Hello everyone,

Thank you for your continued support. Please take a few minutes to read this message.  Your voice is needed by April 21 on urgent Urban Boundary, Official Plan and Natural Heritage Matters.  Our collective efforts successfully delayed the Urban Boundary vote on March 31 and are urgently needed again.

Urgent action needed by April 21, 2026

• Sign the petition linked here:No Urban Boundary Expansion Decisions Without Full Fiscal and Environmental Transparency 
• Submit comments on the draft Natural Heritage Study and Official Plan by April 21.  Toolkit linked here Toolkit for feedback on OP and NHS
• Write to Mayor and Council to:Request complete financial studies and environmental policies before any Urban Boundary decision
• Request an extension of the public review period, as key NHS policies will not be available until Official Plan Draft 3 (mid-May), after public review closes on April 21
   

Key concerns include:

Premature UB expansion without key studies - Kingston is facing a critical decision on Urban Boundary expansion - one that will shape the city’s environment, finances, and climate future for decades. Key natural heritage and infrastructure studies and policies remain incomplete. Moving forward now risks irreversible environmental harm and long-term costs to taxpayers.

April 21 is the deadline for public comment on the draft Natural Heritage Study and draft Official Plan - yet key policies remain outstanding. Comprehensive Natural Heritage policies are not expected until mid-May in the final draft of the Official Plan, with no indication that there will be further opportunity for public review.

SAMPLE LETTER to send to Mayor and City Council (mayor&council@cityofkingston.ca). Send as is or write your own!

Subject: Data Before Decisions – Request to Defer Urban Boundary Expansion + Extend NHS and OP Public Review Period

Dear Mayor and Members of Council,

I respectfully urge Council to:

Defer any decision on Urban Boundary expansion until necessary infrastructure cost analysis is available and comprehensive policies related to natural heritage, climate, intensification, and city-wide natural asset management planning are complete and implemented. These are all essential to making balanced, fiscally responsible Urban Boundary decisions with long-term consequences for Kingston taxpayers. 

Ensure meaningful public engagement by extending the April 21 deadline to allow for the review of comprehensive draft policies not yet publicly available, and the rescheduling of key public and council information sessions.

Urban Boundary expansion is a decision with significant long-term environmental, financial, and climate implications. It should not proceed without complete, transparent, and publicly available information.

At present, key components of the planning framework remain incomplete or unavailable, including Natural Heritage System policies, climate impact analysis, infrastructure cost assessments, and a full evaluation of intensification potential within the existing urban boundary.

Available data also indicates that Kingston’s natural systems are already under significant pressure, with forest cover levels below Environment Canada’s minimum threshold required to sustain ecological function. Further expansion without strong protections in place risks additional and irreversible loss.

Additionally, given that comprehensive Natural Heritage policies will not be available until Draft 3 of the Official Plan, and that key public and Council information meetings were cancelled and not rescheduled, I hope an extension to the public review period will be granted to allow for meaningful input on these important policies.