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January Newsletter 2021

Dear Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour,
Thanks so much Hilbert for the deer photo and for all the amazing stewardship work you do for Belle Island.  Glad to know it is safe for the time being on the Tannery property.
1. Residents Against Incompatible Development – New Group vs. Patry
2. Living Rooms Closing On-Site Shop
3. Stay Safe: Connect with City Services from Home
4. Creation of Child Care Spaces: Collaborative Effort
5. Winter Waste Guidelines
6. Seasonal Utilities Safety Tips
7. Kingston Real Estate Market Update
8. Street Art at the Hub
9. Georgian Bay Community vs. Marine Museum
10. Strange Inner Harbour Xmas Eve Occurrence
11. Annual Ice Breaking on Great Lakes
12. Increase Outflows from Lake Ontario
13. President signs Great Lakes Mapping Bill into Law
14. Kingston Historical Society’s New Project
15. KAIROS’s Teaching and Sharing Circles, 2021
16. Flexitarianism?
17. Why All Maps are Wrong
18. Bad Day at the Parking Lot! Count Your Blessings!
19. Connection to the Stars –  Interesting Cree Constellations


1. Residents Against Incompatible Development (RAID)
Received Jan 7, 2021 from June Blackburn, Chairperson, RAID
FKIH NOTE: Although not in the Inner Harbour, this development is proposed by Patry who is also slated to develop the Tannery property in Kingston’s Inner Harbour.  For this reason, we consider it relevant.
“A new group of concerned citizens, Residents Against Incompatible Development (RAID), has organized to oppose an application submitted by Patry Inc. to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-Law to allow the construction of a four/five storey 242-unit apartment building at 2274 Princess Street (near Rona).
Behind the proposed building lies Walnut Grove Estates which is an adult life-style community of 135 one-storey single, semi-detached and bungalow townhouses.   It is a mature development for which construction started around 2003.  The houses are individually owned and owners enjoy common shared elements like a community center and green area with walkways.  Many original owners continue to live in Walnut Grove.  The community can be described as a safe, calm oasis for senior citizens.  This will not remain the case if this proposed development proceeds as currently designed.
The southern boundary of Walnut Grove abuts the property owned by Patry Inc.  The back of the apartment building will be thirty feet from the property line of our single-storey dwellings and will soar approximately 50 feet into the air.  The beautiful grove of trees that currently stands on the property will be destroyed and the wildlife that inhabits it will lose their habitat.  Forty-four balconies will overlook our back yards and 120+ cars will be parked along our property lines.  The shadowing from the proposed building will block sunshine from entering several homes for months during the winter. 
While the building will be situated along a major traffic artery and, as such, fits in with the City of Kingston’s plan to locate high density residential developments along arterial roads with some consideration given to land use compatibility,  RAID’s position is that it is completely incompatible with the Walnut Grove community and does not conform to the Kingston Official Plan Section 2.6 (Stable Areas) and Section 2.7.3 in that it will: 

  • create excessive shadowing;
  • loss of privacy;
  • increased levels of light and noise pollution;
  • create a tunnel effect for wind;
  • increase the volume of traffic at the intersection of Sydenham Road and Princess Street to unsafe levels;
  • destroy the existing grove of trees situated on what is identified in the city plan as a Contributory Woodland;
  • reduce our ability to enjoy our properties; and,
  • be visually intrusive. 

RAID is looking for support to oppose this application as it is currently designed on the basis of its incompatibility with our residential neighbourhood of Walnut Grove.  The City of Kingston Council regularly approves higher density residential buildings that are incompatible with the neighbourhoods in which they are situated.  We have only to look at the developments along Princess Street in Williamsville and the Cataraqui Heights Retirement Residence at 2666 Princess Street for proof of this.
RAID is organizing to oppose this proposed development at the January 14 Public Meeting of the Planning Committee and is appealing to other individuals and organizations to support us by speaking to land use compatibility concerns at the Public Meeting.
If you are interested in speaking at the Public Meeting, or simply agree with our position and are interested in learning more, please contact
June Blackburn, Chairperson, RAID, at jblackburnca@gmail.com.”


2. Living Rooms Closing On-Site Shop
Received Jan 7, 2021 from John and Michael Sinclair, Owners
“Dear Customers and Friends,
After nearly 10 years of working on the project of providing eco-conscious and healthful options for living and building, we have closed Living Rooms as we know it.
In this time, we have been happy to see the kinds of products and the natural lifestyle we have championed become more mainstream. We have also come to a simple realization that has opened the opportunity for us to go even deeper – that most traditional building materials from the past were already inherently natural, simple, cross-compatible, and intuitive, and in many ways, are still the best options we have today for performance, longevity, and for the health of people and planet. Going forward, we will be carrying on our mission as Sage Restoration.

