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June Update 2023



Dear Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour.
First of all, NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY is on June 21.
Celebrations ongoing from 10 am until 6 pm in Confederation Basin.
Second, PLEASE – when you are on Belle Island, keep your dogs on leashes and state your concerns if you see anyone with off-leash dogs.  Off-leash dogs are simply wrong – a real danger to the deer and her fawn as well as other wildlife.
Thanks so much Hilbert Buist for this photo and for your wonderful stewardship of the island.

LOCAL NEWS: AWARDS, EVENTS AND ISSUES
1. Congrats to MetalCraft Marine on their $31 Million Contract
2. Kingston: Important Supply Chain Node for Critical Minerals
3. Give Away Day: Saturday, June 17
4. Richardson Beach, Bathhouse reopen after Revitalization Project
5. Movies in the Square
6. Faded Bike Lines a Hazard for Kingston Cyclists.
7. Kingston Waterfront Users Reminded to Check Sewer Overflows After Heavy Rainfall.
8. Kingston Police Issue Warning about Online Scams
9. Congrats from ON Health Coalition on Referendum Results
10. Museum of Health Care Tours
11. Council Approves Heritage Work Plan
12. Watering Restrictions Begin June 15, 2023
13. Have your Say!  What should City of Kingston do?
14. Limiting Hospital Access: KHSC Addresses Ontario Nurses Association Comments
15. Lyme Disease Guidelines

FROM FARTHER AFIELD
16. Mapping the Great Lakes Freighters
17. Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Shoreline Protection
18. Underground Fungi Absorb up to a Third of our Fossil Fuel Emissions
19. Cross Laminated Timber Construction Update
20. Ancient Indigenous “Clam Gardens” Could be Modern-Day Climate Solution





MetalCraft’s Amazing Boats

LOCAL NEWS: AWARDS, EVENTS AND ISSUES
 1. Congrats to MetalCraft on their recent $31 Million Contract
Received from the Kingston Whig Standard, June 1,2023 
MetalCraft Marine has clinched a second massive contract with the United States Coast Guard, this one worth $31 million. The contract will see the local company produce the 11-metre Long-Range Interceptor III patrol boat. The two entities already have a contract for shipboard seven-metre Interceptors.

Our previous Interceptor for the Coast Guard, the 11M LRI II, proved to be a very successful platform,” Bob Clark, contracts manager for MetalCraft Marine, said in a news release. “The LRI II was the first design to successfully navigate the recovery bay at the transom of the Coast Guard’s flagship 418-foot National Security Cutter at up to 12 knots.
“The LRI can operate over the horizon from the mothership and can travel 236 nautical miles on any given mission on plane, giving it a very wide swath to patrol after the mothership’s electronics have detected something suspicious.”
The boats are built to withstand the extreme environments the Coast Guard operates in and has a closed or open cabin arrangement, said the release. It features twin Cummins 6.7L diesel engines that power two Kongsberg A29 waterjets. Each port and starboard gunner has a 180-degree arc of fire.
The interceptors also have a portable ballistic panel package designed to be mounted to the boat’s forward and side sections in eight minutes. This would be used for specific, high-threat missions. It would protect a five-person crew from a 200-degree field of fire. The open cabin arrangement then allows crews to return fire at an over 180-degree arc of fire on both port and starboard sides while providing protection.
The release said the boats, produced in sizes from seven to 20 metres, have been used by other military and police forces across North America. They are used for several operations, including drug interception, search and rescue, and crew transfer. The LRI III will replace the current fleet of LRI IIs as those boats approach the end of their service life.
EDITOR’S NOTE: What about the Canadian government doing the same thing?

