Visit Kingston in sustainable tourism mode

Less than three hours by train from Montréal and Toronto, Kingston is the ideal destination for a short excursion. Once downtown, getting around car-free is a cinch. Here’s an account of my first visit to this city that often serves as a film backdrop and prioritizes sustainability.

I knew very little about Kingston. The city of 130,000 can be found at the confluence of the St. Lawrence River, Rideau Canal and Lake Ontario, on the ancestral lands of the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

Capital of the Province of Canada from 1841 to 1843, the city avoided having its historic centre flattened in the 1980s when malls were springing up all over North America thanks to citizen initiatives. While many towns were disfigured by these spaces, Kingston’s charming limestone architecture—the preferred building material after a fire devastated the downtown in 1840—remained intact.

It was only natural for Visit Kingston to launch a sustainable transition in 2022 that allowed it to achieve silver certification from GreenStep Canada. The city’s warm welcome for 2SLGBTQI+ residents and visitors also led to its Rainbow Registered certification from CGLCC, Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ chamber of commerce. All over town, you’ll see logos that attest to businesses’ commitment to providing an inclusive and eco-friendly experience. Another notable one, Ocean Wise—which ensures you’ll find sustainably sourced fish and seafood on your plate—can be spotted at several area restaurants.

Music-themed walking tours

In 1983, Kingston saw the birth of one of Canada’s biggest bands, The Tragically Hip, when its members were still in high school. The tourism board created three walking tours that lead you on a self-guided visit to many sites where the quintet’s history played out, as well as that of other local musicians such as The Mahones and The Glorious Sons.

And that’s how I started my trip after grabbing a bite to eat at Black Dog Tavern, a friendly French brasserie: with a music-focused audio tour available in French and English with 8 fascinating stops.

Headphones on, I made my way to the first location with “New Orleans Is Sinking” filling my ears, a song whose opening chords used to invariably get me on the dancefloor back in day. I stopped in front of Slush Puppie Place, an arena that now features a sign saying The Tragically Hip Way on its façade. “In 1984, the first iteration of The Hip—consisting of Gord Downie, Rob Baker, Johnny Fay, Gord Sinclair and saxophonist Davis Manning—played its first show at the Kingston Artists’ Association on Queen Street, a block east of where you’re currently standing,” the narrator explained. “The band played its last show at Slush Puppie Place, a much larger space that was then known as the K-Rock Centre, in 2016, after Downie was diagnosed with brain cancer.” At the corner, a sign confirmed that I didn’t imagine it: the street is really called The Tragically Hip Way. If you’d told teenage me that they’d name a street for one of my favourite bands, I wouldn’t have believed it!

The tour then led me to Chez Piggy, founded in 1979 in an abandoned limestone stable formerly owned by Canadian folk-rock musician Zal Yanovsky and his wife Rose Richardson, and The Toucan. The Marchant Tap House, which welcomed many bands over the years, was another stop.

Zal Yanovsky and Rose Richardson also opened a bakery that’s a can’t-miss spot in town, Pan Chancho. I stopped there during the Kingston Food Tour. Sampling the many culinary influences found here is another great way to see the city! “We’ve had the same partners since the beginning, seven years ago,” proudly shared Dan Barrett, company director. The walk started at Dianne’s, owned by a couple who fell in love with Mexico, and I took the opportunity to try a yummy fish taco. Next stop was a taste of Italy at Olivea to savour some gnocchi with beef cheek ragù.

A zero-waste restaurant

Several hours later, I met up with my friend Marie-Michèle Doucet, a historian who’s lived in Kingston for more the 8 years, at the restaurant and cocktail bar Miss Bao. In order to reduce the establishment’s environmental footprint, the owners opted for a menu that’s made up of 50% vegetarian and vegan dishes. Single-use plastic is eschewed, and local products are prioritized. “We bought a composter from Korea to eliminate all organic waste from our kitchen,” explained Zach Fang, co-owner and a banker. The compost it produces helps grow microgreens using an indoor gardening system.

Between two bites of a delicious bao, a kind of steam bun packed with tasty filling, Marie-Michèle extolled the charms of this beloved city. “Kingston has so much history. One of my favourite things to do is walk around the Sydenham neighbourhood to admire the Victorian houses.”

The next day I donned my running shoes for a lovely walk by the lakeshore along an 8‑km path that’s part of the Lake Ontario section of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, which stretches for over 600 km from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the border with Québec. For those who prefer to ride along on two wheels, bike rentals are available from Ahoy Rentals, a company founded by Andrew Kelm in 1997 that also offers guided tours. Another great way to see the city!

I was delighted to spot a mural of Gord Downie and an “Ahead by a Century” lyric on the wall of the Delta Hotel facing Lake Ontario. In Kingston, you’re never very far from a little Hip.

I veered off to go explore Sydenham Ward, located roughly between Princess Street, Barrie Street and Lake Ontario. Around 550 houses with a distinct aesthetic style make up this area deemed a historic quarter in 2015. Having spotted it at twilight the night before, The Hochelaga Inn seemed even more majestic in the sunlight. I stepped inside to peek at the interior and was immediately transported back in time. The Visit Kingston website provided a quick history lesson about the place, “The Hochelaga Inn is today a bed and breakfast but was built in 1879 as the residence of the city’s mayor at the time, John McIntyre. It was sold to the Bank of Montreal in the early 1900s, then converted into apartments in 1933, before being turned into an inn in the 1980s.”

Beyond tourism

To fight the food waste that’s often rampant in the hospitality industry, Visit Kingston has been working with Lionhearts Inc. I spoke with Karen Arnaud, who runs the community food bank, and chef James Marcil-Cavé to better understand how they keep food out of the landfill. “I dream up meals using leftovers,” James said. The goods collected go way beyond excess food from events, and donations from a variety sources, like Costco, are also repurposed by the team.

Meals are distributed via several organizations, notably shelters for people experiencing homelessness. Food boxes are also prepared for kids whose families are in vulnerable situations. “We do home deliveries so the children aren’t singled out at school,” Karen added. And food that’s no longer fit for human consumption makes for ideal pig feed at local farms.

The city’s efforts to make choices that are good for the environment and residents seem all the more laudable after seeing the extent of waste that can otherwise come from hotels and restaurants.

When I got on the train that would take me back to Montréal, I had a feeling this wouldn’t be my last trip to Kingston. There’s still so much to discover! “You absolutely have to check out Canada’s Penitentiary Museum,” my friend mentioned the night before I left. As it’s only open from May to October 31, I know where I’ll head when I feel like a change of scenery this summer.

Good to know:

• The Visit Kingston website is jam-packed with info in French, English and Chinese about the city’s history and all the movies and TV shows that were filmed in town.
• One place you must visit if you’re here in the summertime is the Kingston Public Market, found behind city hall. Inaugurated in 1801, it’s Ontario’s oldest market.
• For a gourmet meal with a breathtaking view of Lake Ontario and Confederation Harbour, AquaTerra in the Delta Hotel can’t be beat. Fresh local products feature heavily on the menu and there’s a patio in the warmer months.
• Other activities to consider: a cruise of the Thousand Islands or the Wolfe Island ferry, which you can see from the harbour.
• Holiday Inn Waterfront can be found right downtown and is both Green Key-certified and Rainbow Registered.
• Several coffeeshops are down by the lake, including Juniper. Near Queen’s University, Cafe Union works with local partners, including farmers, to strengthen social and sustainable economic development, and unused food is donated to community organizations.
• There are over 40 museums in Kingston.