Cover

🌌 Kingston From Fort Henry West Branch Ditch

Local Spotlight

🔦 Several amazing local spotlight articles are coming up soon !

Kingston & Area Local News

❄️ Free Portable AC Units for Low-Income Kingston Seniors, Apply by June 10
🚀 Kingston Named Canada's #1 Small City for Startups, 7th Year Running

Community Champions

🏛️ Sisters of Providence Gift Providence Manor for "Providence Commons" Housing
🏃 Queen's and KHSC Study: Exercise Is a Cancer Treatment That Also Cuts Costs
🍽️ Lunch by George Finds a New Home at St. Lawrence College

New Events In and Around Kingston

🍓 Market Season Is in Full Swing Across the Region
🌍 9th Annual Diversity Dinner | BGC South East | June 13
🇵🇭 Mabuhay Festival Kingston | Confederation Park | June 14
⛳ Sandra Davison Memorial Golf Classic | Loyalist Golf & Country Club, Bath | June 19
🚤 Free Lockage on the Rideau Canal All Summer, Starting June 19
🛠️ Makers at the Mill | Babcock Mill, Odessa | Sundays Through Oct 18

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

🎨📸 Are you a local artist or photographer? We'd love to feature your work!

If you've captured Kingston and the surrounding area through your lens or your brushstrokes, we want to hear from you. We're especially looking for seasonal work that shows off the beauty and scenes of our corner of Ontario.

Drop a line at [email protected] with a sample of what you think would be a great fit and a bit about yourself (note: the crops will somehow need to work well at both 1200×630 and 9:16)

If you know a Kingston senior who could use a hand staying cool this summer, the clock is ticking. The City of Kingston's new Residential Air Conditioner Assistance Program is a pilot handing out free portable AC units to low-income residents aged 65 and over who live in multi-residential buildings, to keep folks with health needs safe from extreme indoor heat. Applications close Wednesday, June 10 at 4 pm. Apply online at mykingston.ca or drop off a paper form at Artillery Park Aquatic Centre, the INVISTA Centre, Kingston East Community Centre, or Rideau Heights Community Centre. Units are limited, so eligible applicants go into a random draw, with recipients notified the week of June 15. Kingston residents only, with eligibility based on the Statistics Canada after-tax Low-Income Measure plus 15 percent.

Read the full story at: City of Kingston

Add another trophy to the shelf. StartupBlink's Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026 has named Kingston the top small city in Canada for startups for the seventh straight year, and this time we are also the country's fastest-growing ecosystem, with 19.1 percent growth, the highest among Canada's top 10 startup cities. Kingston climbed three spots to 175th worldwide and ranked fifth globally among small cities for cleantech. Mayor Bryan Paterson said the result shows innovation can thrive outside the biggest urban centres, and Kingston Economic Development CEO Donna Gillespie credited years of investment in talent, infrastructure, and commercialization. Not bad for a city this size.

Read the full story at: Kingston Daily

Here is a gift with deep Kingston roots. The Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul are giving the historic Providence Manor building at 275 Sydenham St, the long-term care home they founded as the House of Providence back in 1871, to Providence Care. It will become Providence Commons, a mixed-use development with market, affordable, and supportive housing plus community space, with a focus on women and women-led families. The home's 243 long-term care beds move to 320 new beds at Providence Village on Princess St, expected in late 2027, so nothing changes at the building until then. Vice-president Krista Wells Pearce says the Sisters have entrusted the team with their legacy once again, and a group called the Friends of Providence Commons is guiding the vision. As Corporation Board Chair Sister Sandra Shannon put it, the transfer ensures that the founders' belief that every person deserves dignity, respect, and a place to belong carries on.