2. Kingston: Important Node in Supply Chain for Critical Minerals 
Received from the Financial Post, May 29, 2023 – Aimee Look
“How this tiny Ontario City became an important node in the global supply chain for critical minerals
Kingston has become an unlikely hub for minerals recycling amid a talented labour pool, shipping access, and close proximity to auto manufacturers. Kingston, along with Ottawa, were the only two stops on a recent visit from Van der Leyden.
“The city isn’t renowned for extracting minerals, but it’s becoming an unlikely hub for recycling them, which became apparent in early May when Swiss commodities giant Glencore PLC teamed with Kington’s Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. to help it build what could become Europe’s biggest battery recycling plant at an old lead refinery in Italy.
Geopolitical cameo
The EU estimated it will require 60 times its current amount of lithium to attain climate neutrality by 2050.
Von der Leyen and Trudeau spent part of March 7 visiting Li-Cycle’s new facilities, giving the upstart a brief cameo on the geopolitical stage.
Western democracies have spent much of the past year organizing to weaken China’s influence over the supply of the minerals and other inputs that go into the technology that will power the green economy.
China has long dominated the export of critical minerals, making up 98 per cent of Europe’s current supply, according to Statista. To curb reliance on Chinese imports, the EU and Canada are co-operating through the Canada-EU Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials, according to a joint press release issued after the visit. Von der Leyen and Trudeau also both committed to the Canada-EU Working Group on Energy Transition in March 2022, and for Canada to supply critical minerals to the EU in the medium-term.
Thirty-one critical minerals serve as “building blocks” for the green energy transition, used in products such as electric vehicle batteries and cellphones.
Li-Cycle handles old lithium-ion batteries and recovers scarce materials at a specialized processing facility, taking a more sustainable approach to sourcing key minerals.
The company said in an emailed statement that Kingston is attractive due to the availability of labour, opportunities for economic development and location. “These factors are crucial for a recycling company such as Li-Cycle, as they ensure efficient logistics and waste handling,” the company said.
Kingston’s proximity to the automobile makers in southern Ontario and other industrial production sites means it can easily tap a supply of lithium-ion batteries and manufacturing scrap for recycling.Li-Cycle’s “spoke” facilities process battery material to produce “black mass,” which contains valuable materials like lithium, cobalt and nickel. Black mass then is processed at Li-Cycle’s “hub” facilities to produce battery-grade products.
“Ontario and nearby regions have a significant concentration of automotive and electronic industries, which generate a substantial amount of lithium-ion batteries,” the company said.
Cleantech pioneers
Li-Cycle isn’t the only critical mineral recycling company in Kingston.
Homegrown Cyclic Materials Inc. is starting to make a name for itself, while Bedford, N.S.-based Ucore Rare Metals Inc. and Brussels-based Umicore SA have set up branch operations in recent years.
“Kingston has a unique ecosystem which can make it a nexus for critical mineral companies to operate,” Natural Resources Canada said in a statement.
The city was already a cleantech “hub,” said Shelley Hirstwood, director of business development at Invest Kingston. For almost 100 years, industry giants such as DuPont de Nemours Inc. and Koch Industries Inc.’s Invista have operated R&D facilities in the city.
“We’re completely unique in Canada,” Hirstwood said, citing that Kingston has the highest percentage of chemical processing experts per capita in Canada. Kingston’s expertise is a product of educational institutions such as Queen’s University, St. Lawrence College and Royal Ontario College.
“Metallurgy skills are sought out from around the world here,” Hirstwood said.
Behind Kingston’s cleantech companies are service providers such as Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. (KPM) and GreenCentre Canada, which have helped companies commercialize their products and processes for the past 20 years.
“Once you have an ecosystem of service providers … companies know they can come and get supported,” said KPM co-owner Boyd Davis.
KPM helps companies through technical planning, testing and commercialization. Most of their work is for multinational companies such as Rio Tinto Ltd. and Livent Corp. Ten to 20 per cent of their business is with startups, such as Cyclic Materials, through the KPM-Accelerate program or a direct contract.
“The city has a lot to offer that’s not readily apparent to people,” said Boyd Davis Co-Owner KPM. “But I think when you have critical mass, it becomes more apparent.”
Bigger than Li-Cycle
Similar to KPM, GreenCentre Canada’s team of chemists provides technical services to cleantech companies at the R&D stage. GreenCentre has a publicly funded arm — including federal support for projects — and a private fee-for-service business.
“The challenge early stage cleantech companies face is gaining access to technical talent, lab infrastructure, and expensive process and analytical capital equipment,” said Tim Clark, business operations manager at GreenCentre. “It’s prohibitively expensive.”
The concentration of talent at recycling companies such as Cyclic Materials is attracting venture capital investors. Earlier this year, Cyclic received $3.6 million in funding from SDTC Canada and raised US$27 million in Series A financing from a group of investors led by Energy Impact Partners (EIP) and BMWi Ventures (BiV).
“Being in Kingston will not limit you on funds,” said Cyclic chief executive Ahmad Ghahreman. “It will probably help you because of the history of chemical companies building success in Kingston.”
Cyclic Materials chief executive Ahmad Ghahreman says being in Kingston is helpful for companies seeking to raise funds. 
Cyclic Materials is the only company in North America recycling rare earth elements — a subset of critical minerals — directly from end-of-life products. The company processes magnets, producing the raw materials required for new magnet production, creating a circular, electric economy and reducing water usage.
Ghahreman said the success of mineral recycling companies encourages more startups to emerge in Kingston. “When you build a company … you want to test your technology, you want to hire people to work on technology, you want to grow your business,” Ghahreman said. “All those are covered in Kingston, and the city supports you.”
‘Centre of the universe’
Kingston is far from the only university town that can boast a dense pool of talented workers. But fewer such towns are located in the middle of a corridor such as the one that exists between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, while also being close to the U.S. border. Ghahreman calls Kingston the “centre of the universe” for critical mineral recycling companies. “Access to the highway, you have water right next door, you have train tracks … if you want low-carbon shipping,” Ghahreman said. “All these really make Kingston an ideal location to start a business and grow.”
Belgium’s Umicore took note. In July, the company announced plans to build a $1.5-billion plant for active battery materials (CAM) and precursor materials (pCAM) in Loyalist Township, a 25-minute drive from Kingston. Construction is anticipated to begin in late 2023, according to Global News, and the plant could eventually employ 600 people.
Umicore declined to comment on the status of its project. At the time of the announcement, Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s economic development minister, said in a statement that Umicore’s investment “will turn Ontario into a North American leader in this high-value segment of the EV supply chain and further connect Northern Ontario’s mineral sector to EV manufacturing in the south.”
Unique in North America
Kingston is unique in North America because it has assembled a collection of companies that focus on process development and R&D support for critical mineral recycling, said Ahmad Hussein, adviser and government liaison at Ucore Rare Metals.
“Without this one key step that Kingston has been focusing on, the electric vehicle revolution wouldn’t really be a full supply chain in the country,” Hussein said. Ucore focuses on the separation of light and heavy rare earth elements, a process that currently is dominated by Chinese companies. The company built a modern commercial demonstration plant in 2022 and aims to help Canada develop a supply chain independent of China.
Canada faces global competition as it embarks on an energy transition over the next 50 years, said Pat Ryan, CEO of Ucore. “China certainly has a clear-cut lead in all sorts of critical mineral processing,” he said.
The U.S. and its allies have made clear they intend to narrow that advantage, meaning Kingston could be on its way to becoming an important player in the economic fights to come. The city’s cleantech leaders say they are ready. When operating in a smaller place like Kingston, the relationships between cleantech companies are collaborative, he said. That could lead to faster innovation and technological breakthroughs. “Everyone kind of knows each other in the critical mineral space,” said Ryan. “It’s such a wide-open industry.” Economic development program Invest Kingston helps local companies make contacts overseas, but Ryan said Kingston’s “mental horsepower” trumps whatever funding opportunities governments offer. “The challenge is just to keep the momentum going with ongoing innovation,” he said.”
For full article including pictures: https://lnkd.in/gYMX8rid
Also of interest: Experienced service providers and manufacturers include Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. (KPM), GreenCentre Canada, DuPont, and Koch Industries.EDITOR’S NOTE: The downside to batteries is noted by Eric Reguly in his piece “Canada’s efforts to rival U.S. economy-transition funding are misdirected” Globe and Mail, Business Section, Sat, June 19, 2023.
Food for thought. Here is an excerpt.
“The massive investments in batteries will do nothing to slow global warming, given their exceedingly dirty supply chains, which include cobalt mines in the Dominican Republic of the Congo, nickel mines in Indonesia, copper mines in Chile, a variety of grubby refineries and smelters around the world and the oceangoing ships that deliver all these commodities.”
Earlier article on the same topic? https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-stellantis-ev-battery-plant-canada/

