Kingston News, November 2, 2017

College Bargaining Resumes

Negotiations resume for the first time today since faculty at St. Lawrence College and Ontario’s 23 other colleges went on strike two-and-a-half weeks ago.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union says it is hopeful the colleges have changed their stand on some aspects of the contract dispute.

The College Employer Council says if a deal is reached quickly classes could resume early next week.

St. Lawrence College President Glen Vollebregt says the college is considering cutting its break from December 15th to January 8th to one week to make up for lost time.

Highway 400 – Fatal – Trucks

OPP Commissioner Vince Hawkes says the trucking industry needs to take a close look at the way it conducts business in the wake of a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 400 near Barrie.  Hawkes says distracted driving by truckers a trend that is getting worse.  The 14 vehicle crash claimed the lives of three people.

A fuel tanker crashed into the back of a line of slow moving traffic sending a wave of flames down the highway as motorists ran for their lives.

Woman Assaulted

Kingston Police are looking for a man who assaulted a woman on Queen Street near Division Street.

The woman was grabbed by a man and pushed to the ground around 2:30 Wednesday morning.  She screamed and kicked at him until he ran off.  The man was last seen running south on Division Street.  Police say the woman wasn’t physically injured.

Donation Jar Theft

Kingston Police are on the hunt for a pair of thieves wanted for stealing from a donation jar.

The man and woman stole the money from a Multiple Sclerosis donation jar at a gas station restaurant on Centennial Drive in Kingston in the early morning hours of October 10th. The pair are also suspects for shoplifting incidents at the same location on September 8th and 15th.

Kingston Company – Export Awards

A Kingston company has been named an Ontario Export Awards finalist in the Clean Technology Category.

TECTA-PDS is the producer of the world’s first fully automated E. coli detection system.

The technology is being used to test water in more than 25 countries and was used in the Florida Keys to test water quality after Hurricane Irma.  The winners of the Ontario Export Awards will be announced on November 21st in Toronto.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Move

The office of Big Brothers Big Sisters is on the move in Kingston.

The organization is moving into the Boys and Girls Club of Kingston’s location at the Frontenac Mall.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Executive Director Peter Cory says the location is a good fit because it’s used by many children in the age range his agency serves.

Today in History

From Tony’s Today in History File…Canada in the middle of fighting Quebec terrorists and the beginning of an unprecedented hockey era in Edmonton.

It was on this day…November 2nd, 1970 that the federal and Quebec governments offered rewards of up to $75,000 for information leading to the arrest of the kidnappers of James Cross and Pierre Laporte during the FLQ crisis.

And…it was on this day in 1978, the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association sold 17-year-old centre Wayne Gretzky, along with forward Peter Driscoll and goalie Eddie Mio, to the Edmonton Oilers for $850,000.