Visioning – KP and POH

Members of the public will be helping to develop concepts for the future of the Kingston Penitentiary and Portsmouth Olympic Harbour sites today and tomorrow.

Two sessions where people will be asked to come up with designs will be led by a member of the consulting team at the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour today.

Tomorrow – people who have registered to take part in focus groups will also be talking about the future of the waterfront properties.  A public open house will take place tomorrow evening to review concepts generated at these sessions.

The city’s website has details and extensive background information.

Dog Sniffs Out Drugs

The Canada Border Service Agency says it has Shaggy the dog to thank for sniffing out almost 100 kilos of cocaine in the trailer of a commercial vehicle at the Thousand Islands Bridge border crossing.

The dog found 98.8 kilograms of cocaine packed in four duffel bags hidden in the trailer.

The agency says it’s the second-largest seizure in the history of the Thousand Islands border crossing. The driver is from Laval, Quebec and is in R-C-M-P custody in Kingston.

Millhaven – Drug Seizure

There’s been a major seizure of drugs at the maximum security Millhaven Institution.

A package containing 54 grams of hashish and 484 grams of tobacco was discovered at the institution on the morning of September 13th.   A news release says the stuff would have been worth almost $54,000 in the institution.

Queen’s – Funding

Queen’s University will be spending over 87 million dollars on two major projects and $36.6 million is coming from the federal and Ontario governments.

Kingston and the Islands MP Mark Gerretsen and MPP Sophie Kiwala joined Principal Daniel Woolf yesterday to announce the federal government is providing 31.7 million dollars and the Ontario government is kicking in $4.9 million to revitalize Botterell Hall and build a new Innovation and Wellness Centre.

Gerretsen and Kiwala have scheduled an infrastructure funding announcement tomorrow for St. Lawrence College.

Homelessness Funding

The Ontario government is giving the city of Kingston $8.3 million dollars over two years to fund its homelessness strategy.

MPP Sophie Kiwala announced the funding yesterday at Home Base Housing’s In From the Cold.

The money will be used to support programs operated by six agencies partnered with the city’s housing and social services department.

Cash Register – Theft

Thieves who broke into an A&W restaurant in Kingston on the weekend left behind some evidence at the crime scene — a used coffee cup and a glove.  Investigators say the items have been sent for forensic analysis and they also have video surveillance that shows two men breaking in, taking the cash register and then fleeing on bicycles.  Kingston Police say a 34 year old and 40 year old were arrested at motel on Princess Street and have been charged with break and enter, theft and possession of stolen property.

Human Trafficking

A 29 year old man from the Belleville area has been handed a ten-month jail sentence after pleading guilty to human trafficking offences in Kingston, Belleville and Central Hastings.

Travis Althouse of Cordova Mines was also given a 10-year weapons prohibition for attempting to procure a person to become a prostitute and living on the avails of prostitution.

30 year old Matthew Cole of Belleville is still before the courts on the same charges after being arrested in January.

Special Olympics Donation

The Kingston chapter of the Special Olympics has received a donation of $30,000.

The cheque was presented yesterday by Kingston Police.

The money came from donations, a motorcycle raffle and sponsors of the Great Lakes Motorcycle Training Seminar hosted by Kingston Police in August as part of its 175th anniversary celebrations.

Filed under: A&W, Cash Register, Daniel Woolf, Drug Seizure, Drug Sniffing Dog, Duffel Bags, Homelessness Funding, Human Trafficking, KP, Mark Gerretsen, Millhaven, POH, Queen's Funding, Sophie Kiwala, Special Olympics Donation, Theft, Visioning