Kingston City Council - 24 Jan

The city council meeting on 23 Jan discussed the following points. Meeting details can be found here.

Members that spoke: Councillor Gary Oosterhof, Councillor Paul Chaves, Councillor Wendy Stephen, Councillor Lisa Osanic, Councillor Jimmy Hassan, Councillor Brandon Tozzo, Councillor Don Amos, Councillor Ryan Boehme, Councillor Gregory Ridge, Councillor Cony Glenn, Councillor Jeff McLaren, Councillor Vincent Cinanni, Mayor Bryan Paterson

1. Kingston Sports Hall of Fame 2024 Inductees:

   • Roland Billings introduced the inductees for 2024, highlighting their achievements in sports like sailing, volleyball, and fastball.

   • The inductees included Jeff Boyd for sailing, Edward Kent Caroline for volleyball, Frank Halligan for his role as a builder, Steve Price for fastball, and an unnamed female athlete for volleyball.

2. Climate Justice Discussion:

   • Eric McBay, the climate justice lead at the Providence Centre, spoke on climate justice, thanking the council for past decisions and urging further action for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

   • He emphasized the need for science-based reduction targets and the role of the City in advocating for climate action.

   • See report

3. Heritage Permit for Agnes Etherington Arts Centre:

   • A presentation was given on the redevelopment of the Agnes Etherington Arts Centre. The vision for the project was discussed, focusing on the combination of Indigenous and Western worldviews and the importance of heritage conservation.

   • The council approved this heritage permit

4. St. Lawrence Business Park Expansion:

   • The expansion lands of the St. Lawrence Business Park, a 90-acre parcel purchased in 2012, were discussed. 60 acres of this parcel is proposed for development, while 30 acres will be preserved due to its proximity to a creek

   • The council approved the expansion project

   • See report

5. Housing Initiatives:

   • Regional Housing Plan Goals: The goal is to build 7,002 affordable community units over seven years and incentivize an additional 21,000 attainable units from private and non-profit sectors, for a total of 28,000 house and units. The province of Ontario has established a goal of building 1.5 million homes across the province by 2031 and set housing units for municipalities.

   • Funding and Implementation: The construction of 7,000 affordable housing units will require funding beyond municipal funding. The Council supports the goals of the regional housing plan and urges all levels of government and partners to innovate and invest in filling the rural housing gap.

   • Municipal Services Corporation: There's a possibility of forming a municipal services corporation to manage the housing units, allowing the taking on of debt, which is important for funding. The corporation could manage the units for a fee and potentially take ownership in the future

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