October 24, 2023

City of Kingston – Mayor and Councillors
City Hall
216 Ontario Street
Kingston, ON K7L 2Z3

Dear Mayor Paterson and Councillors,

Re: Lemoine Point Farm

In follow-up to our previous letters to Kingston City Council in May and June of 2023, we are writing to continue to encourage a Council decision to acquire the Lemoine Point Farm.

As you know, the Save Lemoine Point Farm (SLPF) Group received positive responses from candidates for election last Fall in a survey about the City’s purchase and long-term protection
of Lemoine Point Farm as a place for nature and agriculture — not for development.

The vision of the SLPF Group is to work with the community to conserve the fields, forest, and shoreline of Lemoine Point Farm for future generations. Over the past 18 months the SLPF Group’s newsletter, mailing list, website, social media presence, Jane’s Walk, published surveys and media releases have garnered growing support.

The October 2023 article in Neighbours of Kingston Southwest magazine is another example which has further increased our network of active stakeholders. We are observing an expanding and intensifying interest in the need to conserve this important property.

We urge you to move towards the purchase of the entire Farm property. Our many reasons of support for this acquisition include:

• the benefits to preserving the Farm property for the long term as a gem for the City of Kingston – – with the adjacent Lemoine Point Conservation Area beloved by residents from across the city,
• alignment with the City’s 2023-26 Strategic Plan and its focus on urban agriculture, the idea of an urban farming education centre, protecting greenspaces, and enhancing
  biodiversity,
• the conservation values of the Farm and its role in existing natural heritage corridors,
• the availability of federal, provincial, foundation, and private donor funds to support the preservation of this type of urban property. We hope that the City will fully explore these alternate funding sources before making any irrevocable decisions.

On this last point, and understanding the relative costs of securing this property, we have made contacts who may be interested in assisting with funding the ongoing operations of the Farm to ensure its long-term protection. We would be pleased to help facilitate such connections.

We urge you to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect this magnificent waterfront green space for now and for future generations.

Yours truly,

Richard Raeburn-Gibson (on behalf of the Save Lemoine Point Farm Group)

cc: J. Jaynes, Office of the City Clerk
Craig Desjardins – Director, Strategy, Innovation & Partnerships
Lanie Hurdle – Chief Administrative Officer
Jen Pinarski – Manager, Communications and Public Engagement

email: savelemoinepointfarm@gmail.com