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January 2020 Update

Dear Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour
Still struggling with the cast on my broken wrist.  Aargh!
Hoping to be back to normal by end Feb.
A few glasses from our “Drink Beer Save Turtles” Fund Raiser are still available for $10 each. Great for all beer lovers!


1) Pitching at Awesome Kingston!,  Thurs, Jan 16
2) Construction in DF Park potentially compromises turtles  
3) Ontario Seniors’ Dental Care Program Sign-Up Session, Jan 20
4) Record Water Levels and Outflow at Cornwall
5) Froid’Art  once again
6) Online Snow Plow Tracker
7) City Begins Next Phase of Ash Tree Removals
8) Forests Ontario’s 50 Million Tree Program – You might qualify!
9) City’s Density by Design Workshops
10) 2020 Climate Change Symposium
11) Seasonal Utility Safety Tips
12) Builders and Renovators: Learn How to Use DASH


1) Pitching at Awesome Kingston!, Jan 16
What:We are doing a 90 second pitch to try and secure funds for Ontario Recreational Canoeing Certified students to take visitors out for short paddles in authentic birch bark canoes in Kingston’s Inner Harbour from Sat, June 13- Wed, June 17,2020.  
How awesome is that?
  We will be pitted against three other worthy causes.  Wish us well!  If you would like to join us to cheer us on that would be great!  Promises to be a fun evening!
Where: Wonderland Escape Room, 500 Gardiner’s Road
When: Doors open at 6:30 pm for 7 pm start
NOTE:  As you know, we are organizing an Algonquin birch bark canoe build in the Inner Harbour for the last two seeks of April in partnership with Chuck Commanda, Algonquin Traditional Knowledge Keeper.  Indigenous students from the Limestone Board’s River Program and from RMC will be participating as well as inmates from Joyceville Minimum and the Henry Trail Halfway House.  All are welcome to come and watch – and possibly participate!  There will be an official launch and blessing of the boat on Sat, June 13.  Educational programming is being organized for the Saturday and Sunday.  We would also like to hire students to take visitors out in birch bark canoes from Sat June 13 til Wed, June 17.

2) Construction in DF Park potentially compromises turtles 
Received from M. Sc. student, Lesley Rudy, Jan 9.
“As you may have noticed, activity and environmental clean-up has started on the 9 North Street/ Imperial Oil Building adjacent to Doug Fluhrer Park. In this process several nest boxes were removed and gravel placed on top of the nests, without notification. It turns out that this portion of what was though to be park is actually the property of Doornekamp Construction, the owners and builders at 9 North. Doornekamp and the City were informed of the problem this activity causes for the turtles and the study being done on them. With help from the City, the company has agreed to remove the gravel and protect the area to allow the hatchlings to emerge in the spring and hopefully allow for some reclamation of equipment and data for the study. We are relieved that all parties were able to work towards a solution and we are optomistic that we will be able to work together going forward on other protection measures for turtles during construction. We thank everyone who came together to make this possible.”

3) Ontario Seniors’ Dental Care Program Sign-Up Session, Jan 20
Received from MPP Ian Arthur’s office, Jan 9.
“MPP Ian Arthur’s Community office will be hosting another Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program Sign-up Session on January 20, 2020, from 11am to 3pm. The dental programs is available those who meet the following criteria:

  • 65 years or older
  • Net Income up to $19,000 for a single person
  • Net Income up to $34,400 for a couple
  • Have no access to other source of dental benefits such as private insurance or other government program

Please be sure to bring your Social Insurance Number, any ID you have.
The Community office is located in at the corner of Princess and Bagot street, at 303 Bagot Street, Unit 2 in the LaSalle Mews. Please note that the accessible door is located on Princess Street just south of Bagot Street. 
If anyone cannot make the January session, we will be holding a further help session, at the Seniors Centre, at 56 Francis Street, February 27, 2020, from 10am – 12 noon.”

