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October Newsletter 2025

Hi all,
First, thanks so much Hilbert for this wonderful picture of the newly arrived barred owl.  So gorgeous.

Second, please remember the Turtles Kingston Art Fund Raiser, Sat, Sept 27, 12:30 – 3:00 at the Tett. Check out details at https://www.turtleskingston.com.

Third: FYI: I am planning on discontinuing these newsletters in the new year. There are other things I want to get involved in – most especially the possible replica building of the “Frontenac” to celebrate 350 years of boat building (in 2028) in Kingston’s Inner Harbour – Canada’s oldest continuous historical boat building location!  More anon in the next few newsletters.

Here are some sites I recommend in no particular order for when I stop doing newsletters.
First, news@notification.canada.ca  provides daily headlines of all sorts of things the Carney government is up to. Well worth seeing the headlines and reading some of the pieces in full.
Second, MP Mark Gerretsen’s, MPP Ted Hsu’s, and Mayor Paterson’s  Monthly Community Updates available from mark.gerretsen@parl.gc.ca tedhsu.mpp.co@ola.org and  mayor-cityofkingston.ca@shared1.ccsend.com
Third, http://ygknews.ca. They just reached 10,000 subscribers!
Fourth, really important environmental voices: NoClearcutsKingston – noclearcutskingston@substack.comand Vicki Schmolka – https://substack.com/@vickijs
Do consider subscribing to all of these if you haven’t already – along with updates from the cityofkingston.ca and the Kingstonist – https://www.kingstonist.com All excellent.

LOCAL NEWS, ISSUES, AND EVENTS
1. Kingston Fall Birding Festival
2. Workshop: A Hedgerow for Birds
3. Interactions with Crows
4. City’s Official Bird Initiative
5. Kingston Area Recycling Centre Main Office to Close
6. Brush Collection has started
7. Kingston Transit Warns of Online Transit Pass Scam
8. ‘Ludicrous’: Kingston MP Rails against VIA’s New Direct Route Service that Bypasses Eastern Ontario
9, Kingston Developer Wins Provincial Appeal to Build 1,600 Housing Units on Scarred Davis Tannery Lands
10. City Spent over $700 in Failed Attempt to Stop Former Tannery Development
11. Kingston Explores Solutions for Designated Heritage Properties Facing Sky-high Insurance Premiums
12. Kingston Indigenous Language Nest Uplifting Voices for Nat’l Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Kingston
13. Indigenous Land Protectors from Treaty 9 Sept 28 & 29
14. Kingston Welcomes Eight New Family Physicians
15. Update from Our Livable Solutions
16.Tourism Kingston’s Short Film Recognized by Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards
17. New Public Art Evokes Sense of Belonging in Heart of the Downtown
18. Aerosnapper Update on the Causeway Construction
19. Kingston Water Park Enclosure Gets $1 Million in Government Support
20. Mayor Paterson’s “Your Community.  Your Budget.”
21. Air Canada Bus from Kingston Airport to Pearson in Toronto
22. Belle Park MSC – Addressing Neighbour Concerns
23. NoClearcutsKingston Update: Reallly Important Meetings.
Do get involved in saving Kingston’s Trees
 
FROM FARTHER AFIELD
24. Carney Government Launches Build Canada Homes to Tackle Housing Crisis
25. A Solution to Canada’s Housing Crisis Has Already Been Built – We Just Need to Use It.
26. Carney Recognizes Palestine at UN
27. Catherine McKenna Isn’t Buying Carney’s Carbon Capture Grand Bargain
28. Carney says Canada-US trade talks will move to USMCA review process
29. Carney’s plan to strengthen Canada’s economy must include port policing
30. As the Family Doctor and Nursing Shortage Worsens, Here is an Innovative Solution that Will Help
31. Rising NATO Military Spending to Cause Huge Spike in Emissions, Report Warns
32. Canada ‘Has What the World Wants,’ Carney Tells UN Council
33. China Floods the World With Cheap Exports After Trump’s Tariffs, 

LOCAL NEWS, ISSUES, AND EVENTS
1. Kingston Fall Birding Festival
Received from the Kingston Field Naturalists Sept 16, 2025 – Chris Hargreaves
1.00 to 2.30 pm on Saturday October 11th 2025 at Douglas Fluhrer Park.
Everyone is invited to come and look at the birds on the Cataraqui River, get help to identify the different species, and hear about their lifestyles and migration routes from members of the Kingston Field Naturalists.
Telescopes provided, bring your binoculars if you have them..
There is no charge for this event.
Editor’s Note: Here are links to interesting media accounts of the issue received from Chris Hargreaves of the Kingston Field Naturalists.  
“Here is the interview segment if you want to share it with friends, family, colleagues, or other birders in the city: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-92-all-in-a-day/clip/16169932-what-kingstons-offical-bird
The TV interview can be viewed at
https://globalnews.ca/video/11431263/kingston-residents-to-vote-on-official-city-bird/
Should you wish to download a .mp4 video file of the segment, you can do so here:
Https://we.tl/t-pGe3wTCXtS

2. Workshop: A Hedgerow for Birds
Received from Little Forests Kingston, Sept 19, 2025
What: Learn how to design hedgerows as living fences to attract breeding & migratory birds.
Where: 82 Braemar Road, Kingston
When: Oct 11th from 10:00 to 11l30 am.
Note: Each participant is eligible for the gift of a pocket hedgerow, aa bird box, and a feather friendly window kit.
Reserve your ticket in Eventbrite. https://eventbrite.ca/e/workshop-plant-ahedgerow-living-fence-for-birds-tickets-1662861616859?aff=oddtdtcreator&mc_cid=672b1b75cc&mc_eid=b5c2f7a64a

3. Interactions with Crows
Received from Little Forests Kingston, Sept 19, 2025
To support Kingston’s bid to become a certified Bird-Friendly City in 2025, the City of Kingston is inviting us to help choose the bird that best symbolizes our community from a list of 16 locally found bird species selected by the City’s Bird-Friendly City team. Vote before October 4th. Our official City Bird will be announced on World Migratory Bird Day. 
While Crow wasn’t initially on the list of contenders, thanks to Crow Watch, founded by Hilbert Buist, you can now vote for Crows. Here’s a wonderful story shared by Hilbert 

“Maybe 15 years ago I was living downtown, and I hiked along the waterfront to Lake Ontario Park,” he said. “It was spring and there was snow on the ground. And there were crows. I watched them flying over. And they flew over me, and they flew past me, except for one: it stopped on a branch just ahead of me, turned, and did not ‘caw, caw, caw’ but did an ‘oh’ sound. In a crow, it can sound very much like, ‘hello.’ And so I said to myself, that sounds like hollo. I’m going to say hello back.” 

And so, Buist had his first discourse with a crow. 
“We had this conversation,” he said. “Hello. Hello.” 
The next time he returned to Lake Ontario Park, he experimented with the inflection of his voice as he said “hello” to the crows, raising the sound of the word at the end. 
Would it make a difference? 

