Kingston & Area Local News

🎂 The Oldest Chamber in Ontario Just Hit 185, and It's Still Going Strong🍺 Ontario's Oldest Brew Pub Turns 40, and the Celebrations Are Underway
🚧 Princess Street Gets a Makeover: Williamsville Renewal Project Is Underway
🙌 Kingston's Indigenous Friendship Centre Fought for Its Funding, and Won

Community Champions

🌟 Meet Kingston's Three Newest Newcomer Entrepreneur Award Winners
🛶 Camp Outlook Takes Kids to Algonquin, and They Need Your Help to Make It Happen

New Events In and Around Kingston

💛 Introduction to Powerful Tools for Caregivers: Managing Stress | KCHC | April 20🌿 Forest Therapy: Twilight Chorus Walk | Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area | April 21
❤️ Living Well with Heart Failure and COPD | Isabel Bader Centre | April 22
🪡 Tatting Daisies: Intro to Needle Tatting | April 22
🤝 Community Volunteer Recruitment Fair | Providence Village | April 23

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.

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The Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce has been supporting local business since 1841, the very year Kingston was named the first capital of the united Province of Canada. That makes it the oldest Chamber in Ontario, and this year they're celebrating 185 years. At their recent Annual General Meeting, the Chamber introduced its incoming 2026-2027 Board of Directors and welcomed special guest the Hon. Nina Tangri, Ontario's Associate Minister of Small Business. The Chamber today represents 650 member businesses and over 18,000 employees. Not bad for an organization that got its start when Canada wasn't even a country yet.

Read the full story at: Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce | Facebook post

On April 26, 1986, the Kingston Brewing Company poured its very first pint of Regal Lager — and Kingston hasn't been the same since. This week, Ontario's longest-running brew pub is celebrating 40 years of craft beer, community, and Dragon's Breath ale with a week of special anniversary brews and menu surprises (bringing back a few old faves!) running through Saturday, April 26. If you've ever nursed a pint at 34 Clarence Street, this is your week to raise a glass. Happy birthday, KBC. You've earned every one of those 40 years.

Read the full story at: Visit Kingston

The long-planned Williamsville neighbourhood renewal is officially off the drawing board and onto the street. Phase one has kicked off on Princess Street between Division and Frontenac, with contractor R.W. Tomlinson Ltd. getting to work on upgrades that include new cycling infrastructure, improved pedestrian space, and active transportation enhancements. If you travel this stretch regularly, expect some detours and delays over the coming weeks. What comes out the other side will be a noticeably better stretch of road for everyone using it, whether on two wheels, two feet, or four.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist | City of Kingston

Earlier this year, the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest was facing a serious threat. Federal "program shifts" were set to cut the Centre's core funding by more than half, money that funds everything from cultural programming in schools and weekly traditional craft and language sessions to mental health navigation and housing support for urban Indigenous community members. The Centre pushed back. The community pushed back. And the funding has now been restored, thanks to a federal commitment of nearly $1.4 billion toward Indigenous health, wellness, and community supports across the country. It's a relief, and a reminder of how much these organizations matter and how hard their teams fight to keep the doors open.

Read the full story at: KNCLN | Kingstonist

The fourth annual Kingston Newcomer Entrepreneur Awards were presented at KEDCO's Annual General Meeting this week, recognizing three outstanding entrepreneurs who've built something meaningful here in Kingston. V. Ophelia Rigault of REAL Talk Solutions took the Community Builder of the Year award for her work advancing equity, anti-racism, and trauma-informed leadership through The SHINE Club and her book, The CAREING Leader. Dr. Siziwe Bebe of Demagel Inc. was named Start-up of the Year. She's an internationally recognized scientist and innovation leader with over two decades of experience in clean energy technology. And Ningjing (Natalie) Zhang of BridgePoint Law received the Inspirational Entrepreneur Award. One of Canada's few refugee-turned-lawyers, she's the only attorney in the Kingston area actively accepting Legal Aid Ontario certificates for immigration and refugee law, making sure the most vulnerable newcomers don't face the system alone. The awards are presented by Kingston Economic Development Corporation and Kingston Immigration Partnership, with sponsorship from SERCO.

Read the full story at: Kingstonist | Kingston Economic Development

Camp Outlook has been changing lives for over 50 years. Founded in 1970 by a Queen's University medical student who believed in the therapeutic power of wilderness, this Kingston-based registered charity offers backcountry canoe trips and other outdoor programs in Algonquin and Frontenac Provincial Parks each summer, completely free of charge, for youth aged 13 to 17 from disadvantaged backgrounds. Up to 140 young people take part each season. The program was recently named one of the top 10 wilderness adventure camps in Canada by Explore magazine, and it's the only one on that list run entirely by volunteers.

That's where you come in. Camp Outlook is recruiting trip leaders for this summer. Volunteers work from mid-May through mid-August, starting with six weeks of training that includes wilderness first aid. No prior paddling experience is required, and all gear, room, and board are provided. People of all backgrounds, identities, and life experiences are encouraged to apply.

Read the full story at: The Kingston Whig-Standard | Learn more at: Camp Outlook

If you're caring for someone you love — whether a parent, partner, or neighbour — you know how heavy that work can feel. Kingston Community Health Centres is hosting a free introductory session on managing stress as a caregiver on Monday, April 20, part of their ongoing Powerful Tools for Caregivers series. It's a practical, supportive resource that's easy to miss if you don't know it exists. Now you do.

Register at: Kingston Community Health Centres

Tuesday evening, step away from the screen and into the trees. Cataraqui Conservation is hosting a guided Twilight Chorus Forest Therapy Walk at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area, a slow sensory-led experience designed to help you actually arrive in the present moment. These walks fill up, so check availability and register ahead of time.

Book your spot at: Cataraqui Conservation

On Wednesday, the Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Ontario Health Team is hosting a free community event at the Isabel Bader Centre for anyone living with heart failure or COPD, or caring for someone who is. You'll have a chance to meet local health care experts and learn about the support programs available right here in the region. It's the kind of event that can genuinely change what someone knows about managing their condition day to day.

Details at: FLA OHT

Have you been meaning to get more involved but just aren't sure where to start? This Thursday is your sign. The Kingston and Area Association of Administrators of Volunteers is hosting its inaugural Community Volunteer Recruitment Fair at Providence Village from 4 to 7 PM. Over two dozen local organizations will be there looking to connect with people just like you. Volunteer hours across the country are down nearly 30% from six years ago — but Kingston has a chance to change that, one conversation at a time.

Read more at: Kingston Daily | Register at: Eventbrite

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

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

💛 Powerful Tools for Caregivers: Managing Stress | KCHC | Monday, April 20

🌿 Forest Therapy: Twilight Chorus Walk | Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area | Tuesday, April 21

❤️ Living Well with Heart Failure and COPD | Isabel Bader Centre | Wednesday, April 22

🪡 Tatting Daisies: Intro to Needle Tatting | Wednesday, April 22

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

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

🍽️ Spring Countylicious | Prince Edward County | Until April 26

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

🎷 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

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