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September Update 2023

Dear Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour,
First of all, thanks so much to Debbie O’Grady for her amazing pictures. 
Check her out on Facebook.

LOCAL STUFF
1. K&P Trail Bridge for Dog’s Breakfast at Division & John Counter
2. Have your say on Safe Streets – KCAT Community Discussion Sept 21
3. Brief Notes on Five Proposed Inner Harbour Developments
4. Marine Museum’s Inner Harbour Pilot Project
5. Friends of Queen Street’s Mediated Compromise
6. True North Aid’s Reconciliation Walk
 
FROM FARTHER AFIELD
7. Climate Close to Home: How Municipalities Can Lead the Way
8. Important News from Canadian Environmental Law Association
9. Finding Awe Through our Senses
10. Capturing Moisture Inspired by Spiderwebs and Namid Desert Beetles
11. National Housing Accord: Ten Recommendations
 
LOCAL FUN
12. Art After Dark Sept 29 1900 – 2200 h

LOCAL STUFF
1. K&P Trail Bridge for Dog’s Breakfast at Division & John Counter
On Tuesday, Sept 12 a public meeting was held where eight possible options were presented for a bridge going over both John Counter and the railway to better connect the two sections of K&P Trail on the east and west sides of Division St.
It will be uploaded to the city’s Get Involved page shortly.
Do check it out and share your own views.
John Counter Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge | Get Involved Kingston by Communications & Public Engagement (cityofkingston.ca)
City Contact: Danny Potts.  dpotts@cityofkingston.ca

My firm preference is Option Six. Here are the reasons I have submitted:

a. AESTHETICS The forested stretch of old rail line is beautiful. Aesthetics matter.

b. HEIGHT AND ACCESSIBILITY The height of Option Six is best. Options 7 and 8 are problematic for wheelchair access. Please include more specific descriptions of heights for various options in future.  That would really be helpful.

c. SAFETY Cycling on Elliot is pretty safe.  John Counter does not feel safe – esp for inexperienced cyclists. 

d. COMMUNITY ACCESS At the meeting a lot of people were concerned about pedestrian access between Rideau Heights and Kingscourt. These are legitimate concerns even though that is not part of the bridge project per se. Option 6 could possibly allow most community access a) to the park and elementary schools through the treed area nearby (Please consider examining ownership there.), and b) to local roads through that odd squarish space near Worthington Park. Even though community access is not technically part of the project it really should be considered seriously. 

e. BEST ACCESS FOR RIDEAU HEIGHTS STUDENTS TO HIGH SCHOOL IN KINGSCOURT The route to and along Elliot would facilitate students walking or cycling to Elliot, then along Elliot to lights at Division and then sidewalks and bike lanes to the high school.  Could this be included in the project – even as an extra?

FURTHER COMMENTS on COORDINATION ISSUES. 

a. FUTURE WORK ON DIVISION ST. BRIDGE It is really important that the improvements on the Division St. bridge that are scheduled to occur in a couple of years also accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.  Local people really want this. Some commentary about this should be included in the report even though it is technically ancillary.  

b. CONNECTIVITY WITH WAABAN CROSSING Similarly, connectivity with the Waaban Crossing should be addressed – even minimally.

c. CONNECTIVITY WITH FUTURE TRAILS IN NORTH KING’S TOWN Please consider talking with the North King’s Town Working Group to see what trails are potentially being considered in the area as a whole. It would be wonderful if some commentary about this could also be included in the final report.”

2. Have your Say on Safe Streets. KCAT Community Discussion, Sept 21.
Received from KCAT Sept 18
What: Community Discussion on Street Safety + Bill 40, the Moving Ontarians Safely Act
Who: MPP Joel Harden, Official Opposition Critic and Active Transportation, with the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation (KCAT)
This is the first time an Ontario MPP is biking to Toronto from a significant distance, with the explicit objective of wanting to listen to those with serious concerns about road safety, active transportation, and environmental change.
Where: Memorial Hall, City Hall, 216 Ontario St., Kingston
When: Thurs, Sept 21, 5-7 pm
NOTES ON BILL 40: Supported by members of ALL political parties, Bill 40, the Moving Ontarians Safely Act, is a piece of legislation that seeks to introduce new road safety measures to protect our most vulnerable road users.  Currently drivers who kill or seriously injure pedestrians due to careless driving are charged under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act and typically walk away with small fines. If the Moving Ontarians Safely Act is passed, penalties will apply to all driving offences under the Highway Traffic Act that result in the death or serious injury of a vulnerable road user.
The penalties introduced by the will include:

  • Community service,
  • License suspension
  • Driver education
  • Requirements for culpable drivers to attend court for sentencing and to hear victim impact statements.