4) Record Water Levels and Outflow at Cornwall
Received from the Chamber of Marine Commerce,Jan 9.
IJC sustains record high outflows, Brockville Recorder and Times (Brockville, Ontario), January 8, 2020.  The International Joint Commission (IJC) is draining the river faster than it ever has before, but it warns even that won’t have a significant impact on high water levels in some parts of the system.  Outflows have been above 10,000 m3/s since New Year’s Eve, the final day of the commercial navigation season, and continue to exceed regular outflow rates for this time of year.  The IJC has, on several occasions in the last week, exceeded the limit of 10,400 m3/s prescribed under Plan 2014, and even reached as high as 10,700 m3/s on January 2.  As of January 7, when the most recent adjustment was made, the outflow sits at a rate of 10,600 m3/s.  The agency is describing this level of sustained outflow as “unprecedented” and says the impacts of the move are being felt across the water system.  The ability to drain the water so expeditiously was facilitated by a combination of factors: The closure of the seaway to commercial traffic at the end of the year, and the mild temperatures throughout the Lake Ontario basin in the last few weeks.
Stop blaming Plan 2014, the data doesn’t support your position, Standard Freeholder (Cornwall, Ontario), January 7, 2020.  Pity the International Joint Commission and the International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board.  Neither has been able to find any relief this year as the Lake Ontario watershed faced another year of record-high inflows.  Communities and politicians on both sides of border, those privileged enough to own waterfront properties, along with some municipalities bordering Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, have spent too much time in the past months calling for the heads of those who lead the IJC and river board.  They’ve also complained, far too much, about Plan 2014 – all because in the short time since the IJC finally adopted a new and scientifically more rigorous plan to manage water levels, there have been two years of record-high water inflows.  What’s lacking is any real acknowledgement of what the ICJ and river board have done in their attempts to mitigate the impact of what Mother Nature is throwing at us.  Instead, they get blamed.

5) Froid’Art Once Again
We are so proud that Martello Alley itself came out of our original
“ON THE WALL”  street art festival when, as a result, David Dossett decided to open his gallery!

” Froid’Art 2020 In case you haven’t heard of Downtown Kingston’s public art display that is so Canadian it may get you to miss (dare we say) a hockey game for an evening; then please, let us tell you what all the fuss is about!
It’s been five years since Kingston artist David Dossett got tired of gloomy, long, bland winters. While Kingston is a truly beautiful city, the fact is that it is made of limestone. Not the brightest colour of rock, but hey, our founders had to work with what they had. In winter this grey can be, well, kind of depressing. 
The answer was ART! To an artist, the answer is always art regardless of the question. So David created Froid’Art. 2-dimensional art, frozen into 300 pound blocks of crystal clear ice. WOW! 
No one had ever done anything like this before, but that is David’s style. If you’re unconvinced, go to his art gallery-Martello Alley in downtown Kingston. You’ll understand. 
For five years local artists have been creating images on Plexiglass. These are then frozen into giant “ice cubes” and are placed around downtown Kingston in partnership with local businesses and residents who act as sponsors. For extra zing, or the evening walkers among us, the installations are equipped with lighting. The glow of the art at night is magical and really something to be seen.
It is the partnerships formed over the past five years by both business and many media outlets that have kept Froid’Art a “go to” event in Eastern Ontario. On behalf of David Dossett, the local artists who have contributed and Martello Alley, thank you for your continued support. 
Last winter we feared that it would be our last. Sponsorship and installation issues were a losing snowball fight. With a few tweaks to funding timelines and such, we can proudly say “We’re Back” and we can’t wait for you to see what we have in ice for 2020. 
A wonderful, artful twist of fate has seen a second Froid’Art exhibit in Lacombe, Alberta. We are so proud to have inspired another community to embrace our Canadian winter through art. 
Think cold thoughts; its crazy, we know but the art lasts until the ice melts.
video https://fbwat.ch/1MOJKlKpqHAZLYU9 We have a Facebook page @froid’art for you to peruse. If you could give us a shout out we would be so appreciative. We start on January 17th and run until the ice melts.”

6) Online Snow Plow Tracker
received from the city, Jan 13, 2020
“City launches online snowplow tracker as part of Smart City pilot You can now track the progress of some of the City’s snowplows at CityofKingston.ca/Snow. The Snowplow Tracker – an online map showing a select number of plows clearing main arterial roads – is part of a larger nine-month Smart City pilot the City has developed in partnership with Bell.
‘The Smart City pilot is all about leveraging technology to improve residents’ quality of life. This pilot will give residents the opportunity to see our snow clearing efforts in a new and exciting way,’ says Mayor Bryan Paterson.
During this pilot phase, the Snowplow Tracker map will feature some plows on main roads such as Princess Street, Division Street and Gardiners Road. Different colours on the map indicate when a road was last plowed. When a plow is in motion clearing main roads, it will send frequent data that will be displayed on the map. Plows clearing residential areas are not shown on the pilot Snowplow Tracker map, but remain actively working during winter weather events.
‘Services like the Snowplow Tracker map delivered over Bell’s Smart City Platform illustrate how Internet of Things technology can improve City services for residents,’ says Gary Semplonius, Bell Senior Vice President. ‘We look forward to future opportunities with Kingston to implement a broad range of solutions that leverage Bell’s advanced fibre and wireless networks to enhance City operations.’
The Smart City pilot, which runs until Sept. 2020, will introduce smart technologies across the City. The City of Kingston entered into a partnership with Bell for the Smart City pilot in February 2018.”

