Protests at CFB Kingston

The Union of National Defence Employees organized information pickets outside CFB Kingston this morning.

The union is upset over plans from National Defence to contract out cleaning jobs at the base. It says 100 public sector cleaners will lose their jobs. The union says contracting out the work won’t save money and will lead to a reduction in the quality of cleaning at CFB Kingston.

The information pickets were held outside entrances to the base on Highway 15 and Highway 2 this morning.

 

Fatal Crash

The driver of a motorcycle involved in a collision with a car last Wednesday night on Bath Road was killed in the crash.  60 year old Richard Hunt was killed when his motorcycle collided with a car around 8:45 last Wednesday night at Bath Road and Centennial Drive.  Kingston Police say their investigation is continuing and no charges have been laid at this time.

 

Municipal Election – Candidates Meetings

The Municipal election is coming up in just over a month and the Coalition of Kingston Communities announced it is hosting all-candidates meetings throughout Kingston.  There will be 12 meetings for every district race starting with Kings Town district on September 24th at Central School.

There is no election for councillor in Pittsburgh district because Councillor Ryan Boehme was the only candidate when nominations closed.

All four candidates running for mayor have confirmed they’ll be in attendance for their session on October 11th in Memorial Hall at Kingston city Hall.

 

Referendum Question

Voters in Kingston will also have a referendum question on Ranked Ballot Voting to consider.  The current system, known as first past the post, gives the person with the most votes the win.  The Ranked Ballot system allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference.

You can find out more about how ranked ballots work at open houses starting today.

There is one this from 2 to 4 this afternoon at the Calvin Park Library and a session from 6 to 8 tonight at Sir John A. Macdonald Public School.

Two other sessions are scheduled for tomorrow.

 

https://www.cityofkingston.ca/city-hall/elections/ranked-ballots

 

CFB Kingston – UW Kickoff

CFB Kingston is holding its United Way kickoff Breakfast today.

The workplace campaign kicked off in the Junior Ranks Mess with the breakfast from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

The goal of the United Way campaign in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington this year is $3,456,000.  The campaign wraps up November 29th.

 

Postal Disruption

The city is warning you that there could be a postal disruption starting September 26th.

It recommends not sending payments or time-sensitive items in the mail because you are still responsible for the on-time paying of bills and fines even if there is a strike. Utilities Kingston is also urging customers to sign up for an online account.

If you get Ontario works, and there is a postal strike, cheques can be picked up at 362 Montreal Street.

 

Hub Project

The city is looking for feedback on how to liven up the intersection of Princess and Division, now that construction is starting to wrap up on “Big Dig 4.”  Cultural Director Colin Wiginton says, “The Hub Project is an exciting opportunity to make this iconic gateway to downtown Kingston look and feel as vibrant as the neighborhoods it connects.”

A pop-up event at the intersection of Princess and Barrie Streets will be held on Saturday, September 29th to get ideas from the public.