Vulnerable road users like cyclists, pedestrians, road workers and people who use mobility devices like walkers or wheelchairs, would all be protected by this bill. You can show your support for Bill 40 by signing this petition https://www.joelhardenmpp.ca/protect_vulnerable_road_users

3. Brief Notes on Five Proposed Inner Harbour Developments

a) 279 Wellington Street and 49 Place d’Armes.  A Zoning By-Law Amendment is being proposed to construct a 14 storey apartment building north of the existing building.  Access off Wellington Street is to remain. The proposed building displays a tall midrise form with the podium/tower composition. Included are three live-work townhouses at grade along the Wellington Street frontage and 155 dwelling units within the tower.
Community Meeting: Sept 28, 6 pm at Council Chambers, City Hall, 216 Ontario Street, or virtually.
Details around how to view and participate in the meeting are available on the City’s website at https://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/city-calendar-events/-/calendar/QUmzuR567ExT/event/39786877

b) Proposed building at the current Goodlife Fitness and LCBO sites.
No new information on this proposal.

c) City Flats Development on Green Space just South of Woolen Mill.
Fifty Residential Units Planned.
Contact: Pete Sauerbrai – pete@cityflats.ca

d) 5-7 Cataraqui Street
https://www.cityofkingston.ca/documents/10180/39989399/Planning-Committee_Meeting-15-2023_Report-PC_23-033_5-7-Cataraqui-Street.pdf/e9b87e99-3478-791a-bd5b-01498eabbe24?t=1693590183827
Seventy-six residential lots proposed. By Rose Kove Development Inc
Contacts: Adam Koven & Fotenn Planning Consultants
Passed Planning Committee unanimously Sept 7, 2023

e) Old Davis Tannery Site
Received from No Clearcuts in KIngston
The 2nd meeting to arrange the Ontario Land Tribunal hearing on Jay Patry’s proposal to cut down 1800 Tannery trees was held Wednesday, April 5.
It was decided that the hearing will start Tuesday, January 30, 2024, and last five weeks.
No Clearcuts is happy because this will give us lots of time to hire Expert Witnesses in areas relating to our opposition to the clearcut!
These Witnesses will cost us about $50,000, in part to bring them to Kingston so they can examine the Tannery site. And, of course, pay them!
The 2024 date will also give us more time to do some desperately needed fundraising!
We have partnered with the wonderful, non-profit Small Change Fund, who will send you a charitable receipt for your financial contribution.
Here is the link:
https://smallchangefund.ca/…/stop-the-chop-save-our…/
Or, visit the Small Change Fund website and look under Conservation – “Stop the Chop: Save our Urban Forests and Wetlands.”
Please help us! Every donation counts! Patry has lots of money. We don’t.
If you have any trouble donating, please contact:
kathleenohara@yahoo.com.

MY PERSONAL OPINION: Given the huge population increase happening with the combined 5-7 Cataraqui St. development, the City Flats development, the OHIP parking lot development, and the Goodlife site development, not to mention the two Homestead downtown high rises, more downtown park space would be a good idea.  It is my humble opinion that the Tannery site should not go ahead (esp with its pollution problems, the difficulties digging into bedrock, underground water flow issues, and the incredible shoreline turtle population) but instead become an extension of Belle Park with usable green space for all.  What do you think?

4. Marine Museum Inner Harbour Pilot Project 
It is with great excitement that the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes announces the launch of a new on-the-water experience in Kingston’s Inner Harbour. 
Launching this autumn, Unmarked Waters: navigating the Inner Harbour’s story celebrates the history and culture of Kingston’s Inner Harbour and the Cataraqui River.The Inner Harbour has a rich history of communities coming together and offers a unique ecosystem for cross-cultural environmental discussions on the impact of human activity and our shared connection to the water. It also offers a consistently safe space for an on-the-water program. This is a pilot project.https://marmuseum.ca/InnerHarbour?bbeml=tp-WX7c-dH0jkKWp2puLQNArw.jrVz5oMzFtU2gKBX4JI6pgQ.rQJ0iezsC60WQWzRb8_Sw7A.lfuTA7PffGUaqtWPrhD-62w

5. Friends of Queen Street’s Mediated Compromise
– to Council Sept 19, 2023
Received from the Friends of Queen Street Kingston, Sept 14, 2023