3. Give Away Day: Saturday, June 17
Received from The Kingstonist, June 12 – Jessica Foley 
“Give previously loved items a second chance on Giveaway Day
The second Giveaway Day of 2023 will take place on Saturday, June 17, in the city of Kingston. Giveaway days provide an opportunity for Kingston residents to place unwanted household items out for others in the community who might be able to give the items a second life and keep them out of a landfill.
“Giveaway Days are an effective and unique way to reduce waste in Kingston. When you pick up free second-hand items, you not only save them from landfill – you also reduce the waste associated with packaging and the greenhouse gas emissions associated with manufacturing new goods. Giving away items also helps community members save money,” said Adam Mueller, Supervisor of Solid Waste. 
As part of the City o nf Kingston’s local waste diversion strategy, participating households are encouraged by the City to post photos of their free items on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #WasteNotYGK.The following guidelines on how to put items out for pick-up, and how to pick items up on Giveaway Day were provided by the City of Kingston:
Only set out appropriate items that you know someone else might want.Appropriate: books, CDs, DVDs, furniture and small appliances, electronics, construction materials (including drywall, lumber, hardware), kitchen gadgets, dishes, cutlery, pots and pans and, yes, unwanted gifts.Inappropriate: the Consumer Product Safety Bureau of Health Canada advises that these items should not be given away (or picked-up): baby walkers, cribs, car seats, strollers, playpens, bath seats, mattresses, blinds and toys.How to put items out:Place items at the curb in front of your home.Place stickers or signs on the items with the word ‘FREE.’Ensure any items that you do not want to be taken are kept away from items placed at the curb.At the end of the day, bring any uncollected items back i to your home. The City will not collect unwanted items left at the curb. Consider donating them to a charity.How to pick items up:Respect other people’s property: don’t walk on people’s lawns or gardens.Take only the items marked ‘FREE’ and placed at the curb.Don’t leave previously picked up items on the curb at other people’s property. More info re the City’s waste diversion?  
https://www.cityofkingston.ca/resident/garbage-recycling/household/other-options

