Roads and Buses

Streets in Kingston have remained snow packed and slippery.

The same goes for roads outside of Kingston.

The 401 was mainly bare and dry this morning…but there were snow packed and slippery sections.  Highways north of Kingston were snow packed and slippery.

In case you missed it – there was no school transportation operating again today.

Both Tri-Board Student Transportation and Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario announced yesterday buses have been cancelled due to the extreme cold.

 

Idling Vehicles

Police are reminding people about leaving their vehicles idling in this cold weather.

They say leaving the keys in an unattended vehicle presents an easy target for thieves.

And here’s a perfect example…a man in Athens Township near Brockville started his truck around 5:45 yesterday morning and went inside to stay warm.  Shortly afterwards he heard his truck being driven away and then heard a collision in his own front yard.  The OPP arrested a 20 year old man from Athens Township.

 

Juniper Cafe

The controversy created by the owners of the Juniper Cafe over its lease at the city owned Tett Centre will wind up at city council tonight.

The Cafe owners complained they were being unfairly treated and got support from the public including over 5,000 signatures on an online petition.

It turns out the owners had decided they didn’t want to operate the cafe anymore but couldn’t find a new owner.

City staff is recommending council approve a three month lease extension for the current owners to allow them to find a new owner.  If they can’t find one – the Tett Centre will search for a new operator for the cafe space.

 

Pita Pit – Pot Shops

A Kingston company is working with a marijuana grower to help it franchise cannabis stores across Canada.

Pita Pit says it has set up a separate company to help WeedMD set up franchises under a new brand called Pioneer Cannabis.  The Kingston company says it was approached by WeedMD because of its success in setting up franchises over the past 25 years.  Pita Pit has 600 outlets operating in 12 countries – 230 of those are in Canada.

 

Inner Spirit – Kingston Pot Shop

A company from Alberta says it is going to be opening a cannabis dispensary in Kingston on April 1st.  Inner Spirit Holdings says it has a plan to open a store in Kingston under its Spiritleaf brand.

The company has close ties to the company being backed by The Tragically Hip…Up Cannabis and says Kingston is a high priority location.

It did not win in Ontario’s Cannabis lottery but says it is working through a process to make sure it can welcome Kingston customers to a store location it has already leased on Princess Street.

 

Name for Hwy 15

The City is looking for your help to rename the section of Highway 15 running from Highway 2 to the 401.

Suggestions can be found on the city’s website.

The three proposed names are Furnace Falls Road, Emerson Road and Kingston Road 15.

You can make suggestions on the city’s website or during an open house at 6 p.m. on Monday, February 4th at the Gore Road Fire Hall.

 

https://getinvolved.cityofkingston.ca/highway-15-renaming

 

Snowmobile Safety

The OPP says officers are riding snowmobile trails checking riders during Snowmobile Safety Week.

They’re reminding riders many of the same rules governing motor vehicles also apply to snowmobile operators…things like impaired driving, speeding on marked trails and failing to stop at road crossings.  There is also a list of things you need before heading out on trails.  The list includes a valid driver’s license or operator’s license…registration and validation sticker, proof of insurance, an approved helmet and valid snowmobile trail permit properly displayed on the sled.