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Vol. 1: To live or not to live in your district? “He doesn’t live in the district, you know?” That was a common refrain my opponents used against me in last fall’s municipal election, as I was told by a number of people as I went door-to-door. And it was
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Dear Doug, I must admit, it was an odd experience hearing you speak at the Association of Ontario Municipalities Conference in Ottawa on Monday, Aug. 19, 2019 (#AMOConf19). I was there, gathered with thousands of other councillors and mayors from across the province, front row/centre as I always am, ready
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The heat, the glorious heat. After seven cold and wet months, finally a breath of hot, humid air. Though I welcome the humidity and long summer days, they are already winding down and I’m conscious that we need to do more to ensure our most vulnerable residents have the AC
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What would you do if you met the President of the United States? A few years ago, this would have been an easy answer, at least for many in Canada who seem to love the Democrats. A handshake or hug, maybe even a dose of fan girl or boy, as
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On the last Saturday in May, I had the pleasure of attending Tom Symons’ 90th birthday. Professor Symons is one of my long standing civic heroes. In 1961, he was appointed the founding president of Trent University, where I attended for my undergraduate degree 45 years later. Symons’ legacy
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Almost two months ago, The City of Kingston officially declared a climate emergency. We were the first municipality in Ontario to do so. The motion – moved by me and seconded by Councillor Neill – passed with unanimous support, 13-0. All councillors and the mayor voted in favour. Some were
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Intense, longstanding party rivalries meet warm family greetings despite partisan colours. Multiple beers during lunch and dinner, with some moonshine after you eat, meets prohibition and abstinence from alcohol on and around election day. Simple ballots meet complex coalition calculations. These are three perceived paradoxes the people and politics of
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Growth. A six letter word you hear a lot these days at City Hall. It’s held up by many as something we need in and of itself. We are told that more development in Kingston, for example, will increase revenue (via the assessment base/taxation and development charges) to help the
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Councillor Gary Oosterhof and I were grabbing a coffee, stretching our legs, and remarking on the evening. We’d been sitting for a while, a long while. You know, so long our butts were numb. I digress. We were on recess during the third marathon city council budget meeting. The twelve
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I worked in federal and provincial politics for almost a decade. While I had many good experiences in those arenas, and was truly honoured to give back to our community in that way, they were intense environments. Sometimes things were nasty. In fact, it seems that the very nature of
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This is the first of a monthly column on life behind the scenes at City Hall, contributed by Robert Kiley, Kingston city councillor-elect for Trillium District. After four months of a very serious side hustle, five nights a week and almost all weekend – ripe with door knocking, campaign meetings,
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