“It did. It mimicked my upbeat, positive, sunny nature and I thought, well, that’s really like we have a relationship now. We understand each other.” 

A month went by. Buist watched the birds preparing nests to receive eggs, chicks, then fledglings. Despite the crows’ secretive tendencies in nesting and raising their young, Buist was able to keep track of where some nests were. 

One day, scanning the treetops for birds, Buist learned more about the crows’ ability to communicate their thoughts. “There was nice, lush grass, and I was watching and listening to the crows, and they were yelling at me.” He had nearly stepped on a baby crow in the grass. 
“They were mad. And the next two or three times that I went there, they were mad, and I went, ‘It’s such a great relationship and now it’s gone.’” 

From then, Buist avoided the area. But since then, he never forgot the connection he had enjoyed with crows. 
“Ever since then, I speak to them, and I say hello. And they respond sometimes.” 

4. City’s Official City Bird Naming Initiative
Be an early bird and sparrow minute to share your feedback starting Sept. 11 at https://getinvolved.cityofkingston.ca/name-the-city-bird
On Oct. 11, to coincide with World Migratory Bird Day, we will announce which lucky duck – or dove, or hawk, or owl – has been chosen as Kingston’s official City Bird! You can also learn more about Bird-Friendly Cities at NatureCanada.ca

5. KIngston Area Recycling Centre Main Office to Close
Received from the City of Kingston Sept 22, 2025
What does this mean for you? 
Residents can still come to 196 Lappan’s Ln. until the end of 2025 to pick up green bins, kitchen catchers and FOG (fat, oil, grease) cups, as well as to drop off recycling, batteries and lightbulbs. These services will be offered at an outdoor tent currently in place at 196 Lappan’s Ln. There will be no interruption in service or operational hours. 
Garbage bag tags will no longer be available for purchase at 196 Lappan’s Ln. once the office is closed beginning Sept. 30. A list of bag tag retailers around Kingston can be found on the City website. 
The yard waste drop-off site and recycling drop-off at 196 Lappan’s Ln. are open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The household hazardous waste site is open April through November, Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

6. Brush Collection Has Started
Received from the City of Kingston via Facebook, Sept 21, 2025
Check your collection week here: https://www.cityofkingston.ca/garbag…/collection-calendar/
Not sure how to set out your brush in Kingston? Watch this quick video to ensure collection goes smoothly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGGs-iduyCY

7. Kingston Transit Warns of Online Transit Pass Scam
Received from the City of Kingston, Sept 19, 2025
An online scam offering discounted transit passes to community members was reported to Kingston Transit.
Please be advised that we do not sell transit passes on social media. Be aware of suspicious-looking messages and don’t click links in them or provide personal information such as passwords, banking information or a credit card number.
Visit our website for a list of official sales outlets to buy, reload and register your transit pass: https://www.kingstontransit.ca/fares-and-passes/standard-fares-and-passes/
If you would like to report an instance of fraud, please call Kingston Police at 613-549-4660 or visit: https://www.kingstonpolice.ca/crime-prevention-and-safety/frauds-and-scams/
About Kingston Transit  
Kingston Transit provides mobility to residents within the urban areas of the city and into neighbouring Amherstview within Loyalist Township. It operates a fleet of 82 modern transit buses, of which five are electric. Over 6.4 million trips were taken on Kingston Transit in 2024.

8. ‘Ludicrous’: Kingston MP Rails Against VIA’s New Direct Route Service that Bypasses Eastern Ontario
Received from the Kingstonist, Sept 18, 2025 – Bill Hutchins
https://www.kingstonist.com/news/ludicrous-kingston-mp-rails-against-vias-new-direct-=route-service-that-bypasses-eastern-ontario/
A three month pilot project will start Sept 29 and last until Dec 31, 2025 that will offer direct passenger train service between Toronto and Montreal that will bypass train stations in eastern Ontario.
According to VIA it is too early to say if this will become permanent.

9. Kingston Developer Wins Provincial Appeal to Build 1,600 Housing Units on Scarred Davis Tannery Lands
Received from the Kingstonist, Sept 17, 2025 – Bill Hutchins
Editor’s Note: The Kingstonist no longer allows copying and pasting.

10. City Spent Over $700M in Failed Attempt to Stop Former Tannery Development
Received from the Kingstonist, Sept 17, 2025 – Bill Hutchins
https://www.kingstonist.com/?s=tannery

11. Kingston Explores Solutions for Designated Heritage Properties Facing Sky-high Insurance Premiums.
Received from the KIngstonist, Sept 22 – Bill Hutchins

12. Kingston Indigenous Language Nest Uplifting Voices for Nat’l Day for Truth and Reconciliation in KIngston
Received from the Kingstonist, Sept 24, 2025 – Jessica Foley
Events will occur in Confederation Basin on Tues, Sept 30, 2025 from 1 – 5:30 and will include Community Booths, Indigenous Art Vendors, a Sacred Fire, and sharing your voice, work, and heart.
Wear your Every Child Matters shirt. These are available for $20 at the Kingston Native Language Centre at 218 Concession St from Mon – Wed from 11 am – 3 pm and at the Tuesday Sept 30 event.
The Maawnjiding Sunday community gatherings are also promoted in Market Square, Sept 28, Oct 26, Nov 30 and Dec 14 at 218 Concession St. These include the Ollin Drum Circle, Indigenous art vendors, activities, and food.
More Info: Yessi at yessi@KNCLN.CA

13. Indigenous Land Protectors from Treaty 9 in KIngston Sept 28 & 29
Received from Kristen Lowitt, Assoc. Prof, Env. Sci, Queensu, Sept 17
A group of Indigenous youth and community members are coming all the way from Treaty 9 (Northern Ontario, where the Ring of Fire is) to Kingston from Sept 25-30th.  As part of their visit, people in Kingston have organized great public events that we hope you’ll attend: 

Sunday Sept 28
The CONCERT:  Raising our Voices: Community concert at The Spire, 7:30
Featuring voices from the North and musicians Sarah Harmer,Kakaow, and Ramon Kataquapit (music samples are hyperlinked).
Hear from the Indigenous grassroots and youth organizers who, together with allies, are calling for the repeal of Bill 5 and to protect the land and honour Treaty promises. While you’re at it, enjoy music by Sarah Harmer and Kakaow, some community fun, and more. 
7 pm.  Tickets are pay-what-you-can. Register here.
https://thespirekingston.org/event/raising-our-voices-taking-on-ontarios-bill-5-benefit-cooncert-ft-sarah-harmer/

Monday Sept 29
The TALK:  Indigenous Perspectives on Bill 5 public lecture at The Isabel Bader, 6:30 pm.   
Keynote speaker Ramon Kataquapit, the founder of the Indigenous-youth movement, Okiniwak plus members of the Indigenous grassroots organization the Friends of the Attawapiskat River and environmental lawyer Kerrie Blaise, founder of the environmental law non-profit Legal Advocates for Nature’s Defence (LAND). Learn about their efforts to challenge Bill 5, including recent litigation.Free, but registration requested.
Register here:
Evebntbrite.ca/indigenous-perspectives-on-bill-t-tickets-1688481245859?aff=oddtdtcreator

14. Kingston Welcomes Eight New Family Physicians
Received from the City of Kingston Sept 17, 2025
As part of the City’s ongoing family physician recruitment program, eight new family physicians are being welcomed to the community. This continued momentum in the City’s recruitment efforts brings the number of physicians recruited this year to 12, and 33 in total since the launch of the physician recruitment program in fall of 2022.
“I’m incredibly proud to welcome these eight new physicians to our community,” says Mayor Bryan Paterson. “Their arrival represents a significant step forward in ensuring more residents have access to the care they need. This success is a testament to the strength of our recruitment partnerships and the growing appeal of our city as a place to live, work, and build a career in health care.”
The incoming group of physicians includes:

  • Four net-new physicians, expanding access to care for residents who do not have a family doctor;
  • Four replacement physicians, ensuring continued care in the community for patients who are currently rostered with a family doctor.

Three of the physicians are international recruits and two are from outside of the province, reflecting Kingston’s growing reputation as a destination for medical professionals. Three physicians have committed to family practice since graduating from Queen’s University and completing a locum (short-term, temporary coverage of physician duties) in Kingston.
As the City continues to grow, the physician recruitment program plays a vital role in ensuring residents have timely access to quality care. The program focuses on attracting new talent and achieving long-term retention by helping partners and families integrate into the community through the Nurturing Employees and Supporting Transitions (NEST*) program. 

Do you need a primary care provider? Register for Health Care Connect
Primary care remains a matter of provincial jurisdiction. Residents without a family doctor are encouraged to register with Health Care Connect. Health Care Connect is a
provincially administered program that helps track primary care provider capacity and connect people to one.
Residents without a family physician can learn more about the support available to help access care and services by visiting the Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Ontario Health Team website.

About Kingston’s Physician Recruitment program
Kingston City Council has invested over $3 million in the family physician recruitment program since 2022. This includes a $100,000 incentive to eligible family doctors as well as relocation and career support for incoming physicians and their families. Physicians qualify by either establishing a new practice within the City of Kingston or taking over an existing roster of patients from a departing or retiring physician. Learn more about the program on the City’s Family Physician Recruitment page.

15. Update from Our Livable Solutions
Received from Chrystal Wilson – kayakchk@substack.com
Across Canada, more than 235,000 people are deprived of housing, organizations providing support are overwhelmed, and attainable housing has become increasingly elusive. Government programs and bureaucracies are slow-moving and often fail to keep pace with the crisis we see daily on our streets. Solutions must come from community and mutual aid, from ordinary people like us stepping in to care for one another when systems fall short. More helping hands are needed across the entire spectrum of housing and homelessness.
This post launches a three-part series exploring what it looks like to support people experiencing homelessness. Over the coming week, I’ll walk through three distinct spaces where volunteer support is needed:

  1. Streets and Encampments, where survival is the daily challenge.
  2. Shelters and Transitional Housing Programs, where stability is practiced.
  3. Permanent Housing, where success isn’t just placement but sustaining a home.

If you’re not already helping, I hope this series inspires you to see where you might fit. The spectrum of homelessness is wide, and so are the ways we can show up.
 
Part 1: Streets and Encampments
The streets, parks, and encampments are the frontlines of homelessness. Street outreach work is not for the faint of heart. Volunteers must meet people at their worst, raw and vulnerable, in ways that are often uncomfortable to witness. Seeing the same faces in crisis week after week can weigh heavily on the heart. To be effective in this work, volunteers must be able to see past the dirty clothes, smelly bodies, broken teeth, and piles of treasures (which uninformed people call garbage), to offer judgement free compassion.
Helping here doesn’t mean having all the answers or offering grand solutions. Street outreach work is about keeping people going in the harshest of conditions, building trust, and brightening the darkest of days with small glimmers of joy. It’s as simple and profound as giving a bottle of water, a morsel of food, a fresh pair of socks, a blanket, or a warm smile. Once trust is established, it’s sitting beside someone invisible to most and listening. Small gestures are powerful and create a fragile bridge towards hope and change.
This work can be a tough balancing act and requires people who can establish strong, healthy boundaries. I’ve learned this the hard way. Acts of kindness must be offered thoughtfully, without creating dependencies. The most well-intentioned volunteers can inadvertently anchor someone in place if too much, or the wrong kind of help is given. My article “Institutionalization” covers more about the hazards of creating dependancies.

My most extraordinary ice breaker
One of my greatest ice breakers in street outreach work is my dog, Jiggs. She’s a 5 year old, 120-pound Leonberger who looks a bit like a bear but gives judgment-free kisses that soften the hardest edges. Jiggs has been doing outreach work since her initial puppy days, and intuitively knows when a person needs quiet comfort or energetic play.

   

Jiggs ready to provide judgement free care.
One night I was walking Jiggs through a neighbourhood park when I heard a woman crying and screaming. She carried the telltale bags and wore the disheveled clothes of someone living rough. I didn’t recognize her. She was on the phone, so I circled the park for a bit, waiting until the call ended.
After the call she remained in visible distress. So Jiggs and I walked closer, and I asked gently if she wanted to do something I could guarantee would make her feel a little better. She looked me up and down, skeptical, then shrugged. I suggested she give Jiggs a cuddle.
She jumped right in, wrapping her arms around my big fluffy dog, and within seconds her crying turned into giggles. We chatted, discovered mutual acquaintances, and built a small bridge of trust. Before leaving, I gave her my phone number.
Over the next couple of years, she called me during moments of panic, shared dreams about leaving the streets, and attempted a few transitional housing programs. There were rollercoasters, setbacks, and relapses. A few months ago, she phoned with excitement to let me know she had secured a room in a house with help from a friend. It’s not perfect, but it’s safe enough for now, and it’s given her space to breathe, and the stability to begin imagining a better future.
That entire relationship, the phone calls, the attempts at change, the eventual stability, started with a single cuddle from a sweet dog. Sometimes, it really is that simple.
Helpful Skills for Street Outreach
Being effective in this work requires a balance of compassion and practical skills. Setting healthy boundaries is essential, knowing what you should give and recognizing when to step back helps sustain both you and the work. It’s also important not to take things personally; expressions of anger or paranoia often reflect someone’s lived trauma rather than you as a volunteer. Active listening is invaluable, but it’s best practiced without over-questioning, since too many inquiries can feel invasive to people who are accustomed to being watched or harassed. New volunteers are often scrutinized by people stuck outside to understand the volunteer’s intention, too many questions will lead to speculation about being an undercover police officer or biker (not the spandex kind). Often, short but respectful interactions, like offering a warm greeting, sharing a laugh, or making a small, kind gesture, have enormous impact. Finally, offering choice helps preserve dignity and ensures the interaction is rooted in respect.
How You Can Help

If you feel drawn to this kind of work, it’s important not to do it alone. Safety matters for you and for the people you’re supporting. The best way to learn is by joining advocacy groups or organizations already doing street outreach. They’ll guide you on how to navigate safely and respectfully.
If pounding the pavement or walking the trails doesn’t appeal to you, that doesn’t mean you can’t be involved. Consider supporting outreach organizations in other ways:

  • Providing funds or helping with fundraising efforts.
  • Donating survival items like socks, gloves, and hygiene kits.
  • Offering administrative support, grant-writing, or joining a Board.
  • Writing letters to politicians to increase access to attainable housing.

Direct street outreach isn’t the only way to help, behind-the-scenes support is just as vital in sustaining this work.

Closing Reflection
This first part is about survival and the raw, immediate, and deeply human ground where trust begins. While progress on the streets can feel fleeting, it is also where light breaks through most unexpectedly. A sandwich may not end homelessness, but in a hungry moment it can restore strength. A dog’s cuddle cannot erase trauma, but it can spark laughter, soften fear, and remind someone they are still worthy of joy.
Street outreach is not about fixing everything, it’s about showing up with steady kindness, knowing that even the smallest act can plant a seed of change. Every smile, every choice offered, every moment of respect can encourage a tired soul to fight for themselves one more day.
In Part 2, we’ll step into the next rung in the path toward stability – shelters and transitional housing programs. Until then, I’d love to hear from you:
What questions do you have about street outreach work, and what would you like me to explore further in this series?

16. Tourism KIngston’s Short Film Recognized by Cannes Corporate Media &* TV Awards
Received from Tourism Kingston Sept 18, 2025
Maawanijitaadaa, Come Together
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi6kQFA8Zjs

17. New Public Art Evokes Sense of Belonging in Heart of the Downtown
Received from the City of Kingston Sept 17
A new public artwork has been installed at the Robert Bruce Memorial Parking Garage on Bagot Street between Brock Street and Princess Street.  The artwork, titled Kingston in Motion, was created by local artist Abby Gowland and stretches across the 10 exterior panels of the garage.  
Through digital illustrations printed on panels, the artwork features stylized figures that reflect the daily rhythms of the area and the nearby transit hub, adding vibrancy to a place where people pause, pass through and gather.  
“This commission marks a significant milestone in my career as an emerging artist, as my first large-scale, city-funded mural,” Gowland explained. “The project has been both formative and rewarding, providing the opportunity to expand my digital practice, work at an ambitious scale, and contribute meaningfully to Kingston’s public art landscape.” 
Kingston in Motion was selected following a two-stage application process. Forty-one applicants responded to an open call for Expression of Interest, and a selection panel of local professional artists, arts workers and creative professionals shortlisted four local artists, who were invited to submit detailed proposals. After a public engagement period in the summer where the public was invited to comment on the shortlisted proposals, Kingston in Motion was selected. 
“We are thrilled to unveil this new public artwork by Abby Gowland, which is a celebration of recognition and belonging and a site-specific mural that responds to its surroundings and helps to transform everyday moments into something special,” says Megan Sirett, Manager, Events & Programs, Arts & Culture Services  
This public art project was funded by the City’s Parking Operations, Licensing & Enforcement department, as part of the City’s Public Art program, which is managed by the Arts & Culture Services department. 
Learn more about the Robert Bruce Memorial Parking Garage Public Art Program on our website.

18. Aerpsnapper Update on Causeway Construction
Check out Aerosnapper Kingston on Facebook.

19. Kingston Water Park Enclosure Gets $1 Million in Government Support
Received from the Kingston Whig Standard, Sept 23, 2025
The planned enclosure of the Culligan Water Park at the Memorial Centre received $1 million from the provincial government.
The funding is part of the province’s three-year, $200-million Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund, which provides money to repair or renovate existing sports facilities or build new ones.

20. Mayor Paterson’s “Your Community.  Your Budget.”
Received from Mayor Bryan Paterson’s Community Update, Sept 2025
As we head into the fall, one important step here at City Hall is my annual direction to staff to prepare next year’s City budget. This is a chance to highlight specific investments and measures that address the key priorities and concerns I’ve heard from residents across the city. With that in mind, here are a few key instructions I’ve given to staff on what to include in the 2026 budget. 

First, I’ve increased the roads budget from $60 million to $75 million, enabling more extensive road improvements across the city. This will support projects like the repaving we’ve been able to do with sections of Brock and Johnson Streets over this past summer.  

Second, I’ve asked City staff to allocate funds aimed at enhancing safety, security and cleanliness in City parks, the downtown core and other public spaces. I’ve also directed up to $10 million toward affordable and supportive housing projects, alongside strategic investments to support accessible services and programs. 

Third, I’ve directed additional resources to support business investment in Kingston.  We recognize that tariff threats and global tensions are creating a lot of economic uncertainty, making it harder and riskier for companies to invest. As mayor, I’m committed to making it easier for our existing businesses to expand their operations, which in turn creates more jobs and prosperity for our community. 

Fourth, I’ve asked staff to include necessary debt financing in the upcoming budget   to break ground on the new pool facility at the INVISTA Centre. This new aquatic facility is vital to meet the needs of our growing community, and the budget decisions we make now will ensure construction can begin in 2027. 

Finally, I’ve mandated that the next City budget must have one of the lowest tax rates increases among all large cities in Ontario. While we have a lot of important work to do and key investments ahead, we must live within our means and be careful and efficient with tax dollars. 
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQRDFTa3X2g

Editor’s Note: There are a number of other important news items on the mayor’s Sept. Community Update including the proposal for new housing and improved grocery store downtown,  planning for the Great Lakes Coastal Cleanup, the proposal for the new inflatable water park and swimming area in the downtown as well as short videos of some summer events.  Do have a look at the video.

21. Air Canada Bus from Kingston Airport to Pearson in Toronto
Received from the City of Kingston Sept 23, 2025
The City of Kingston, Air Canada and Landline are pleased to share that the first day of Landline’s new motorcoach service has been met with strong ridership and positive feedback from travellers. The new service, which connects YGK Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport, marks an important step forward in improving regional connectivity and enhancing sustainable travel options.
“Air Canada is very pleased to welcome our first customers onboard Landline and to begin offering a direct connection between YGK Airport and our Toronto Pearson global hub. Residents of Kingston and the vicinity will now be able to conveniently connect to Toronto Pearson, enjoying the amenities of this luxury coach service and the benefits of travelling on a single itinerary providing a seamless end-to-end journey,” said Ranbir Singh, Director, Regional Airlines & Markets at Air Canada.
By the afternoon of opening day, several departures had already carried passengers seamlessly to and from Pearson, with many noting the comfort, convenience, and affordability of the new motorcoach option. The service offers a reliable alternative to driving, reducing individual vehicle trips and contributing to the City’s climate action goals.
As an added benefit to passengers, up to two weeks of parking at YGK Airport will be free of charge until April 2, 2026. Parking fees can often be a hidden expense that discourages passengers from flying out of smaller regional airports, so free parking will be a strong incentive for travellers to try the new motorcoach service and will make departing locally more affordable and convenient.
“Today’s first trips highlight the real value this service brings to our community,” said Aron Winterstein, City of Kingston, Airport Manager. “We’ve seen residents, students, and visitors alike embrace Landline as an easy, efficient way to connect Kingston to the world.”
Passengers departing from Kingston experience streamlined check-in, comfortable onboard amenities, and the assurance of coordinated schedules with major airline partners. For full schedules, pricing, and booking details, visit the Landline Canada site.
About the Service
Landline, on behalf of Air Canada, will operate two nonstop round trips daily between Kingston Airport (YGK) and Toronto Pearson (YYZ). Customers will book their entire journey at aircanada.com, check in at YGK, and receive boarding passes for all segments. Bag tags can be printed at YGK, with checked luggage dropped at Air Canada’s self-serve bag drop at Pearson—no counter check-in required. Travellers with carry-on bags only can head straight to security and their departure gate at Pearson.
How to book the service
Travellers can take advantage of this new offering in three ways:

  1. Book a new itinerary at aircanada.com, just like any connecting flight. For example, Kingston (YGK) to Edmonton (YEG) via YYZ. 
  2. Already have an Air Canada reservation? Contact Air Canada Reservations to add the Landline connecting segment at no extra charge.
  3. Flying with Air Canada Vacations, another Star Alliance carrier? Book a standalone premium motorcoach seat at ca.landline.com.

Product & service overview
Air Canada customers using the Landline service will also enjoy:

  • Disruption protection equal to that of air-only itineraries
  • Ability to tag bags at YGK Airport, avoiding long lines at Pearson
  • Aeroplan points on both coach and air segments
  • A consistent, branded customer experience from departure to destination

Each Air Canada-branded Landline motorcoach is manufactured in Canada by Prevost and features:

  • 36 leather seats in a spacious 2-by-1 configuration
  • Fast, free Wi-Fi enabling streaming video, as well as onboard power
  • Overhead carry-on storage and an onboard lavatory
  • Fully accessible boarding and amenities
  • Bilingual announcements in English and French

In the event of coach or flight delays, customers travelling on Landline will be automatically offered the same protections as customers travelling on air-only itineraries. Members of Air Canada’s Aeroplan program will earn points for both ground and air segments, as on any normal connecting flight itinerary. For more information visit www.aircanada.com/landline
Schedule

NumberDepartArriveFrequency
AC2514Kingston (YGK) 04:00Toronto (YYZ) 06:50Daily
AC2516Toronto (YYZ) 08:10Kingston (YGK) 11:05Daily
AC2515Kingston (YGK) 14:00Toronto (YYZ) 17:30Daily
AC2517Toronto (YYZ) 19:10Kingston (YGK) 22:10Daily

22. Belle Park MSC – Addressing Neighbour Concerns 
Fire Hazards & Safety

  • Designated warming facilities (heated clubhouse, warming bus in extreme cold) remove reliance on unsafe open fires.
  • Fire Watch Committee of residents + fire department training ensures nightly patrols, safe spacing of tents, extinguishers on site.
  • Clear ban on indoor propane heaters in tents; safer communal cooking in clubhouse kitchen, or properly designed tent.
  • Additional fire mitigation requested by neighbours includes:
    • Creation of a fire break to protect homes on the edges of Belle Park.
    • Maintenance and repair of fencing where appropriate to enhance fire safety and separation.

Garbage, Needles & Biohazards

  • Daily clean-ups by resident maintenance committee.
  • Garbage bins and needle disposal kiosks on site; regular city/contractor pickups. 
  • Sanitation facilities: toilets, handwashing, laundry, showers – reduces waste in park and surrounding areas.
  • Clean-up routines are designed not just for aesthetics but also to discourage pests, especially rats, by removing food waste and sheltering debris.
  • Peer pressure among residents is actively encouraged to uphold cleanliness standards and collective responsibility for the site.

Trespassing, Theft & Neighbourhood Security

  • Secure perimeter with controlled entry; membership IDs for residents.
  • 24/7 on-site staff or peer monitors; trespassers identified and removed.
  • Neighbour Advisory Committee (includes local residents, by law enforcement and Kingston Police liaison) ensures ongoing security oversight.
  • Direct phone/email line for neighbours to report concerns to MSC coordinator instead of relying on police response times.
  • Neighbours emphasized:
    • Better fencing for those who want it.
    • Dogs must be leashed at all times – dog fights must be eliminated.

Noise, Violence & Disorderly Conduct

  • Code of Conduct co-written with residents and neighbours: quiet hours, no violence, no harassment, respect for community spaces.
  • Peer enforcement & consequences (warnings, suspension, revocation of membership) for repeated violations.
  • Trained staff/peers mediate conflicts to prevent escalation.

Neighbour Voice & Transparency

  • Neighbour representation on the Board and Advisory Committee – not token input but ongoing decision-making role. With veto powers.
  • Regular reports and meetings: safety data, cleanup logs, incident summaries shared openly.
  • Continuous consultation baked in – correcting past failures where residents felt unheard.
  • However, residents strongly expressed:
    • Neighbours must have veto power over the MSC’s existence and oversight.
    • They cannot be merely part of an advisory committee that can be ignored.

Policing & Security Failures

  • MSC provides first layer of community safety, reducing reliance on delayed Kingston Police response.
  • Clear rules and authority to intervene on-site – something missing in unmanaged encampments.
  • Police remain partners, but MSC prevents most issues from escalating to 911 calls.
  • Residents emphasized that ICH’s limited territorial responsibility is inadequate – they recommend that the MSC take broader responsibility for the entire area, including interactions with neighbours.

Financial & Property Burden on Neighbours

  • Reduced need for residents to self-finance fences, cameras, and extra security.
  • Accountable MSC management means neighbours no longer bear costs of disorder caused by unmanaged encampments.
  • Improved park order helps protect property values and restores safe access to trails and green space.

Trust & Broken Promises

  • Neighbours’ petitions, letters, and concerns explicitly acknowledged in MSC design – their trauma is recognized.
  • Your voices are baked in: rules, oversight, reporting all include neighbour input – rebuilding trust.
  • Continuous engagement replaces one-off, poorly advertised meetings of the past.
  • To build trust further, residents call for:
    • Reopening the K&P Trail through Belle Park.
    • A requirement that all Belle Park residents transfer their housing allowance to the MSC, ensuring transparency and fairness in funding.

In short: The MSC directly fixes the problems neighbours have identified – fire, garbage, theft, needles, lack of consultation, poor security – by replacing chaos with a structured, accountable system that protects both neighbours and residents. The newly proposed additions reinforce that protection and ensure neighbour priorities are hardwired into the system, not just passively heard but actively respected.

23. noclearcutskingston Update: Important Meetings to Save Kingston Trees. 
Received from noclearcutskingston@substack.com
Urban Boundary Expansion Meetings; Bill 5 and the Ring of Fire
Editor’s  Note: These are really important meetings.  Do check out the site!!!!!

FROM FARTHER AFIELD
24. Carney Government Launches Build Canada Homes to Tackle Housing Crisis
Received from colenotcole@substack.com, Sept 15, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney has unveiled Build Canada Homes, a new federal agency with a $13-billion launch fund aimed at supercharging housing construction across the country.
The agency will build affordable, supportive, and transitional housing in partnership with provinces, municipalities, Indigenous communities, and private developers. It will also focus on non-market housing to fight homelessness and restore affordability, while leveraging public land and new construction methods like modular and mass timber to cut timelines and costs.
Former Toronto deputy mayor Ana Bailão has been appointed CEO.
Key initiatives announced:

  • 4,000 factory-built homes on federal land in cities including Dartmouth, Longueuil, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Edmonton, with potential for 45,000 more.
  • A $1.5-billion Rental Protection Fund to preserve affordable rental housing.
  • $1 billion for supportive housing tied to health and employment services.
  • A partnership with Nunavut Housing Corporation to build 700+ affordable units.

The agency will also enforce a new Buy Canadian policy, prioritizing Canadian lumber, steel, aluminum, and mass timber to boost domestic supply chains and create jobs.
Carney said Build Canada Homes will “double housing construction, restore affordability, and reduce homelessness,” positioning Canada as a global leader in modern homebuilding.

25. A Solution to Canada’s Housing Crisis Has Already Been Built – We Just Need to Use it.
Received from the Toronto Star, Sept 25, 2025 – Leila Farha & Juliete Perucca, Co-founders of The Shift, a Human Rights Association
https://torontostar.pressreader.com/1038/20250925/281745570557521
Prime Min­is­ter Mark Car­ney’s Build Canada Homes ini­ti­at­ive won’t solve Canada’s hous­ing crisis. Des­pite $13 bil­lion in fund­ing and plans for 45,000 new afford­able homes, the math simply doesn’t add up. Even com­bined with annual hous­ing starts of 250,000 units, this falls dra­mat­ic­ally short of what’s needed to make hous­ing afford­able for aver­age Cana­dians.
The real solu­tion isn’t build­ing more — it’s unlock­ing the mil­lions of homes and build­ings that already exist but sit vacant or under­used across the coun­try.
There’s scant evid­ence that rely­ing on new con­struc­tion would suc­cess­fully address hous­ing afford­ab­il­ity, par­tic­u­larly for those exper­i­en­cing home­less­ness. U.K. stud­ies are instruct­ive: build­ing 300,000 houses per year in Eng­land would only cut house prices by about 10 per cent over 20 years, while build­to­rent schemes actu­ally increased hous­ing costs in cit­ies like Manchester.
So what impact will Car­ney’s new builds have? Even if they deliver a 10 per cent price reduc­tion, Toronto aver­age home prices would drop to $1.08 mil­lion. Still pro­hib­it­ively expens­ive for most Cana­dians and when meas­ured against hous­ing need, it is simply not enough.
Stat­ist­ics Canada reports that about 250,000 house­holds are wait­ing for social hous­ing, and con­ser­vat­ive estim­ates sug­gest more than 260,000 people are exper­i­en­cing home­less­ness. There is simply no way to build enough new homes cheaply, quickly and sus­tain­ably at suf­fi­cient scale to meet this demand.
Bey­ond these eco­nomic real­it­ies, the build­build­build approach is dan­ger­ous for the planet. The con­struc­tion sec­tor accounts for 37 per cent of global green­house gas emis­sions, and new con­struc­tion gen­er­ates embod­ied car­bon emis­sions that can take up to 80 years to off­set. While some new con­struc­tion will be neces­sary why not use Canada’s vast and under­u­til­ized exist­ing build­ing stock?
The scale of this untapped resource is stag­ger­ing. Accord­ing to a 2021 study, 8.7 per cent of homes — 1.34 mil­lion units — sit vacant across the coun­try. In the Greater Toronto/Hamilton area alone, con­dos in dis­tress offer up to 42,000 imme­di­ate oppor­tun­it­ies to meet hous­ing needs.
Bey­ond these empty homes, Stat­ist­ics Canada reports that more than 100,000 short­term rental units could become long­term dwell­ings with proper reg­u­la­tion. This would not just address sup­ply, it would make things more afford­able given that every per­cent­age point increase in short­term rental units in a rental mar­ket is asso­ci­ated with a 2.3 per cent increase in rents.
Oppor­tun­it­ies extend far bey­ond these units. Work­ing with own­ers of empty rental prop­er­ties to provide guar­an­tees and wrap­around sup­ports could unlock thou­sands more units for deeply afford­able or sup­port­ive hous­ing, dir­ectly address­ing home­less­ness. Muni­cip­al­it­ies and non­profits are already pur­su­ing such arrange­ments but need fed­eral back­ing to break through.
Even within our exist­ing social hous­ing stock, there’s room for bet­ter util­iz­a­tion. A Nova Sco­tia aud­itor gen­eral report revealed that more than 1,500 of the province’s 11,000 pub­lic hous­ing units were under­u­til­ized, often because ten­ants were liv­ing in spaces that no longer matched their house­hold size.
Per­haps the most prom­ising avenue lies in adapt­ive reuse of com­mer­cial build­ings. With office vacancy rates around 18 to 19 per cent nation­wide, con­vert­ing exist­ing build­ings can deliver homes 50 to 75 per cent faster than new con­struc­tion while redu­cing emis­sions by the same per­cent­age.
Adapt­ive reuse can house people in months, not years, and con­ver­sions into mixed­income hous­ing revital­ize strug­gling down­town cores, cre­ate green jobs in ret­ro­fit­ting and allow his­toric schools, gov­ern­ment build­ings and insti­tu­tional facil­it­ies to become hous­ing while pre­serving archi­tec­tural her­it­age.
Using exist­ing stock rep­res­ents the only true path to green hous­ing, almost entirely avoid­ing the embod­ied car­bon emis­sions. This goes far bey­ond the mar­ginal prom­ise of lower­ing emis­sions by 20 per cent through mod­u­lar and mass tim­ber con­struc­tion. This is a true reima­gin­ing of how we approach the hous­ing crisis.
Car­ney’s appoint­ment of Ana Bailão as CEO of Build Canada Homes is encour­aging — her innov­at­ive work as Toronto’s deputy mayor for hous­ing sug­gests the cre­at­ive think­ing this crisis demands. But if this gov­ern­ment is truly com­mit­ted to meet­ing the moment quickly and effect­ively while caus­ing the least harm to the planet, they need new strategies that go bey­ond build­ing more sup­ply.
Our mes­sage to Bailão is simple: the solu­tion to Canada’s hous­ing crisis has already been built. It is just wait­ing to be unlocked.
Accord­ing to a 2021 study, 8.7 per cent of homes — 1.34 mil­lion units — sit vacant across the coun­try. In the Greater Toronto/ Hamilton area alone, con­dos in dis­tress offer up to 42,000 imme­di­ate oppor­tun­it­ies to meet hous­ing needs.

26. Carney Recognizes Palestine at UN
Received from colenotcole@substack.com, Sept 24, 2025
Yesterday, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia formally recognized the State of Palestine. Today six European countries, France, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and Monaco joined in endorsing Palestinian statehood at the UN.
Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the United Nations today, delivering a speech identical to his news release the day prior. But inside the UN chamber, the reaction was far from routine: thunderous applause erupted when Carney declared that “Canada officially recognizes the State of Palestine.”
A Unified Message from New Recognizers
While none of the countries used the word genocide, leaders were united in their demands:

  • Hamas must play no role in the future Palestinian state.
  • Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war.
  • Hostages must be released.
  • A ceasefire is urgently needed.
  • Humanitarian aid must flow without obstruction.
  • The Palestinian Authority must eventually hold legitimate elections.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese went further, stressing that Israel “must accept its share of responsibility for this humanitarian disaster.”
Israel boycotted the special UN session, while the Palestinian Authority was unable to attend after the Trump administration revoked its visas.
Conservative Pushback in Canada
Back home, Canadian Conservatives are attempting to frame the recognition of Palestine as dangerous and dishonest. Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre referred to Palestine as the “Hamas state,” a rhetorical move designed to equate Palestinians with terrorism, mirroring language from the Israeli government.
Deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman released a video comparing pro-Palestinian protesters in Canada to terrorists, amplifying the same narrative.
Conservatives are also claiming that Prime Minister Carney lied, alleging he promised recognition would only come after hostages were freed, Hamas was disarmed, and elections held. In fact, Carney stated Canada would recognize Palestine on the condition that the Palestinian Authority commit to those measures among many other reforms, which it has.
It’s important to clear away misinformation on all sides. Some on the “left” have falsely claimed that “Canada funds Israel.” This is not true. Canada does not provide direct funding to Israel. While Canadian companies do conduct business with Israeli firms, that is very different from the Canadian government sending money to Israel.
Equally unhelpful are voices calling for the destruction of Israel. Such rhetoric only feeds into Israel’s justification for mass violence and undermines the Palestinian cause. A two-state solution remains the only viable path to peace, but before details can be hammered out, the immediate priority must be ending the killing and destruction in Gaza.
Though recognition is a significant step, Canada’s responsibilities don’t end here. Carney’s government has already made Canada the second-largest provider of humanitarian aid to Gaza, delivering more than $350 million to support civilians trapped in the conflict.
As the world takes tentative steps toward a Palestinian state, one truth remains clear: the bombs must stop today. Tomorrow can be about borders, elections, and governance. But right now, humanity demands peace.
 
27. Catherine McKenna Isn’t Buying Carney’s Carbon Capture Grand Bargain
Received from Canada’s National Observer, Sept 24, 2025 – John Woodside
Catherine McKenna isn’t buying the potential grand bargain being discussed between fossil fuel companies and the federal government.
In an interview with Canada’s National Observer ahead of the launch of her memoir Run Like a Girl, the former federal minister for environment and climate change said the fossil fuel industry burned the government before and shouldn’t be trusted again. Ongoing negotiations between Ottawa, the fossil fuel industry and allied petro-provinces which could see massive investments in carbon capture to grow oil and gas production is a story she’s heard before — and she doesn’t think it’s credible.
Carbon capture and sequestration “certainly won’t work effectively or at scale,” she said. “It’s not a get-out-of-jail-free card to continue increasing emissions.”
The comments are at odds with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s major projects agenda, a notable point of difference between the two long-time Liberals who have known each other for years while they both held high-profile roles with the United Nations working on climate change. The two are “good friends,” McKenna has said, and political allies, with McKenna endorsing Carney for Liberal leader and Carney attending McKenna’s book launch in Ottawa last week. 
At an estimated cost of $16.5 billion, the largest proposed carbon capture project in the country is the Pathways Alliance’s proposal to pipe carbon dioxide captured from oilsands sites in northern Alberta to an underground storage site south of Cold Lake. 
The proposal will be considered as a project in the national interest, Carney announced earlier this month, and though he did not confirm it would be designated as such, he said he has asked the Major Projects Office to assemble a business development team to develop a strategy to advance it. If it can be built, it offers the potential of “decarbonized oil,” Carney said.
Simon Donner, co-chair of the federal government’s Net Zero Advisory Body, said “decarbonized oil” is an oxymoron at odds with climate science, calling it “Orwellian.”
 That’s because carbon capture technology is irrelevant to more than 80 per cent of the oil industry’s emissions — those produced when the product is burned. Just as adding a filter to a cigarette doesn’t promise cancer-free smoking, pairing oil production with carbon capture doesn’t actually decarbonize the fuel. 
Canadian oil is “amongst the dirtiest and most expensive,” in the world, further challenging any plan to make it both cleaner and more affordable, McKenna said.
“So I would be very careful of any grand bargain … the only bargain should be ‘You guys have not done your part like every single other sector,’” she said. 
Sectors such as transportation, electricity, buildings and heavy industry have all seen emissions decrease, while oil and gas emissions continue to grow. 
According to an estimate of Canada’s 2024 greenhouse gas emissions, published last week by the Canadian Climate Institute, the fossil fuel industry has singlehandedly wrecked any chance of the country hitting its legally-binding 2030 emissions reduction targets (barring a radical change in direction), due to increasing oil and gas production.
“Right now, we are seeing the trajectory of national emissions flip from decline to rise, primarily driven by oil and gas and the oil sands,” said Dave Sawyer, CCI’s principal economist, in a pre-launch briefing with the media.
For McKenna, the state of play is clear. The fossil fuel industry committed to climate action, then raked in “obscene” profits. Those could have been used for clean energy diversification, but the sector chose instead to return billions to largely US-based shareholders. 
“Why does anyone think they’ll uphold any of their side of any bargain that is made?” she said. “They did nothing other than fight every single policy, and there are none of these policies now in any serious way.”
‘No end of drama’
As a federal minister tasked with developing a climate strategy, McKenna has witnessed previous attempts to strike a grand bargain fail. In her memoir, she recounts returning from the United Nations climate summit where the Paris Agreement was signed in late 2015 and needing to develop a climate plan for Canada to slash emissions. 
In her telling, she spent 2016 in “extraordinarily intense negotiations with provinces and territories that had no end of drama.” The central plank of the plan was carbon pricing, which faced resistance from Conservative politicians, particularly in Saskatchewan. She writes that she tapped Carney, then governor of the Bank of England, to help sell carbon pricing to Bay Street audiences at a meeting of the Toronto Board of Trade. 
McKenna writes she was proud of the plan that was put forward. But looking back now, it’s clear that the oil and gas industry’s promises to limit emissions and support a price on pollution — in exchange for the Liberal government purchasing and building the Trans Mountain expansion project — have been abandoned.
“It was Liberals that got the pipeline built, and they have done nothing except increase emissions and make massive profits … and then demand subsidies,” she said.
As previously reported by Canada’s National Observer, the grand bargain currently being debated could see policies like the proposed oil and gas emissions cap cancelled before ever coming into force, major investments in carbon capture technology to justify new fossil fuel megaprojects and other regulatory changes to incentivize development. 
At the same time federal officials try to strike a deal over climate policies and fossil fuel development, last week Alberta Premier Danielle Smith weakened the provinces’ industrial carbon pricing and credit trading program, which climate advocates say points to the need for a stronger federal backstop. Carney has committed to improving industrial carbon pricing, but has not revealed any details about what those changes may involve. Details are expected in the government’s forthcoming climate plan, set to be released this fall. 
McKenna has had enough. She warns legal consequences are coming, because it is a widely accepted fact that burning fossil fuels is driving the climate crisis, and attribution science that can link specific companies to specific disasters such as deadly heat waves is rapidly improving. 
“Governments will literally not have enough money to cover the costs of all of the impacts of climate change, and insurance is not going to be there in many cases,” she said. “They’re going to get sued. 
“And it’s not just oil and gas who are going to be getting sued, it’s going to be the lawyers, the accountants, the advertising agencies, it’s going to be folks who work for them.”
She says Carney understands this is an existential crisis posing massive threats to infrastructure and the overall economy, which will not be able to sustain the level of damage promised by climate breakdown. And he knows this is only going to get worse as long as greenhouse gas emissions are pumped into the atmosphere, she said. 
“So I, like everyone, am waiting to see the climate plan.”

28. Carney says Canada-US trade talks will move to USMCA review process, Reuters, September 23, 2025.  Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday that trade negotiations with the U.S. were ongoing, and a lot of the remaining issues would move to a forthcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).  Speaking at a press conference in New York after attending the United Nations General Assembly, Carney said while Canada currently had the best trade deal with the U.S. of any country due to USMCA-compliant goods being exempt from U.S. tariffs, it could be better.

29. Carney’s plan to strengthen Canada’s economy must include port policing, The Globe and Mail, September 24, 2025. Prime Minister Mark Carney wants to fortify the Canadian economy, but there is a big hole in his plan. His nation-building agenda, launched in response to a U.S. trade war, includes fast-tracking critical infrastructure projects, enhancing border security and finding new foreign buyers for Canadian exports. As the Carney government prepares to make a “generational investment in Canada” as part of the federal budget on November 4, it must rectify a long-standing problem that jeopardizes its goals: Our country lacks a dedicated port police force and criminals are increasingly exploiting that glaring gap. 

30. As the Family Doctor and Nursing Shortage Worsens, Here is an Innovative Solution that Will Help Received from the Toronto Star, Sept 25, 2025 – Iris Gorfinkel
Ontario is contending with a severe shortage of registered nurses and family physicians. This strain could be eased by making better use of a tool already in the hands of 93 per cent of family physicians: the electronic health record. Properly designed, it could become a proactive member of the care team — informing patients what’s due, connecting them to services and closing dangerous gaps before they become crises.
Right now, Ontario’s electronic health records function more like dusty filing cabinets than active members of the care team. They’re mostly passive storehouses for lab results, vaccines and cancer screenings. The province’s use of electronic health records remains far behind its potential.
Imagine logging in from home and seeing — in plain language — which blood tests, cancer screenings and vaccines are due. Picture booking an appointment online with a nearby public health unit or pharmacy, or directly obtaining your cancer screening test from Cancer Care Ontario. Automated reminders could prompt timely follow‑up and each task handled by the electronic records would free up another appointment for a family doctor. For a parent juggling work and family, that kind of access could mean the difference between catching cancer early and facing it too late.
Full Article:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/as-the-family-doctor-and-nursing-shortage-gets-worse-here-is-an-innovative-solution-that/article_080b7441-51b0-4e14-a1b1-389097e0a214.html?source=newsletter&utm_content=a06&ut…

31. Rising NATO Military Spending to Cause Huge Spice in Emissions, Report Warns
Received from Canada’s National Observer, Sept 23, 2025 – Nina Lakhani
Military activity is fossil-fuel intensive, yet official country data on military emissions is patchy or non-existent. Photo by: Tony Webster/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Listen to article
This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration
A planned expansion of military spending by NATO countries could generate an additional 1,320m tonnes of planet-heating pollution over the next decade — on a par with the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated by Brazil, the fifth largest emitter in the world, according to a new report.
Military activity is fossil-fuel intensive, yet official country data on military emissions is patchy or non-existent.
Now a review of 11 recent academic studies by Scientists for Global Responsibility has found that each additional $100bn of military spending leads to an estimated 32m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) being dumped into the atmosphere.
The emissions come from direct sources such as fuel-guzzling combat planes, warships and armored vehicles, as well as indirect emissions from transporting equipment, complex global supply-chains and the effects of war fighting itself.
Full Article: Rising NATO military spending to cause huge spike in emissions, report warns | Canada’s National Observer: Climate News

32. ‘Canada Has What the World Wants’ Carney Tells UN Council
Received from Canada’s National Observer, Sept 23, 2025 – Kelly Geraldine Malone
Prime Minister Mark Carney pitched Canada as a reliable trading partner that “has what the world wants” before an international audience Monday in New York City.
Addressing the Council on Foreign Relations think tank before attending the UN General Assembly, Carney said Canada has the resources, talent and ingenuity the world needs in a time of political and economic turbulence.
Full Article:
Canada ‘has what the world wants,’ Carney tells UN council | Canada’s National Observer: Climate News

33. China Floods the World With Cheap Exports After Trump’s Tariffs, Financial Post, September 22, 2025. President Xi Jinping’s export engine has proved unstoppable during five months of sky-high US tariffs, sending China toward a record $1.2 trillion trade surplus. With access to the US curtailed, Chinese manufacturers have shown they aren’t backing down: Indian purchases hit an all-time high in August, shipments to Africa are on track for an annual record and sales to Southeast Asia have exceeded their pandemic-era peak.