4. Richardson Beach, Bathhouse reopen after Revitalization Project 
Received from the Kingstonist June 12, 2023 – Jessica Foley
On Saturday, Jun. 10, 2023, the City of Kingston celebrated the completion of the highly-anticipated Richardson Beach shoreline and Richardson Bathhouse projects at Macdonald Memorial Park.
The date marks the grand re-opening of one of Kingston’s most well-loved swimming spots, with stories of families swimming at the stretch of Lake Ontario shoreline spanning over 100 years. And while it may have seemed like forever to those water-loving Kingstonians, in reality, the completion of the revitalization of the shoreline, Bathhouse, and surrounding park area, took place in approximately seven years. The waterfront park and beach was marked as a priority in the City of Kingston’s Waterfront Masterplan, which was approved by the then-City Council in 2016.
According to a release from the City, the extensive improvements included shoreline protection, a new lookout, walkways, wood lounger seating, terraced water access and gathering areas. An area of the site also celebrates marathon swimmer Vicki Keith and her notable achievements as a world-record open lake swimmer.
Kingston residents were invited to the grand opening event on Saturday, which included ribbon-cutting, speeches and a mass swim organized by Water Access Group.
“Richardson Beach and the Richardson Bathhouse are key pieces of Kingston’s waterfront history and a beloved community space,” said Neal Unsworth, Manager, Parks and Shoreline, Engineering Services. “We’re pleased to see these projects complete and look forward to residents and visitors enjoying this beautiful site for years to come.”
The project to breathe new life into the area received funding from the federal government, which owns part of the lands on which the beach sits. According to a Government of Canada overview of the project, the beach was meant to re-open in 2022, however, the Bathhouse aspect of the project was not complete at that time. The federal government also funded the project as part of its efforts to combat climate change, explained Mark Gerretsen, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate) and Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands.
“Coastal erosion and flooding around the Great Lakes put properties, public spaces, critical infrastructure and businesses at risk of loss and damage,” said Gerretsen, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. “The Government of Canada is working with its partners at all levels to prepare communities across the country for extreme weather and climate-related events. Enhancements at Richardson Beach are part of improvements to more than two kilometres of shoreline around Kingston that will protect an area of more than 17 square kilometres from flooding.” 
The City stated that the project was funded through multiple federal and provincial programs. The Government of Canada’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund contributed to the shoreline project to increase the resiliency of Richardson Beach in the face of climate change. Additional federal support was provided by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) to increase capacity, accessibility and safety at the Richardson Bathhouse. The Government of Ontario partially funded the Richardson Beach Bathhouse improvements. 
“The Government of Canada is pleased to invest in the important upgrades to the historic Richardson Bathhouse, a popular outdoor hub, to help welcome back more visitors and members from across Kingston and beyond,” said the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. “Investing in the preservation of historic, communal spaces helps us understand and preserve our past while also modernizing for future generations to enjoy.”
The history of the beachfront area stretches back to the settlement of Kingston, with the adjacent Newland’s Pavillion originally built in 1896 by William Newlands, and restored in 1976 with new cedar framing, shingles, a projection for a band, balusters, cresting, and latticework by architect Lily Inglis.
The beach also holds the rock that Vicki Keith, who became the first woman to cross all of the Great Lakes in 1988, touched when she marked the end of her crossing Lake Ontario by butterfly stroke in 2005, which she did to raise funds for the Kingston YMCA. The local YMCA is home to Keith’s Kingston Y Penguins Swim Team. Now, the beachfront and grassy park — which will soon be home to the National Wall of Remembrance — is sure to see the same flurry of activity it did throughout the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, with all of the modern benefits the project brought to reality, such as accessible water entrance areas, a completely updated bathhouse, and a new lookout point.

5. Movies in the Square
https://www.kingstonist.com/news/movies-in-the-square-2023-offering-exceptional-line-up-this-summer/

6. Faded Bike Lines a Hazard for Kingston Cyclists.
Received from the Kingston Whig Standard May 29, 2023 – Elliot Ferguson
“Fed up with faded lines on the bike lanes on Centennial Drive, cyclist Liridon Hyseni is offering to paint them himself rather than wait for the city to get around to it.“Just give me permission. I’ll do it myself,” Hyseni said. “I know people who can. It’s a half-hour job.”
Every school day, Hyseni and his daughter ride their bikes along Centennial Drive to her school bus stop, on the way pedalling through one of the city’s busiest and most dangerous intersections at Princess Street. It’s a ride that has become more hazardous as the paint designating the bike lane has faded away.
In both directions on Centennial Drive, the bike lane is along the right side of the roadway except at the intersection, where it goes between the straight-through lane and the right-turn lane. But with the paint having worn off, there is no longer much indication that a bike lane is there at all.
“You don’t realize how bad the drivers are in this city until you go for a bike ride with your kids,” Hyseni said. “I’m not blaming the drivers because if you don’t see anything, you really don’t know where it’s supposed to be.”
According to the city, the lines on Centennial Drive were repainted on Aug. 18 last year.“The line painting needs to be refreshed each year and we do repainting annually,” city spokesperson Autumn Hulme wrote in an email to the Whig-Standard. “Winter on the roads takes a toll on the paint, so it is a yearly process.” The repainting of lane lines usually begins in early May but can be delayed if overnight temperatures dip too low, as they have this month.
Main arterial roads and active transportation routes are usually the first to be repainted, and the city’s public works department expects the entire road network to be completed by the end of July.”
https://www.thewhig.com/news/faded-bike-lane-lines-a-hazard-for-kingston-cyclists

7. Kingston Waterfront Users Reminded to Check Sewer Overflows After Heavy Rainfall

Thanks so much Charlotte Forsdyke for these upsetting  pictures and video: https://www.facebook.com/791670596/videos/pcb.10168050368425597/631939078854185
And thanks too to the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper: https://twitter.com/LOWaterkeeper/status/1668558464639967232?cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email

