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| Dear Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour, So much really important stuff! Thanks to Nico Koenig and all of those involved in the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation for this newsletter’s picture. See item 11. LOCAL ISSUES AND EVENTS 1. Jane’s Walks this Weekend. 2. Friends of Queen Street Dismayed by latest on the 275 Queen Settlement. Council votes this evening, Tues, May 2. Action requested now. 3. Memorial Centre’s Farmers’ Market Returns Outside 4. Project Drawdown and Other Great Upcoming Events from 350Kingston.org 5. Rock Climber Falls at Kingston Mills: Advice for Climbers 6. Sod Turning for a Kingston Veterans’ Village 7. City Addresses Notices Posted at Rideau Heights Community Centre 8. Secure Bike Parking Added to Kingston’s Downtown 9, Doornekamps complete Masonry Work at City Hall and Bearth Ships at the old Coal Dock 10. Latest on Housing from Sayyida Jaffer 11. School Streets: Join our Team of Street Chaperones – Central Public School 12. Friends of Lemoine Point Tree Sale FROM FARTHER AFIELD 13. Turtles in Algonquin Park 14. Ontario Health Coalition’s Community Referendum 15. 10 Deep Facts about the Great Lakes 16. Scam Manipulates Social Media Users LOCAL ISSUES AND EVENTS 1. Jane’s Walks this weekend. An exciting series of walks introducing you to many different aspects of Kingston’s history, heritage and current political concerns. Of special interest to Inner Harbour people are: Friday, May 5 at 5:30 pm “Another perspective: The Cataraqui River” from the east side. Sat, May 6 at 10:00 am: “Kingston’s Inner Harbour: Heritage and Current Political Issues” Sat, May 6 at noon. “Biking the K&P Trail,” Sat, May 6 at 2 pm “The former Davis Tannery Site”. and Sun, May 7 at 1 pm “Feet, forts and the fur trade: A glimpse into French Cataraqui” But there are so many other wonderful walks as well. I just received a request to mention the Save Lemoine Point Farm Jane’s Walk on Sunday, May 7 at 3:30 Check out the website for all the possibilities. https://janeswalkkingston.wordpress.com/ 2. Friends of Queen Street’s latest on the 275 Queen settlement. Received from the Friends of Queen Street, Mon, May 1 Action requested before Council meeting, Tues, May 2.Bad Faith Process We heard back from Podium at 2pm today. They have refused to make any changes. As a reminder, Council will be voting tomorrow night on the settlement at 7pm. We need you there. The Settlement Proposal is NOT ACCEPTABLE to FQSK – We question whether there was any intent to change the settlement given that the Mayor and CAO Hurdle told Council that nothing would change at the last Council Meeting. We are angry that the time invested in two meetings last week led to nothing. FQSK is resolute in its belief that the height and density are excessive for this site and do not reflect the views of the community or reflect the city’s current Official Plan and zoning by-lawsThe Settlement Proposal between the City and the Developerkeeps the height at 15 storeys and 53 metresprovides a jarring height transition from 2 to 15 storeys explodes density from the allowed 123 to 1023 units per net hectareincreases the bedroom count to 319 from 291provides no sustainable affordable housing options, only a one-time donation to Lionheartsinstalls a private student residence outside the campus expansion zone Council rules bar us from making a delegation at Council. The actions below are the only way to get your voices heard. FQSK has worked tirelessly on behalf of the neighbourhood and needs you now. Please: 1. Come to Council Meeting tomorrow night at 7pm at City Hall. Vote is likely before 8pm. 2. Email the list below with your concerns. Use this subject line: Vote NO to 275 Queen Settlement goosterhof@cityofkingston.ca; pchaves@cityofkingston.ca; losanic@cityofkingston.ca; wstephen@cityofkingston.ca; damos@cityofkingston.ca; jhassan@cityofkingston.ca; btozzo@cityofkingston.ca; vcinanni@cityofkingston.ca; cglenn@cityofkingston.ca; RNBoehme@cityofkingston.ca; jmclaren@cityofkingston.ca; 3. Call these 9 councillors who voted to defer so that parties could talk. The negotiations proved to be a sham. They should be as angry as we are. Ask them to support Councillor Ridge who is voting NO. Paul Chaves 613 – 331-6995Lisa Osanic – 613-389-7336 Wendy Stephen – 613-217-2250 Don Amos – 613-217-2153 Brandon Tozzo – 613-217-2529 Vincent Cinanni – 613-217-3593 Conny Glenn – 613-217- 3731 Jeff McLaren – 613-888-4327Already did not vote in favour of discussions with FQSK Jimmy Hassan – 613-217-2324Ryan Boehme – 613-888-3924 Mayor Paterson (Gary Oosterhof – 613-453-3235 was absent.) 