Uber Regulations

A task force report on Uber in Kingston will be used to develop a bylaw for approval by the Kingston Area Taxi Commission.

Among the 26 recommendations…Uber vehicles would have to carry some type of identification…drivers would have to be licensed by the taxi commission, pay fees and submit to regular police background checks.  They would also have to charge a minimum fare per ride and Uber would have to establish a business office in Kingston or Loyalist Township.

Hospital Professionals – New Contract

People working in 250 different jobs at hospitals in Kingston and across Ontario will be voting on a new tentative contract agreement in the near future.

The three-year deal for the Hospital Professionals was reached after a marathon bargaining session between the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and the Ontario Hospital Association.  The tentative agreement covers more than 12-thousand workers and includes improvements to wages, vacation entitlements and shift premiums.

Methamphetamines – Double Arrest

His addiction spilled over into the streets of Kingston twice and resulted in a 27 year old being arrested twice in less than 24 hours.

The man was arrested for public intoxication shortly after midnight on Sunday.  Police had been called to Bath Road and Sir John A. about a man standing in the middle of the intersection, wearing no shirt, flailing his arms and shouting for someone to shoot him.

He was released by police around 11:30 Sunday morning but was back in a police cell by late Sunday afternoon after a disturbance in front of the In From the Cold Shelter in the area of Montreal and Joseph Streets.

He was held overnight and released Monday morning.

Domestic Violence

A 42 year old man has been charged with three counts of assaulting his wife after police were called to an apartment off of Queen Mary Road about a domestic violence incident.

Officers could see injuries to a 38 year old woman’s face when she answered the door on the weekend.

One charge relates to the incident on the weekend and two relate to other incidents since 2012.

Assault – Stabbing

A 61-year-old Kingston man has been arrested and charged after an argument with a friend resulted in a 51-year-old man being stabbed multiple times.  But the victim of the stabbing has also been charged with assault.

Police say the 51 year old was stabbed during a fight he started at a residence on Stanley Street around 11 Saturday night.  The victim was treated for serious stab wounds and released from hospital.

World No Tobacco Day – Tobacco Packages

It is World No Tobacco Day.  The Trudeau government is preparing to move ahead with plans to require plain packaging for all tobacco products.  KFL&A Public Health says it supports the plan that includes standardizing box sizes and prohibiting colours, logos and graphics on tobacco packs.

South Frontenac – Recreation Survey

Residents of South Frontenac are being encouraged to complete a survey to help determine the long term strategy of recreation and leisure in their region.

The survey is available on the southfrontenac.net website.

Results of the survey and other consultations will be used to form a new recreation plan that will be presented to South Frontenac Council this fall.

www.southfrontenac.net

Tourism Awareness Week

Tourism Kingston says tourism has a $700 million economic impact on Kinston’s economy.

It’s Tourism Awareness week and Tourism Kingston has launched a social media contest for people who live in Kingston to share their favourite place in a post on Instagram or Twitter with the hash tag – FindYourYGK.

The city has also announced you can now download a free Kingston Walking Tour App from the Apple Store or Google Play Store.  It features 12 different walking tours including the popular, In Sir John A.’s Footsteps.

Affordable Housing

The former site of a home building centre on Princess Street near Hillendale Avenue could become the site for Kingston’s newest affordable housing and commercial development.

The city will hold an open house from 6:00 to 8:00 tonight at the Calvin Park Library on Wright Crescent to outline the redevelopment plans for the vacant land at 1316 to 1318 Princess Street.

Filed under: Affordable Housing, Assault, Domestic Violence, Double Arrest, Hospital Professionals, KFL&A Public Health, Methamphetamines, New Contract, Plain Packaging, Recreation Survey, South Frontenac, Stabbing, Tourism Awareness Week, Uber Regulations, World No Tobacco Day