Rolling Blockade

The OPP was advising drivers about a rolling blockade on the 401 westbound this morning.

A group of vehicles was travelling slowly and blocking all westbound lanes of the highway.  The protest started in the Prescott area this morning and was passing through the Mallorytown area at 7:30 a.m.  It is expected to travel through Kingston to the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

It is a protest in solidarity with Indigenous anti-pipeline demonstrators in British Columbia.

 

Highway 7

Highway 7 in Sharbot Lake is closed this morning after a pedestrian was struck by a transport truck.

Frontenac OPP is investigating.

Police say a man was hit by the transport around 5:45 this morning and an adult male was taken to hospital.  His conditions is not known.

 

Weather – Flooding

School buses were running in Kingston this morning, but Tri-Board Student Transportation cancelled all school bus runs in Central and North Frontenac, North Lennox and Addington, Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, Belleville and Quinte West.

It says the cancellations were due to freezing rain.

 

Weather – Flooding

You may have seen some of the warnings about a dangerous ice storm and significant flooding because of a winter storm…but Kingston may escape the worst of it.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement saying 25 to 50 mm of rain is possible with the majority of the rainfall on Saturday.  The forecast for Kingston calls for 25 mm of rain tomorrow.

The Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority says widespread flooding is not expected but there could be flooding in low lying areas.

 

Queen’s – Ukrainian Airlines Crash – Trudeau

Queen’s University Principal Patrick Deane has confirmed there was a Queen’s student aboard the Ukrainian Airlines plan that crash in Tehran.  Deane had announced on Wednesday no Queen’s students were on the plane.

Amir Moradi was the flight that crashed on Wednesday morning.  Moradi was a third year Arts and Science student.

A vigil is being held for him this evening in the McLaughlin Room of the John Deutsch University Centre.

 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says available intelligence suggests that the was taken down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. Trudeau says there must be a credible investigation, because the families of the 63 Canadians who died deserve closure, transparency, accountability and justice.

 

Fire – Division Street

Kingston Police are investigating a fire that destroyed a vacant residential building on Division Street.

Kingston Fire and Rescue found the building engulfed in flames when they arrived on the scene around 2:15 yesterday morning.

The fire was extinguished around noon yesterday and heavy equipment was brought in to level what was left of the structure.

There were no injuries.

Damage is estimated at $175,000.

Division Street re-opened to traffic around 12:30 in the afternoon.

Anyone with information about the fire is being asked to contact Kingston Police.

 

Weapons – Arrest

Prince Edward County OPP have seized semi-automatic weapons after executing a search warrant at a residence on County Road 11.

Two semi-automatic rifles, a double break action shot gun and assorted ammunition were seized at the home around 2pm yesterday.

39-year-old Sean Brough has been charged with unauthorized possession of prohibited weapons and careless storage of the firearms.

 

Sports Tourism

Sports Tourism in Kingston gets a boost this weekend with the 2020 Taylor Hall Cup Classic.

The Greater Kingston Jr. Gaels are hosting the triple A minor hockey tournament this weekend.

37 teams in four divisions named will take part in group preliminary round-robin play, with four teams from each division making Sunday’s playoff rounds.

The games are being played at the Invista Centre in Kingston and the Strathcona Paper Centre in Napanee.

 

Survey – House Prices

Survey says…the price of homes in Kingston continued to rise during the last three months of 2019.

The latest Royal LePage House Price survey says the price in the fourth quarter of 2019 increased by 2.1 per cent to just over $392,000.

Area manager Bob Armer says there is a shortage of homes on the market and that has led to multiple offers and listings selling in a matter of days.  Armer says there is also a continued migration from the Greater Toronto Area as buyers seek affordable homes

The median price of a two-story home in Kingston increased by 6.1 percent to $420,444 and the median price of a bungalow rose 1.5 per cent to $376,871.