4. Forward this e-mail to friends and neighbours 3. Memorial Centre’s Farmers’ Market Returns Outside Received Mon, May 1 The Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market is thrilled to announce the opening of its Spring season. After operating online for the winter season, the market is once again ready to welcome the community and provide them with the freshest produce, artisanal goods, and locally sourced products. The Memorial Centre Famers’ Market is located at 303 York Street and can be found outside in front of the Memorial Centre. The market will run every Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm. “We are so excited to be returning outside as of May 7th and we cannot wait to get back outside on the lawn outside of the Memorial Centre and connect face-to-face with you, our wonderful market customers,” said Emma Barken. “Our vendors are eager to share their products with the community and we look forward to bringing together farmers, artisans, and customers in a vibrant and welcoming environment.” The market is committed to supporting local farmers and artisans while providing the highest quality products all grown or created within 100 km of the Memorial Centre. The market features a variety of vendors selling everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to handmade crafts and baked goods. The Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market is a beloved community gathering place that has been serving the Kingston area for 11 years. With its wide variety of vendors and products, it has become a must-visit destination for locals and visitors alike. More information about the Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market? https://www.memorialcentrefarmersmarket.ca/ 4. Project Drawdown and other Important Climate-Related Events from 350Kingston.org Received from Gavin Hutchison of 350, Mon, May 1 Hello 350 Kingstoners, I have listed several actions happening this week below that I hope you will participate in. We need all hands on deck from this point forward. Tuesday, May 2nd at 7 PM Rivka Goetz of LeadNow is leading a campaign to pressure the Federal Government to ensure they introduce a strong Emissions Cap. A strong cap will force Canada’s Oil and Gas industries to significantly reduce their huge (over 25% of Canada’s total) emissions. LeadNow is planning a massive Day of Action for the end of May. To kick it off they are inviting you all to an Organizing Call for “All In for a Bold Emissions Cap” on Tuesday, May 2nd, at 7 PM. You must Register to receive the link for Tuesday’s call at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkcO-grz4uGdCUCr2XwkWfqILD84pH_qaO#/registration. Wednesday May 3rd at 6 pm PROJECT DRAWDOWN: MOBILIZING KINGSTON TO CREATE THE CLIMATE FUTURE WE ALL WANT – ZOOM 6 PM. Sponsored by Sustainable Kingston, KFL&A Public Library, and Project Drawdown itself. Project Drawdown has developed a list of 93 technologies and practices that can reduce greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere and are currently available, growing in scale, financially viable, able to have a net positive impact, and quantifiable under different scenarios. Every decision we currently make is a climate decision, the library stated. “What we choose to eat, how we transport ourselves, how we manage our homes, what we buy, how we work, and what work we choose — we don’t need perfect decisions; we do need better decisions. It’s our time for action.” The library noted that this is a unique opportunity for anyone looking to develop a strategy against climate change. “Attending this event will teach practical solutions and empower you to make a tangible difference in your community,” KFPL said. “Kingston declared a climate emergency, and it’s going to take contributions from everyone to ensure our future,” said Jake Miller, Librarian, Adult Programming. “Dr. Foley can help us chart what we can do as individuals and communities to make a tangible difference.” According to the release, this event is the result of a collective effort among community organizations to showcase routes to environmental sustainability, without whose energy this would not be possible. The event is free and open to the public. Register at https://bit.ly/projectdrawdown-kingston to secure your spot. NOTE: Register even if you can’t make it then to receive a post event YouTube Video. Wednesday, May 3, 7 pm The Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign (OCEC) is holding its second advocacy training session also on Wednesday, May 3rd, at 7 pm. This campaign is targeted at getting people like 350 Kingstoners to hold meetings with our MP’s and MPP’s to convey our very serious concern opposing Ontario’s Gas Plant Expansion plans. This workshop will include breaking into small groups and role playing for our meetings. If you want to attend this session you must pre-register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/beyond-gas-advocacy-training-part-2-tickets-621705366487 to receive the link. Thursday, May 4th at 6 PM The Time4Action series continues on Thursday, May 4th at 6:30 pm