“Sage”, implying that we learn from our history and from nature to plot a more considered way forward, and “Restoration”, implying an aim to restore our connection to craft work and knowledge, to functional and noble materials, and to the natural and built environments. Please visit our website (sagerestoration.com).
As Sage Restoration, we will continue our work from the same warehouse location in Kingston. We will continue our local pickup service at the warehouse, and we will continue to offer visits by appointment.

We have rolled over many familiar products to the Sage Restoration website, but there are some we phased out, as we carry on with the Sage ethos. We hope you will take some time to explore our website (sagerestoration.com) and our Instagram (@sage.restoration).
We’re looking forward to continue working with you on your upcoming projects, and you may hear from us from time to time about some of ours. If you would not like to continue hearing from us as Sage Restoration, you may use this link to unsubscribe. You can always re-join any time by signing up on our website.
Happy New Year, and all the best!
John and Michael Sinclair, Sage Restoration Inc.

3. Stay Safe: Connect with City Services from Home
Received from City, Jan 8, 2021
“Safety precautions are in place at City locations. However, respecting the provincial lockdown, we are working to limit in-person dealings,” says Jeff Walker, Manager of the City’s Taxation Department, which is regularly visited by residents, but offers many of its services by phone and email.

Outlined below are high-traffic City offices and alternate means to connect with staff at these locations, as we all work to do our part to eliminate the spread of COVID-19. 

Payment Centre, City Hall, 216 Ontario St.
Commissioner of Oaths: The City continues to provide residents with access to a Commissioner of Oaths by appointment only. Phone: 613-546-4291 ext. 1270, Email: vitalstatistics@cityofkingston.ca
More information? https://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/licenses-and-registration/commissioner-of-oaths
Marriage licences: The City continues to provide residents with access to marriage licences by appointment only. Phone: 613-546-4291 ext. 1270, Email: vitalstatistics@cityofkingston.ca
More information? https://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/licenses-and-registration/marriage-license
Questions about property taxes: The City continues to provide residents with access to a Tax Clerk by phone or email. Phone: 613-546-0000, Email: tax@cityofKingston.ca
More information? www.cityofkingston.ca/tax
Paying a parking ticket or renewing a parking permit: Online at www.cityofingston.ca/pay.

Kingston Area Recycling Centre, 196 Lappan’s Lane
Business recycling services: Business managers may register to drop off business recycling at Kingston Area Recycling Centre, 196 Lappan’s Lane by phone or email. Phone: 613-546-4291, ext. 2702 Email: jhollet@cityofkingston.ca
Apartment recycling and/or organics: Property managers can set up, alter or cancel City collection services (recycling and/or organics) by phone or email.
Phone: 613-546-4291. ext. 2704, Email: apartmentrecycling@cityofkingston.ca

Housing and Social Services, 362 Montreal St.
362 Montreal St. Community Services: Housing and Social Services at 362 Montreal St. requests that you help limit traffic to the office by conducting as many interactions as possible online and by telephone: Phone: 613-546-2695. More information? www.cityofkingston.ca/community-services

Planning, Building and Licensing, 1211 John Counter Blvd.
Planning, Building, Licensing and Enforcement, and Engineering services: Limited in-person services are available; however it is requested that you help limit traffic to the office by conducting as many interactions as possible online and by telephone.
Planning Services
Phone: 613 546-4291 ext. 3180, Email: planning@cityofkingston.ca for informal consultation between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Applicants can email or call the planner assigned to their file when enquiring about a development application. Planning Act applications can be submitted online through DASH.
Building and Enforcement Services
Online: Permit applications can also be submitted online through DASH
Phone: 613 546-4291 ext. 3280, Email: buildingpermits@cityofkingston.ca for
Building Services: 613 546-4291 ext. 3135
Enforcement
Email: bylawenforcement@cityofkingston.ca

Require a City service not listed above?
Another resource: our Customer Experience team who can be reached by calling 613-546-0000 or emailing contactus@cityofkingston.ca.
“At the end of the day, safety is our number one priority. Whenever possible, we invite you to stay home, stay safe, and call ahead,” concludes Walker.
Find updates on City services and programs on the City’s COVID-19 webpage.
Sign up for City Matters online.

