Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson will be sharing some of his economic expertise to help guide the city through reopening its economy following lockdowns prompted by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, Paterson, who is an economics professor at the Royal Military College by day, announced he will be leading the city’s economic recovery team, which is aimed at creating policy that will help ease the strain COVID-19 lockdowns have had the economy.
Now that local case numbers have been stable for weeks — with Tuesday’s numbers staying steady at 59 — and provincial case numbers are starting to stabilize, Paterson said it’s time to start thinking about how Kingston will get back on its feet.
“In consultation with our chief medical officer of health, we’re shifting our focus to recovering from the significant impact the virus has had and will continue to have on our community,” Paterson said in a news release Tuesday.
As an economist and the mayor, Paterson felt he was uniquely qualified to lead the team in its initial phases.
“Our local businesses and not-for-profits are integral to the character of Kingston, and they are struggling. Now more than ever, I hope to draw on my experience, as well as the talented and knowledgeable local leaders assembled on this team, to help lead us through this,” he said. “This team will act as a central resource to create made-in-Kingston solutions and strategies.”
The announcement comes a day after Premier Doug Ford announced a phased plan to reopen Ontario’s economy on Monday.
Paterson said the team will include chief administrative officer Lanie Hurdle, along with “people from stakeholder organizations that support Kingston’s business community.”
The group is aiming to start its inaugural meeting the second week of May and will congregate to tackle issues on a needs basis. The results of those sessions will be reported to council regularly.
Kingston Economic Development Corporation, along with the City of Kingston, will be giving “administrative support” to the group.
The mayor’s office said more details will be released about the group in the coming days.
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