with a webinar titled ‘The Climate Emergency Unit: Strategies for Effective Climate Action’ with special guest Seth Klein. Seth Klein is the author of ‘A Good War’ which 350 Kingston member Mary Jane Philp bought for each member of the Parliament of Canada, and member Mark Sibley bought for each councillor of our previous City of Kingston Council. You must register in advance for this webinar https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAldOyhrDMvGtdmg59jf6hqFXn3DrXS8qAh#/registration. You will also receive a link to the recording if you register. NOTE: For even more events, including “Beyond Gas”, “New Gas Plants are coming to Ontario, or to get involved visit the 350 Kingston webpage at http://350kingston.org 5. Rock Climber Falls at Kingston Mills: Important Advice for Climbers Received from the Kingstonist, April 18 – Tori Stafford The Kingston Fire and Rescue Technical Rescue Team was deployed near Kingston Mills Locks on Saturday, Apr. 15, 2023, after a rock climber taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather fell while rock climbing with friends. One man is lucky to have lived to tell the tale – and only with minor injuries – after a fall while rock climbing near Kingston Mills Locks. On Saturday, Apr. 15, 2023, at approximately 2:15 p.m., Frontenac Paramedics and Kingston Fire and Rescue received a call reporting that a male rock climbing in the area just off Kingston Mills Road at the Rideau Canal had fallen while rock climbing. Emergency responders were informed that the man was immobile as a result of the accident, and treated the situation as a technical rescue. Arriving at the parking lot at the Kingston Mills Locks National Historic Site, the local fire department’s technical rescue team was deployed to assist paramedics in locating and retrieving the man, as well as loading him into an ambulance, Kingston Fire and Rescue explained in an email to Kingstonist. For their part, Frontenac Paramedics confirmed their attendance, noting that the man was treated on scene and then transported to a Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) site with “minor injuries.” After the rock climber was located and retrieved by firefighters, he was treated by Frontenac Paramedics, who then transported him to hospital. The man was also lucky to have engaged in a practice Kingston Fire and Rescue highly recommends: he was with a group of friends while rock climbing. Those friends were able to contact emergency services. “We do not know who owns the property,” Kingston Fire and Rescue (KFR) said of where the man was rock climbing, noting that people often rock climb on Crown lands. “KFR reminds persons enjoying the outdoors to do so in pairs or groups, and to have the what3words app installed on their phone so we know exactly where to find you during an emergency.” The what3words app has been highly recommended by local emergency responders, who say installing the app could be a life-saving decision. The app, designed in the UK, has assigned a unique three-word combination to every 3m x 3m square on the planet, which allows emergency responders to narrow in on a person’s location if they have the app installed. The app has been used locally by emergency responders on several occasions, including during the rescue of three hikers in Frontenac Provincial Park in February of this year. 6. Sod Turning for a Kingston Veterans’ Village Received from the Kingstonist, April 14, 2023– Michelle Dorey Forestell The sod has been turned, marking the beginning of the construction phase of the Kingston Veterans’ Village. It is estimated that there are more than 150 Veterans in Kingston and the surrounding area who could use the services offered by the Homes For Heroes Kingston Veterans’ Village which will open to clients on Nov.1, 2023. Homes for Heroes Foundation, whose mission is to integrate all of Canada’s homeless military veterans into the community through the provision of housing and support services across Canada, began the project some 18 months ago raising interest and funds. Mark Hutchings, the Chairman of the Kingston Veterans’ Village Project Team, served as the Master of Ceremonies at the official sod-turning ceremony which took place Friday, Apr. 14, 2023, at the eastern corner of King Street West and Estates Lane. Hutchings welcomed attendees to the sod-turning event. “I have the honour of being the chairman of the committee [that is] making this happen in Kingston… [and] today, we’re on this site [ready for construction], which is just terrific.” “There are already two of these [Veterans’ Villages] in Canada. One’s in Calgary, one’s in Edmonton. They’re proven to be effective,” he stated. “24 of the people who have been brought in as customers are now back in society, as useful citizens, earning their own way. And, that proven methodology is going to be followed here.” “And I just have to say that, because we’ve used the architecture from Sydenham Ward in the development of this, it is going to be the most beautiful one in the country. With bay windows and the full copper roofs and limestone, it’s going to look terrific. I think all the neighbours are going to be happy that it’s here,” Hutchings remarked before calling on the Mayor of Kingston to say a few words. NOTE: For the complete article? https://www.kingstonist.com/news/sod-turning-marks-the-beginning-of-construction-on-kingston-veterans-village/ 7. City Addresses Notices Posted at Rideau Heights Community Centre Received from the Kingstonist, April 14, 2023 – Tori Stafford NOTE: In this newsletter only a few of the articles posted in the Kingstonist are included. You are encouraged to sign up for their timely news features. https://www.kingstonist.com/news/city-addresses-notices-posted-at-rideau-heights-community-centre/ 8. Secure Bike Parking Added to Kingston’s Downtown Received from the Kingston Whig Standard, April 13, 2023 – Elliot Ferguson KINGSTON — Eighteen new, secure bicycle locking stations are being added to the city’s downtown core. The locking stations are being installed across three parking spaces on Princess Street between Ontario and King streets. The pilot project, funded by the city and Tourism Kingston, is meant to encourage people to ride their bikes downtown by providing a safe place to lock up their bikes. “Kingston is the first municipality to invest in this type of bike locking system in Ontario,” Marijo Cuerrier, executive director of Downtown Kingston Business Improvement Area, said. “It is very popular in Europe, and Vancouver already has proved that it’s a viable investment for deterring theft.” Cuerrier said the Downtown Kingston BIA met with members of several cycling groups last year and heard that the biggest barrier to active transportation was the lack of secure bike parking downtown. The bike racks are free to use and can be accessed using an app on the user’s cellphone. Complete article? https://www.thewhig.com/news/secure-bike-parking-added-to-kingstons-downtown 9, Doornekamps Complete Masonry Work at City Hall and Welcome Ships Bearthing at Coal Dock The Doornekamp Team completed winter masonry work at historic Kingston City Hall including: finishing concrete rehabilitation, new bollards, new grates, new doors and transforming the temporary walkway into a permanent walkway. At the old Coal Dock they are welcoming the Wolfe Islander for scheduled maintenance and the Capt Matthew Flinders cruise ship as she is prepped for a long voyage through the Great Lakes. 10. The Latest on Housing from Sayyida Jaffer at YGK Housing News. Received April 20. 2023Renewing Canada’s National Housing Strategy: A comprehensive report on improving Canada’s affordable housing challenge National Housing Council “The National Housing Council has submitted a report to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion with recommendations on improving the National Housing Strategy (NHS). The report entitled “Renewing Canada’s National Housing Strategy” is a comprehensive review of the federal government’s national housing strategy, and Canada’s progress toward achieving its goals. The report was developed following series of research activities, analysis, and stakeholder engagements. It recommends changes to the strategy to address the growing housing challenges faced by low income households and Canadians facing deepest housing need.” More info? https://cms.nhc-cnl.ca/media/PDFs/NHS_Report-FINAL.pdf 11. School Streets: Join our Team of Street Chaperones – Central Public School Want to join the fun? With the help of neighbours and parents, we’ve pedestrianized Sydenham Street 200 times since September! We’re looking to up our roaster of volunteer ‘School Street’ chaperones to close the street every morning and afternoon for 30 minutes. You can pick a weekly 30-minute time slot or be an on-call backup. This is part of a city-wide movement led by the Kingston Coalition for Active Transporation to make Kingston’s streets safe and vibrant for people of all ages. Anyone can volunteer, with locations in front of Central Public School and Winston Churchhill Public School. If you would like to help out in other ways, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Join our team by sending a message to schoolstreetygk@gmail.com 12. Friends of Lemoine Point Tree Sale – May 13 https://cataraquiconservation.ca/blogs/friends-of-lemoine-point-1/friends-of-lemoine-point-tree-shrub-sale-returns-may-13?utm_campaign=emailmarketing_153311641757&utm_medium=email&utm_source=shopify_email FROM FARTHER AFIELD 13. Turtles in Algonquin Park Thanks Dan Webster for this. Interesting ifeature + links on where to send info. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnGGVLHpwsw 14. Ontario Health Coalition’s Community Referendum The Coalition is mounting a community-run referendum. Health Coalitions are organizing voting stations outside grocery stores, local corner stores, coffee shops, at Legions and community centres and in every busy part of our communities that we can. On Friday May 26 and Saturday May 27 we will hold the referendum. More than a thousand voting stations will be open across Ontario. Leading in, throughout the month of May, online voting will be available on the main website PublicHospitalVote.ca and workplace votes will take place. The Ford government has now announced it is moving forward with plans to “significantly” [their words] expand privatization of surgeries and diagnostics and private hospitals and clinics to for-profit clinics and hospitals. They have brought in new legislation to facilitate this plan. They have used their majority to vote down all recommended amendments to the legislation, and Bill 60, which is in Third Reading debate in the Legislature, is expected to pass this week. They will use their majority to pass the bill, even though Ontarians have never had any say over this plan to privatize our hospitals. In fact, the Ford government said that they would NOT do this in the lead into the election, then two months after the election, they announced they were moving forward with the privatization of our core public hospitals’ services. – The government has already called for bids for three new private day hospitals to do 14,000 cataract surgeries initially as well as diagnostics. – They have given repeated boosts of tens of millions in new to expand existing private clinics to cover care for “thousands of patients”. – They are expanding the number of private clinics and intend to further expand the volumes as well as to expand the types of surgeries they privatize. They plan to have private hip and knee surgeries up and running by 2024. – At the same time the government has underspent the health care budget and the COVID budget every year by billions of dollars. The most recent figures show that while we are underspent on health care by $1.25 billion, the Ontario government has increased funding massively for the private for-profit clinics and hospitals. It is a big transfer of money from our public health care services to for-profits. Practically every public hospital in Ontario has operating rooms that shut down at 4 p.m. and on weekends, or are closed for weeks or even permanently, due to lack of funding and staffing. We do not need new operating rooms — only now they would be owned by for-profit companies. We need our government to support our local public hospitals which have the lowest funding in Canada. Our assessment is that this is very serious and extremely urgent. The premier told media that 50% of the surgeries currently done in hospitals are “easy” [and thus could be transferred out of public hospitals]. Surgeries, MRIs and CTs are core public hospital services. This is not an add on, it is the privatization of our core public hospital services. The loss of these surgeries – and the staff and funding that go with them — would be devastating to all local public hospitals and would gut the services that remain in many of the medium and small hospitals. While paying lip service to the idea that Ontarians will” pay with their OHIP card not their credit card”, in Bill 60, the Ford government expressly allows the for-profit clinics to sell an increasing array of medically unnecessary add-ons to needed surgeries and diagnostics. The Canada Health Act, which bans user fees and extra charges for patients for access to physicians, surgeries and diagnostic tests, is being ignored by the government. Patients are increasingly reporting exorbitant charges for their needed health care including access to doctors, tests and surgeries — things for which no patient in Canada should ever be charged. There is little question that the Premier is playing both sides, claiming you will always “pay with your OHIP card” and expanding two-tier charges for patients as it privatizes a whole array of services. If this government succeeds in privatizing our public hospitals, we will lose our public hospital system and with it, single-tier public medicare. The Fightback: A Community-Run Referendum across Ontario On Tuesday, April 18, Health Coalitions across Ontario launched a major fightback to stop the privatization of our public hospitals. The Coalition is mounting a community-run referendum. Health Coalitions are organizing voting stations outside grocery stores, local corner stores, coffee shops, at Legions and community centres and in every busy part of our communities that we can. On Friday May 26 and Saturday May 27 we will hold the referendum. More than a thousand voting stations will be open across Ontario. Leading in, throughout the month of May online voting will be available on the main website PublicHospitalVote.ca and workplace votes will take place. Ballot