Received from The Kingstonist, June 5, 2023 – Jessica Foley 
“While Kingston’s waterfront is a clean, safe place to swim, fish or boat, according to Utilities Kingston, the organization is reminding local water and waterfront users to check the sewer overflow map after heavy rainfalls. https://utilitieskingston.com/Wastewater/SewerOverflow/Map
According to a release from the utility company, bacteria levels in lakes and rivers are higher up to 48 hours after heavy rainfall, and swimming is not recommended during that time.
Sewer overflows can contribute to that problem, and Utilities Kingston provides an online map at www.UtilitiesKingston.com/Overflows, which shows where sewer overflows have occurred in real time.
“We are proud to be transparent in helping residents make more informed decisions on recreational water use, as we continue to both reduce sewer overflows and openly share information,” said Remi Adedapo, Director of Utilities Engineering for Utilities Kingston. “Water users can consider our real-time sewer overflow map before they use certain locations at Lake Ontario within 48 hours of heavy rainfall.”
To reduce overflows, Utilities Kingston and City of Kingston set a 20-year target to separate 100 per cent of the combined sewers in the municipal sewer system by 2043, according to the release. These sewer overflows can affect Lake Ontario, the Great Cataraqui River, the Little Cataraqui Creek, and other surrounding bodies of water.
“KFL&A Public Health supports Utilities Kingston in their initiative to improve public notification of sewer overflows into recreational waters. This information is beneficial to the public’s health and we’re glad that it’s being shared. The sewer overflow map is a resource that should be considered after a heavy rainfall, before deciding to participate in recreational activities on the water,” said Dr. Piotr Oglaza, Medical Officer of Health for KFL&A Public Health.
How Utilities Kingston is reducing sewer overflows
In 2022, Utilities Kingston managed approximately 35.8 million cubic metres of wastewater. Almost all of it (99.9 per cent) was fully treated and returned to Lake Ontario as natural resource quality water, according to the release. Approximately 0.1 per cent of sewage was released from overflows and bypasses, typically when the sewers became too full due to heavy rains and rapid snow melts, or when equipment failed, the utility company stated.
To protect the natural environment—including the flora and fauna that inhabit local waterways—and the health and safety of recreational water users, Utilities Kingston said that it is actively addressing sewer overflows.
Utilities Kingston and the City of Kingston will continue to separate combined sewers to further reduce combined sewer overflows.According to the release, planned near-term work includes Victoria Street, from Johnson to Union; Union Street, from Victoria to Collingwood; Earl Street, from Victoria to Collingwood; Couper Street; Collingwood Street from Couper to Union; Princess Street, from Division to Alfred; and Gore and Bagot Street.
Overflows of sewage are a historical remnant of the evolution of the sanitary sewer system in the City of Kingston, the utility company noted. Overflows are a problem that exists in most major cities around the world. When a sewer overflow reaches the lake or river, it contributes pollutants to the environment.
As per the Utilities Kingston Water and Wastewater Master Plan, the preferred method for reducing sewer overflows is to separate combined sewers — sewers that collect both sewage and stormwater runoff and can get too full during heavy rain events. In 2007, the municipal sewer system still included 275 blocks of these combined sewers, some constructed 100 years ago. Since that time, the City of Kingston and Utilities Kingston have worked together to separate nearly half of these combined sewers and reportedly are well-positioned to separate the remaining 51 per cent by 2043.
More informationfrom Utilities Kingston and the City:An overview of the problem, including an animated video is available at https://UtilitiesKingston.com/Wastewater/SewerOverflow/OverviewLearn about projects to reduce sewer overflows and see an animated map showing where Utilities Kingston has separated sewers since 2001 at https://UtilitiesKingston.com/Wastewater/SewerOverflow/ReductionGet answers to frequently asked health and technical questions at https://UtilitiesKingston.com/Wastewater/SewerOverflow/FAQLearn about projects to reduce sewer overflows, from both Utilities Kingston and the City of Kingston, at https://UtilitiesKingston.com/Projects and https://www.CityofKingston.ca/city-hall/projects-constructionLearn more about Utilities Kingston on their website: 
www.UtilitiesKingston.com.

8. Kingston Police Issue Warning: Obscured & Obfuscated Online Scam Links
Received from Kingston Police June 12, 2023
Recently, researchers have discovered another technique that cybercriminals use to try to steal your information. In this technique, cybercriminals are using obfuscated links to show IP addresses instead of websites. Obfuscated links are URLs that have been modified to hide the real location of a website. 
In this scam, cybercriminals send an urgent email that appears to come from a legitimate source and prompts you to click on a link. The link seems legitimate, but hovering over it shows an IP address instead of a URL. Without a URL, it’s nearly impossible to verify if the link is legitimate. If you open the link in your browser, cybercriminals can download malware onto your device or redirect you to a malicious website. Follow the tips below to stay safe from similar scams: When you receive an email, stop and look for red flags. For example, watch out for emails with different reply-to and sender addresses.Before you click a link, hover your cursor over it. If it shows an IP address, it could be a phishing link.Be cautious of urgent requests. Cyberattacks are designed to catch you off guard and trigger you to click links impulsively.9. Congrats Kingstonians from ON Health Coalition on Referendum Results
Received from Joan Jardin and the Kingston branch May 31, 2023

“Good afternoon everyone,
Congratulations to all of you and thank you for all of your contributions to such an incredibly successful referendum, where we saw over 400 000 votes cast against the privatization of Ontario’s hospital services!
We are excited to announce that 1 in 29 eligible Ontarians have voted in our referendum! This is a massive total, with 99 percent of voters casting a vote against privatization.
As of right now, the running totally for the provincial tally is as follows:386 068 Total votes341 Spoiled ballots7 001 Yes votes378 726 No votesWe are still tallying up exact totals and another update will be sent out to everyone soon. This update will also include a breakdown of the voting results for every region of the province.For those of you who were not able to attend the press conference at Queen’s Park this morning, you can watch a recording of the event here: https://fb.watch/kTcB5i8D1z/?mibextid=qC1gEa
Once again, congratulations on a wonderful campaign everyone, and thank you so much for your continued dedication to the fight against health care privatization!

