Snowsqualls – Kingston Lucky

Kingston has dodged the snow.  Environment Canada issued a snowsquall watch yesterday and the heavy lake effect snow did hit areas along the shore of Lake Ontario west of Kingston.]

The band of heavy snowfall stayed hit Northern New York State and it snowed all night in Jefferson and Lewis counties.

Now Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the weekend…forecasters are predicting a major snowstorm starting Sunday night and lasting into Monday.

Suspicious Fire

The Friday night fire that damaged the Ontario government building across from the Kingston Centre is now under investigation by Kingston Police and the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall.

Kingston Fire and Rescue is suspicious about the cause of the fire.

Damage has been estimated at half a million dollars and the damage has closed the Ontario Disability Support Program Office.  It has been temporarily moved to the government building on Beachgrove Lane.

Copied From the Kingston Police News Release:

Anyone with information is please asked to contact Detective Adam McMullen at 613-549-4660 ext 6281 or via email at amcmullen@kpf.ca.

Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or on the website at www.tipsubmit.com.  Tipsters are eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000. Tips can also be left by private message to the Kingston Police Facebook Page, or via a Direct Message to the official Twitter account.

Arson – 16 year old Charged

A member of the public is getting credit for helping Kingston Police arrest a firebug.

Police say a person saw flames coming from the field house at the Caton’s soccer field around 11:30 Tuesday night.  He noticed a person trying to get into the building and then saw that person ignite another fire.  Kingston Police were called and they arrested a 16 year old male.  He’s been charged with arson.

Entry was not gained to the field house and fire damage was limited to the exterior of the door and one wall.

City – POH/KP Proposal

A proposal to build an International Sailing Centre, condos and a hotel on the Kingston Pen and Portsmouth Olympic Harbour site will have to fit into plans being developed for the land.

A group of five Kingstonians, including former Mayor Harvey Rosen, has launched a website and campaign to get support for their plan.

The city and federal government have almost finished a visioning exercise for the two properties.  Mayor Bryan Paterson says a final concept will be brought to city council after consultants present their preferred master plan at a public meeting in the spring.  The mayor says proposals will have to fit into that final vision for the Kingston Penitentiary and Portsmouth Olympic Harbour.

Kingston Transit Funding

Kingston Transit is getting an increase in funding from the Ontario government.

Kingston and the Islands MPP Sophie Kiwala announced yesterday Kingston is getting $2.3 million dollars in funding from the provincial gasoline tax…an increase of $100,000 from last year.

Kingston Transit hit the five million rider mark in November and expects to carry 5.2 million passengers by the end of the year…an increase from 4.6 million last year.

Mini Gord

An update on that three year old boy from Trenton who wore that Gord Downie costume for Halloween.

The picture of little Bentley Davidson went viral and Mini Gord went door to door on Halloween to collect donations.  He’ll be delivering $500 dollars for the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research at Sunnybrook Hospital.

Filed under: 16-year-old Charged, Arson, Kingston Lucky, Kingston Transit Funding, Mini Gord, POH/KP Proposal, Snowsquall, Suspicious Fire