Kingston Tourism Season at Risk

Urge the Federal Government to Prioritize the Repair of the LaSalle Causeway

Between intermittent shutdowns from February to March and the full closure starting on April 2nd, the impact of the Lasalle Causeway has been felt by stakeholders across the region. Now, as we approach the Victoria Day weekend, those impacts increase.

Businesses and attractions on both sides of the Causeway are suffering economic losses, especially those crucial to local tourism:

• Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises, operated by Kingston Destination Group, cannot access their ships, the Island Belle (160-passenger capacity) and Island Star (170-passenger capacity), due to the Causeway closure. St. Lawrence Cruise Lines’ 60-passenger Canadian Empress is the business’s sole ship, and is also unable to operate due to the closure.
• Both local and tourist traffic to Fort Henry from the west and downtown Kingston from the east has been severely affected as well, leading to a projected $4 million in lost direct revenue related to economic activity in accommodations, dining, and shopping.

This culminates in an estimated $15 million economic impact to Kingston’s economy. Our community is left with no short-term support for the issues at hand, and little information regarding the long-term plans around government investment or improvement of this vital infrastructure.

Therefore, Kingston Accommodation Partners, Tourism Kingston, Kingston Economic Development Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Kingston Business Improvement Area have created this petition to raise community stakeholder voices and urge PSPC and its contractors to work directly with local industry leaders to expedite a solution that will allow marine traffic to safety traverse the Causeway on or before May 24.