🔦 In This Issue of Kingston Spotlight

🛑 Kingston Council Moving to Approve New Three- and Four-Way Intersections
⚽ Kingston Sentinels Play Their First-Ever Home Game This Saturday
✈️ Kingston's Direct Luxury Coach to Toronto Pearson Is Already Adding More Trips
🚆 Citizens Coalition Pitches Alternative to Alto High-Speed Rail

🤿 Neptune & Salacia Diving Pull 914 Pounds of Debris from Portsmouth Olympic Harbour
🚴 Two Queen's Students Cycling 1,300km for Kingston's Homeless
🎸 Kingston's Air Guitar Battle Sends a Performer to Nationals

🧙 The Hobbit: A Children's Opera | The Spire | April 23–26
🎭 The Comedy of Errors | Domino Theatre | April 23–May 9
🌿 City Nature Challenge | Kingston | April 24–27
🏃 Limestone Race Weekend | Kingston Pen + Confederation Park | April 25–26
🏓 World Pickleball Tour Ontario Open | Cataraqui Centre | April 25–26

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

📰 Kingston & Area Local News

🛑 Kingston Is Looking at New Three- and Four-Way Intersections

Photo by Elliot Ferguson @ The Kingston Whig-Standard, showing one of the intersections that might get new all-way stop signs.

Kingston City Council has directed staff to look at adding new three- and four-way stops at several locations across the city, with road safety as the driving motivation. The move responds to concerns at intersections that have seen too many close calls, and the review will identify which spots make the most sense for new traffic controls. No final decisions have been made yet, but the process is now officially underway. We'll be watching for which intersections land on the list.

Read the full story at: The Kingston Whig-Standard (may be paywalled)

⚽ Kingston Sentinels Play Their First-Ever Home Game This Saturday

Kingston's brand-new professional soccer club is finally taking the field at home. The Kingston Sentinels play their first-ever home double header on Saturday, April 25, at CaraCo Field at the INVISTA Centre. The women take on Whitby FC at 4 PM, followed by the men's match against International FC. The Sentinels joined League1 Ontario for the 2026 season and are building toward a Canadian Premier League franchise targeted for 2027. Come out Saturday and be part of something from the very beginning.

Details at: Visit Kingston

✈️ Kingston's Direct Luxury Coach to Toronto Pearson Is Already Adding More Trips

The Air Canada-Landline luxury motorcoach service connecting Kingston directly to Toronto Pearson just got more frequent. Air Canada and The Landline Company are adding two daily round trips on the Kingston route starting May 1. Each coach runs 36 spacious leather seats in a two-by-one configuration, free Wi-Fi, power at every seat, overhead storage, and through-checked baggage, so you arrive at the airport without a second thought about your bag. You also earn Aeroplan points and get the same disruption protection as connecting air passengers. The expansion is a pretty clear signal this service is working.

Read more at: City of Kingston

🚆 Citizens Coalition Pitches Alternative to Alto High-Speed Rail

Another great photo by Elliot Ferguson @ The Kingston Whig-Standard

The debate over high-speed rail in the Toronto-Kingston-Montreal corridor has a new proposal on the table. A local citizens' coalition called the Coalition for Better Rail is pitching an alternative to the provincial Alto project, arguing that dedicated passenger rail tracks could be built alongside the existing Via Rail corridor, allowing trains to travel up to 200 km/h — without the massive property expropriations and costs that the Alto plan would require.

The coalition was co-founded by Andrew Hyett, a geotechnical expert and former adjunct professor in Mining Engineering at Queen's University, who started by researching the environmental impact of Alto and ended up questioning the whole approach.

Alto's current plan would require building a separate high-speed rail line largely parallel to Highway 401, with significant disruption to communities along the route. The coalition argues the existing corridor offers a smarter, less disruptive path to faster passenger rail. It's a serious technical alternative, not just a protest, and worth a closer look.

Read the full story at: The Kingston Whig-Standard (may be paywalled)

🏆 Community Champions

🤿 Neptune & Salacia Diving Pull 914 Pounds of Debris from Portsmouth Olympic Harbour

From Neptune and Salacia Diving Facebook page

The crew at Neptune & Salacia Diving got into the water at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour for their annual cleanup last weekend, and what they found down there was equal parts impressive and sobering. Twelve divers and ten shore support volunteers hauled out 914 pounds of debris from the marina, from the expected tangle of lost lines and fishing gear to bigger items that had no business being at the bottom of the harbour. This is the kind of quiet community service that doesn't make a lot of noise but makes a real difference. Hats off to everyone who suited up.

If you missed it, they're doing it again this Sunday, April 26, from 10 AM to 1 PM at Kingston Yacht Club. Join them here.