“The Board of Friends of Queen Street Kingston will sign a three-way settlement with Podium Development and the City. The Minutes of Settlement will be presented to Council on Tuesday, September 19th. FQSK will not proceed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Thank you to everyone who pushed for a better development in our neighbourhood.
Your efforts lead to the following improvements:a reduction in building height to 14 storeysan additional $75,000 to the Lionhearts affordable housing projectthe developers will apply to the Canada Green Building Council for zero carbon design certificationbest efforts will be made to plant large street trees and gardensthe developers will consult with Prof. Joyce Hostyn (an urban rewilding designer from Queen’s) before the greenscape design is finalizedthe City will initiate a Queen Street Public Realm Improvement Plan within the next 3 yearsthere will be no public access to the 4th floor green roof on Colborne Streetthe buliding will not be used for advertising or cell phone tower leasesthe developer will cover FQSK’s legal fees Donations to FQSK Legal Fees to be Returned
There is still outstanding legal work to be paid for. This includes a settlement conference at the OLT that our lawyer David Donnelly will have to attend. Once that is done, we will submit receipts to the developers for reimbursement and return all donations. More details will come as we figure out the process.
Thank you once again to all those who supported us financially. From the small to the large donations it makes a difference. 
 Rose DeShaw and Grant Bourdon
A number of people have been concerned about Rose DeShaw as it was reported on social media that she had died. She has not. I visited Rose this summer. She is very much alive and living at Revera St. Lawrence Place on Ontario Street. She still cares about the neighbourhood and considers herself “a casualty” of the development at 275 Queen. Her husband Grant died in December in the vine-covered house on Barrie and Colborne. RIP Grant. Two Queen’s business prof bought Rose’s house and it is now being rented to students. Rose welcomes visitors to her apartment at Revera. 

 6. True North Aid’s Reconciliation Walk
Received from True North Aid Sept 14 on FB
What: Kingston’s 4th Annual Reconciliation Walk in partnership with Cataraqui Conservation. This is a free, self-guided walk following the chronological history of residential schools in Canada.
Who: Organized by True North Aid in partnership with Cataraqui Conservation, this event is open to anyone looking to educate themselves further.
Where: Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area, 1641 Perth Road, Glenburnie, ON, K0H 1S0.
When: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Fri, September 29 and Sat, September 30.
Why: Education is an important step in reconciliation.

FROM FARTHER AFIELD

7.  Climate Close to Home: How Municipalities Can Lead the Way
What: Join Climate Legacy and the Group of 78 for a new webinar covering the pivotal role municipalities must play in the climate conversation.
Municipalities are linked to roughly half of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions – they’re also the last stop for decisions around climate adaptation, which may decide the very survival of hundreds of communities in the coming years. While most climate activism tends to focus on federal or provincial governments, municipalities must play a role if we’re to reach our net-zero targets and withstand the impacts of a changing climate.
When: Sept 22 at 1:30 – 2:30
Who: Climate Legacy is excited to welcome three municipal leaders and expert consultants to discuss the key steps cities must take to adapt to climate change, as well as how municipalities can fund this work, and what the role of citizens will be in making this happen.
Panelists and Moderator: 
 
Catherine McKenney (who uses the pronouns they/them) is the Executive Director of CitySHAPES. Catherine has spent the majority of their career working at the municipal level of government, as a political assistant, the chief advisor to the Deputy City Manager, and as a two-term Councillor at the City of Ottawa. During Catherine’s time on Council, they were responsible for holding the city to account on budgets involving housing and homelessness, climate action, transit and active transportation. Catherine’s successful motion to declare a homeless emergency in the City of Ottawa was the first of its kind in Canada.
 
Donna Chiarelli is a core team member of the Natural Assets Initiative, working on multiple projects to support communities across Canada to integrate natural asset management and nature-based solutions into their infrastructure management and service delivery. As the owner and principal of Planet A Consulting, Donna brings 25 years experience helping to build healthy, prosperous and resilient communities. Her primary focus is on strengthening decision making of local governments and the people they work with, related to asset management, environmental sustainability and climate action.  She is also an associate of the Climate Risk Institute, where she co-delivers a course on asset management and climate resiliency.
 
Dustin Carey is the Lead, Climate Adaptation with FCM’s Green Municipal Fund and an Expert Consultant with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. After receiving his Master of Climate Change degree from the University of Waterloo, he applied his understanding of climate science to practical municipal climate solutions. Specializing in climate adaptation, municipal asset management, capacity development and sustainable land use practices, Dustin works to enable local governments to create low-carbon, resilient communities. He wrote the Climate-Resilient Asset Management chapter of the United Nations’ Managing Infrastructure Assets for Sustainable Development Handbook.
 
