Municipal marinas will not open until late May

Although the province has given municipal marinas the green light to open on Saturday, May 16, 2020, Kingston recreational officials say that Portsmouth Olympic Harbour and Confederation Basin Marina will not be ready to open until late May. 

“Under usual circumstances marina preparations are typically a six week process,” said Lacricia Turner, Director of Recreation and Leisure Services for the City of Kingston. “We have been preparing our marinas over the past two weeks with full-time city staff deployed from other areas in recreation and leisure services, [but] we need more time to properly train our staff for health and safety protocols and to get the docks ready.” 

Some limited annual work began on Saturday, Apr. 4, 2020 to prepare for the 2020 season, but only began fully on Monday, May 4, 2020. The work includes dock repair and replacement, deep-cleaning of amenities, and installation of required safety measures. This work will continue until the marinas are fully ready to welcome boaters. 

To allow for continued physical distancing, limited capacity will be reduced to seasonal boaters only. Seasonal boaters are considered people who book a slip for an entire season. 

Docks for day and weekend use will not be opening immediately and the public boat launch at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour will remain closed until the marina is open.

Boaters are able to make reservations for seasonal slips at Confederation Basin or Portsmouth Olympic Harbour. Seasonal permits can be reserved by emailing [email protected] or [email protected], or by calling 613-546-4291 ext. 1823. City staff anticipate a high volume of inquiries and ask for resident cooperation as this situation develops