question Do you want our public hospital services to be privatized to for-profit hospitals and clinics? People can vote “Yes” or “No”. (Please do not use this email to vote! We are not accepting email votes. You will be able to vote online after May 2 at PublicHospitalVote.ca or in your community during the month of May as per the details here.) Who can vote? All Ontario residents who are aged 16 or older. You must take a pledge to only vote once and on that pledge form, which is separate from your vote, give your address to help ensure the integrity of the vote. Referendum Campaign Timeline o April 18, 10 a.m. Press conferences across Ontario to launch the referendum In these press conferences we will announce the dates of the referendum, the referendum question, and the date that results will be announced. o May 2, 10 a.m. Press conferences across Ontario to release list of voting stations In these press conferences we will reiterate the dates of the referendum, the referendum question, advance polls (online voting), and the list of voting stations in each community. Online voting will commence. o May 8 – 19 – Workplace votes During this period workplace votes should take place. There is some flexibility for those who need to do it earlier (not before May 2 if possible) or end later (not after May 23 if possible so that the local coalitions have time before the street voting to chase down workplace votes that are not dropped off). o Friday May 26 – Saturday May 27 – Referendum Street Votes across Ontario o May 28 – Hard deadline to get voting totals reported to Ontario Health Coalition o May 30 – 10 a.m. Press Conferences across Ontario to announce results o May 31 – 12 – 1 p.m. Delivery of ballots to Queen’s Park Everyone who is able, bring ballots in to Queen’s Park for media event in front of the Legislature. How You Can Help · Help find voting stations in your town/region The focus this month is to get all the voting stations arranged. We are asking local stores — wherever it is busy — a corner store where there is a gas station, convenience stores, retail outlets, grocery stores, coffee shops. We are also asking community centres, neighbourhood centres, non-profit agencies, seniors’ centres, Legions, and other busy places. It is a community opinion vote and it is about democracy. These are decisions regarding the future of our local public hospitals and the services we need. We will find volunteers to staff the voting stations on Friday May 26 and Saturday May 27. If you will help find voting stations, or if you own a local business and can help, please let your local health coalition know. The list of local coalitions is here and has contact info. If your community is not on the list, please contact us at the Ontario Health Coalition at 416-441-2502 ontariohealthcoalition@gmail.com. · Organize workplace votes in every workplace possible during the month of May. If you own a business, are in a union, work in a business, a public service or a non-profit and you can help hold a vote in the lunchroom or at shift change, or however it works in your workplace, please do help. The list of local contacts across Ontario where you can get ballots, ballot boxes/envelopes and the materials you need to hold a vote – and where you can return them when you are done — is attached. (See pdf attachment to this email.) If your community is not on the list, please contact us at the Ontario Health Coalition at 416-441-2502 ontariohealthcoalition@gmail.com. · Donate (click to go to the link) to help build the scale of the referendum. We have thousands of volunteers working across the province now. We have to pay for leaflets, ballots, fact sheets, lawn signs, window signs, car decals, organizers to support the local volunteers and more. We can build the referendum as big as we have the funding and resources to do, · Help find volunteers for the votes outside businesses and community hubs at the end of May. We will need tens of thousands of volunteers to staff a thousand or more voting stations outside local coffee shops, grocery stores, at Legions and community centres and more. Volunteers can get in touch with their local coalitions to help here. · Volunteer with your local health coalition or with the Ontario Health Coalition. Volunteers can get in touch with their local coalitions to help here. Please note: We are urgently looking for volunteers in the Sudbury Area, Muskoka, Kenora-Rainy River to help set up the referendum in those communities.– We are proud of the difference we make and we hope you are too. This work is only made possible by people who care like you. Please do become a member or donate. It matters! If you can, please CLICK HERE to donate or become a member. Ontario Health Coalition 15 Gervais Drive, Suite 201 Toronto, ON M3C 1Y8 www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca 416-441-2502 Click here to UNSUBSCRIBE from this email list: https://list.web.net/lists/options/ontariohealthcoalition/inverarymary%40yahoo.com 15. 