The full cycle of the eclipse will conclude at 4:35 p.m.
Things to do:
– Floydium performs Dark Side of the Moon in full + Pink Floy’s greatest hits
– Drag Performance by Tyffanie Morgan
– Live music with Atiari & Amber Walton-Amar
– Beer Tent hosted by Daft Brewing
– Food trucks including Beavertails, Gino’s Pizza, Scoops, Fryway, Kona Ice & more!
– “Build Your Own Eclipse Viewer” presented by STEM Camp
– Face Painting
– Queen’s University Eclipse Ambassadors will be on-site throughout the park to guide you through your eclipse viewing!
Keep your eyes safe during the total solar eclipse!
Remember, never look directly at the sun during a solar eclipse. Doing so can damage vision! Enjoy the eclipse safely by using specially-made glasses and viewers from reputable brands.
Where to get eclipse glasses
Queen’s eclipse glasses and viewers will be provided for free through the Kingston Frontenac Public Library system and on campus during the week of March 25. A detailed list of pickup locations will be available online soon.
Glasses may also be purchased through Tourism Kingston’s website and at the Visitor Information Centre (209 Ontario St.).
This is a rain or shine event.
Accessibility Information:
Accessible Parking is available at Grass Creek Park in the lot adjacent to the outbuilding. Please note, Grass Creek Park is mainly grassy with limited pathways and no paved areas. This may present difficulties for persons using mobility devices. Accessible washrooms will be available. If you have an accessibility need, please contact the Special Events Office at mrodenhizer@cityofkingston.ca and we will do our best to accommodate you.
https://www.facebook.com/events/691848329830694/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A%2229%22%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3A%22event_profile_plus_create%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D¬if_id=1711025923011965¬if_t=event_profile_plus_create&ref=notif
4. Recent turtle motion by Councillors Lisa Osanic and Conny Glenn
Thanks so much to Lisa especially for her continuing concern for our turtles and her ongoing liaising between Turtles Kingston and City Staff.
Submitted March 25, 2024
“Moved by Councillor Osanic
Seconded by Councillor Glenn
Whereas Perth Road runs across a wetland complex north of Glenburnie with a speed limit of 80km/hour; and
Whereas Turtles Kingston, from the time it was founded, receives reports of turtle mortality through this section of highway; and
Whereas on one night, September 14, 2023, there were 5 juvenile turtle road kills counted and a dead swan; and
Whereas it is acknowledged that this short section of road through the wetland is less than 1 kilometre long, a speed limit reduction is not warranted based on the engineering standards from the Transportation Association of Canada that City staff follow.
Whereas the engineering standards from the Transportation Association of Canada, however, do not give consideration to the protection of turtles or other wildlife when warranting speed limit reductions; and
Whereas turtles are a keystone species, their populations are in critical decline, they need protection from human interference, and Council’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan includes a commitment to protecting the biodiversity in the city;
Therefore Be It Resolved That city council direct staff to extend the 60km/h speed limit presently in place on Perth Road (from 400 metres south of Unity Road northerly to 1000 metres north of Unity Road) by 850 metres such that the 60km/h speed limit would extend from 400 metres south of Unity Road northerly to 1850 metres north of Unity Road, and that amendments to the Traffic By-Law required for this speed limit reduction to take effect be submitted for Council’s approval in Q2 2024;
That City Council directs staff to post No Passing signs at the ends of the wetland.
Lisa Osanic (she/her)
Councillor – Collins-Bayridge
599 Rankin Cr. Kingston, ON K7M 7K6 613-389-7336
www.lisaosanic.ca”
5. Fun Poetry and Music Event at the Royal -Apr 15
In case you don’t already know about these events the third Monday of every month.
What: Quirks of Human Nature: Poetry Performed with Improvised Music
Who: This month Sadiqa de Meijer, Kingston’s Poet Laureate is the featured poet.
Also performing: Meg Freer(MC), Deb Schuurmans (MC & Piano), Jan LeClair (Accordian), Paul Clifford (Bass), Kyoko Ogoda (Percussion) + bonus poets TBD.
When: Monday, Apr 15, 7:30 pm
Where: Royal Tavern 2.0, 344 Princess St. Kingston (free parking at back)
NOTES: Upcoming Shows:
May 13: Joel Giroux, Poetry, Deb Schurmans (Keyboard). Joel Giroux (Bass Guitar) + bonus poets TBD.
June 17: Judith Popiel (Poetry), Deb Schurmans (Keyboard) + other musicians TBD
FROM FURTHER AFIELD
6. Are Canada’s Lakes Becoming Salty?
Received from Watersheds Canada March 4, 2024 – Andres Clavier, Freshwater Stewardship Education Intern
“ Recent research has highlighted concerning news: there has been a pronounced escalation in the salinization of our freshwater bodies over the past twenty years. If this trend continues, many Canadian lakes will reach critical levels in the next 40 years. Elevated salt concentrations can severely impair aquatic flora, lead to widespread fish deaths, and turn these freshwater zones inhabitable for many species. The implications extend beyond individual organisms; heightened salinity can reconfigure food webs and perturb natural cycles.”
Full Article: https://watersheds.ca/are-canadas-lakes-becoming-salty/?utm_source=Blue+Fish+Subscribers&utm_campaign=ebc342d6a4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_12_11_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0d298b1276-ebc342d6a4-227525936 cycles.
