City of Kingston to temporarily close Frontenac Park

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The City of Kingston is closing Frontenac Park for several months to allow Lionhearts Inc. to begin outdoor wellness programs for people accessing services at its Adelaide Street Shelter.

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In a news release issued Wednesday, the city noted that the park, at 38 Cowdy St., will temporarily close on July 2 to allow Lionhearts Inc. to begin its program.

The closure will remain in place for six months or until the wind down of shelter operations at this location, which is anticipated early in 2026, the release said. During this period, the park will be closed for public use, and people not participating in day services will be restricted from entering or using the park.

In addition to public communications being shared over social media and through the city’s Get Involved Kingston platform, the city and Lionhearts will install fencing and signs to notify the community attempting to access the site of the closure.

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This closure is in accordance with City of Kingston bylaw 2009-76, which states that the public will be prohibited from entering or using the park, including daytime access, recreational activities and sheltering overnight.

In its release, the city stated it recognizes that people may choose to shelter overnight in other municipal parks, and the emergency shelter system continues to have capacity.

Throughout this transition, Street Outreach and City Homelessness staff will provide supports to persons accessing the park, offering updates on the closure and on the expansion of services to be offered at Adelaide Street Shelter as well as connections to services, transportation and storage to those choosing to shelter and access services elsewhere, the city said.

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This change will allow Lionhearts to offer expanded programming during the day, such as gardening, educational programs, and outdoor health and wellness activities.

Jane Hartley, director of housing and social services for the city, told the Whig-Standard in a phone interview Wednesday that an agreement has been signed, giving Lionhearts control and care of the outdoor space.

“Lionhearts plans to be creative. There’s talk of bringing forward various outdoor programs and the plan is for all seasons,” Hartley said. “So, it’s important we make sure that space remains safe and for that reason the decision was made to temporarily close the park.”

Travis Blackmore, founder and CEO of Lionhearts Inc., said he hopes these activities will have a positive impact on recovery efforts, helping participants develop a healthy path out of homelessness.

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“Working with our partners at the city, we’re pleased to announce these enhanced supports for the vulnerable persons we serve — changes which will also improve neighbourhood safety and wellbeing,” Blackmore said. “Together, we continue to work toward our goal of eradicating hunger and homelessness while restoring human dignity in the communities we serve.”

At a recent Adelaide Near Neighbour Workshop, held on June 11, some community members raised the idea of closing and fencing Frontenac Park to enable Lionhearts to offer additional supports to those in day-services.

Shelter users and shelter operators have also requested the change, recognizing that disruptions in the neighbourhood are destabilizing to those who live near the shelter, those who work at the shelter, and those seeking shelter and day-service supports.

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Hartley explained that the Adelaide Street shelter, was a temporary, emergency solution to a growing concern — homelessness. She said a new and better equipped facility, to open at 924 Sydenham Road, will be the first of two shelters to replace the Adelaide Street shelter. She said the first step in this relocation will occur in December, relieving half the capacity of the current 55 bed shelter.

The new 30-bed emergency shelter with the potential to expand to 45 beds, will offer space for couples and pets, overnight storage for personal items, showers, and limited meal services. Another shelter just like it is slated to open at a location yet to be determined, in early 2026.

Hartley said, “The plan then would be to relocate the remaining individuals using the shelter to the second site and at that time the shelter and day-services at Adelaide would wind down,” She added, “This would allow the city to then open the park to the public again.”

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