A proposed funding measure has sparked recent backlash.
On Feb. 3, Kingston City Council voted to defer approval of a request from city staff for $350,000 to fund 10th anniversary celebrations of The Tragically Hip’s 2016 concert in Springer Market Square. The deferral comes after councilors and Kingston residents raised concerns over what specifically the funding would cover, and whether it might be spent on other pressing issues.
The celebration itself is vague, limited to suggestions of “music programming, events and activations,” according to a report to council from community services commissioner Jennifer Campbell. The report promised to share more details “as programming is confirmed in the coming months.”
The council nearly voted unanimously to defer, excluding Meadowbrook-Strathcona District Councilor Jeff McLaren, who voted against. “I don’t support spending this kind of public money on a party,” McLaren said at the council meeting held on. Feb. 3. “I wouldn’t be supporting this in the future, and I think we should vote it down now.”
Pittsburgh District Councilor Ryan Boehme, who voted to defer, cited the cost and lack of clarity surrounding the request as factors influencing his decision. “We have so many pressures all over the place, the list is endless of other places we could put that money to use,” he wrote in a statement to The Journal. Boehme asks what value will be returned to the community if the $350,000 is spent.
Similarly, Kingston-Rideau District Councilor Brandon Tozzo expressed concerns about unclear plans for the money in a statement to The Journal.
“We all love the Hip, but we need to be sure the money is used wisely,” Tozzo wrote. He explained that at an event in Rideau Heights this weekend, residents discussed affordability concerns regarding groceries and rent. “They wanted to make sure money was being spent on community priorities, not a celebration,” he wrote.
He cited last year’s $2000,000 Food Framework initiative as an example of funding which serves Kingstonians. “A little money goes a long way,” Tozzo wrote.
Discontent stems primarily from concerns about public need rather than lack of interest in the initiative. “I’m a pretty big Hip fan but like no,” reads the top comment on one Reddit thread about the proposed celebration. Other commenters cite lack of warming centres for Kingston’s homeless population, and the decline of the accessible taxi service as issues in need of funding.
“There’s an alternative reality where the city doesn’t have so many other priorities, and this would be an awesome idea, but we are not living in it,” a Reddit commenter wrote.
Approval for the funding will be reconsidered by City Council in late March.
Tags
City of Kingston, Springer Market Square, The Tragically Hip, Voter
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