10. Museum of Health Care Tours
EDITOR’S NOTE: As a new monthly feature we plan to include features on current museum tours.
What: Walk in the footsteps of some of Kingston’s earliest residents and arrivals as they engage in a quest for health care in the Limestone City. The story of the establishment of one of Canada’s oldest public hospitals, Kingston General Hospital, is one full of success and sacrifice, triumph and tragedy. Join us for a fascinating look into the lives of those that lived, arrived and died here, as we unlock the secrets of Kingston’s medical history.
Where: Museum of Health Care, 32 George Street, Kingston
When: Thursday-Saturday at 10:00am and 2:00pm
Booking: Each guest must have a tour ticket (paper or electronic) for their chosen date and time. Please contact the Museum at MUSEUM@kingstonhsc.ca or 613-548-2419 if you have trouble with the booking process, or would like to discuss a larger group booking.
Cost: $10 adult, $5 children (ages 6-12), 5 and under are free.
Cancellation: Tours will only be a cancelled should thunder and lightening occur.
Please let us know as soon as possible should you need to cancel your booking. Call 613-548-2419 or email MUSEUM@kingstonhsc.ca. Payment is refundable for tickets cancelled up to 24 hrs.prior to arrival. Refunds will be issued within 3 business days.
Tour Route: The tour begins and ends at the Museum of Health Care, 32 George Street. Please wait for your guide at the designated area marked by a sign. Please arrive at least 5 minutes prior to your tour departure time.
11. Council Approves Revised Heritage Work Plan
Received from The Kingstonist June 9, 2023 – Dylan Chenier.

During a meeting on Tuesday, Jun. 6, 2023, Kingston City Council approved a recommendation from staff which will effectively place a moratorium on new heritage policy work until the end of 2024, as the City works to review over 312 properties currently listed as sites for potential heritage designation. The move comes after changes made to the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA), through the provincial government’s new Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, place new restrictions on the amount of time a municipality has to review an application for heritage designation. 
Under the current guidelines within the OHA, municipalities must maintain a “register of properties within its jurisdiction that are of cultural value and interest,” noted a staff report distributed in advance of Tuesday’s meeting. The “municipal heritage register” establishes three categories of properties: those of cultural value and or interest, heritage conservation districts, and “any other properties that are considered to have cultural heritage value or interest but are not individually designated.” 
Now, due to changes included within Bill 23, properties currently included in the third category, often referred to as listed properties, can only stay on the register until January 1, 2025. By that deadline, the municipality must officially designate the properties in question, or they will become de-registered; a new provision of the bill stipulates that properties cannot be re-listed for a minimum of five years. Any new properties added to the register after January 1, 2025, can only stay listed for a maximum of two years. 
When a municipality lists a property, the site enjoys certain heritage protections, such as a requirement for property owners to give Council 60 days’ notice prior to any intended demolition. According to the staff report,there are currently 312 listed properties on the City of Kingston municipal register, all of which will need to be thoroughly reviewed over the next 18 months. 
Besides the new timelines, Bill 23 further amends the OHA by establishinga new set of eligibility criteria a property must meet in order to become a designated heritage property. Under Bill 23, properties must meet a minimum of two of the nine criteria included in Ontario Regulation 9/06. These criteria include rare or unique design value, a high degree of craftsmanship, evidence of technical or scientific achievement, and “direct associations” with an event or person. Properties that yield “information that contributes to an understanding of a community or culture” may also be eligible, as may properties deemed to be important to “defining, maintaining, or supporting the character of an area.” Previously, a designated property only needed to meet one of three criteria.
With the new timelines and eligibility criteria in place, councillors were presented with a revised heritage work plan that would allow staff to focus on the 312 listed properties ahead of the January 1, 2025, deadline. As staff work to vet the listed properties, the report recommended a moratorium on “new heritage policy work” until the end of 2024, which included deferring a review of the Procedural Bylaw For Heritage — a process which was supposed to take place in 2023 — until 2025.
“There are not enough Heritage planning staff at the City to support the review process, while continuing to process record-high volumes of permits and advancing the designations required due to the changes in effect under [Bill 23],” the staff report noted. “Given the volume of similar work happening across municipalities in Ontario, there is an added challenge in seeking support from professional consultants and independent heritage researchers who are themselves a scarce resource in increasingly high demand.” Staff instead recommended the review be included as part of the CIty’s 2025 work plan. 
When the report was presented to Council during Tuesday’s meeting, there was no debate from councillors, as the recommendations were passed by unanimous consent.

12. Watering Restrictions Begin June 15, 2023
Received from Utillities Kingston, June 14, 2023Seasonal watering restrictions go into effect annually on June 15. Until Sept. 15, residents and businesses with odd-numbered civic addresses may water on odd-numbered days, while even-numbered addresses may water on even-numbered days.

The City of Kingston’s Water Bylaw allows residents and businesses to:Use a handheld hose, can or bucket any time on their scheduled day.Use a sprinkler between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. on their scheduled day.Use water from their rain barrel anytime!“Abiding by watering restrictions is an important community effort that helps ensure adequate supply for fire protection, and we thank you,” says Kingston Fire & Rescue Fire Chief Monique Belair. 

