401 Crash – Drivers Dies 

The driver of a transport truck died in a crash that closed the 401 in the Mallorytown area yesterday morning.

The OPP says the eastbound truck crossed the median into the westbound lanes – went through a metal barrier – hit a rock cut and exploded.

The driver was able to get out of the truck and was helped by a passing motorist.  He was taken to hospital in Brockville where he was pronounced dead.

Napanee Crash

Nobody was injured when a car veered off Highway 2 in Napanee…ran right through the bowl of the skatepark and wound up against a tree on the other side of the park.

There were about two dozen children playing in the park.

An elderly man and woman were in the vehicle. Napanee OPP are investigating what led to the crash around 2:30 yesterday afternoon.

Loyalist – CUPE Deal

Unionized workers in Loyalist Township are getting a 2% wage increase in each year of their new four year contract.

But – they’ll also have to live with new overtime and on-call rules.

Loyalist Township Council has voted in favour of a new four year deal with the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

The deal expires on December 31st, 2018.

Move-in Weekend

It’s the official move-in weekend for students at Queen’s University and you might want to avoid the area around Queen’s.

A number of roads around the universities main campus will be closed to through traffic on Saturday and Sunday.

Here’s the details from the City of Kingston:

Queen’s University Move-In Day – The following streets will change to one-way beginning at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6:

Collingwood Street from King to Union, one-way southbound. Overnight parking restrictions will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5 to restrict parking on key traffic routes. Courtesy towing has been arranged for any cars remaining on the designated street.

  • Albert Street from Union to King, one-way southbound. Overnight parking restrictions will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5 to restrict parking on key traffic routes. Courtesy towing has been arranged for any cars remaining on the designated street.
  • Stuart Street from University to Lower Albert, one-way westbound. Overnight parking restrictions will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5 to restrict parking on key traffic routes. Courtesy towing has been arranged for any cars remaining on the designated street.
  • St. Lawrence Avenue from Stuart to King, one-way southbound.
  • Queen’s Crescent from Beverly to Collingwood, one-way westbound.
  • Okill Street from George to Barrie, one-way eastbound.

Queen’s University Move-In Day – The following streets will be closed:

  • Bader Lane will be closed for one-way traffic westbound beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5.
  • Arch Street will be closed at Union Street beginning at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6.
  • George Street closed at Stuart Street beginning at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6.

Back to School Time

It’s almost back to school time.  School starts on Tuesday and KFL&A Public Health is reminding parents all students under 18 years of age must provide proof of immunization or a valid exemption to the public health agency.

It says parents and guardians are responsible for reporting to KFL&A Public Health each time their child receives an immunization because doctors don’t automatically send them the immunization records.

Long Weekend – OPP

The OPP is asking drivers to put safety on the road, trails and water first for the Labour Day weekend.

Officers will be keeping a close watch on highways and will be enforcing new legislation that carries tougher penalties for distracted driving.  41 deaths have been attributed to distracted driving on OPP-patrolled roads this year and police say the number of crashes caused by distracted drivers is up 20 per cent compared with this time last year.

Multicultural Festival

The 6th Annual Kingston Multicultural Arts Festival takes place in Confederation Park on Sunday.

It features music, dance, arts and food.

Ontario Street will become a stage for acts including The Samba Squad from Toronto, a Bollywood dance group, traditional Irish Dancers, a Chinese dance group and the Rob Roy Band and The Highland Dancers.

The festival runs from 11:30 in the morning until 5:30 in the afternoon.

Fall Weather

It sounds like the weather this fall will start off above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall.

Environment Canada, The Weather Network and Accuweather are all predicting southern Ontario and Quebec will have above normal temperatures and less rainfall than normal well into October.

The Weather Network says things will turn sharply colder in the last half of October and into November.  Accuweather says a strong El Nino is also building for this winter and could…stress the word could… lead to milder weather and less snowfall this winter.