august 2025 community update
Welcome to my community newsletter. Legislators are back in their ridings for the summer. You can re-watch some of the action from the legislature here.
Need help? Phone my office, send a message, or see my website before planning your visit to my office. Plan your visit to my office >>
Bienvenue à mon bulletin d'information communautaire. Les député(e)s ssont de retour dans leurs circonscriptions pour l'été. Vous pouvez revoir certaines des actions de la législature ici.
Besoin d'aide? Appelez mon bureau, envoyez un message ou consultez mon site web avant de planifier votre visite à mon bureau. Planifiez votre visite >>
Here's what you can find in this month's issue:
Warm regards,
Ted
Across Ontario
Eastern Ontario Tour
This month, I toured central and eastern Ontario to meet with farmers, energy stakeholders and others, as part of my Ontario Liberal caucus critic work. Many farmers expressed concerns about this year’s harvest, the drought that will reduce yields for many, and how they’ll be drawing from crop insurance. I’ll be closely monitoring the response from farmers in the next few weeks. There may be calls for extra provincial support, something which was provided to livestock farmers in northwestern Ontario after a bad drought in 2021.
There were many other shared concerns from the shortage of large animal vets, abattoirs and farm equipment mechanics to low grain prices, supply management and loss of prime farmland to relentless urban sprawl.
I also had the chance to see some innovative practices on farms, from collars worn by cows that create virtual fences to easily rotate them around pastures and increase productivity, to creative conservation efforts like a farmer who secured a permit to build a wetland that provides habitat for local wildlife as well as a watering hole for livestock. These conversations were deeply valuable and will strengthen my ability to advocate for policies to support Ontario’s farmers.
Fun fact: Did you know that Ontario’s agriculture and agrifood industry is the largest in the province? It contributes over $50 billion annually to Ontario’s economy.
AMO Conference
In mid-August I attended the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s (AMO) annual conference in Ottawa. I had the opportunity to meet with some of Kingston’s city councillors, the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, and many other representatives from across the province from Windsor to St. Catharines. AMO was an important opportunity to learn where communities are struggling or succeeding, and which challenges are common across Ontario.
Similar to last year, one theme became apparent throughout my conversations: municipalities need stronger support from the province. Many are overwhelmed by the mental health and addictions crises, with cities like Kingston, Thunder Bay, London, and Timmins all grappling with an influx of individuals arriving from surrounding regions in need of mental health and addiction support. Municipalities also require more assistance to repair and maintain infrastructure, and these costs are often downloaded onto local governments whose resources are already stretched thin. When I return to Queen’s Park this fall, I intend to hold the government accountable for providing the support municipalities urgently need.
If you want more frequent updates about provincial news, subscribe to my Weekly Wrap where I cover five of the top news stories of the week.
Local Stories
Housing
Housing starts in Ontario remain low and continue to underperform compared to all other provinces. In the first half of this year, Ontario was the only province to see a steep decline in housing starts compared to the same period last year—down 25%. While Kingston recently received $3.2 million for exceeding its 2024 housing target and is performing better than much of the province, the need for affordable housing here remains urgent. Average rents for apartments and condos are still far too high for many residents.
I’ll be calling on the government to cut development charges on smaller housing to encourage building of more dense, modest and affordable homes.
New Provincial Recycling Program
Emterra has taken over the city’s recycling operations as of July 1. While many of the issues from the start of the transition have been resolved, I am still hearing from some constituents who continue to experience repeated problems with their recycling pickup. I encourage anyone facing issues to contact Emterra directly via their customer complaint line and to copy my office in an email so I can remain informed on any ongoing issues.
One issue that has been raised is that new recycling bins can only be picked up in Napanee during restricted hours on weekdays, which is inconvenient for most. This may also pose challenges for students returning to Kingston this fall to whom many recycling bins are distributed – thousands in a typical year. I am currently asking, along with City officials, whether Emterra can offer a more accessible pickup location.
Wolfe Island Ferry
Recently, it was announced that the Wolfe Islander IV will remain out of service until October. This is for two reasons. One, the Wolfe Islander IV was already slated to remain docked for September as the new Marysville dock’s charging and auto-mooring equipment is commissioned. Secondly, since some new issues came up with the generators, MTO decided to pull it from service a few weeks early rather than returning it to service for the last part of August just to have it go out of service again. In its place, the Wolfe Island III will continue operating out of Dawson Point, with a shuttle bus connecting Dawson Point to Marysville. This will provide some more stability, in the short term, for the service, which has experienced serious disruptions this summer.
Earlier this month, I met with officials from the Ministry of Transportation to understand the factors contributing to these issues and to raise some of the most common questions I’ve heard from constituents. You can watch my full recap of that meeting on YouTube, and a brief video responding to questions about why the Wolfe Island IV can’t be docked at Dawson Point while out of service, also on YouTube.
I am also looking into why the completion, now estimated to be 2027, of Kingston’s charging infrastructure has been delayed, and whether construction can be expedited. In the meantime, I continue to meet with Wolfe Island residents and ferry passengers to assess the impact of these disruptions and to advocate for improved ferry operations or any other mitigation measures whenever possible.
WATCH: Update After MTO Meeting
WATCH: Why The IV Can't Be At Dawson's Point
In Our Community
Many constituents have been asking about the CN Rail Crossing on Bath Road near Queen Mary. Please be advised that Bath Road will be closed between Centennial Drive and Portsmouth Avenue on Tuesday, August 26, until Saturday, August 30, to allow CN Railway to complete repairs on the railroad crossing.
Labour Day
Join us this coming Monday, September 1, 2025, for our annual Labour Day Community Picnic. It's slated to be a beautiful day with lots of fun activities for kids, live music, lunch, and more. You won't want to miss it!
RSVP today if you are able to let us know that you can make it! If you have already registered, you do not need to do so again. RSVP
Teddy Bear Picnic
Boys and Girls Club Southeast hosted their annual Tamarack Teddy Bear Picnic, raising funds to support programs that provide childcare, youth mentorship, and a safe place to play and learn. Thank you to the organizers, staff, and volunteers whose efforts make this event a success year after year.
Emancipation Day
Boys and Girls Club Southeast hosted their annual Tamarack Teddy Bear Picnic, raising funds to support programs that provide childcare, youth mentorship, and a safe place to play and learn. Thank you to the organizers, staff, and volunteers whose efforts make this event a success year after year.
On August 1st, the city hosted Emancipation Day celebrations featuring music, inspiring speeches, and youth from Queen’s Black Youth in STEM club. The event honoured the struggles and achievements of Black Canadians and reaffirmed our shared commitment to eliminating racism in Kingston and beyond.
RNAO Meeting
I met with the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) for the first in a series of regular quarterly meetings we have planned. In this initial discussion, we touched on several important issues: how to make the best use of Nurse Practitioners in clinics, the salary gap between nurses working in hospitals and those in community care, and the growing paperwork burden faced by long-term care staff. Regular conversations like these will help me stay connected to the needs of nurses, and I look forward to our next meeting in a few months!
Dawn House OTF
I joined Dawn House to celebrate their Ontario Trillium Fund (OTF) grant, which will help strengthen their operations and programs so they can continue providing vital services for at-risk women and families in our community. Congratulations to Dawn House and thank you to OTF for supporting this important work.
KEDCO Summer Company
The Kingston Economic Development Corporation hosted an event for their Summer Company program, which mentors and supports youth in launching businesses and developing their entrepreneurial spirit. I had the chance to speak with these young entrepreneurs about the importance of taking risks, failing quickly when you do fail, and embracing setbacks as learning opportunities.
I met with the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) for the first in a series of regular quarterly meetings we have planned. In this initial discussion, we touched on several important issues: how to make the best use of Nurse Practitioners in clinics, the salary gap between nurses working in hospitals and those in community care, and the growing paperwork burden faced by long-term care staff.
Regular conversations like these will help me stay connected to the needs of nurses, and I look forward to our next meeting in a few months!
Pakistan Independence Day Celebrations
This year marks 78 years of Pakistan’s independence. I was honoured to celebrate Independence Day with the Pakistan Canada Association of Kingston at their flag-hoisting ceremony, where I reflected on the courage of those who immigrated to Canada to build new lives, and on the lasting contributions of Pakistani-Canadians as leaders, entrepreneurs, volunteers, and so much more.
Wolfe Island Business Meeting
I met with the owners of two Wolfe Island businesses to discuss the impact of the ongoing ferry disruptions. They described facing uncertainty, volatile customer flows, and concerns for their long-term viability if disruptions continue. I’ve heard similar concerns across the Island: families moving children to mainland schools, and homeowners struggling to sell their homes. These stories underscore the need for urgent action to restore reliable ferry service and provide the stability Wolfe Island residents and businesses depend on.