Fire – Genge Road

Creekford Road was closed for an extended period of time while Kingston Fire and Rescue tackled a fire in a rural area of the city’s west end.

Firefighters responded to the fire on Genge Road around 11:30 yesterday morning.  The top floor of the home was engulfed in flames when they arrived.

There are no fire hydrants in that area and pumper trucks had to be used to shuttle water to the scene.  That’s why Creekford Road was closed.  The fire flared up again last night and crews had to return to the scene.

There’s no word on what caused the fire.

Nobody was in the home.  Two dogs escaped without being injured.

 

Tree Cutting Stopped

The City of Kingston says it has delayed plans to cut down trees on the east side of the Cataraqui River.

The city was scheduled to start clearing the area for the third crossing bridge on Monday…but concerns have been raised about whether the city is jumping the gun when it comes to cutting down the trees.

Engineering supervisor Dan Franco says the city wants to consult with the public and Indigenous communities before any trees are cut down.  He says the city will replace every tree that is cut down by planting a new one.

Laurel Claus-Johnson is a member of Kingston’s Indigenous Community.  Claus-Johnson says the City still needs Parks Canada’s permission to build the bridge and can’t get that until after public comments on the detailed impact assessment, which is not yet ready.

 

BC Man Charged

A 40-year-old man from Vernon, British Columbia is facing charges after a vehicle went into a ditch on Caton Road in Loyalist Township and drove on an ATV Trail.

Lennox and Addington County OPP found the vehicle parked on the ATV trail around 9:30 on Monday night.

Jason Brockman has been charged with impaired driving and refusing to provide a breath sample.

 

Queen’s – Female Entrepreneurs

Queen’s University is getting $3.2 million in funding from the federal government to support female entrepreneurs.

Kingston and the Islands MP Mark Gerretsen made the announcement yesterday.

The funding comes from the government’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy.

It will be used to design and deliver programs and services to accelerate, train, mentor and provide resources to companies led by women in the Kingston area.

 

Pot Lottery

A Kingston company is hoping to get selected to apply for its license to sell cannabis today.

Calyx and Trichomes…formerly known as 420 Kingston…has applied for a license.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is selecting 42 companies today that can apply for cannabis store licenses.

 

Ontario – Sex Education Curriculum

The Ontario government has released the new sexual-education curriculum, replacing a much-criticized teaching plan brought in after the Progressive Conservatives took power last year.

The province says the curriculum for Grades 1 to 8 has been updated following feedback from the public and consultation with experts.

The new curriculum will tackle topics including consent, online bullying, sexting, same-sex relationships and gender identity…but will do so when students are older than under the former curriculum introduced by the Kathleen Wynne government.

 

Hydro – Cottages

If you own a cottage you could get hit with a jump of nearly a thousand dollars a year in electricity rates.

Hydro One says the Ontario Energy Board has asked it to cut a seasonal customer category that applies specifically to cottagers.  Hydro One says it opposes the change that would see rates jump for 84,000 cottagers.  The Energy Board says the seasonal class isn’t working because all users in it aren’t paying their fair share.