7. Images highlight just how drastic change in Great Lakes ice coverage has been in recent years, Click Orlando, March 21, 2024. The official start of spring on Tuesday highlighted an issue over the winter that will likely have environmental ramifications throughout the spring, summer and fall. Ice coverage for all the Great Lakes was at historical lows, with the coldest of the lakes — Lake Superior — having just 1% ice coverage as of Tuesday. The historical average is 40%.
https://www.clickorlando.com/features/2024/03/21/images-highlight-just-how-drastic-change-in-great-lakes-ice-coverage-has-been-in-recent-years/
8. Ontario Marine Council Welcomes Provincial Funding for Shipbuilding in Ontario, Ontario Marine Council, March 27, 2024. The Ontario Marine Council (OMC) extends its appreciation to Premier Ford and the Ontario government for its commitment to the Ontario marine industry in today’s budget. In October of 2023, Ontario’s Minister of Transportation, Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria made a historic announcement at the Great Lakes Governors and Premiers Conference in Cleveland Ohio launching Ontario’s first ever Ontario Marine Transportation Strategy. The inclusion of funding for the province’s shipbuilding industry in today’s budget solidifies the government’s dedication to supporting Ontario marine sector. Steve Salmons, Chair of the OMC and Maguessa Morel-Laforce, OMC’s Executive Director, are quoted.
https://www.ontariomarinecouncil.com/ontario-marine-council-welcomes-provincial-funding-for-shipbuilding-in-ontario/
FOR FUN AND GENERAL INTEREST
9. Dandelion Recipes
Received from Practical Self Reliance (ashleyadamant@substack.com), March 21, 2024
She has so many fun and interesting ideas!
https://ashleyadamant.substack.com/p/dandelion-recipes-and-remedies-684
10. Scientists Have Genetically Engineered a Cow to Produce Human Insulin in its Milk
Received from Medical News Today, March 19, 2024 – Jessica Freeborn, Fact Checked by Jill Seladi-Schulman, PHD.
Also published by Freethink Future Explored – a weekly guide to world-changing technology: Future Esxplored – Kristin Houser
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/genetically-altered-cow-produces-human-insulin#:~:text=Researchers%20are%20exploring%20how%20to,the%20%E2%80%9Ctransgenic%E2%80%9D%20cow’s%20milk.
11. At Prom, Fast Fashion Slowly Bows Out
Received from Canada’s National Observer, March 28, 2024
Originally published by Grist – https://grist.org/culture/at-prom-fast-fashion-slows-down/
“Zoe Macaluso, the president of the Eco Club at Elk Rapids High School, said that when a local volunteer group approached her with the idea, she “immediately latched onto it.” The Eco Club wants to use the project to lead by example and hopefully inspire other schools in the area to pursue their own climate projects.”
Full article?
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/03/28/news/prom-fast-fashion-bows-out?nih=fbf50efd552a22190e4e76d28f87b072&utm_source=National+Observer&utm_campaign=3f7cb3da3e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_03_28_01_46&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cacd0f141f-3f7cb3da3e-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
12. Moncton Effort to Protect Waterways from Road Salt Gets Encouraging Results.
Received from CBC What On Earth (info@newsletters.cbc.ca), March 21, 2024
“ A Moncton project to reduce the salt and sediment reaching waterways from a city snow dump is showing positive results, according to Ducks Unlimited Canada.
There has been a roughly 20 per cent increase in water quality since the creation of a new wetland to filter pollutants from snow melt, said Adam Campbell, the Atlantic manager of operations for the conservation group.
‘It was quite acceptable not that long ago to dump the snow right into rivers and right into the bay.’
But that’s changing.
“I think there is a knowledge that this can be detrimental,” Campbell said.
The Moncton project has been underway since 2015, when local officials were concerned that run-off from snow being trucked to the Berry Mills dump site from different parts of the city would flow into an adjacent brook. Since the snow dump is filled with snow plowed from roads, it is filled with sand, salt and other pollutants.
The city and Ducks Unlimited worked together to design a skinny wetland to mimic a natural one. The run-off is forced to flow all through the new wetland feature before exiting in a more filtered state into the brook. ‘It does a pretty good job of reducing a number of things, but in particular salt,’ Campbell said. ‘The amount of salt coming into the system compared to the outlet is quite reduced, as we had hoped.’
If salt enters a freshwater system, Campbell said, it can be fairly toxic to fish and other species living there.
He said a wetland needs to have three things: water, vegetation that can grow in those conditions and the right soils to keep the water in place.
Once a wetland feature is established, it acts as a filter. But it took a few growing seasons before the new Moncton wetland was functioning properly.
Elaine Aucoin, the general manager of sustainable growth and development for the city, said during routine testing of the water, the inlet (or start of the wetland) and the outlet (the part of the wetland that goes into the brook) are tested to see if the wetland is properly filtering out pollutants.
The results show that along with the decrease in road salt in the outlet of the wetland, there is also a decrease in hydrocarbons, metals and other sediments in the runoff.
Aucoin said that while the waterway has been good for the brook, it has also helped create an environment for other wildlife.
Since the creation of the Berry Mills wetland, the city has constructed three other wetlands, or naturalized stormwater ponds, for storm-water management purposes, also with the help of Ducks Unlimited. Campbell said there is probably an opportunity to explore doing more wetlands in response to snow-melt run-off.
‘I think everyone’s kind of headed in the right direction.’ “
NOTE: If you are interested in subscribing to this interesting newsletter? whatonearth@cbc.ca
13. The Great Charcuterie Board Experience, Confederation Place Hotel on Ontario Street, April 19
https://www.facebook.com/events/326947667057259
HOPING TO SEE YOU AT THE APRIL 10 NORTH KING’S TOWN MEETING,
Cheers,
Mary Farrar, President, Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour