Kingston News, October 26, 2017

Suspicious Fire – Napanee

Police and fire officials in Greater Napanee are investigating another suspicious fire.

This one destroyed an abandoned barn on Monday night on County Road 11.

It is one of several suspicious fires being investigated by police…the fire department and Office of the Fire Marshall.

On October 5th…Napanee OPP issued a news release saying there was a joint investigation taking place into suspicious fires that started in June of this year.

Many of the fires have been at abandoned structures.

Census – Immigrants – Kingston

Kingston continues to trail the rest of Canada when it comes to immigration.

The 2016 census says immigrants made up about 22 per cent of the population in Canada.

The latest data shows the percentage of immigrants living in Kingston has increased from 13% in 2011 to 13.2% in 2016.

NDP – Hospital Unions – Kingston General

Hospital Unions and the Ontario NDP say overcrowding at Kingston General Hospital is the result of years of cuts in funding and hospital beds.

NDP Health critic France Gelinas says…adding to the problem has been funding freezes.  Gelinas says…in Kingston, a trip to the hospital means waiting hours in the emergency room only to get a bed in the hallway.

The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions says the province has cut about 18,000 hospital beds over the past 20 years and the announcement of 1,200 new beds made this week won’t help.

A protest rally is being held by hospital workers in Ottawa tomorrow and hospital staff from Kingston will be attending.

Queen’s – Energy Cheque

Queen’s University will be getting a cheque from Utilities Kingston today for creating a smaller carbon footprint.

The university will get almost $718,000 for launching a program called CAPit.

Queen’s has a $10.7 million contract with Honeywell to implement more than 170 individual energy conservation measures in 66 campus buildings.

This year the program is credited with saving enough water for 3,700 homes for one year and enough electricity to power 295 homes for one year.

Teen Actor

A 15 year old La Salle Secondary School student is starring in a new show on Nickelodeon.

Alex Hook was chosen for the role in a show called, I Am Frankie about a teenage robot trying to act human and fit in at high school.

She spent the winter in Miami, Florida where the show was filmed from January to April.

Downie – Cure Cancer Classic

Students in the Queen’s Smith School of Business have decided to honour Gord Downie with the Cure Cancer Classic hockey game next month.

The game between the Commerce and Engineering faculties will take place November 9th at the Rogers K-Rock Centre.

Funds raised during the game and a tournament the next day will go to the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research.

A similar fund-raising hockey game in January raised $11,000 for the fund.

Stop Texting – History File

Stop Texting while you’re driving!

That sound like a broken record, doesn’t it?

From Tony’s Today in History file…

It was on this day…October 26th…2009…the Ontario law came into effect making it illegal for drivers to use hand-held cellphones and other electronic devices while driving.

Eight years later and it is still a problem.