SPEAKingston’s Smart Growth mission & the need for urgent action

SPEAKingston was formed several years ago as a community advocacy group for Smart Growth, a strategic direction for Kingston with 4 tenets:

  1. Strengthen infrastructure — physical, technological & cultural

  2. Expand employment & housing options and grow our tax base

  3. Foster attractive, vibrant, walkable & safe neighbourhoods

  4. Protect historical assets & natural environment in responsible ways

A potential virtuous cycle

When we embarked on this mission, we viewed smart growth as a virtuous cycle in which smart growth projects would stimulate a series of cyclical or ‘knock-on ‘benefits.  Investment would lead to construction projects, which would increase employment, to build new housing, which in turn would lead to demand for more products and services.  All of which would help to grow the City’s tax base, providing increased capacity to fund the growing need for social services.

But … progress with smart growth projects has been very slow

In the past few years, there has only been limited new development projects in Kingston.  Bigger project proposals like the Homestead Queen’s St Proposal ( 350 units) and the Capitol Project (212 units) have been stalled for years.

And now … the pandemic and recession have created crisis conditions

Kingston’s economy, which was already somewhat fragile before COVID19, is now under attack with stark signs of damage:

  • Air Canada exited YGK, laying off staff and leaving Kingston without a major carrier

  • The tourism, accommodation, hospitality and retail sectors are particularly hard hit

  • Stores, restaurants and other businesses have closed, with more to come

  • The unemployment rate in Kingston has already more than doubled to 10.9%

  • Declining city revenues and increasing social needs will put pressure on our high tax rates and on our heavy municipal debt  (which at ~$400m is among the highest in Ontario on a per capita basis)

Smart growth is now an urgent imperative

City Staff, City Council and our area MP’s and MPP’s need to shift into a mode of urgent action when it comes to potential growth projects which can contribute investment, jobs and housing during this unfolding economic crisis. Three areas in particular need immediate attention:

  • The need for more apartments/condo’s/residents downtown to support businesses

  • The cost of delays in development from bureaucratic processes  

  • The growing crisis in social housing 

Would you like to join us and contribute to smart growth for our city? Help us create a positive future for Kingston – join us today!

SPEA Kingston