Kingston news

• Kingston signs non-disclosure agreement for high-speed rail talks

  14-07-2026 13:34 via thewhig.com
  
  KINGSTON — The city signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with Alto as part of the development of a high-speed rail line through the region.The NDA was signed Friday between the City of Kingston and Alto, the Crown corporation developing the project.A non-disclosure agreement, often called a confidentiality agreement, is a legal contract meant to keep sensitive or proprietary information private.On Monday, an Alto spokesperson said the information gathered during the public consultation
  
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• Kingston region facing some of the province's poorest air quality Thursday

  16-07-2026 18:47 via thewhig.com
  
  KINGSTON — Southeast Public Health is warning residents across its eastern Ontario catchment area to take shelter from extremely poor air quality conditions, as smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario sweeps across the province.The sight and smell of smoke is readily apparent across the Kingston region Thursday afternoon, and Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued an orange air quality warning . The province’s Air Quality Health Index for the city is 10+, or a “
  
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• Complainant denies defence's suggestion that media coverage influenced recollections

  16-07-2026 18:40 via thewhig.com
  
  The cross-examination of a complainant in the trial of Michael Haaima concluded Tuesday morning with defence lawyer Natasha Calvinho questioning whether the young woman’s recollection of events had evolved through years of reflection and exposure to public reporting about the case.This complainant, whose testimony began the morning of July 13, first spoke to the Ontario Provincial Police in 2022, approximately four years after the events she described in court. The defence noted that seve
  
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• Greater Napanee to formalize encampment map review process after Lions Park discrepancy discovered

  16-07-2026 18:23 via thewhig.com
  
  The council of the Town of Greater Napanee has directed staff to establish a formal annual review process for the town’s encampment education materials after officials discovered its public facing map incorrectly suggested that part of Lions Park could be used for camping — when in fact, under the town’s existing bylaw, the entire park falls within a protected setback from a licensed daycare.Council unanimously approved the direction at its meeting on July 14 after hearing tha
  
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• Napanee's Morningstar Mission announces plans to relocate

  16-07-2026 16:21 via thewhig.com
  
  Morningstar Mission will be on the move “as soon as practically feasible,” according to the Morningstar board.The non-profit organization, currently located at 58 Water St. in Napanee, offers a seasonal overnight warming centre, food bank, free meals, clothing, showers and income tax help for housing-insecure people.Where it will be relocating to is has yet to be determined. One thing, however, is clear: the new location will be in a non-residential area that is still within a walka
  
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• Weekend spotlight July 17 to 19: Things to do in Kingston area this weekend

  16-07-2026 13:28 via thewhig.com
  
  1. Race the Base, K‑Town Triathlon & Duathlon Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kingston Constantine Arena, 7 Navy Way : A full day of racing at CFB Kingston — featuring sprint, Olympic, and brand‑new enduro distances, scenic routes toward Gananoque, and a post‑race cool‑down in historic Kingston. Athletes can expect a warm swim, rolling bike course, and a quiet, picturesque run through the base. Packet pick‑up runs July 18 and 19, with races starting Sunday mor
  
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• Heat awareness advocates press Kingston to expand tenant protections during sweltering summer

  15-07-2026 22:27 via thewhig.com
  
  Climate advocates, physicians, public health officials and a city councillor used Extreme Heat Awareness Day on Wednesday to press Kingston to adopt stronger protections for renters, arguing that dangerously hot apartments are becoming an increasingly urgent public health issue as heat waves grow more frequent and severe.At a press conference organized by Seniors for Climate Action Now (SCAN) at Kingston City Hall, speakers called on the city to move beyond recent pilot initiatives and enact a
  
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• ENT: Festival marks five years celebrating 'analog traditions'