Water and wastewater treatment infrastructure is built to handle peak demand times. During the summer, we use the most treated water from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Reducing the use of treated water during times when the demand is highest helps ensure reliable supply for adequate water reserves and pressure and fire protection. It also helps manage the need to expand water treatment infrastructure,” says Heather Roberts, Director of Water and Wastewater Services for Utilities Kingston.

Reducing outdoor water use also reduces the pollutants that end up in the lake. This is because much of the water from sprinklers and hoses (such as from washing cars) runs off into the storm sewer, picking up pollutants that end up in Lake Ontario, Kingston’s source of drinking water. 

Residents and businesses are encouraged to practice water-wise gardening to make every raindrop count. Using a rain barrel, following best watering practices, amending soil with organic content and incorporating drought-tolerant plants are just some of the sustainable practices that help reduce treated water use – all with beautiful results.

For inspiration and information, wander through the Utilities Kingston Water Conservation Garden during daylight hours at 1211 John Counter Blvd., or check out the online resourcesat UtilitiesKingston.com/ConservationGarden. Utilities Kingston’s conservation team is here to help, just email Conservation@UtilitiesKingston.com or call 613-546-0000, and ask to speak with ‘conservation’.
Utilities Kingston offers exemption permits, which can be applied for online.13. Have your Say!  What do you want Kingston to do?
https://getinvolved.cityofkingston.ca/?
EDITOR’S NOTE: A number of current issues are waiting here for your input:North King’s Town Secondary PlanCommunity Gardens Policy ReviewOntario Street PedestrianizationGrowth Projections and Employment and Commercial Land Reviews2023 Samsung Solar LP Community Benefit14. Limiting Hospital Access:
KHSC Addresses Ontario Nurses Association Comments
Received from The Kingstonist June 13 – Michelle Dorey Forestell

The health-care system is facing a myriad of nuanced challenges at all levels, and patient capping is just one more symptom of that illness.
In a recently submitted Op/Ed piece, the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) responded to an announcement from Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) that the number of walk-in patients accepted daily at the Children’s Outpatient Clinic (COPC) at Hotel Dieu Hospital would be limited, with the potential for early clinic closure on days when the cap was reached and no further patients could be accommodated.
In that Op/Ed, ONA cited their “extreme concern” with KHSC’s decision, stating that “capping the number of patients the clinic will see daily will… cause emergency department patient volumes to rise and wait times to increase.”
“While the hospital has cited a shortage of physicians as a reason behind the decision, ONA is aware that more specialized pediatric registered nurses (RNs) are desperately needed at this facility, a fact that has gone unacknowledged by this employer,” ONA stated, claiming, “This employer has reduced RN hours and baselines due to what it says are funding issues.”
Further, ONA wrote that “ONA’s Professional Practice specialists are taking action regarding the shortage of RNs at this facility.”
The ONA statement provided no solid figures, nor did it describe the form of “action” being taken by ONA’s Professional Practice specialists.
Asked for clarification, ONA responded with another prepared statement.
“ONA Professional Practice specialists and ONA local leadership are working with front-line RNs through the professional practice process in several nursing units across KHSC. COPC and KGH ED [Kingston General Hospital Emergency Department] are two of those units that will be directly impacted by the capping,” the organization stated.
“The professional practice process allows the front-line staff to document when they feel that their nursing standards and patient safety [are] being compromised. It allows for the nurses to have a voice and participate in bringing forward potential solutions to the concerns. ONA has been working with KHSC on alternative solutions to high nurse-to-patient ratios since August of 2021 and had been advised that closing beds was not an option.”
Reached by phone for comment, Jason Hann, KHSC Executive Vice President of Patient Care and Chief Nursing Executive, explained that nurse “baselines” refers to the number of nurses needed for a day in any given department.
“We haven’t reduced our baselines due to funding at Kingston Health Sciences Centre,” he asserted, explaining that, actually, there is a shortage of nurses to fill that baseline requirement. “We’re directing more dollars to support nursing levels within the organization… [like giving] bonuses in an effort to recruit nurses, and we’re offering additional shifts to our current nursing staff in an effort to fill vacant shifts. While we still see vacant shifts and increased needs like all hospitals, we’re working hard to recruit individuals to the organization… [but] there are only so many out there… So it’s a larger system issue that we need to mitigate.”
Hann also emphasized, “It’s important that our nurses feel that they work in a supportive environment and can care for their patients and family. So those are the strategies that we’re currently and actively doing.”
Asked about the actions being implemented by ONA and the impact they are having on patient care, Hann stated, “We’re not aware of what action ONA says it will be taking, to be honest. However… we continue to work with the local union partners such as ONA to provide the highest quality of care to our patients… and we share with them what we are doing.”
Further, Hann stated that in the last few years, a number of factors have contributed to staff shortages across the health care sector: “There are retirements, there are a lot more jobs in the system, so there’s more opportunities… we are all in a very competitive market to recruit [and retain].”
He pointed out that 20 years ago there were 10 actively practising pediatricians in the KFL&A region, but now there are only two.
“I don’t know all the reasons and where everyone has gone, but people are leaving, and people are making choices about work-life balance, too,” he said.
As for the COPC, Hann stated that in the six full days the capping strategy had been in effect (between Jun. 1 and Jun. 9, 2023), COPC has closed due to capacity only twice. On those two occasions, the clinic closed only 30 to 40 minutes earlier than its posted hours. And, he pointed out, that the patients who were already in the clinic still received the care they needed: “They still had staff to look after them.”
He said as well that “over the last few months, more than 50 per cent of the visits were from patients and families with non-urgent concerns.” Those types of concerns could have been more appropriately addressed using other resources, such as Health Connect Ontario.
The team at COPC, said Hann, takes a very hard look at who is in the waiting room and needs urgently to be seen, “and we’ll keep going until we have seen every child we can accurately and safely care for… It’s not just a number; there are other factors [to capping], as well.”15. Lyme Disease Guidelines
Thanks Jerri Jerreat for this really excellent link received June 9, 2023
https://kihc.ca/lyme-disease-guidelines-for-2020/

