Kingston News, March 8, 2018

Penitentiary Farms – No Cows

Prison farm supporters rescued the cows from Collins Bay Institution when it was closed – but the cows won’t be coming home when prison farms re-open at Collins Bay and Joyceville Institutions.

Correctional officials met with prison farm supporters in Kingston yesterday and confirmed there will be no dairy or beef cattle involved when the prison farms re-open.   Instead…the farms will focus on crops and goats.

The federal budget contained $4.3 million in funding to re-open the two farms in Kingston that had been closed by the Harper government.

Emergency Wait Times

The Kingston Health Sciences Centre says it has managed to cut emergency room wait times almost in half.

It says work will continue to improve wait times for emergency patients waiting for a hospital bed or to see a physician.  The overall wait time went from 53rd to 28th in Ontario…the biggest improvement in the province.  A team has been working on increasing patient flow at KGH and the Southeast Local Health Integration Network has provided funding for the creation of a new position to oversee patient flow.

Health Survey

The South East Local Health Integration Network has launched an online survey to get feedback on what people think is important for health care in the region.

Input from the survey will be used to develop its Integrated Health Services Plan.

The Local Health Integration Network is in charge of health service delivery and funding in Southeastern Ontario.

The survey is available until the end of April through its website and paper copies are available through its communications department.

www.southeastlhin.on.ca

Hotel – Napanee

A new hotel is coming to Napanee.

Choice Hotels Canada has announced the new Comfort Inn & Suites will officially open in mid to late summer.  A ceremonial ground breaking ceremony took place yesterday at the location on Community Road just north of the 401.  The hotel will include 66 guest rooms and amenities including both an indoor swimming pool and fitness centre.

Rez Girls Hockey – Koopman Fund Raising

A GoFundMe campaign launched by a Kingston Police officer and his wife has raised over $3,000 in pledges for a First Nations Girls Hockey team from Northern Ontario.

Steve and Katie Koopman were moved to do something after seeing a documentary about the hardships the team faces and set up the GoFundMe page to raise $3,000 for the Rez Girls Peewee Hockey team.

It’s traveling to Ottawa to compete in a tournament and the money will be used for the girls to attend an Ottawa Senators Hockey game the night before the tournament opens.

For those wishing to donate the link to the GoFundMe page can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/rezgirls64sensgame

International Women’s Day

It’s International Women’s Day and there are a variety of activities taking place in Kingston…including a luncheon hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, Kingston Economic Development Corporation and Women Mean Business Professional Network of Eastern Ontario.

The sold out event at the Ambassador Hotel features exhibitors and the guest speaker Peng Sang Cau…President and CEO of the highly successful Transformix Engineering in Kingston.

She posted this on her Twitter Account this morning…I am Feminist. Say it with pride. Happy #IWD2018

The theme of International Women’s Day in Canada this year is #MyFeminism…equality for women, men and people of all gender identities.

Poet Laureate – Downie

Ontario could soon have a poet laureate in a position named after Gord Downie…the lead singer of The Tragically Hip who died last October.  A private member’s bill has been introduced in the Ontario legislature by an NDP MPP Percy Hatfield of Windsor.  Bill 186 is called the Poet Laureate of Ontario Act in Memory of Gord Downie.  It calls for a poet laureate who would promote art and literacy in Ontario.

Fraud – Charges

A 27 year old woman from Toronto has been charged with defrauding a woman in Kingston of more than $150,000.  Kingston Police say the woman from Toronto contacted the Kingston woman’s financial adviser and pretended to be the woman.  The advisor transferred over $150,000 to a bank account in 2016.  The fraud was discovered with the woman tried to have more money transferred to her account.

The Kingston Police Fraud Unit began an investigation that eventually led to them identifying the Toronto woman.

The Kingston woman was reimbursed through insurance.