  15-07-2026 21:27 via thewhig.com
  
  Even though her maternity leave started a few weeks ago, Laura Kelly still has a few items left to check off on her to-do list.“I’m seven months pregnant right now,” Kelly said before she made her way to a doctor appointment Wednesday morning. “I know it’s kind of crazy organizing a festival at this moment.”That festival is the Analogue Island Music Festival, which takes place from Friday to Sunday at the Hotel Wolfe Island. The three-day events blends film,
  
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• Complainant's testimony about car crash sparks courtroom dispute over police investigation at Haaima trial

  15-07-2026 21:10 via thewhig.com
  
  A complainant’s account of fleeing the scene of a motor vehicle collision after Michael Haaima allegedly told her he did not want to be “caught with an underage girl” triggered an unusual legal battle on Monday over whether police investigators should continue gathering evidence while a criminal trial is underway.The dispute erupted after Kingston Police Detective Jesse Braun used the lunch recess to verify the woman’s testimony, locating a collision report and Highway T
  
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• Rural politicians, groups worry about effect of Kingston's Alto NDA

  15-07-2026 20:27 via thewhig.com
  
  KINGSTON — Municipal politicians and community groups around the Kingston area are calling for the city to be open about any discussions it has with Alto.On Friday, Kingston and the Crown corporation developing a high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City signed a non-disclosure agreement that is to govern talks between the two.Alto is considering the addition of a Kingston station to the route, something the city has been pushing for since the project’s study corridor
  
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• Kingston ranks as Canada's eighth most expensive rental market

  15-07-2026 20:09 via thewhig.com
  
  Kingston remains one of Canada’s most expensive places to rent, according to the latest national data from Zumper , an online rental marketplace that analyzes rental data from hundreds of thousands of active listings across the country.Vancouver, Burnaby, B.C., and Toronto remained Canada’s three most expensive rental markets last month, while Kingston ranked eighth nationwide for average asking rent price.The data revealed that median asking rents in Kingston reached $1,800 for a o
  
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• People urged to stay indoors as wildfire smoke descends on Kingston region

  15-07-2026 16:45 via thewhig.com
  
  KINGSTON — Much of Ontario is experiencing poor air quality this morning, as smoke makes its way from wildfires in northwestern Ontario into the Kingston region.Environment and Climate Change Canada has added a yellow warning for air quality , on top of the yellow warning for heat that it issued earlier this week and that continues today.The Air Quality Ontario website , run by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for the government of Ontario, placed a level 4 air qual
  
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• Kingston temperatures could break all-time records as region braces for heatwave high

  14-07-2026 17:36 via thewhig.com
  
  KINGSTON — Tuesday dawned hot and hazy as the Kingston region continues under a yellow heat warning.Environment Canada has forecasted a 35 C day ahead on Tuesday, with the Humidex potentially rising to a whopping 44 by later Tuesday afternoon.A yellow alert indicates that the weather could cause moderate health impacts.Tuesday marks the peak of the heat event forecasted for this week by Environment Canada, with 37-degree temperatures expected in parts of southwestern Ontario.“Take a
  
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• Kingston approves allocations for $12.1 million in funding support for housing crisis

  14-07-2026 15:14 via thewhig.com
  
  In a 12-0 vote on July 7, Kingston city council approved a $12.1-million plan for federal and provincial housing and homelessness funding.The 2026-27 investment plan consists of three main funding sources, a mix of provincial and national programs. It allocates $2.7 million through the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI), $626,100 through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI), and $8.7 million through the provincially funded Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP). The
  
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• Order of Canada for Varma honours a lifetime of caring for people in the margins

  14-07-2026 14:52 via thewhig.com
  
  KINGSTON — As a child growing up in India, Bhavana Varma remembers the day that she learned about poverty.“I was born in India,” she said recently during an interview with the Whig-Standard. “My mom was a doctor, my dad was in a pilot in the Air Force. I was very privileged where I grew up. I didn’t even know that poverty existed until I suddenly discovered it, and I was so shocked that I came running home and told me dad, ‘I can’t take this. We have to
  
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• Community groups come together in opposition to high-speed rail