FROM FARTHER AFIELD
16. Mapping the Great Lakes Freighters
Mapping the Great Lakes: Freighters!, Great Lakes Now, May 30, 2023.  Great Lakes freighters, called Lakers, are large boats typically carrying bulk cargo of some kind.  It’s estimated that over 200 million tons of cargo move across the Great Lakes each year at the 63 commercial ports in the region.  The fresh water lakes don’t cause the Lakers to deteriorate as quickly as an ocean-going vessel and modern technology has made them highly efficient using just 1 gallon of fuel to move cargo 607 miles.  The Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total area, and they are also some of the busiest inland waterways in the world.

17. Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Shoreline Protection
Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Cities Initiative Praises Canadian, U.S. Governments For Committing Funds For Shoreline Protection, Bayshore Broadcasting, May 29, 2023.  The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative says that their member municipalities are willing to spend the money to protect the shoreline, but they’re hampered by inflation and labour shortages.  In a recent survey, GLSLCI found that most of their member communities will spend anywhere between $1 million and $10 million through 2026 to make shorelines more resilient.

18. Underground Fungi Absorb up to a Third of our Fossil Fuel Emissions
Received from The New Scientist, June 5, 2023 – Brian Owen
Researchers estimate that plants transfer more than 13 gigatonnes of carbon 
The relationships between plants and the fungi that colonise their roots are responsible for locking away a huge amount of carbon underground – maybe equivalent to more than one-third of global emissions from fossil fuels.
Almost all land plants on Earth have a symbiotic relationship with fungi that live in the soil around their roots, trading the carbon they draw from the air for nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus.
These mycorrhizal fungi store the carbon they get from their plant partners in their tissues and the surrounding soil, thus keeping it out of the atmosphere. But despite the interest in nature-based solutions to climate change, mycorrhizal fungi have been largely overlooked,says Heidi-Jayne Hawkins at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. So, she and her colleagues set out to calculate just how much carbon plants might be transferring to these fungi.

By scouring data from dozens of scientific studies on the relationships between plants and fungi, the researchers estimated that between 3 and 13 per cent of the carbon dioxide that plants pull out of the atmosphere ends up in the fungal tissue.
The team then used global data on which plants live where, how productive they are and which fungi they are associated with to estimate that about 13.1 gigatonnes of CO2 is transferred to fungi each year – equivalent to around 36 per cent of annual emissions from fossil fuels around the world.

What isn’t clear is how long that carbon stays locked up underground, says Hawkins. While some will remain there even after the fungi die, bound to soil particles or reused by other plants, some will be released back into the atmosphere. And since most of the data was based on snapshots of fungal activity at a certain place and time – there was almost no data from Africa, for example – there are big gaps that add a great deal of uncertainty to the estimates.
 
Melanie Jones at the University of British Columbia in Canada says the work highlights fungi’s important role in the carbon cycle. “This is the first time someone has come up with numbers for how much carbon we’re talking about globally,” she says.
But Elly Morriën at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands points out that by focusing only on mycorrhizal fungi, the research is missing part of the picture. Saprotrophic fungi – the kind that feast upon dead organic material – make up a much larger portion of the fungal population and play a huge role in the carbon cycle by releasing CO2 through decomposition. “They really determine how much carbon is returned to the atmosphere,” she says.
Hawkins hopes that an improved understanding of the relationship between plants and fungi will help us to better plan nature-based climate solutions like forest restoration. “There are a lot of failed projects, where trees were planted at vast expense but then died,” she says. “Knowing more about which trees grow best with which fungal partners can help these projects succeed.”

19. Cross Laminated Timber Construction Update
https://www.archdaily.com/996319/the-meteoric-rise-of-cross-laminated-timber-construction-50-projects-that-use-engineered-wood-architecture?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ArchDaily%20List&kth=1,232,598

20. Ancient Indigenous “Clam Gardens” Could be Modern-Day Climate Solution
Received from What on Earth, cbcnews, June 8, 2023
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/what-on-earth-clam-gardens-indigenous-climate-1.6869870?cmp=newsletter_What%20on%20Earth%3F_9198_1115998
“Thanks for reading. If you have questions, criticisms or story tips, please email us at whatonearth@cbc.ca. What on Earth? can come straight to your inbox every Thursday.”

So that’s it for June.
Happy holidays!
Mary Farrar, President
Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour
www.friendsofinnerharbour.com