Kingston & Area Local News

🏛️ From Jailhouse to Your House? Feds Float Plan for 700 Units at Kingston Pen
🎤 He Ran Boston Dressed as Gord Downie. Most People Thought He Was a Shark.
✈️ I Chased a Little Red Biplane Across Kingston. Here's Who Was Flying It.

Community Champions

🏥 KHSC Spotlights 10 Volunteers During National Volunteer Week
🏆 UHKF Recognizes 4 Local Healthcare Champions at Annual Awards
🗺️ "No One Should Have to Build a Life Here Alone." Kingston Gets a Map for That.

New Events In and Around Kingston

🍪 Buy a Cookie, Build a Playground | All Kingston Tim Hortons | April 27–May 3
🎨 Art Talk: How to Build and Grow Your Art Business | ArtNoise | April 28
🎵 Kiwanis Music Festival Highlights Concert | Isabel Bader Centre | April 28
🧠 NeuroVibes 2026 | Queen's Biosciences Complex | April 29
🍺 Chamber on Tap | Riverhead Brewing Company | April 29
🎭 Isabel Bader Centre 2026-27 Season Launch | Isabel Bader Centre | April 29

Events Calendar

It’s gotten too long to include here in the summary! Click Events Calendar to see our list for the next few days.

Please Share Your Feedback

Here's something that'll get Kingston talking. The federal government has been quietly eyeing Kingston Penitentiary as a location for up to 700 new housing units, including high-rises overlooking Lake Ontario. That would mean tearing down the back half of the beloved national historic site, which has been pulling in tourists and film crews since it closed in 2013.

Locals aren't exactly rolling out the welcome mat. MP Mark Gerretsen called the idea "insensitive and ethically questionable," and Mayor Bryan Paterson pointed out just how much the Pen means to Kingston's tourism and film economy. Ottawa pulled the property from its land bank in fall 2025 while it explores a lease option, but is still calling it "a potential contributor to housing objectives." Oh, and there's a contamination issue to work through too. Safe to say this one has some hoops to jump through before anything happens.

Read the full story at: CBC News

Kingston firefighter Joe Reid showed up to the April 20 Boston Marathon dressed as Gord Downie: silver pants, a Jaws T-shirt, and the feathered top hat Downie wore at the Tragically Hip's final Kingston concert in 2016. He handed out high fives during the run, carried a Canadian flag, and crossed the finish line in 3:48:56.

Most of Boston had no idea who he was supposed to be. Because of the Jaws shirt, people assumed he was dressed as the movie. Reid estimates only about 10 people in the entire crowd made the connection, and suspects they all had Canadian roots. He first wore the costume at the 2017 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, days after Downie's death, raising money for the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund. In Boston, the goal was simpler: pure joy.

Read the full story at: CBC News | Kingstonist

I was driving away from LeMoine Point after a walk when a small red biplane swooped low toward the airport. Nobody on Reddit's r/kingstonontario knew what it was, so I drove over and found it in a hangar.

The pilot was Todd Farrell, one of three veteran Royal Canadian Air Force pilots who make up the Northern Stars Aeroteam — a precision aerobatic team that flies Pitts Special biplanes at airshows across Canada and the US. Todd's personal story alone is worth a Google. He mentioned they wouldn't be flying again for about a week. I emailed to find out what brought them to Kingston and will share more when I hear back.

Read more about the team at: northernstarsaeroteam.com

Kingston Health Sciences Centre used National Volunteer Week (April 19-25) to spotlight 10 volunteers from across its sites — each with a different role and a different story. This year's group: Marie MacGregor, Adil Mohammed, Aisylu Shigapova, Robert Thompson, Devendra Kumar Tungariya, Jeff Willis, Pranay Soma, Elizabeth Skapinker, Sneha Baruah, and Bryant Han. Click through to read what brought each of them to KHSC and what keeps them coming back.

