Health care, transportation, and the shifting landscape of international trade dominated the conversation as all three levels of government gathered for Kingston, Ont.’s annual State of the City event.
Mayor Bryan Paterson, Kingston and the Islands MPP Ted Hsu and MP Mark Gerretsen took the stage to answer questions from the business community, with the urgent need for medical infrastructure taking top priority.
Paterson highlighted the pressing need for a new hospital, noting that the current facility is recognized as the oldest operating hospital in Canada. He described the project as critical for the entire region.
“We’ve known for years that this is an incredibly important project, not just for Kingston but for the whole of eastern Ontario,” Paterson said. “So right now it’s a full court press trying to press the provincial government to get that funding announcement.”
Provincial matters also focused on health care, specifically the shortage of primary care providers. MPP Ted Hsu pointed out that only a fraction of the region’s recruitment proposal has been backed by the province.
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“We’re ready to take that extra funding. The City of Kingston is recruiting doctors, they’re having some success,” Hsu said.
“We’re ready to take that extra funding to get people family doctors here in Kingston.”
On the federal front, MP Mark Gerretsen delivered a stark message regarding Canada’s economic future, suggesting that the “historic relationship” between Canada and the United States has fundamentally changed.
He emphasized the need to expand global trade to protect local businesses.
“The reality is that we have benefit from the luxury of having a relationship with the United States over decades, that has allowed us to become so intertwined with their economy, and what we’re seeing right now is that maybe we have to shift and we need to adjust,” Gerretsen said.
The trio also faced questions regarding local transportation issues, including the restoration of air service to Kingston and the future plans for the LaSalle Causeway crossing.
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