7) City begins next phase of ash tree removals
Received Jan 14, 2020
“Contractors for the City begin removing marked ash trees today as part of the multi-year ash tree removal and replacement plan. Over the next several weeks, crews will remove marked ash trees on City property that have the emerald ash borer (EAB) infestation. 
‘This is part of our multi-year plan to remove City ash trees endangered by the emerald ash borer. These trees will be replaced with different species in the fall as we continue to work towards doubling our urban tree canopy by 2025,’ says Troy Stubinski, Operations Manager, Public Works. Some replacement trees will be planted in new locations to avoid existing infrastructure, such as power lines, Stubinski adds. 
Approximately 400 ash trees in good condition are being treated to protect them from the emerald ash borer and will need to be retreated every other year. To see where ash trees are being treated and removed, visit CityofKingston.ca/EAB.
The EAB Impact Cost Mitigation Plan outlines the City’s plan to deal with the 3,500 ash trees on City property. It is available for review at CityofKingston.ca/EAB and includes details on how the City is adhering to the Migratory Bird Convention Act.
The presence of emerald ash borer was verified in Kingston in 2013. Homeowners can visit CityofKingston.ca/EAB to learn how to deal with ash trees on their property.”

8) Forests Ontario’s 50 Million Tree Program – You might qualify!
https://www.forestsontario.ca/planting/programs/50-million-tree-program/?mc_cid=2d1303b420&mc_eid=3a0239c78d

9) City’s Density By Design Workshops
Received from the city early Jan, 2020
“By popular demand we are extending our consultation on Density by Design – Kingston’s Mid-Rise and Tall Buildings Policies project and providing two additional workshops.
Please join us at one of the following events (click to register):
Wednesday January 15 from 2:30 – 4:30 pm, at the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, Central Branch, meeting room 1
Wednesday January 22 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, at the INVISTA Centre, meeting room A/B
Spaces are limited. We hope to see you there!”

10) 2020 Climate Change Symposium
Received from the City January 7, 2020
“This year, resolve to take climate action! Zero Waste Countdown host Laura Nash will emcee the afternoon Climate Change Symposium 2020 on Jan. 16 at the Grand Theatre.
Her show about reducing waste and environmental impacts airs on 91X in the Bay of Quinte and on QCCR 99.3 in Nova Scotia.

‘Sustainable Kingston and the City, co-hosts of this event, were seeking an emcee who could help inspire us to take more climate actions and Laura certainly fits the bill! She’s interviewed experts in a variety of fields and has an excellent overview of the challenges facing us as our climate changes,’ says Julie Salter-Keane, Community Projects Manager.
The Symposium will also feature a keynote address by award-winning urban planner Jennifer Keesmaat.

Tickets for the third annual Kingston Climate Change Symposium can be purchased at The Grand Theatre box office at 218 Princess St. or online ($20 for adults and $15 for students plus HST and handling).

The Symposium will offer three mini-sessions to allow participants to develop climate actions they can take – separately and together – to reduce Kingston’s community greenhouse gases by 15 per cent from 2018 levels by 2022, and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.

See the afternoon’s agenda, below, for the full line-up of speakers and sessions:
12 p.m. Doors Open | Change for Climate Information Fair
12:30 p.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks
Land Acknowledgement  Kathy Brant, Grandmother-in-Residence for Grand OnStage
Opening Remarks Mayor Paterson
Poet Laureate, Jason Heroux, Poem: House I Forgot About
MP Mark Gerretson and MPP Ian Arthur
12:45 p.m. Robert Keen, Forests Ontario
1:30 p.m. Inspiring Action Mini-session with Pamela Shea, St. Lawrence College and Paul MacLatchy, City of Kingston
1:45 p.m. Wellness Break
2 p.m. Mason Prout and Matt Brown, Patagonia
3 p.m. Inspiring Action Mini-session with Dan MacKinnon, MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Co., Devon Hawkins, nufuuds, and Russell Horne, City of Kingston
3:30 p.m. Coffee Break and Networking
4 p.m. Inspiring Action Mini-session with Aidan Tomkinson, KCVI
4:10 p.m. Sustainable Kingston
4:25 p.m. Paige Agnew, City of Kingston, Density by Design
4:40 p.m. Keynote Speaker – Jennifer Keesmaat
5:50 p.m. Closing Remarks
6 p.m. Networking | Change for Climate Information Fair

