Tell Me More: the City of Kingston Podcast

It’s no secret that Kingston is steeped in history. Just visit any of the 24 museums and historic sites in the community, including two City-owned museums, and you’ll get a sense of how deep our respect for and commitment to the preservation of heritage is. But who takes care of all the stories our city tells? In this episode we sit down with Melanie Banks, manager of Heritage Programming, to talk about her team’s role in maintaining the City of Kingston’s historical artifact collection and public art pieces, as well as the programs and exhibits coming to Kingston in 2024. Get excited about the future of history! Want to learn more? Visit the History page on our website.

On our first episode of 2024, we meet with Committee Clerks, Iain Sullivan and Christine O'Connor. Their job is to help provide residents with the chance to directly advise City Council and make a difference in our community. Sit back and relax as we tell you more about Advisory Committees. Want to learn even more about The City of Kingston's committees and boards? Visit our Committees & Boards page.

Have an idea for our next episode? Email us at Podcasts@CityofKingston.ca

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music.

Innovation requires collaboration, ideation, implementation and value creation – how you do that though, well that’s the challenge. What is the Mayor's Innovation Challenge? Why should I participate? Will the construction work taking place outside our podcast studio ruin the season finale? These questions - and more - will be answered. Joining us for the occasion is Amber Bryant-Peller who works on Special Projects for the Strategy, Innovation & Partnerships Office.

Interested? Learn more about the Mayor's Innovation Challenge and how to participate on our about page.

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music.

Starting in 2025, Kingston will begin transitioning garbage and green bins to an automated cart system. Between now and then there is a lot of work that has to happen. This month Adam Mueller joins us to chat about this switch, why now and how province-wide changes to recycling collection may impact Kingston.

Want to stay up-to-date on the waste cart rollout? Sign up for updates at Get Involved Kingston

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music.

Applying the academic with the Queen’s University PhD Community Initiative. It matches students pursuing advanced degrees and Kingston organizations who need an academic edge. It’s a program that the City of Kingston has benefited from, by leaning on the research skills in the Queen’s community.

In this episode of Tell Me More, Craig Desjardins, Director of Strategy, Innovation and Partnerships at the City of Kingston, joins us to talk about the Queen’s University Community PhD Initiative and how the City and community have benefitted from this program.

Looking to learn more? Check out this miniseries podcast produced by students in the Initiative. They speak with Civic and University leaders about the Sustainable Development Goals.

Find out more about the Queen’s University PhD Community Initiative.

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music.

Public engagement is more than a survey. It’s a promise and a commitment to use public feedback to constructively improve things. It’s not always an easy process and it frequently brings together divergent opinions, beliefs and visions. 

This month on Tell Me More, the City of Kingston podcast, Jen Pinarski, Manager of Communications and Public Engagement at the City of Kingston joins us to talk about the review of the City’s public engagement process, which is currently underway. Learn about how the City is using your feedback to improve how we conduct public engagement across the entire organization.

Visit Get Involved Kingston, the City's online engagement hub.

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music.

What kind of place will Kingston be in 2026? That’s the question City Council wrestled with in drafting their strategic plan. This key document lays out the City’s goals and priorities for the next four years.

Mayor Bryan Paterson joins us once again to share insights on the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. We delve into the plan’s main pillars: including Supporting House Affordability, Leading Environmental Stewardship, Building an Active and Connected Community, Fostering a Caring and Inclusive Community, and Driving Economic Growth.

Learn more about the Council Strategic Priorities 2023-2026 and Implementation Plan.

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music.

Need to cool down this summer? Let us walk you through one of the City’s best summertime destinations, the Culligan Water Park. Darek Osostowicz, the City’s Aquatics Supervisor, tells us more about the park as his team prepares to open the park for weekends starting on June 3 and then daily for the rest of the summer starting June 19.

Want to find information about the Culligan Water Park? Visit our website: Culligan Water Park - City of Kingston

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music.

Trees. They shade us, they clean the air, they provide food and they look pretty. For as long as there have been humans we have been writing poetry, stories, myths and more all centred on trees. In the era of a changing climate, trees have taken on new importance as an easy way to absorb greenhouse gases and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Kingston has a department within our Public Works focused on trees and in this episode, Marty Mayberry joins us to tell us more about what forestry does and how the city is working to expand the tree canopy.