4. Creation of Chile Care Spaces: Collaborative Effort
Received from the City, Jan 8, 2021 
“Thanks to established partnerships with the Boys and Girls Club and the Kingston YMCA, the City of Kingston was able to quickly organize, offer and fill emergency childcare spots for 85 children of essential workers within a week.
“Effective collaboration between community partners, the City and the Province has provided these essential services for our front-line workers,” says Ruth Noordegraaf, Director, Housing & Social Services. While our partners organized sites to offer care during school closures, our City team managed to get the program online and promoted to the community.” The 85 spots were filled for Jan. 4 the week following Christmas.
The Kingston Military Family Resource Centre has also offered to provide this service for military families creating a combined total of 158 available emergency spaces. 
Are you an essential worker in need of childcare? Find details and the application form on the emergency childcare page.
The Boys and Girls Club of Kingston, Kingston YMCA, and Kingston Military Family Resource Centre will continue to provide this much needed service to families and are able to create more spaces depending on number of applications.
Together, this community emergency childcare team worked over the last week of 2020 to establish the targeted emergency childcare spots and extensively promote them, through employers, online and social media, so that they could be immediately available to essential workers during lockdown school closures.
Find updates on City services and programs on the City’s COVID-19 webpage.
Sign up for City Matters online. 
Follow the City of Kingston on Twitter and Facebook.”

5. Winter Waste Guidelines
Received from the City, Jan 4, 2021
Snowbanks and winter weather make collecting household waste more challenging for collectors who make thousands of stops each week.
Help protect your collector from injury this winter by placing your garbage, recycling boxes and Green Bins where they can be clearly seen and safely collected this winter.  Follow the guidelines, below, for setting out your waste – and take two minutes to watch the City’s Winter Waste Placement video.
Keep a path from the road to your collectibles clear of snow and ice.
Choose a safe and visible ground-level location on the right side at the end of your driveway or walkway (as you face the street), or on the boulevard closest to the curb.
When there are large snowbanks, please shovel a ground-level “shelf” in the street side of the snowbank for your collectibles. Never place them on snowbanks where they will be risky to collect.

6. Seasonal Utilites Safety Tips
Received from Utilities Kingston, Jan 4, 2021 
“Knowing how to prevent a utility emergency will help keep your family safe this winter,” says Karen Santucci, Manager, Service & Gas Operations. “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 3,500 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 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

7. Kingston Real Estate Market Update
Received from The Kingstonist, Jan 6, 2021 – Samantha Butler-Hassan
Competition to buy a house in Kingston continues to ramp up.
Kingston’s Real Estate market continued to aggressively favour sellers in the final months of 2020. 
According to an analysis published in December 2020 by the real estate brokerage Zoocasa, Kingston had an 87 per cent Sales-to-New-Listings ratio (SNLR) in October of last year. That’s up from 68 per cent in October 2019. Zoocasa said they calculate the SNLR by dividing the total number of sales by the number of new listings in a particular region at a point in time. “The SNLR is used to illustrate demand and supply dynamics in a given area, and can help identify the degree of competition faced by local buyers in relation to supply,” they said.

The stiff competition for buyers is a trend President of the Kingston Real Estate Association (KAREA) Mat Clancy said has been observed for the better part of three years.
“When I first started [selling real estate in Kingston] seven years ago it was a buyer’s market,” Clancy explained on Monday, Jan. 4, 2020. “A house generally took a lot longer to sell. You’d take a buyer out to look at eight houses in one day, they’d decide if they wanted to try to buy one of them, then you’d have a conditional period, and then you’d decide if you were going to buy that house after you worked through your conditions.”
Now, he said, a desirable home can be listed at 9 a.m. and sold by early afternoon, with no conditions on the offer. “There are more buyers than sellers.”
Interest rates down, home prices up
Clancy said that low interest rates on mortgages are part of the reason the market has heated up. “Low interest rates are really getting people going. Houses that maybe were not affordable in the past are affordable now,” he said.
Low interest rates are also contributing to the increase in home prices. According to Zoocasea, the average sale price for a home in Kingston was up to $482,294 in the month of October, an increase of 25 per cent over the previous year.
That places Kingston as the ninth most expensive real estate market in Ontario outside of the GTA in their analysis, just ahead of St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and North Bay.
Clancy said looking at the annual data paints a better picture. Based on MLS statistics home prices were up 13.2 per cent for 2020 overall in Kingston, he said, and the average sale price for the year was $472,000.
“The good houses that are listed at a good price are generally going for over asking,” Clancy noted. “They’re generally getting multiple offers, and getting people to fight over them. But I would also argue that the houses that are listed over market value are sitting.”
The average time to sell a house is 22 days, he added, whereas five years ago it was over 60.
“It’s not like Kingston is crazy, where you can list a house at any price and it’s going to sell,” he added. “The common misconception is that houses are selling for crazy amounts more than what they’re worth and that’s not the case whatsoever.”
Clancy said he thinks the increased sale price of homes is aligning Kingston’s market with other Ontario cities. “A few years ago our real estate was undervalued. Now it’s a little more in line with the rest of the province.”
While the favourable seller’s market might tempt some people into listing their homes, Clancy said they shouldn’t do so without a plan. “I know a lot of friends who would like to move or sell their house. But if they sell their house right now, where would they go?”