  14-07-2026 13:45 via thewhig.com
  
  SYDENHAM — Kingston-area citizen’s groups are among those that that agreed to form a united front against the Alto high-speed rail project.Representatives of the groups met Saturday to formalize their inclusion under the ALT-NO banner.“Because this divisive project, and its treatment of Canadians, is the exact opposite of what it means to build a nation, the communities we represent have not been persuaded that this project is ‘nation-building’ and we are not persu
  
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• Kingston Humane Society issues plea for donations amid rising veterinary medical expenses

  14-07-2026 13:43 via thewhig.com
  
  TheKingston Humane Society is asking the community for financial support as rising veterinarian medical costs continue to strain its resources.The organization said increasing expenses for emergency treatments such as surgeries have added pressure on its ability to care for homeless and vulnerable animals, making public donations more important than ever.According to a news release, two animals that were surrendered to the agency were in need of medical treatment that went beyond $12,000.The fi
  
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• Wanted person arrested in South Frontenac police investigation following dirt bike incident

  14-07-2026 13:36 via thewhig.com
  
  A wanted person is facing multiple charges after being arrested in Parham following an investigation by the Frontenac detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police.According to police, the investigation stemmed from a individual riding a dirt bike allegedly failed to stop for police during a traffic stop in Central Frontenac Township.Officers, who were assisted by the Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement Squad and the Offender Management Apprehension Program, executed an arrest warrant and took the
  
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• Council opts to relocate wellness centre from Kingston’s planned aquatic complex

  13-07-2026 15:45 via thewhig.com
  Kingston City Council has approved a significant change to the scope of the city’s proposed $102-million aquatic complex, relocating the project’s planned wellness and health centre from the new facility at the Invista Centre to community space at 315 Queen Mary Rd.Council approved the recommendation without discussion at its regular meeting on July 7. The recommendation was previewed in a staff report released in advance of Tuesday’s meeting, which indicated that relocating t
  
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• Too early to estimate Kingston rail link cost, Alto says

  13-07-2026 15:30 via thewhig.com
  
  KINGSTON — Three weeks after a Kingston high-speed rail station officially became an option , the Crown corporation developing the project said its too early to estimate how much such an addition would cost.Last week, the Canadian Taxpayer’s Federation released a report that suggested adding Kingston to the initial proposal would cost about $3.9 billion .But Alto, the Crown corporation tasked by the federal government to determine the final route, said the Kingston addition, like th
  
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• Three more candidates step forward for Kingston's municipal election

  13-07-2026 15:21 via thewhig.com
  
  KINGSTON — A trio of candidates have entered the race for city council.In Kingscourt-Rideau District, Michael Judd stepped forward to run for the council seat.Judd ran previously in the district in the 2022 election.Lifelong Kingston resident and Queen’s University student Andrew DaCosta put his name forward in Sydenham District.DaCosta was the fifth candidate vying for a district with no incumbent after Conny Glenn launched her mayoral campaign.In Collins-Bayridge District, Joel An
  
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• Loyalist Township prepares to reopen revamped swimming pool

  13-07-2026 14:30 via thewhig.com
  
  Just in time for the dog days of summer, the Barr Homes Aquatic Centre in Amherstview is slated for a soft opening on July 20, 2026, some four years after the former aquatic centre shuttered its doors.Jim Hegadorn, mayor of Loyalist Township, described the opening as the return of an important community asset.“When the old pool closed, we heard strongly from residents that it had been very important to them,” said Hegadorn. “It’s a huge boost to the community to have a p
  
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• A bigger window to the universe opens in Lennox and Addington thanks to donation of massive telescope

  13-07-2026 14:13 via thewhig.com
  
  Visitors to the Lennox and Addington Dark Sky Viewing Area are now seeing farther into the cosmos than ever before thanks to the arrival of a massive telescope once owned by a renowned Canadian amateur astronomer.A 25-inch Obsession Dobsonian telescope donated by the estate of the late Attilla Danko officially debuted Friday at the popular stargazing destination on County Road 41 north of Napanee, marking a significant addition to one of Ontario’s best-known public observation sites.The n
  
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• From rotary phones to retro radios: Kingston entrepreneur gives old technology a second life

  13-07-2026 14:04 via thewhig.com
  
  When Jamie Emerton picks up a battered 1930s radio, a vintage milkshake mixer or a rotary telephone destined for the scrap heap, he doesn’t see a relic.He sees a machine with another century of life left in it.The 35-year-old Kingston entrepreneur is the founder of Find It All Antiques, a restoration business dedicated to returning historic appliances, electronics and fixtures to working order — often with modern upgrades.“A lot of people see a beautiful Bakelite radio and ass
  
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• Inclusive baseball gets a boost with opening of new Kingston diamond

  13-07-2026 13:34 via thewhig.com
  
  A new junior baseball diamond at Woodbine Park officially opened on Saturday.The recreational site is a collaborative project involving the City of Kingston, the Toronto Blue Jays’ charitable arm, local baseball volunteers and private-sector partners.Mayor Bryan Paterson joined representatives from the Jays Care Foundation, Kingston Thunder Baseball, TD Bank and city staff for the official opening ceremony and first pitch at what is now known as Diamond No. 5 at the city’s west-end
  
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• Contraband worth nearly $96,000 seized at Collins Bay Institution

  10-07-2026 21:10 via thewhig.com
  
  Staff at Collins Bay Institution seized nearly $96,000 worth of contraband and unauthorized items over a one-week period, according to the Correctional Service of Canada.Between June 30 and July 6, staff intercepted multiple packages containing tobacco, marijuana, cannabis concentrate known as “shatter,” edged weapons and cell phone accessories. The estimated institutional value of the seized items is approximately $95,715.Correctional Service Canada said the seizures were the resul
  
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• Kingston piano honours The Tragically Hip's final concert anniversary

  10-07-2026 20:57 via thewhig.com
  
  A small piece of Kingston’s musical history will soon take centre stage as Tourism Kingston gets ready to unveil the latest addition to their public piano project, “In the Key of Kingston.”Marking the 10th anniversary of The Tragically Hip’s final concert, the piano will be painted in bright colours and feature the words “Forever Hip” in the shape of a guitar pick.“We took this opportunity to align the launch of a new piano at the Visitor Information Ce
  
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• Federal offender, known to frequent Kingston, wanted on Canada wide warrant

  10-07-2026 20:20 via thewhig.com
  
  The Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (R.O.P.E.) Squad is asking for the public’s help in locating a federal offender wanted on a Canada Wide Warrant as a result of their breach of statutory release.Joshua Turner is described as a Caucasian male, 42 years of age, approximately 5 foot 10 inches tall, 150 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.Turner has the following tattoos and marks:A “cross” on his left upper arm, A large unknown tattoo on his right forearm, The words, &ldqu
  
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• South Frontenac Township promotes Rebecca Roy to development director

  10-07-2026 20:07 via thewhig.com
  
  SYDENHAM — A longtime South Frontenac Township employee has been named to a new role.Rebecca Roy is to be the township’s new director of development services and chief building official.“I am very excited for this opportunity. I look forward to working with council, staff and our community as South Frontenac continues to grow and develop,” Roy said in a news release. “Over the past six years with the Township, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside such
  
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• Province announces $3.2 million in housing funding for Kingston

  10-07-2026 19:58 via thewhig.com
  
  Kingston will be receiving a $3.2 million cheque from the provincial government, courtesy of the Building Faster Fund, the province announced at a press conference at Kingston City Hall on Friday.The funding is provided to municipalities who achieve more than 80 per cent of their provincially designated housing targets.Kingston exceeded its target by 26 per cent according to Conservative MPP and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack.“I’m proud to present you guys today
  
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