Kingston News August 1, 2018

Cataraqui Centre – Police

Kingston Police say the community was in no danger after an incident at the Cataraqui Centre last night.  Police were called to the mall with a report of a person in distress.

Police closed the entrances to the mall and were diverting vehicles away from the area.

A Tweet from Kingston Police at 9 p.m. said they were called to the Cataraqui Centre around 7:30 and had resolved a non-criminal incident.

Domestic Assault – Arrest

A 69 year old Kingston man has been charged with assaulting his wife and impaired driving.

Kingston Police say the man physically kicked the woman out of bed on Monday night and then left in a vehicle when she called police.  The vehicle crashed into the ditch across the road from their home.

The man was found passed out in a garden shed and was taken to hospital by paramedics when police couldn’t wake him up.

Parking Lot Scam

Kingston Police are warning people about the dropped money scam.

Police say they’ve received multiple complaints about a man approaching people asking them if they’ve dropped a $20 bill.  When the person checks their wallet or purse they have their debit card stolen.  One person had $4,500 taken from their account. Police say the man may be operating with a woman who collects victims PIN numbers in the store where they’ve been shopping.

Lockdown – Joyceville Assessment Unit

The correctional service has put a lockdown in place at the Assessment Unit of Joyceville Institution.

Inmates were locked up yesterday afternoon to enable staff members to conduct an exceptional search.

A news release says the search was ordered to ensure the safety and security of the institution, its staff and inmates. It says normal operations will resume as soon as it is considered safe to do so.

Visits have been suspended until the search is completed.

Welfare Changes

Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod says the P-C government’s proposed welfare reforms will help restore dignity to Ontarians.  She says the government will come up with a plan within 100 days to overhaul what she described as the “disjointed patchwork system” that was left by the previous Liberal government.  The government’s first steps are scrapping the basic income pilot project and limiting welfare increases to 1.5% instead of the 3% promised in the Liberals’ pre-election budget.

Bath Road – Bikeway

The city says work is scheduled to begin today on a bikeway and multi-use path on Bath Road from Coverdale Drive to Collins Bay Road.

That section of Bath Road will be down to one eastbound lane from today through September.

Election Update

Kingston’s city clerk has made the list of candidates for the October 22nd municipal and school board elections official.   The certified list of candidates and more information about the referendum question on ranked ballot voting are available on the city’s website.

The Elections Office at Kingston City Hall is available to answer questions from voters or candidates.

You are also being asked to check the Voter’s List to make sure your information is correct for the municipal election in October.

ABcann – Expanding Business

Napanee’s pot company says it is on track to create a leading fully integrated international cannabis company.  ABcann Global Corporation has announced it is acquiring Canna Farms…a premium cannabis company in British Columbia.  It says the acquisition will provide it with the ability to produce 57,000 kilograms of marijuana a year…have $110 million in cash to fund an aggressive growth strategy and capture 5% of Canada’s medical marijuana market.

The Napanee company announced last week it is also getting into the recreational marijuana market.

The deal to buy Canna Farms is worth $133 million in cash and shares.  The founders of the B-C company will wind up owning just over 16% of ABcann and will sit on its board of directors.