Managing a hot market through the pandemic
Clancy said the shift in the market means real estate agents need to pay close attention to their buyers, and make sure they’re ready to move quickly. This means pre-arranging their financing and perhaps paying for a shortened, preliminary home inspection prior to making an offer.
He said many selling agents are “holding offers” until a certain date and time to allow everyone who wants to see the house a few days to get in, and then submit their offer on a deadline.
This does create an added sense of pressure and competition for buyers, knowing their offers will be tabled and compared with several others, with the best or most flexible offer winning. However, ultimately Clancy said it allows for more viewings.
“If they aren’t holding offers, you might have to get out the door and see a house in two hours, and it’s not easy to get people out the door in a pandemic,” he said. “I personally don’t want to have to cram into a house and have five other agents in there with their clients at the same time.”
Under the new restrictions of the Pronvincewide Shutdown, imposed on Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, this wouldn’t even be possible, with group gatherings restricted to ten people, outdoors. During the lockdown period, open houses are not permitted but showings by appointment are.
“As agents, we have to be very careful about how many people are in a house and how we conduct our business,” he said.
Despite the pandemic completely shutting down the real estate industry for a few months in the spring, Clancy said it rebounded hard over the summer with everyone trying to make up for lost time. The value of home sales in Kingston in 2020 exceeded the previous year by over 13 per cent, he said, despite the temporary shut down.
The market is expected to remain strong for the next year, he added, noting that no one has a crystal ball.
Despite the added pressure on buyers he said it is still possible to find and win a home in Kingston. “Coming up with a really soundproof strategy is the most important part,” he said.
It costs only about 25 cents/day to support local, independent news. Please subscribe to Kingstonist.

Also see https://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/toronto/article-work-from-home-trend-will-shape-real-estate-in-2021/?fbclid=IwAR2thCzRgLig-VUsr3HDgJd5IZAQUr0yo9GXBK–PrevhHDAyjkf6b9Jv34 

8. Street Art at the Hub
Received from the City, Jan 7, 2021
Upcoming public engagement opportunity 
In March 2020, the City issued a call to artists through a Request for Qualifications for the Princess Street Sidewalk Project, a permanent public art intervention for the Hub. A Jury selected and short-listed three artists to submit proposals for this project. The artists are Christine Dewancker, Don Maynard, and Brandon Vickerd. From Jan. 18 to Feb. 5, residents will be invited to view the artists’ preliminary proposals and provide their feedback on Get Involved Kingston. This feedback will be provided to the artists who will consider it as they prepare their final proposals. 
This is the second round of public consultation related to The Hub Project and follows a series of in-person sessions and online opportunities facilitated through Get Involved Kingston in 2018. The City heard from 350 people who shared input and ideas regarding themes and the types of public art that could be integrated into the intersection of Princess and Division streets. 
Art Bike Stands 
Another permanent public artwork slated for installation in the Hub includes two artist-designed bike stands. These bike stands are intended to be playful, adding vibrancy and colour to the area and generating new ways of thinking about the urban environment and street furniture. Through an open call for submissions, local, emerging contemporary artist Jenny Moring and her designs were selected for the project by the City’s Public Art Working Group. 
Both the Princess Street Sidewalk Project and Art Bike Stands will be installed by the end of Summer 2021

