Utility Wires – Safety Message

The President and CEO of Utilities Kingston says the outcome could have been much different for the young people swinging from utility lines during the big Homecoming party on Aberdeen Street.
They also pulled the electrical service stack off the side of a home.
Nobody was seriously injured
Utilities Kingston issued a safety message yesterday…reminding people about the dangers of utility lines saying people should stay at least 10 metres away from lines.
President and CEO Jim Keech says playing with utility lines creates a serious safety risk.

 

Electricity Rates

Be prepared for an increase in your bill for electricity.
The Ontario Energy Board says rates for households and small businesses will be going up by 1.8% starting next week. That translates into about a two dollar a month increase on the average bill.
The Ontario government said in March it would continue to subsidize hydro rates and hold any increases to the rate of inflation.

 

Flu Season – Vaccinations

Flu season is coming up and KFL&A Public Health is recommending everyone over six months of age get a flu shot.
It says its most important for people at a high risk of complications or hospitalization due to influenza. That includes adults 65 or o0lder…children from six months to four years old…and people with chronic health conditions.
The flu shot is available through your family doctor…local pharmacies and at the health unit for children 5 years of age or younger with no family doctor and individuals 65 years of age and older with no family doctor.

 

United Way Update

The United Way KFLA is inching closer to its goal of raising 3.55 million dollars.
Yesterday…about 25 people took part in a fundraiser at Kingston Fire and Rescue’s training facility. They had a chance to put out fires and wear firefighting gear.
They raised just over 200 dollars.
The Boys and Girls Club is holding its annual Halloween Fright Night at its Frontenac Mall location this Friday night from 6:30 to 8:30.
The campaign hit the 61% mark yesterday. It has now raised close to 2.2 million dollars.

 

IBEW Donation

The Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s Board and the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation is thanking the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 115.
The union has donated $25,000 to the Foundation. Business Manager Bill Pearse says community support is very important to its members.
The IBEW represent over 600 members in the Quinte – St. Lawrence Region and has donated more than 51 thousand dollars to support health care over the past 20 years.

 

Vicki Keith – Sports Hall of Fame

Kingston’s Lady of the Lakes will be officially inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame today.
Vicki Keith is being recognized for her dedication to helping young athletes with physical disabilities develop new skills and build confidence in a positive sport environment.
She founded The YMCA Penguins, in Kingston, which has become the largest Para-swim team in Canada. Through various community efforts, she raised over one million dollars supporting athletic opportunities for children with physical disabilities.
Keith also holds 16 world records for her marathon swims.

 

Trudeau to Speak

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will hold a news conference in Ottawa today to discuss his minority-government victory in Monday’s election. The Liberals won 157 seats but not a single Liberal was elected in Saskatchewan or Alberta. The premiers see it as a sign voters are feeling alienated, isolated and left out at chances for economic prosperity.

 

Students Vote
More than a million elementary and high-school students across Canada cast ballots in a mock federal election before Monday’s vote. The mock election was held as part of a program Student Vote.
It ended with a Liberal minority government…but…it also resulted in an N-D-P Opposition with 99 seats — five more than the Conservatives — and the Green Party ended up with 28 seats.