Register here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/82dcfa7a-ee85-4cdd-ae85-5466f2827545?mc_cid=f1251037c1
 
8. Important News from Canadian Environmental Law Association
Received Sept 15 from April Wepplar (april@cela.ca)

The government of Ontario has recently posted four notices on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO), which propose to: (i) expand and change the permit-by-rule framework (to enable more proponents to self-register, rather than seeking an environmental authorization, before commencing certain activities), and (ii) expand and bring more activities (such as construction site dewatering activities, residential foundation drains, stormwater management works, and waste management) into the existing permit-by-rule framework. The deadline for all of these proposals is October 30, 2023.
 
CELA is very concerned about the potential impacts of these proposals. We have begun our analysis of the notices. We will soon launch an Action Alert page on our website. We will host an informational webinar on October 17th. More details are coming soon.

In the meantime, we encourage you to attend one of the webinars being presented by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). It’s important that the province knows people are paying attention and are concerned about the proposed changes.

All of the ERO notice links, as well as links to the various webinar registration pages, are below.
ERO Notices

Webinars hosted by MECP:

Contact: April Weppler (april@cela.ca)
Engagement Coordinator, Healthy Great Lakes
Canadian Environmental Law Association
55 University Avenue, Suite 1500
Toronto, ON M5J 2H7

9. Finding Awe Through Our Senses
Received from I can’t remember – lol.
Students practice using one or more of their five senses to experience awe and reflect on the experience.
Level: Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School
Duration: ≤ 30 minutes

How To Do It
Reflection Before the Practice

  • Take a moment to relax by taking a few deep breaths.
  • Now, consider the space you are in and choose one of your senses to engage with, whether sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell.
  • Focus on this sense and the experience of it (e.g., seeing your family play a game or gazing at a work of art, hearing the noises in your neighborhood or listening closely to a piece of music, tasting the food you prepared or savoring a treat, smelling the candle in your room or the fragrance of a flower, touching the hand of a friend or loved one or the softness of a rose).
  • Try to really slow your perception and take a few minutes to just engage the chosen sense with your experience. Did any thoughts or feelings, particularly of expansion or connectedness, come to mind?

Before You Begin
Slowing down our perception of a sensory experience can often bring about a sense of awe and wonder. This practice can help engage students more deeply in an academic concept (ideas are noted throughout the practice), and can also help lower their levels of stress by guiding them to slow down and engage with a sensory experience.

Special Notes:

  • While not all students will experience awe, any response that they do have to the stimuli should be honored and validated.
  • Make appropriate adjustments for students who may have sensory sensitivities.

How To Do It

  • If possible, have students do this exercise outside, allowing them to practice using their senses to connect with their everyday environments.
  • Begin by taking a moment to slow down as a class. This might mean taking a few minutes to simply have students close their eyes and breathe.
  • Using the directions below as an initial guide, have students engage one or more of their five senses with the environment. When possible, have students choose the sense and/or item with which they’d like to engage.

Taste

  • Provide students with a small piece of food such as a strawberry or orange (be sure to make adjustments for food allergies). If your school has a garden, have students pick an item of food and clean it off before eating it.
  • Ask them to eat the food item slowly while focusing closely on the taste and texture, trying to make it last as long as possible.
  • Have students reflect on what the item of food tastes like and whether they experienced any physical, mental, or emotional reaction as they tasted the food.
  • Academic Integration Ideas: Use this when teaching a unit on nutrition, agriculture, food/cooking science, food supply chain, or socio-cultural influences and practices around food.

Touch

  • Have the students touch a rock or other natural item and simply consider what it feels like. Have them take their time holding the rock in their hands, thinking about its weight and texture. They might even compare a couple of rocks.
  • Have students reflect on whether they experienced any physical, mental, or emotional reaction as they felt the rock.
  • Academic Integration Ideas: Use this when teaching a unit on textiles, geology, or other natural sciences.

Smell

  • Have students walk around for a bit simply focusing on what they might smell as they walk. If they catch a smell, ask students to simply pause for a bit and just take in the smell, considering what it is like (e.g., Where is it coming from? Is it pleasant or unpleasant? What does it remind them of?). Have students reflect on what smells stood out to them and whether they experienced any physical, mental, or emotional reaction as they focused on trying to find and identify smells in their surroundings.
  • Alternatively, provide students with flowers, spices, fruit, or other pleasantly scented items, asking them to take in the smell slowly and deeply and reflect on their experience of it.
  • Academic Integration Ideas: Use this when teaching a unit on botany, environmental science, culinary science, or chemistry.