Read the full story at: The Kingston Whig-Standard (may be paywalled)

🚴 Two Queen's Students Are Cycling 1,300km for Kingston's Homeless — and They Already Crushed Their Goal

From their GoFundMe page

Evan Romachyk and Orlando Madruga, second-year engineering students at Queen's University, set out today on a 1,300-kilometre cycling trip from Kingston to Quebec City and back. Their goal: raise $13,000 for the Kingston Homeless Alliance, a Queen's University club founded in 2024 to address homelessness right here in Kingston. They hit that target within two days of launching their GoFundMe, a full two weeks before the trip even started. They're on the road through May 1. Both students come from a rowing background and were looking for a new kind of challenge. All money raised goes directly to KHA, which was built from the ground up by five Queen's students. You can still donate.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist | KHA’s Instagram post

🎸 Kingston's Air Guitar Battle Just Sent a Performer to Nationals

Photo by Bill Hall @ The Kingston Whig-Standard
(who gets to go to all the fun events)

Air Guitar Canada held its Kingston qualifying round recently, and one local performer is now heading to the national competition. Yes, that is a real thing, and yes, Kingston is in it. The event raised money for both the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund and Food Banks Canada, which means shredding an imaginary guitar is actually doing some good in the world. Kingston's rep will go up against competitors from across the country for a shot at representing Canada at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland. We are fully behind this.

Read the full story at: The Kingston Whig-Standard (may be paywalled)

🆕 New Events In and Around Kingston

🧙 The Hobbit: A Children's Opera | The Spire | April 23-26

Cantabile Choirs brings J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved adventure to The Spire this week in a fully staged children's opera with music by Canadian composer Dean Burry. Expect perilous creatures, a mysterious Ring, and the unforgettable roar of Smaug — performed by Kingston's own young voices. For three decades Cantabile has been creating extraordinary music and community in this city, and this one looks like a highlight.

Tickets and details at: Cantabile Choirs

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

Domino Theatre opens their spring production of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors this week at the Davies Foundation Auditorium, 52 Church Street. The show runs Thursdays through Saturdays until May 9. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students and children, and $16 for seniors on Thursdays (at the door only). Fresh off winning Best Production at the Eastern Ontario Drama League Festival with Wit, Domino is coming into spring in a strong position. Mistaken identities, chaos, and Shakespeare's most farcical comedy — a good night out.

🌿 City Nature Challenge | Kingston | April 24–27

Kingston is joining 38 other Canadian cities in the City Nature Challenge from April 24 to 27, a friendly competition to see which city can upload and share the most observations of nature. Get outside, take photos or record sounds of nature in your backyard, local park, or anywhere across the city, then upload them to the iNaturalist app. Every observation counts. This is our fourth year in the challenge, and our first as a certified bird-friendly city, so keep your eyes open for the cardinal and crow. Results are announced after May 13.

Read more at: City of Kingston

🏃 Limestone Race Weekend | Kingston Pen + Confederation Park | April 25–26

Kingston's beloved annual race weekend is back, brought to life entirely by volunteers through the Kingston Road Runners Association. Whether you're lacing up or cheering from the sidelines, this is one of those weekends that just feels like Kingston at its best.

Register and details at: Kingston Road Runners Association

🏓 World Pickleball Tour Ontario Open | Cataraqui Centre | April 25–26

The World Pickleball Tour's Ontario Open comes to Kingston this weekend at the Cataraqui Centre. Whether you're competing or just getting your first look at Kingston's growing pickleball scene, this is a great excuse to get out there.

Register and details at: Kingston Road Runners Association

📅 Events Calendar

🍺 KBC 40th Anniversary Week | 34 Clarence St | April 20–26

🌿 Pitch-In Kingston Week | Across Kingston | Through Sunday, April 26

🤝 Community Volunteer Recruitment Fair | Providence Village | Thursday, April 23 | 4–7 PM

🧙 The Hobbit: A Children's Opera | The Spire | April 23–26

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

🗳️ Vote for The Spire | Next Great Save | Until April 24

🌿 City Nature Challenge | Kingston | April 24–27

🏃 Limestone Race Weekend | Kingston Pen + Confederation Park | April 25–26

Kingston Sentinels Home Opener | CaraCo Field, INVISTA Centre | April 25

🏓 World Pickleball Tour Ontario Open | Cataraqui Centre | April 25–26

🍽️ Spring Countylicious | Prince Edward County | Until April 26

🌍 Earth Day Celebration | Confederation Park | Sunday, April 26

🤿 KYC Spring Cleanup 2026 | Kingston Yacht Club | Sunday, April 26 | 10 AM–1 PM

🎷 Jazz Month | Various Kingston Venues | Throughout April

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

👻 Ghost & Mystery Trolley Tour | 209 Ontario St | Saturdays through May 16, then daily through November 1

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

🚋 City Trolley Tour | 209 Ontario St | Weekends now, then daily from May 16 through October 12

So, how are we doing?

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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]

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