Read the full story at: KHSC

The University Hospitals Kingston Foundation held its annual volunteer awards on April 22 at the Cataraqui Golf & Country Club. Sam Davies took home the Ian Wilson Award for his fundraising leadership, and Adrian Brookes received the Sister Dorothy Fournier Award for Volunteerism. The Davies Award for Philanthropic Leadership went jointly to the Carman family — founders of Mending Hearts with Declyn, who turned the loss of their infant son into a lemonade stand initiative that has raised nearly $24,000 for Pediatric Cardiology at KHSC — and to the John M. and Bernice Parrott Foundation, whose $500,000 gift helped bring a second surgical robot to KHSC.

Read the full story at: UHKF

Awesome Kingston just awarded its April 2026 $1,000 microgrant to Petal N Dust for a project called The Belong Map: a digital resource designed to help newcomers find their footing in Kingston. Think recommendations for low-cost spaces, alcohol-free hangout spots, pop-up booths, and community experiences built around a simple premise — settling into a new city shouldn't be a solo act. Co-created by Phung Ta and Suri Ho, The Belong Map is the kind of project that makes you want to share it the moment you hear about it.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist

Smile Cookie week is back, and this year every cookie sold at Kingston Tim Hortons locations puts money directly toward the Jumpstart Inclusive Playground at Shannon Park. We're talking 100% of proceeds going to a $1.5M play space designed to welcome kids of all abilities, with ramped structures, rubber safety surfacing, and sensory-friendly elements. Construction is already underway and the project is 92% funded. Crossing the finish line never tasted so good.

Read the full story at: City of Kingston

ArtNoise is hosting the next installment of its Art Talk series on Tuesday evening, featuring Colin Morris of Kingston Frameworks. The topic is how to build and grow your art business, which should make for a pretty compelling hour for anyone navigating that path.

The event runs 7:30 to 8:30 PM and includes a half-hour talk, time for Q&A, and then open conversation with snacks and drinks. Spots are limited, so register in advance.

Register at: ArtNoise

The 53rd annual Kingston Kiwanis Music Festival wraps its season with the Highlights Concert at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. Doors open at 6:30pm for a 7pm show featuring the best choirs, ensembles, and soloists from across the festival. Free admission, donations welcome. A wonderful way to spend a Tuesday evening and a chance to see some of the region's top young performers take the stage.

Read the full story at: KKMF

Now in its third year, NeuroVibes is a community event celebrating neurodiversity through talks, creativity, and connection. Expect inspiring speakers, interactive spaces, and a chance to meet community partners and vendors, all in an environment designed with different sensory needs in mind.

Doors open at 4:00 PM at the Queen's Biosciences Complex (116 Barrie Street), with the main program running 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Registration is free and open now.

Register at: Eventbrite

The Kingston Chamber of Commerce brings its after-hours networking event to Riverhead Brewing Company (631 Fortune Cres, Unit 10). Grab a mug and mix and mingle with fellow business owners and professionals from 5 to 7pm. A relaxed way to grow your network over a local pint.

Register at: Kingston Chamber

The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts pulls back the curtain on its 2026-27 season this Wednesday. Join them for refreshments and a special presentation unveiling the artists and performances coming to Kingston next year. If you love live music, theatre, or dance, this is the room to be in.

More info: Isabel Bader Centre

🌿 City Nature Challenge | Kingston | April 24–27

🎷 Jazz Month | Various Kingston Venues | Throughout April

🍪 Smile Cookie Campaign | All Kingston Tim Hortons | April 27–May 3

🎵 Kiwanis Music Festival Highlights Concert | Isabel Bader Centre | Tuesday, April 28

🎨 Art Talk: How to Build and Grow Your Art Business | ArtNoise | Monday, April 28

🍺 Chamber on Tap | Riverhead Brewing Company | Wednesday, April 29

🧠 NeuroVibes 2026 | Queen's Biosciences Complex | Wednesday, April 29

🎭 Isabel Bader Centre Season Launch | Isabel Bader Centre | Wednesday, April 29

🎭 The Comedy of Errors | Domino Theatre | April 23–May 9

🥑 Guac for Griff | Lone Star Kingston | Until May 10

🏛️ History Exposed: Enslavement of Black People in Canada | Kingston City Hall | Until May 22

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