11) Seasonal Utility Safety Tips
Received from Utilities Kingston, Jan 6, 2020
“Utilities Kingston offers these safety tips to help protect your home, property and loved ones this season.
‘Knowing how to prevent a utility emergency will help keep your family safe this winter,’ says Jim Keech, President and CEO of Utilities Kingston. ‘Kingstonians concerned about the safety of a utility serviced by Utilities Kingston can call our 24-hour line at 613-546-1181.’
Kingston Fire & Rescue supports Utilities Kingston in promoting these safety tips.
‘Please take the time to review and apply these important tips from Utilities Kingston,’ says Chief Fire Prevention Officer, Ted Posadwoski. ‘Simple steps taken now can help ensure your safety, and the safety of your loved ones,’ he adds.
Keep hydrants visible: Residents and snow removal companies are reminded not to shovel or blow snow onto hydrants. We thank citizens who take the time to clear snow and ice from fire hydrants so they can be easily accessed by firefighters in case of emergency.
Did you know that after a heavy snow fall, we inspect all 3,400 hydrants in the municipal water distribution system and then make them accessible for fire protection? Inspectors divide the area into 16 ‘hydrant beats’ of approximately 200 hydrants each. They visually inspect each hydrant, and clear them of snow and ice as needed.
Keep gas and electrical meters clear: Although your outdoor gas meter is designed to withstand winter weather, heavy or hard-packed snow and ice can be a safety hazard. Keep snow and ice from building up on and covering both your gas and electric meters – and avoid piling snow under the meters or electrical wires. Take care when using a snow blower or plow near your meter and never kick or hit the gas meter or its piping to break away built-up snow or ice.
Keep outside exhaust vents cleared: outdoor vents for gas-fired appliances such as furnaces or waters heaters exhaust carbon monoxide and need to be kept clear for safety.:
Prevent water from freezing around outside electrical lines  Never attempt to clear ice from around electrical lines yourself (Utilities Kingston customers: call 613-546-1181 if you are concerned).  Keep your eaves troughs free of debris so water runs safely away before it freezes. Ice can build up where overhead electrical service wires attach to your home—a dangerous and costly situation. Consider that the root of the problem may be poor attic insulation.
Protect water lines: Prolonged, extreme cold spells present a risk to water lines freezing. Take steps to prevent this – go to www.UtilitiesKingston.com/Water/FrozenServices  to see if your pipes are at risk and to learn preventative measures. This webpage also explains the processes and responsibilities involved if your water service does freeze.
Report gas smells or “hissing”:   If you suspect a gas leak and are inside, leave the premises immediately. Do not do anything that could create a spark (i.e., don’t use cell phones, switches or lighters). If you are outside, clear the area and do not use lighters or start vehicles. Call 613-546-1181, ext. 2151 when you are safe.
Install and obey carbon monoxide (CO) alarms:  CO is an invisible, odourless gas that can kill you in high concentrations. If your CO alarm goes off, immediately evacuate all occupants (pets, too!) and call 911. Ontario Fire Code requires all homes (whether single family, semi, or other) with fuel burning appliances (including fireplaces) and/or attached garages, to be equipped with CO alarms. These alarms should be located outside of all sleeping areas.
Know what to do in the event of a winter storm:  Severe weather can cause power outages and downed power lines, as well as put your basement at risk of flooding.  Visit the Utilities Kingston website and learn how to be prepared.  Residents are reminded:
Kingston is served by three power providers. Know who provides your electricity in Kingston, so you can make the right call in case of a power outage or electrical emergency. 
Utilities Kingston’s electricity customers are in Central Kingston, Barriefield and CFB Kingston, and can report issues to 613-546-1181, 24 hours per day.”
Outside of these areas, contact Hydro One at 1-888-664-9376. (A small number of east-end residents are served by Eastern Ontario Power.)
For more information on keeping your home and family safe, visit www.UtilitiesKingston.com

12) Builders and Renovators: Learn How to Use DASH
 Received from the city Jan 3, 2020
“The City is offering monthly training sessions to help builders and renovators use DASH – the online Development and Services Hub – to apply for building permits, sign-up for necessary inspections and obtain other planning permissions online. 
If you are planning any kind of building project – from a DIY bathroom reno to a commercial building with multiple uses – you will want to sign up for one of these free sessions set for 10 to 11:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday or Friday of every month. 
Use Eventbrite to sign up for a session on Jan. 8, Feb. 14, March 11 or April 8.
These sessions will introduce you to the online permit application process and associated features, including:
How to create your online DASH account;
How to get permits for everything from do-it-yourself projects at home to commercial buildings;
How to view status updates for your permit application and request inspections;
How to manage, store and upload your application files; and,
How to pay for your application online.
Visit www.CityofKingston.ca/BuildingPermits to learn more. 
Strengthening economic development opportunities is one of the City’s strategic priorities.

Days are getting longer.
Hope is on the horizon.
Cheers,
Mary Farrar,
President,
Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour,