Queen’s to pay City of Kingston $350,000 to cover costs for pandemic enforcement
Global News
The funds will go to pay for things like overtime for city police and bylaw officers, and for COVID-19 messaging over the second year of the pandemic, Mayor Bryan Paterson said.
Mayor Bryan Paterson said the City of Kingston is receiving a large sum of money from Queen’s University to help pay for extra enforcement costs incurred by the city for parties in the University District this year.
Paterson told The Morning Show on CKWS that the city will be receiving $350,000 from the university to help with things like extra police enforcement for student parties, and COVID-19 messaging.
“I had a few conversations with Queen’s principal Patrick Dean and I think what we just recognize that this is an unusual year,” Paterson said.
In the past, Queen’s University has given the city in the $100,0000 range to help with extra costs of enforcement for events like homecoming and St. Patrick’s Day parties, which, in the past, have devolved into massive and unruly street parties.
Paterson said the extra money is appreciated as costs to the city for enforcement ramped up over the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That’s quite, quite a bit more than what has been given in the past. And so that pool of funds will certainly be used to help offset some of the cost of enforcement, having more police officers on the ground,” Paterson said.
The news of the added cash comes the same morning as a revised homecoming schedule begins for Queen’s University, with both in-person and virtual events.
Although the actual events are structured and approved by KFL&A Public Health, the city is bracing for street parties like those seen in September to once again take place.