By Claude & Parth on 2026-06-26, City: Kingston, View Transcript
Council approved the agenda and received presentations on two main items: a multi-site recreation capital planning project for the Kingston Memorial Centre, Centre 70 and Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, and a city-wide playground accessibility plan. Discussion focused on the proposed twinning of ice pads at the Memorial Centre, preservation of open space and community uses at that site, the eventual decommissioning of Centre 70, and standards, costs and distribution for accessible playground upgrades across 117 city-owned playgrounds.
John Hack of Sierra Management and Planning presented a multi-site visioning and capital planning project for the Kingston Memorial Centre, Centre 70 and Portsmouth Olympic Harbour. Hack said "the intent here is to create, as I said, an Integrated approach to infrastructure planning," adding the city is "moving away from a single focus to multi-use as a concept." Staff said Phase 1 remains underway and Phase 2 would develop site visions, concept options, a preferred concept, costing, a funding plan and an implementation timeline.
Council discussed a proposal to redevelop the Memorial Centre site as a multi-use hub that could include two ice surfaces and links to the planned enclosed aquatic facility. Staff said ice users supported a two-pad approach. Mr. Chat told council, "the two ice surfaces at KMC was recognised by, by the ice users as being the appropriate way to plan as opposed to doing a single pad and the inefficiencies that come with a single pad."
Councillors and residents questioned whether that matched broader public priorities. Councillor Lisa Osanic asked how community consultation and Queen's University partnership discussions were being balanced, saying constituents wanted assurance "this process is [not] entirely shaped by strategic partnerships." Resident Annette Burefoot said she had "never heard anybody state" twinning as a priority in consultations and said the biggest concern raised was parking.
Residents and councillors repeatedly raised concerns about preserving green space and informal recreation at the Memorial Centre grounds. One speaker said, "The Memorial Centre property is not the space to be sold off to fund another of the mayor's projects." Staff said open space would remain part of Phase 2 planning. A speaker told council the site's open space is "pretty sacrosanct in terms of usability by a local resident" who wants to "take their kids out and throw a frisbee or just walk the dog."
Parking was another recurring issue. Councillor Brandon Tozzo said, "Memorial Centre parking is so important," especially if the site also includes an enclosed aquatic centre drawing users from across the city.
Council discussed the long-term future of Centre 70 as part of the broader recreation plan. Councillor Wendy Stephen noted staff had identified the arena as nearing end of life and asked why the report did not include timelines for decommissioning. Councillor Jeff McLaren said "the aging infrastructure of these properties cannot be understated," warning of the risk the city is carrying with older facilities.
Staff said future timing and site use would depend on later phases of planning and funding decisions, with details to return to council.
Council also received a presentation on a playground accessibility plan covering 117 non-seasonal city-owned playgrounds. Mike Tucker said the city's "primary goal was to sustainably increase accessibility and ensure equitable and distribution of inclusive playgrounds." The audit found a clear divide between newer and older sites: "the top 20 playgrounds were all built in the last decade and feature accessible rubber or wood fibre surfacing," while many lower-ranked sites were built between 1990 and 2005 and still use sand or pea stone.
Staff said the replacement value of the system is more than $51 million. Mr. Campbell said that, at a minimum, the city would need to replace "just under six playgrounds" each year "just to maintain that sort of base load service level." He also said the financial modelling uses a high-level estimate of "upwards of 150 million dollars."
Councillors asked about equity and park standards across the city. Councillor Conny Glenn said residents in Cataractoui West have been waiting "20 plus years" for a higher-tier park and said "there was no place for the kids to go to play." Councillor Gregory Ridge said he wanted "a stronger component for older adults" in playground planning as well.
Councillors identified in the discussion as present: - Councillor Gregory Ridge - Councillor Wendy Stephen - Councillor Lisa Osanic - Councillor Jeff McLaren - Councillor Conny Glenn - Councillor Brandon Tozzo
Other participants identified: - John Hack, Sierra Management and Planning - Mike Tucker - Mr. Campbell - Mr. Chat - Commissioner Campbell - Director Guzman - Paterson, Bryan