10 Deep Facts About the Great Lakes, MSN, April 24, 2023. The Great Lakes of North America span 750 miles from east to west and form the largest freshwater system on Earth. Here are 10 facts about the fab five. 16. Scam Manipulates Social Media Users Received from the Kingstonist, April 25, 2023 – Michelle Dorey Forestellhttps://www.kingstonist.com/news/not-so-cute-scam-manipulates-social-media-users-sense-of-compassion/ 17. Restoring Nature Can Lead to Fewer Road Repairs, Alberta Study Shows Received from CBC What on Earth April 13, 2023‘Tis the season for flooding and road washouts. Not only can they create inconvenient, time-consuming detours and safety risks, but they’re also expensive to repair. And as climate change brings more extreme weather, including heavier rains, the cost of adapting infrastructure is expected to go up, along with the cost of repairing damage. But a study in Parkland County, Alta., west of Edmonton, shows one way to cut the costs of those upgrades and repairs — by spending strategically on “green infrastructure,” such as building or restoring wetlands, which can work to protect “grey infrastructure,” such as roads. Krista Quesnel, manager of community sustainability for Parkland County, said the municipality and its partners noticed that past wetland restoration projects had reduced the impact of floods and droughts and improved water quality downstream by storing surface runoff during heavy rains and releasing it slowly. But they wanted to be able to back those observations up with some actual numbers, using modelling and science. “We also wanted to show that the cost of doing that [wetland restoration] is usually less than the cost of having to re-engineer or reconstruct the road or the drainage area,” she said. She noted that road construction and maintenance represent a significant portion — about a quarter — of the municipality’s annual costs. The county partnered with local watershed conservation groups and Wanhong Yang, a professor in the department of geography, environment and geomatics at the University of Guelph in Ontario, who helped them do the geographic mapping and modelling for the project. They started by locating previous complaints about road washouts and talking to the municipal employees who deal with drainage problems. They mapped and modelled those areas. For three of the sites, they were able to find suitable places upstream where wetlands could be built through excavation and contouring or restored by doing things like removing drainage tiles and ditches. They estimated that adding wetlands would reduce water flow to the road by 13 to 55 per cent, depending on the site. It is “definitely significant,” Quesnel said. The cost was estimated at $150,000 to $260,000 per site. That was in the same range as a single road reconstruction and culvert upgrade following a washout. But Quesnel said wetland restoration would also save money, by addressing the root problem and preventing the impacts of a washout in the first place, as well as the need to repair the road multiple times in the future because of repeated floods. The potential restoration sites are on private, agricultural land, which does pose a challenge. But Quesnel thinks having maps and data — along with some compensation — will help. “Now we have the impetus to go speak to those landowners and say, ‘You drive over this road. It washes out. If we could restore these areas on your property, we could probably alleviate some of those issues.’” She added that restoration would also improve water quality, boost biodiversity, improve the scenery and provide nice areas for activities such as hiking. “There’s just so many other added benefits when you’re using natural infrastructure.” In January, the project won an award from the Canadian Federation of Municipalities for natural asset management. Yang said he is now working with other governments and watershed and conservation groups in Alberta and Ontario to do similar modelling to figure out what kinds of natural infrastructure projects would be most effective in conserving water or improving water quality. The aim, he said, is “to target investment in the landscape to maximize the benefits.” — Emily Chung 18. The Laundry List of Concerns with Dryer Sheets. https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/04/26/news/laundry-list-concerns-dryer-sheets?nih=f03c011dbcfc842f49e035316a45c6fc&utm_source=National+Observer&utm_campaign=74fae87836-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_04_26_01_49&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cacd0f141f-74fae87836-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D So there we have it. Wishing you all a wonderful May, Cheers, Mary Farrar, President, Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour |