Every month, City of Kingston leadership and staff go beyond sound bites and bullet points to tell you more about the larger context surrounding current issues, initiatives and decisions that are shaping your community.
Whether you want a broader perspective on local issues and initiatives, or to spend some time with some really interesting people, this podcast is for you.
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Tell Me More About ... the Official Plan and Integrated Mobility Plan
The City of Kingston will be kicking off a new Official Plan and Integrated Mobility Plan. The city is growing and expected to reach 220,000 people in the next 25 years and these two plans will set the foundation for how the City will plan for future land use and transportation. How we plan today will shape how Kingston is in 2051
In this episode we speak with Laura Flaherty and Matt Kussin, who are leading development of these two plans about what they are and why they matter to everyone.
There will be much more to come, to learn more and sign up for updates visit Get Involved Kingston.
Over the last 15 years Kingston Transit has evolved with improvements like the addition of Express Routes or real time tracking but what comes next?
Join us for a conversation about what the future hold with Ian Semple, Director of Transportation and Transit, and Christopher Norris, General Manager of Kingston Transit. From improvements to the customer experience making it easier to ride or pay, to routes that adapt to our changing City, future infrastructure improvements and more!
It’s no secret that Kingston is steeped in history. Just visit any of the 24 museums and historic sites in the community, including two City-owned museums, and you’ll get a sense of how deep our respect for and commitment to the preservation of heritage is. But who takes care of all the stories our city tells? In this episode we sit down with Melanie Banks, manager of Heritage Programming, to talk about her team’s role in maintaining the City of Kingston’s historical artifact collection and public art pieces, as well as the programs and exhibits coming to Kingston in 2024. Get excited about the future of history!
Want to learn more? Visit the History page on our website.
On our first episode of 2024, we meet with Committee Clerks, Iain Sullivan and Christine O'Connor. Their job is to help provide residents with the chance to directly advise City Council and make a difference in our community. Sit back and relax as we tell you more about Advisory Committees.
Want to learn even more about The City of Kingston's committees and boards? Visit our Committees & Boards page.
Tell Me More About ... Mayor's Innovation Challenge
Innovation requires collaboration, ideation, implementation and value creation – how you do that though, well that’s the challenge. What is the Mayor's Innovation Challenge? Why should I participate? Will the construction work taking place outside our podcast studio ruin the season finale? These questions - and more - will be answered. Joining us for the occasion is Amber Bryant-Peller who works on Special Projects for the Strategy, Innovation & Partnerships Office.
Interested? Learn more about the Mayor's Innovation Challenge and how to participate on our about page.
Tell Me More About ... Cart-based Waste Collection
Starting in 2025, Kingston will begin transitioning garbage and green bins to an automated cart system. Between now and then there is a lot of work that has to happen. This month Adam Mueller joins us to chat about this switch, why now and how province-wide changes to recycling collection may impact Kingston.
Want to stay up-to-date on the waste cart rollout? Sign up for updates at Get Involved Kingston
Tell Me More About ... Queen's University PhD Community Initiative
Applying the academic with the Queen’s University PhD Community Initiative. It matches students pursuing advanced degrees and Kingston organizations who need an academic edge. It’s a program that the City of Kingston has benefited from, by leaning on the research skills in the Queen’s community.
In this episode of Tell Me More, Craig Desjardins, Director of Strategy, Innovation and Partnerships at the City of Kingston, joins us to talk about the Queen’s University Community PhD Initiative and how the City and community have benefitted from this program.
Looking to learn more? Check out this miniseries podcast produced by students in the Initiative. They speak with Civic and University leaders about the Sustainable Development Goals.
Tell Me More About ... The Public Engagement Framework Evaluation
Public engagement is more than a survey. It’s a promise and a commitment to use public feedback to constructively improve things. It’s not always an easy process and it frequently brings together divergent opinions, beliefs and visions.
This month on Tell Me More, the City of Kingston podcast, Jen Pinarski, Manager of Communications and Public Engagement at the City of Kingston joins us to talk about the review of the City’s public engagement process, which is currently underway. Learn about how the City is using your feedback to improve how we conduct public engagement across the entire organization.
Every year thousands of students pour into Kingston to pursue higher education. This month we dive into what the City and community have to offer to students. You’ll hear from Queens University and St. Lawrence College grads who now work at the City, Lauren Desroches, a Communications Officer, and Soren Christianson, a Project Manager in Climate Leadership. They’ll delve into what motivated them to choose Kingston for their studies and why they decided to stay here after graduating.
Looking for some more student support? Check out vital City services from transit, utility account setup, parking info and more at CityofKingston.ca/Students
Have you ever wondered how the creative murals or inspiring sculptures that populate Kingston came to be? Or what's next?
In this month’s episode, we have Danika Lochhead, Manager of Arts and Sector Development and Taylor Norris, Public Art Coordinator at the City of Kingston at the mic. They’ll share some insights into the process behind delivering captivating public art, fostering creativity, and enriching the community experience.
As we all know, podcasts are primarily an audio experience so check out the images in the show notes description. This way, you can see what we’ll be discussing and follow along with us during this episode.
Want to see the art in person? Check out the City's Arts Walk, a self-guided tour of the City's Public Art.
What kind of place will Kingston be in 2026? That’s the question City Council wrestled with in drafting their strategic plan. This key document lays out the City’s goals and priorities for the next four years.
Mayor Bryan Paterson joins us once again to share insights on the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. We delve into the plan’s main pillars: including Supporting House Affordability, Leading Environmental Stewardship, Building an Active and Connected Community, Fostering a Caring and Inclusive Community, and Driving Economic Growth.
Tune in through your favourite podcast provider now to learn more about what’s in store for the City over the next four years.
Need to cool down this summer? Let us walk you through one of the City’s best summertime destinations, the Culligan Water Park. Darek Osostowicz, the City’s Aquatics Supervisor, tells us more about the park as his team prepares to open the park for weekends starting on June 3 and then daily for the rest of the summer starting June 19.
Trees. They shade us, they clean the air, they provide food and they look pretty. For as long as there have been humans we have been writing poetry, stories, myths and more all centred on trees. In the era of a changing climate, trees have taken on new importance as an easy way to absorb greenhouse gases and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Kingston has a department within our Public Works focused on trees and in this episode, Marty Mayberry joins us to tell us more about what forestry does and how the city is working to expand the tree canopy.
Want to see more? Check out the city’s tree canopy, open the map viewer and search for the “Trees” layer, it will show you the location of every tree catalogued in the city:
Tell Me More About ... the Workplace Inclusion Charter
Amidst an ongoing labour shortage, it’s becoming clear that equitable, diverse and inclusive workplaces are essential to organizational success. They create a welcoming environment for all employees, which attracts new workers, leads to higher retention levels, and fosters innovation leading to better business outcomes.
Dajana Turkovic, a workforce development analyst at the City of Kingston, discusses how the city is using our experience with the Workplace Inclusion Charter to attract and retain talent and help neighbouring communities to do so as well.
Tell Me More About ... the City's Website Redesign
This year we’re embarking on the task of building a brand new CityOfKingston.ca. Not just a fresh coat of paint, but levelling it and rebuilding from the ground up. It’s been a decade since the City last undertook this work on our most significant community-facing communications tool.
Scott Tulk, Manager of Digital Transformation Architecture and Planning, is at the mic to talk about what’s changed in ten years (a lot!), what a website redesign at this scale involves, and how we’re centring the user experience.
If you have any ideas for future Tell Me More episodes, please reach out to podcasts@cityofkinsgton.ca and let us know!
Episode 1
Tell Me More About ... Kingston Community Climate Action Fund
It takes a community to meaningfully address the climate crisis. That’s the idea behind the Kingston Community Climate Action Fund and Neighbourhood Champions programs. Two initiatives intended to support and empower community members as we all work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In this episode, Julie Salter-Keane, manager of the Climate Leadership Division, tells us more about these programs, how they support a low-carbon future for Kingston, how the city is supporting this work and how you can contribute.
Every year the City of Kingston’s Public Works Department prepares for whatever winter has in store. Whether it’s snow or ice, crews are ready to tackle the challenges of each winter. Join us for a discussion with Adam McDonald, Operations Manager as he tells us more about what goes into preparing for the winter season, how we tackle the roadways and sidewalks after a storm and what the community can do to help.
Tell Me More About... Rideaucrest Long-Term Care Home
Working in long-term care takes a special type of person. Dedication, teamwork and compassion are just a few of the skills required in this dynamic role. In our penultimate season two episode we chat with Casie Keyes, Administrator at Rideaucrest Long Term Care Home about what it takes to run a long-term care home successfully and how they have navigated the challenges of an ongoing pandemic.
Interested in volunteering at Rideaucrest? Contact Patricia McDonald, Supervisor of Resident Programs and Services at pmcdonald@cityofkingston.ca for more details.
Whether you’re an established business owner looking to expand, or a dreamer with the next big idea looking to get started, the City of Kingston’s Business Support Office is here to help. Join Mark Nardi, Business Support Analyst, for a chat about this exciting new support offered by the City of Kingston.
It takes a village to keep children safe on their way to school with many community members and partners doing their part. This includes the City of Kingston, schools, bus companies, police, parents and drivers.
Tune in to this special episode to learn all you need to know about getting out and voting! Join Acting Deputy Clerk Derek Ochej as he tells us more about where and how you can vote, new online voting options, and how you can make your voting experience as seamless as possible.
Tell Me More About...the Customer Experience Department
On any given day the City receives hundreds of inquiries from community members. Through the MyCity App, email and the phone, the questions come in rapid fire. On the receiving end of those inquiries is the City’s Customer Experience Department, a dedicated team that ensures your question or concern gets to the right people. Join us as we take a peek behind the curtain at how the City strives for customer service excellence.
Summer is here and TMM is going to the park! Neal Unsworth, Manager of the City’s Parks and Shoreline division in Engineering Services tells us more about what parks mean to different people, how they’re built and refreshed and shares an exciting engagement opportunity. We also get the scoop everybody’s been waiting for – Neal’s favourite Kingston park!
Tell Me More About...the Multi Year Accessibility Plan
One in four people in Ontario face accessibility challenges in their daily lives. In this special episode of Tell Me More, we speak with Colin Wiginton, Director of Arts and Cultural Services and Andrew Ashby, the Chair of the City’s Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee, to bring more voices into this important conversation about accessibility, and the City’s work on the Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.
Building a building. Simple right? Not when what you're building needs to seamlessly mesh with its surroundings, be energy efficient, last an extremely long time...and at the end of the day, it needs to be a place people want to be. Luckily we have the Manager of Facilities Construction Services at the City of Kingston, Jeff Rempel, to passionately explain the thousands of variables, considerations and tough choices that go into our energy efficient municipal construction as the City chases its Net Zero building goals.
Ever thought about running for City Council or even Mayor? Your opportunity is coming soon as we embark on election season here at the City of Kingston. Committee Clerk Derek Ochej lends his expertise on the role of an elected municipal official, the realties of being a City Councillor and most importantly the steps involved in running for the various positions coming up soon.
Host Rob Hosier connects with Tracey Snow, the City’s new Rural Economic and Community Development Manager, to talk about rubber boots, building trust and an economic strategy that will benefit the entire community.
In this kick-off episode to Season 2, Host Rob Hosier sits down with fellow podcast producers, Julielee Stitt and Paul Whittingham, to talk about what’s on tap for the year. We tell you more about how the podcast was launched, topics that will be explored in the coming months, and how to get involved.
Who better to help us wrap up 2021 and Season 1 than our own CAO Lanie Hurdle? She tells us more about some of the most interesting and impactful topics from 2021 including pandemic response, systemic barriers, affordable housing, climate change and much more.
In this episode of Tell Me More: The City of Kingston Podcast, we introduce you to our very own public engagement champion, Debbi Miller. As the Manager of Communications and Public Engagement, Debbi played a key role in the establishment and growth of the City of Kingston’s internationally recognized Public Engagement Framework. But after seven years working for the City, Debbi is moving on to new adventures in Frontenac County. Before she leaves, we couldn’t resist sitting her down behind the mic to reflect on her work in public engagement, how consistency is key and why everyone should get involved.
Tell Me More About...EDI Initiatives at the City of Kingston
In this episode we discuss the realities and remedies of systemic barriers with the City of Kingston’s first ever Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Manager Muhammad Ahsan. We chat about the origins of the City’s EDI initiatives, the newly formed EDI Committee, and most importantly the huge benefits Equity, Diversity and Inclusion practices can provide any organization or individual!
Can a city really tackle the climate emergency? In this episode of Tell Me More, host Rob Hosier sits down with Julie Salter-Keane, Manager of the City’s Climate Leadership Division, to talk about why municipalities are perfectly positioned to take innovative steps to address the climate emergency—and inspire others to follow their lead. We learn about why the City of Kingston is aggressively moving towards a net-zero future, the plan that will get us there—and ways residents can take climate action!
In this “back-to-school” episode of Tell Me More, City of Kingston Professional Learning Facilitator, Laura Gow, tells us more about how the City supports Early Years and Childcare, and why early learning interventions today can help create healthier communities tomorrow. We also chat about ways Early Childhood Educators and service providers innovated their way through recent lockdowns and, best-of-all, how you can positively impact your little one’s early development.
Tell Me More About...the City's New Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw
One zoning bylaw to rule them all. City of Kingston Commissioner of Community Services Paige Agnew tells us more about the huge task of creating one City-wide zoning bylaw out of our five existing, and often out-of-date, zoning bylaws. We review the current state of our zoning bylaws, the clarification and consolidation process and how you can get involved.
Tell Me More About...the Kingston Economic Recovery Team
City of Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson joins the show to tell us more about the Kingston Economic Recovery Team (KERT). We discuss the team's origin story, accomplishments and plans moving forward. We'll also reveal the secret to Mayor Paterson's endless energy!
Tell Me More About...the Third Crossing Naming Campaign
City of Kingston Director of Heritage Services Jennifer Campbell tells us more about how the long-awaited Third Crossing is being named. We’ll examine the steps for choosing this name, the power and importance of symbolic, substantive and systemic actions and how the campaign relates to indigenous reconciliation in Kingston.
In this episode, City of Kingston Housing Administrator Joanne Borris tells us more about how Kingston’s homelessness system weathered, but more importantly learned, from COVID-19 and the Belle Park Encampment. We’ll examine the next steps for the system including the Integrated Care Hub, homelessness system review and encampment protocols.
On our first ever episode, City of Kingston Chief Financial Officer Desiree Kennedy tells us more about how the City survived this roller coaster budgetary year with an AA Credit Rating, what we learned and how we move forward. We also discuss public engagement on the budget and a 2021 forecast you don't want to miss.
