Public Input Wanted on Expanding Municipal Discounts Program

Published on: 2019/06/28 - in News

The City is seeking the public’s input to decide how to make municipal discounts available to more people living in poverty.

Created to ensure people in our community living in lower-income households have access to City programs and services, current municipal discounts provide both age and income-based discounts. Discounts decided by council would involve City-operated services like Kingston Transit and recreational programs.

“Through public consultation in 2017, we learned 76 per cent of respondents supported raising the income threshold so more people could qualify for income-based discounts,” said Cheryl Hitchen, manager of social policy and strategic community development with the City, and 28 per cent of respondents were against discontinuing age-based discounts to be able to fund these changes.

Residents are asked to review a short backgrounder about municipal discounts and then complete a survey by July 12 at 4pm on how the City should finance raising the income threshold for income-based discounts.

The survey can be found the City of Kingston’s Get Involved page or residents can pick up a paper version of the survey at a library, City recreation facility, City Hall, Kingston Housing and Social Services at 362 Montreal St. or the Seniors Association at 56 Francis St.


Photo: KMR Photography (cc)