9. Georgian Bay Community vs Marine Museum
Received Jan 8, 2021 from Chamber of Marine Commerce
Georgian Bay community fights to keep its Titanic-era steamshipOur Windsor (Toronto, Ontario), January 7, 2021 (also appeared in the Toronto Star, at Hamilton Community News (Metroland Media Group and in 16 other publications).  When the historic passenger vessel S.S. Keewatin first went through the Welland Canal, it had to be cut in half.  The 106-metre-long ship was too long to fit into the lift locks of the canal in 1907 when it was on its way to Owen Sound from its birthplace in Glasgow’s River Clyde to start a 60-year career as a Great Lakes passenger vessel for Canadian Pacific Railway Upper Lake Service.  Now, more than 9,000 people in this Georgian Bay port have signed a petition asking the federal government to prevent Keewatin from taking a second cruise on the Welland Canal.  They want the vessel to remain as a museum destination here, rather than as a museum destination at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes on the Kingston waterfront.  Keewatin is five years older than the Titanic and is believed to be the only Edwardian passenger liner still afloat, and its fate has been afloat for the past three years since its owner — Skyline Investments Inc. — decided not to go ahead with plans to create a 1,400-home resort community on Georgian Bay. 

10. Strange Inner Harbour Xmas Eve Occurrence
Received Dec 30, 2020 from The Kingstonist – Chris Vilela
OPP seeking information about person who may have fallen through ice in Kingston
The Frontenac Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is seeking any information from the public about a potential incident involving a person falling through the ice on Lake Ontario in Kingston.
OPP and Kingston Fire & Rescue investigate a report of a person falling through the ice.
On December 24, 2020, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Kingston Police Service and Kingston Fire Department responded to the area of Anglin Bay, near the LaSalle Causeway. A witness had reported hearing calls for help and personal belongings had been found on the ice.
A search of the area by Kingston Police, Kingston Fire and the OPP found no sign of anyone in the area or in the water. The OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit attended the scene on December 25 and 26, 2020 and conducted an extensive search in the water, but again, nothing was found.
Kingston Fire & Rescue investigate a report of a person falling through the ice on Christmas Eve.
While there have been no people reported as missing to the Kingston Police or OPP, investigators want to hear from anyone who may have seen someone on the ice on Christmas Eve or may have any information.
Frontenac OPP are asking anyone with information to contact them at 1-888-310-1122 or visit www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

11. Canadian Coast Guard begins annual icebreaking operations on the Great LakesDepartment of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, January 6, 2021 (also appeared in 6 other publications).  The Canadian Coast Guard’s annual icebreaking season on the Great Lakes, which provides assistance to the shipping industry, is underway.  Working in partnership with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) District 9, the Canadian Coast Guard has two icebreakers assigned to the Great Lakes for the entire winter season: CCGS Griffon and CCGS Samuel Risley.  These vessels are supported as required by additional Coast Guard vessels during the spring icebreaking season.

12. Increase outflows from Lake OntarioQuinte News (Belleville, Ontario), January 4, 2021.  A new plan to increase outflows from Lake Ontario for the next two months is a step shoreline residents and some municipalities have been asking for, because of high waters and flooding.  The Lake Ontario-St Lawrence River Board had been resisting those calls because Lake Ontario was at its long-term average level, but elsewhere in the Great Lakes some of the lakes are two or more feet above their long-term averages.  The International Joint Commission has given its members authority to deviate from Plan 2014, the water management plan that dictates how much water is released from the lake into the St. Lawrence River, for the months of January and February.

13. President signs Great Lakes mapping bill into lawMichigan Radio (Ann Arbor, Michigan), January 5, 2021.  President Donald Trump has signed legislation to update maps of environmentally sensitive areas of the Great Lakes.  The legislation prioritizes and updates federal maps used to respond to emergencies and protect habitats, species and structures along the Great Lakes that are most likely to be impacted by a potential oil spill or other major disaster.

14. Kingston Historical Society’s New Project
Received Jan 7, 2021 from Simge Erdogan
“Murney in Retrospect” Photo Contest
We are welcoming 2021 with an exciting community engagement initiative, the “Murney in Retrospect” photo contest. Over the next few months, we will be inviting our community to engage with the museum and celebrate its 95-year journey by submitting their photos taken inside or outside of the Murney Tower. This photo archive will be an important asset to reminiscence and stay connected during these unprecedented times of covid-19. As Murney Tower’s parent organization, the Kingston Historical Society has been a major witness of the museum’s 95-year journey, we would need your contributions to ensure that this initiative is a success. 
If you’d like to participate, please send electronic copies of your photos taken inside or outside the Tower to staff@murneytower.com. More information, including the goals of the project, key dates, and steps for submission can be found in the attached letter. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out.”

