Kingston can be a real climate leader. Together, we can make it happen.

The Kingston Climate Justice Coalition is a network of local organizations working to make sure that City Council acts on the climate crisis.

Kingston’s municipal election is coming up on Oct. 26, with advance and online voting starting mid-month. Read candidates’ responses to our questionnaire about climate and environmental issues to inform your vote.

For more on what City Council should prioritize in its next term, check out our Climate Policy Briefing.

Kingston’s Climate Report Card

We worked with non-profit organizations and independent experts to analyze the City of Kingston’s track record of action and inaction on the climate crisis.

This report card summarizes what we learned: where Kingston is making progress, and where it is falling short of its own commitments and the scientific consensus on action.

Climate Targets & Accountability

Grade: D (Inadequate)

Summary: Climate science is clear: the world needs to reduce carbon
emissions 50% by 2030, but Kingston City Council is only targeting 30%
and has repeatedly deferred deciding whether to raise that target.

Action Needed: Council should immediately adopt binding, science-based targets for GHG emissions cuts. They should treat carbon budgeting as seriously as financial budgeting, apply a climate lens to all decision-making, and fulfill the commitments they have already made.

Transportation

Grade: B (Promising)

Summary: Kingston Transit has purchased electric buses and expanded transit routes, but more support for active transit, improved access, and car-free streets are key to cutting emissions and improving liveability.

Action Needed: Expand fare-free transit, increase car-free and one-way streets with more room for safe cycling, accelerate municipal fleet electrification, and
improve bike and active transit pathways.

Vulnerable Peoples

Grade: F (Harmful)

Summary: City Council has aggressively displaced people who are unhoused from public areas. They have also stalled action on a proposed adequate temperature bylaw to protect tenants from extreme heat.

Action Needed: Cease displacement of people without houses; people will stop living in encampments when housing is available to meet their needs. Pass an adequate temperature bylaw for all rental units.

Green Spaces & Biodiversity

Grade: C (Needs Improvement)

Summary: City is supporting community and pollinator gardens, tree planting, and is exploring “shovel-worthy” planning. More investment,
improved tree protection, and a holistic blue-green approach is needed. Natural assets should be tracked in a municipal asset management plan.

Action Needed: Holistic green-blue infrastructure, protection of natural assets including trees, natural areas, wetlands, and forest stands. Endorse “3-30-300” tree equity. Dark skies policy to limit light pollution. Local food procurement policies to support sustainable agriculture in our region.

Provincial & Federal Advocacy

Grade: B (Promising)

Summary: The City often blames provincial and federal policy for lack of
action. Council has passed resolutions against fossil gas plants and
subsidies, examples of leadership. But more is needed, especially from the
Mayor, since climate was not a priority in his pre-budget request.


Action Needed: Council should speak loudly and clearly for improved climate legislation and funding, build credibility by proactively meeting its own climate goals, and set a precedent by adequately regulating the private sector. 

Built Environment

Grade: D (Inadequate)

Summary: Urban planning has been shaped by the needs of developers, not the needs of present and future residents. Some progress has been
made on energy retrofits, but Better Homes Kingston is a federally funded
program. Council is now considering allowing more costly urban sprawl.

Action Needed: Assess developments through a climate justice lens; stop making
exceptions for developers constructing very tall buildings; do not expand
the urban boundary, focus on smart densification; ban gas in new builds.

Regulation of the Private Sector

Grade: F (Harmful)

Summary: The City of Kingston as an organization represents a small part
of Kingston’s overall emissions, but that’s what Council has focused on.
They have failed to exercise regulatory powers to reduce emissions in
residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional settings.

Action Needed: Ban fossil gas connections in new developments. Set higher standards for
green building. Demonstrate leadership by meeting or surpassing sciencebased
targets so other sectors will follow.

Download the Printable Version

“Cities don’t have to be victims of climate change. They can become the crucibles that forge resilience against it.”

Matt Simon

author and science journalist

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Coalition Members

The founding members of the Kingston Climate Justice Coalition endorse the climate report card and call on City Council to take immediate action on its recommendations. We are:

If you’re part of an organization that would like to join the Kingston Climate Justice Coalition, please send us an email at climatecoalitionca [at] gmail [dot] com.