Want to see more? Check out the city’s tree canopy, open the map viewer and search for the “Trees” layer, it will show you the location of every tree catalogued in the city: 

The City’s Neighbourhood Tree Planting Program returns this July.

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music.

This year we’re embarking on the task of building a brand new CityOfKingston.ca. Not just a fresh coat of paint, but levelling it and rebuilding from the ground up. It’s been a decade since the City last undertook this work on our most significant community-facing communications tool.

Scott Tulk, Manager of Digital Transformation Architecture and Planning, is at the mic to talk about what’s changed in ten years (a lot!), what a website redesign at this scale involves, and how we’re centring the user experience.

If you have any ideas for future Tell Me More episodes, please reach out to podcasts@cityofkinsgton.ca and let us know!

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music.

It takes a community to meaningfully address the climate crisis. That’s the idea behind the Kingston Community Climate Action Fund and Neighbourhood Champions programs. Two initiatives intended to support and empower community members as we all work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In this episode, Julie Salter-Keane, manager of the Climate Leadership Division, tells us more about these programs, how they support a low-carbon future for Kingston, how the city is supporting this work and how you can contribute.

• Donate to Kingston Community Climate Action Fund
• Learn more about Kingston Community Climate Action Fund
• Learn more about the City’s Climate Leadership Plan

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music.

Every year the City of Kingston’s Public Works Department prepares for whatever winter has in store. Whether it’s snow or ice, crews are ready to tackle the challenges of each winter. Join us for a discussion with Adam McDonald, Operations Manager as he tells us more about what goes into preparing for the winter season, how we tackle the roadways and sidewalks after a storm and what the community can do to help.

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music.

Working in long-term care takes a special type of person. Dedication, teamwork and compassion are just a few of the skills required in this dynamic role. In our penultimate season two episode we chat with Casie Keyes, Administrator at Rideacrest Long Term Care Home about what it takes to run a long-term care home successfully and how they have navigated the challenges of an ongoing pandemic.

Interested in working for Rideaucrest? We’re hiring! Find job postings at cityofkingston.ca/careers or contact Maeve Larkin, Recruitment and Selection Advisor at mlarkin@cityofkingston.ca.

Interested in volunteering at Rideaucrest? Contact Patricia McDonald, Supervisor of Resident Programs and Services at pmcdonald@cityofkingston.ca for more details.

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music. 

Whether you’re an established business owner looking to expand, or a dreamer with the next big idea looking to get started, the City of Kingston’s Business Support Office is here to help. Join Mark Nardi, Business Support Analyst, for a chat about this exciting new support offered by the City of Kingston.

Looking to learn more or connect with the Business Support Office?

Join us for an online engagement session and ask questions of the Business Support Office. This event will take place Nov. 23 at 6 p.m. on Zoom. Register today.

Contact us with your questions:

• BusinessSupport@CityofKingston.ca
• 613-546-4291 ext. 3000
• CityofKingston.ca/BusinessSupport

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music. 

It takes a village to keep children safe on their way to school with many community members and partners doing their part. This includes the City of Kingston, schools, bus companies, police, parents and drivers.

But what specifically is the City’s role in school safety? In this episode of Tell Me More, we dive deep into the City of Kingston’s school safety initiatives. From crossing guards to community safety zones and all points in between.

To learn more about some of the programs talked about in this episode please check out these links:

• Community Safety Zones
• City of Kingston School Crossing Guard Program

The School Streets program is operated by Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation, for more information please email: schoolstreetygk@gmail.com

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music. 

Tune in to this special episode to learn all you need to know about getting out and voting! Join Acting Deputy Clerk Derek Ochej as he tells us more about where and how you can vote, new online voting options, and how you can make your voting experience as seamless as possible.

2022 Municipal Elections:

CityofKingston.ca/Vote

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music. 

On any given day the City receives hundreds of inquiries from community members. Through the MyCity App, email and the phone, the questions come in rapid fire. On the receiving end of those inquiries is the City’s Customer Experience Department, a dedicated team that ensures your question or concern gets to the right people. Join us as we take a peek behind the curtain at how the City strives for customer service excellence.

Get Involved!

https://getinvolved.cityofkingston.ca

Opening Track:

Tell Me Twice by the Meringues - courtesy of the Meringues. themeringues.com

Find our closing track on YGK Music.