Sight

  • Have students take some time to study the transformation of a cloud in the sky. They might consider what the cloud looks like initially and just watch it as it moves and evolves.
  • Have students reflect on what the experience was like and whether they experienced any physical, mental, or emotional reaction as they saw the transformation.
  • Alternatively, play a nature video for students and have them reflect on whether they experienced any physical, mental, or emotional reaction from watching it.
  • Academic Integration Ideas: Use this when teaching a unit on environmental science, astronomy, earth science, or to inspire students before writing poetry or other forms of creative writing.

Hear

  • Have students spend some time just closing their eyes (if they are comfortable doing so) and listening to all the sounds they can hear (e.g., birds, cars, people).
  • Have students reflect on what sounds stood out to them and whether they experienced any physical, mental, or emotional reaction as they listened to the various sounds.
  • Alternatively, play a song and have students listen closely to the structure of the piece and how that structure helps convey different emotions.
  • Academic Integration Ideas: Use this when teaching a unit on the science of acoustics, music theory, or emotions.

Finish by having students share with partners, small groups, or the entire class what the experience was like for them. Do they notice a change in how they feel compared to how they felt before doing this exercise? What thoughts arose as they were doing this practice? How would they describe the experience to an older family member? To a younger one? Would they do this exercise again, perhaps using a different sense or a different object? If so, what might they do differently?
Source
Dacher Keltner, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley (inspired by Rachel Carson)
Reflection After the Practice

  • Did any of your students mention a feeling of expansion, whether mental, emotional, acoustic, or cognitive, or a greater sense of connectedness—both common reactions to awe?
  • Did your students seem more relaxed, motivated, engaged, thoughtful, kinder?

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.”
–Rachel Carson

10. Capturing Moisture Inspired by Spiderwebs and Namib Desert Beetles
Received from the National Observer, Sept 1, 2023
A research team at the university has developed technology inspired by spiderwebs and Namib desert beetles, both of which capture moisture from the air and convert it to fresh water.
The research is led by Prof. Michael Tam, University Research Chair in the chemical engineering department, and two students, Eva Wang and Weinan Zhao. The team aims to use the techniques perfected by insects and upscale them to deliver larger volumes of water for society.Tam told Canada’s National Observer his technology uses plant waxes, pollens and cellulose nanoparticles to produce an emulsion (a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally unblendable) that is sprayed onto a smooth glass slide to produce a textured surface. When water droplets encounter the specially engineered surface, they nucleate, or grow into larger droplets, which accumulate and drop as gravity kicks in, said Tam.
All the materials used are sustainable and derived from natural sources, and minimal energy is needed to capture the water droplets, he added.
“The surface regenerates and refreshes itself, and cleaning is typically not necessary. It is the same concept as to how spiderwebs and the back of beetles capture water.”
“There are many communities that are living in regions such as mountains, deserts, remote islands where there are no rivers or lakes or access to fresh water,” said Tam. “The atmosphere contains water in the form of fog, dew and water vapour.” Mimicking the way spiders and beetles draw water from these environments can help those communities find a sustainable water source for themselves, he
“A spider’s web is an engineering marvel,” said Tam. “Water is efficiently captured by the web, allowing the spider to obtain moisture without needing to travel to a river.”
Namib desert beetles also have evolved to thrive in their arid surroundings by using their textured body armour to capture tiny droplets of water from the fog, Tam added. This ingenious strategy enables them to amass moisture, which subsequently drips into their mouths, sustaining their survival in a water-scarce environment.
Humans have traditionally relied on collecting water from rivers, lakes, the ground and oceans, often requiring extensive treatment processes. However, as freshwater sources become increasingly stressed due to population growth and climate change, innovative solutions will be needed to ensure there is enough water in the future.
“We can capture five litres of water per hour for one square metre of surface. We are now developing foams with high surface area in a small volume to scale the process so that it can be used efficiently for communities that need water to survive,” said Tam.
Using a similar concept, Tam and his team are also developing low-energy dehumidification technologies for buildings and homes.

11. National Housing Accord: Ten Recommendations
Received Sept 12
https://www.nationalhousingaccord.ca/?utm_campaign=09112023_kick7_nha&utm_medium=email&utm_source=caeh

LOCAL FUN
12. Art After Dark Sept 29 1900 – 2200 h
Received from Downtown Kingston
https://www.facebook.com/events/265911526317250/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A%2229%22%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3A%22events_recurring%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&notif_id=1694619315817692&notif_t=events_recurring&ref=notif

So that’s it for September.
Truly hope you are enjoying this wonderful weather.
Cheers,
Mary Farrar, President,
Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour