Ontario Budget

A new ferry for Amherst Island, free college and university tuition for students and higher prices for vices all highlight the Ontario Budget.

The budget announced late yesterday afternoon includes a pledge of $20 million to purchase a new ferry to serve Amherst Island by as early as 2018.

Good news for Kingston’s hospital.  Hospitals will get their first funding increase in five years.

The Ontario Student Grant will pay for college or university tuition for students whose family incomes are 50-thousand dollars or less.

The cost of wine will increase by about 10 cents a bottle in June and the cost of a carton of cigarettes went up by $3 at midnight.

The big hit for consumers will be a 4.3 cent a litre increase in the cost of gasoline and an increase of about five dollars a month to natural gas bills – all part of the provinces cap and trade plan to reduce greenhouse gases.  Those increases kick in starting next year.

Arrests – Warrants

Kingston Police have arrested two of the four people they were looking for after two separate home break-ins and robberies that included assaults earlier this month.

34 year old Tara Scott had already been arrested.

Police have now arrested 35 year old Calder Smith and 27 year old Lisa Judge.

Arrest warrants are still outstanding for 29 year old Adam Young and 30 year old Ashley Litchfield.

Naked in Swamp

A bizarre incident in Westbrook.

Firefighters and police rescued a naked man from a marshy area yesterday.

They were called to the area off Kananaskis Drive around one yesterday afternoon.

The man was in about a meter of water.

He was taken to hospital by paramedics for treatment of possible hypothermia.

Police believe he was either under the influence of drugs or suffering from mental health problems.

Film Festival

The 2016 Kingston Canadian Film Festival kicked off last night.

It runs through the weekend.

It not only features Canadian film…there are workshops and panel discussions featuring approximately 75 industry guests.

The festival includes several Kingston films.

A documentary on residential schools produced by John Sanfilippo of Tyton Sound premiers tomorrow at Kingston City Hall.

“Wawahte” is based on the book of the same title by Robert P. Wells.

Kingston comedian Dave Hudson has a short film called, Do the Right Thing Sesame Street”, that’s being shown tomorrow and Sunday at the Screening Room.