Downtown Kingston undergoes transformation as Tim Hortons Brier approaches

The Canadian men’s curling championship is less than a month away, and the city of Kingston continues to get ready to host the prestigious event.

The parking lot across from the Leon’s Centre, which will house the Tim Hortons Brier, has been closed. The space will eventually be transformed into the Brier Patch, where curling fans will come together and socialize between events.

“We’re preparing the site for a large tent that’s going to be part of the event,” said Ian Semple, the city’s director of transportation services.

“So we have to remove a lot of the equipment that’s been in here, regrade the site and prepare for the setup and the construction of that tent.”

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And that, according to Semple, takes time.

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“We need to grade this area,” he explained. “We’ll be flattening it so that we can provide a nice, flat surface where the tent can be constructed and making sure that we’ve got all of the other supporting areas set up around it to allow the site to be ready for when the Brier comes.”

Semple says it’s not a quick fix, a fact they’ve taken into consideration.

“We have to make sure that we’re looking at it from the construction work that needs to be happening here,” he said, “but also planning for any weather or other pieces that may hit us in February to make sure that we’re ready once the Brier’s here.”

5:30 A preview of the 2020 Kingston Tim Hortons Brier

The move comes at the cost of parking spaces, as there are 170 in the Frontenac lot. Semple says there’s a mix of those who park permanently as well as hourly in the lot.

Semple says the city has already been able to accommodate permanent users in other locations and they’re working to provide as many options as possible for those who are coming downtown.

The lot will be the site of more than the Brier Patch, Semple explained. Other activities, television production trucks and more will also be located there.

The 2020 Tim Hortons Brier runs from Feb. 29 to March 8.