15. KAIROS’s Teaching and Sharing Circles, 2021

Received Jan 7, 2021 from KAIROS 
“Led by Indigenous Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers with extensive KAIROS Blanket Exercise (KBE) experience, these (90-minute) interactive Zoom-based sessions aim to build positive relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people through truth, sharing, and open dialogue. 
Each KBE Teaching & Sharing Circle addresses historical and contemporary topics in an honest and personal way by blending data and facts with personal stories.  Topics offered in the Winter 2021 public sessions ($25 registration fee per session) include:  the Impact of Residential Schools, We Are All Treaty People, the Doctrine of Discovery, Métis Teachings, Shannen’s Dream & Jordan’s Principle, Social Injustice in the Court System, the 60s Scoop, Child Welfare & Practice Standards, Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, and the power of Growing Healing Gardens.  Each topic can also be booked as a private group session by contacting cumana@kairoscanada.org.
Join a KBE Teaching & Sharing Circle and experience a deep and meaningful way to learn about truth and reconciliation. Visit https://www.kairosblanketexercise.org/kbe-teaching-sharing-circle/ for the full schedule and to register.”

16. Flexitarianism?Green habits that are on the rise. It’s a new year and a time when a lot of us are making resolutions and adopting new habits in an attempt at self-improvement. 
Changing our ways is never easy, but statistics show some environmental trends are on the rise, especially among younger Canadians. Here’s a look at a few. 
Flexitarian eating
This is a month when a lot of people try out new diets, such as “Veganuary” or avoiding animal products, but these are actually part of a longer-term trend. 
Citing United Nations data, Bloomberg News reported that per capita meat consumption was expected to fall three per cent globally in 2020 — the biggest decline since 2000 — as a result of pandemic-related factors such as restaurant closures and COVID-19 outbreaks at meat-packing plants.
But even before COVID-19, Canadians were eating less meat, University of Guelph researchers reported, and suggested it was as a result of health and environmental reasons. (We’ve previously discussed the large emissions of greenhouse gases from meat production.)
“It is relatively clear that ‘meat minimizers’ or flexitarians — those who still eat meat, but are eating less of it — are driving changes in meat consumption,” the Guelph researchers wrote in a 2019 article in The Conversation.
Similar trends are underway in other countries. In a 2020 survey by the market research publisher Packaged Facts, 36 per cent of American respondents identified as flexitarian, compared to just three and five per cent, respectively, who were vegan or vegetarian. 
Flexitarianism was most common among those under 35, which is similar to findings in a 2019 study by the U.S.-based food industry association FMI
Buying used
Manufacturing a new product typically uses up resources and generates emissions and waste, so reducing, reusing and recycling are key to sustainability. For those reasons, more and more environmentally conscious consumers are buying goods second-hand.
ThredUP, an online marketplace for used clothing that expanded to Canada last year, reported that the U.S. market for previously worn fashions has doubled to $24 billion US since the company was founded in 2009.
More and more retailers are also launching programs to make it easier to resell their products, including Patagonia, Levi Strauss and Co. and Ikea.
Again, this is part of a broader trend. A 2019 study by researchers at the University of Quebec at Montreal that was commissioned by Kijiji found the second-hand economy in Canada grew annually from 2015 to 2018, hitting a record $27.3 billion in value. 
People 45 and under were the most active participants and the number of individuals reporting an ecological motive for acquiring, selling or donating second-hand goods is increasing.
Active transportation
Amid the coronavirus pandemic and the transmission risks on public transit, many cities in Canada and around the world have expanded cycling lanes and other infrastructure.
As of August, Statistics Canada reported that more Canadians were walking or biking to work (six per cent) than taking public transit (three per cent, down from 13 per cent), and a fifth of those who switched away from public transit during the pandemic were walking or cycling. (Meanwhile, 22 per cent of workers were telecommuting, up from four per cent.)
The trend toward active commuting isn’t just a pandemic blip. A 2019 study by the University of Toronto found an increase in people who cycled to work in 42 of Canada’s 100 census divisions between 1996 and 2016 — especially in Montreal, where it nearly tripled to 3.6 per cent of commuters, and in Toronto, where it increased 146 per cent to 2.7 per cent of commuters.
 
17.  Why All Maps Are Wrong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIID5FDi2JQ

18. Bad Day at the Parking Lot! Count your blessings!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmd_dhvCRwc
 
19.Connection to the Stars – Interesting Cree Constellations
https://www.facebook.com/cbcunreserved/videos/1094638160560376
 
So that’s a wrap. 
Hope to run into you along the Inner Harbour shoreline somewhere sometime soon.
Cheers,
Mary Farrar,
President, Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour