By: Edward Struzik, Queen’s University, Ontario In what is becoming an unfortunately common occurrence, the town of Jasper, Alta. has been ravaged by a wildfire of unprecedented scale. Crews report witnessing “300- to 400-foot flames,” while up to 50 per cent of Jasper’s buildings may be damaged. Luckily, there have been no reported fatalities so ..read more

Kingston Economic Development (KED) has wrapped another year of their Summer Company program, this year with more businesses launching than in previous years. The three-month program, funded by the Government of Ontario, provides coaching, mentorship and funding for students aged 15 to 29 to build their own businesses.  With extra funding allocated to Kingston this ..read more

Skeleton Park Arts Festival (SPAF) is celebrating their volunteers with a concert tonight, this year with the added excitement of returning to pre-pandemic volunteer numbers.  SPAF has been running for 19 years, bringing Kingstonians to the neighbourhood each June to enjoy live music, browse the local artisan market, and community booths, all for free. In ..read more

LCBO employees represented by Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) are back to work as of Tuesday morning after ratifying a collective agreement over the weekend. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Ford blamed the two week strike on OPSEU’s unwillingness to return to the table, and said Ontario doesn’t take kindly to compromising their ability to get booze. “We learned many things with this strike — people were still able to get their alcohol,” Ford said.  “Don’t mess around with people’s booze in Ontario, because they aren’t too happy.” Cameron Pardy, OPSEU Local 497 LB ..read more

Access to the LaSalle Causeway for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles is expected to return by the end of the summer, as Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) announced that Priestly Demolition Inc. will be tasked with installing a temporary modular bridge that will allow vehicle and pedestrian access while construction on a new, permanent bridge is underway. Priestly is the company that has handled the demolition of the old LaSalle Causeway, and given that the demolition project was finished ahead of schedule, stakeholders were not disappointed to hear they’d be handling this next ph ..read more

On Friday, July 19, Public Service and Procurement Canada (PSPC) announced that a temporary modular bridge will be open in place of the LaSalle Causeway by the end of September, 2024.  The closure of the bridge has had a profound impact on Kingstonians this summer, from daily commutes to the city’s integral tourism industry.  In a release, PSPC confirmed that this temporary solution will re-open the path to vehicular traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians, with temporary access windows for marine traffic to be determined.  The temporary bridge will remain until the construction ..read more

A variety of superheroes descended upon Kingston General Hospital’s pediatric care unit as what has become an annual tradition between Elite Window Cleaning and Kingston Health Sciences Centre returned on Friday morning. Staff for the company donned a variety of superhero, or Star Wars, costumes on Friday before making their way down from the roof to wash the windows while using the opportunity to try to brighten the day of young patients, their parents, and the staff in the building. Erika Kooi, Program Manager of Pediatrics, NICU, and Child Life at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, experienci ..read more

Community members in Kingston launched an awareness campaign for the Anti-Racism Working Group on Friday. The task force has been meeting every couple of months since April 2023, and on Friday began an awareness campaign aimed to show people that racism is prevalent everywhere including Kingston, and trying to inspire action when it’s witnessed. Bhavana Varma, former United Way KFLA CEO and one of the task force’s co-chairs alongside Aba Mortley and Mayor Bryan Paterson, said in meeting with local leaders and partners over the last few years the task force has determined one of the biggest rea ..read more

Personnel at Kingston’s Corus owned radio stations were told that they no longer had a job with the company as of Friday morning. In a cost cutting measure, Corus removed all on air personalities from their Kingston based stations, 96.3 BIG FM and FRESH 104.3. As of Friday morning, the station websites for BIG FM and FRESH 104.3 listed only shows that are simulcast across multiple stations. In a statement, Corus said the stations will continue as Kingston based after some restructuring, with localized content being recorded in other markets. “On the audio side, BIG 96.3 and Fresh 104.3 will re ..read more

Kingston locals and members of one of Canada’s biggest bands, The Tragically Hip, will be acting as honorary grand marshals this Sunday in Toronto at the Honda Indy. Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto announced on Tuesday that Gord Sinclair, Rob Baker, Paul Langlois and Johnny Fay would all be on hand on Sunday at Exhibition Place as part of pre-race festivities and offering the command for drivers to start their engines. In a statement, the band members expressed their excitement to be a part of the Honda Indy. “It’s such a thrill to be a part of this awesome tradition in Toronto,” said The H ..read more