Read the full story at: Kingston Whig-Standard

A world-leading piece of Kingston research just got even better news. New economic findings from the Kingston-led CHALLENGE colon cancer trial, presented at the ASCO annual meeting and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, show that a structured three-year exercise program both improves survival and saves the health system money. The program runs about $3,000 per patient over three years, next to the $200,000-plus a year that many cancer drugs cost. The trial was led by Dr. Christopher Booth of Queen's University and Kingston Health Sciences Centre, with KHSC among the top patient-enrolling hospitals in the world. As Dr. Booth put it, it is one of the very rare interventions that improves survival and reduces spending at the same time. Local participant Terri Swain-Collins says the personalized routine was beneficial, cost-effective, and simple to follow.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist

One of Kingston's longest-running meal programs has found a new kitchen, and a way to keep going. Lunch by George, run by Outreach St. George's Kingston, has operated out of St. George's Cathedral since 1985, but the program outgrew the space and the church did not renew its licensing agreement last November. With help from the City of Kingston, the team has partnered with St. Lawrence College to use one of the commercial kitchens at its main campus. Chief administrator Tom Ivison says the new kitchen has ample room to prepare meals for people in need. The one piece still being sorted out is where the food will be handed out, with a distribution site under consideration and details to be announced once confirmed.

Read the full story at: Kingston Daily

Local Food Week wrapped up June 7, but market season is just hitting its stride. Right here in town, the Kingston Public Market, the oldest and longest-running public market in Ontario, sets up Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at Springer Market Square downtown, and the Memorial Centre Farmers' Market runs Sundays at 303 York St. Beyond the city, the Gananoque Farmers' Market just opened for the season at Town Hall Square with live entertainment each week, the Perth Farmers' Market runs Saturdays through Thanksgiving, the Three Sisters Market in Portland runs Saturday mornings, and the Crosby Flea Market is open Saturdays with Mensen Farm bringing asparagus, rhubarb, and maple syrup. The Westport Market reopens for its full season July 4. Bring a tote and an appetite.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist

The 9th Annual Diversity Dinner, hosted by the Canadian Colours Kingston Foundation with BGC South East, brings 300-plus guests together on Saturday, June 13 under this year's theme, "Inclusive Spaces, Make Great Places." The evening celebrates the people, organizations, and businesses making Kingston and the region more welcoming. All proceeds support BGC South East's Reg Shadbolt May Campaign, helping 650 children get to summer camp. To get involved, you can reach Kirk at [email protected].

The first-ever Mabuhay Festival Kingston brings a full day of Filipino-Canadian culture, food, music, and community to Confederation Park on Sunday, June 14. Held for Filipino Heritage Month, just after Philippine Independence Day on June 12, and organized by Mabuhay Fil-Can Inc., the day doubles as a fundraiser, with proceeds supporting Kingston Interval House, Feed the People, Kingston Youth Shelter, and Threads of Hope. A warm welcome to a brand new Kingston tradition. Full details at mabuhayfilcan.ca.

The Limestone Learning Foundation's Sandra Davison Memorial Golf Classic tees off Friday, June 19 at the Loyalist Golf and Country Club in Bath. The golf teams are already full, but there is still a way to pitch in: an online auction open to everyone runs until 7 pm on event day, and sponsorships are available too. Proceeds enrich learning opportunities for Limestone District School Board students across Kingston, Napanee, and Frontenac. You can watch the Your Local Show interview for the full rundown.

Boaters, mark the date. The Rideau Canal is open for the 2026 season, and starting Friday, June 19, Parks Canada's Canada Strong program makes lockage free, with 25 percent off camping and roofed accommodations, right through September 7. The popular free Lock & Paddle mass paddling event returns August 15. A pretty good summer to be on the water.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist

The Makers at the Mill summer market is back at the historic Babcock Mill in Odessa, running Sundays through October 18. Expect 20-plus local vendors, live music, family activities, mill tours during market hours, and a new weekly kids' craft club for $3. Organizer Jennifer Collins has a Father's Day event planned for June, so the Sunday the 14th is a good one to circle. Read the full story at: Kingston Daily.

🌍 9th Annual Diversity Dinner  |  BGC South East  |  June 13

🏳️‍🌈 Kingston Pride Parade  |  Memorial Centre to Confederation Park  |  June 13

🌻 Lviv, Ukraine Folklore Festival  |  Regiopolis Notre Dame High School  |  June 13–14

🇵🇭 Mabuhay Festival Kingston  |  Confederation Park, 209 Ontario St  |  June 14

🛠️ Makers at the Mill Father’s Day  |  Babcock Mill, Odessa  |  June 14

⛳ Sandra Davison Memorial Golf Classic  |  Loyalist Golf & Country Club, Bath  |  June 19

🚤 Rideau Canal Free Lockage Begins  |  Rideau Canal  |  June 19 (through Sept 7)

🎸 Skeleton Park Arts Festival  |  McBurney Park  |  June 19–21

🏞️ South Frontenac Lakes & Trails Festival  |  McMullen Park Beach, Verona  |  June 20

🕊️ Walter Fenlon Public Celebration of Life  |  Grand Theatre  |  June 20

🛍️ Princess Street Promenade  |  Princess Street, Downtown Kingston  |  June 20

🎬 Movies in the Square (Season 19)  |  Springer Market Square  |  June 25–Aug 27

🎨 ArtFest Kingston  |  City Park  |  June 26–28

🎸 Line Spike Frontenac  |  Natural amphitheatre, Harrowsmith  |  June 27–28

🐾 Puppies + Jazz  |  The Caesar Company  |  June 28

🥖 Westport Market (Season Reopens)  |  38 Concession St, Westport  |  July 4

🥩 Schnitzel Fundraiser Dinner  |  Golden Links Hall, Harrowsmith  |  July 18

🛍️ Princess Street Promenade  |  Princess Street, Downtown Kingston  |  August 1

🛶 Rideau Canal Lock & Paddle  |  Rideau Canal  |  August 15

Ongoing Events

🎭 Very Heaven  |  Domino Theatre, 52 Church St  |  through June 20

🚢 S.S. Keewatin Tours  |  Great Lakes Museum  |  Season open

Ongoing Markets

🥕 Kingston Public Market  |  Springer Market Square, downtown  |  Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays

🥬 Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market  |  303 York St  |  Sundays

🎪 Gananoque Farmers’ Market  |  Town Hall Square, 30 King St E  |  Thursdays

🧺 Perth Farmers’ Market  |  Tay Basin / Crystal Palace, Perth  |  Saturdays (through Thanksgiving)

🌽 Three Sisters Market  |  Emmanuel Heritage Centre, Portland  |  Saturdays

🍯 Crosby Flea Market  |  Crosby  |  Saturdays

🛠️ Makers at the Mill  |  Babcock Mill, Odessa  |  Sundays (through Oct 18)

🪶 Katarokwi Indigenous Market  |  Springer Market Square  |  Monthly Sundays (June–Sept)

BTW, if you don’t want to receive this anymore, please help all the subscribers by just using the Unsubscribe link at the bottom instead of marking this as SPAM… remember, you did subscribe ;-)

All feedback and suggestions are appreciated!

Too long? Too short? About right?
What would you like to see more of, and less of?

Email Les at [email protected]

Do you have a favourite local business, community champion or organization that deserves a moment in the spotlight? (You can nominate yourself too!)

Help us celebrate the people who make the Kingston area shine. Tell us who they are and why they’re great—or give us the "inside scoop" on your own mission or business!

I find way more "local gold" every week than I can actually fit in this newsletter without turning it into a novel! If you want the daily updates, extra tips, and the cool stuff that didn't make the cut, come hang out with us on our social channels.

👉 Follow us at:
Facebook @KingstonSpotlight
Instagram @KingstonSpotlight
YouTube @TheKingstonSpotlight
TikTok @kingstonspotlight
X @kingstonspotlig

Do your friends and circle a solid and forward this their way. You’ll be the hero of the group chat, and they’ll have a good reason to put down the remote.

👉 Spread the love: https://kingstonspotlight.ca