The Kingstonian Podcast

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You have to be a passionate volunteer to work through the ‘ups & downs’ the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes has had to deal with over the last few years.  Chris West  is our guest in this episode.  He is the Chair of the Board for the Museum.  Having established itself decades ago, the Museum found itself without a home when the landlord, the Government of Canada, sold the building to a developer in 2016.  After the 55 Ontario St. location sat vacant for three years, a generous donation allowed the Museum to buy the building.  Chris and his group have been spending time working on the historical building, getting it ready to to make it Canada’s premier Museum for experiencing and preserving the maritime legacy – past, present, and future – of the largest interconnected bodies of fresh water in the world.

If you’d like more information, go to your search engine and type in https://www.marmuseum.ca     

Our theme music is “Stasis Oasis”,  by Tim Aylesworth

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Episodes also air weekly on CJAI at 101.3fm (Tue. at 4pm) 

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If you have lived in Kingston for any length of time, you’ll know the name Wally Viner.  You may be familiar with his volunteer work with many different organizations in the City; you may also be familiar with his work as a practicing lawyer, for over 50 years.  He may have retired from that profession, but he continues to be passionate about passing along information about – shall we say – ‘end of life paperwork’.  Regardless of age, most adults have at least thought about writing a will or recruiting someone to act as a Power of Attorney or Executor.  However, less than half of Canadians have done anything about it!  When should you write a will?  How detailed should it be?  Who should act as your Power of Attorney?  Which should you address first – a will or that Power of Attorney?  Many questions!  To help us with some of the answers, I sat down for a conversation with Wally, who now acts a Certified Executor Advisor.

For more information on the topic from him, go to www.walterviner.com 

Our theme music is “Stasis Oasis”,  by Tim Aylesworth

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Episodes also air weekly on CJAI at 101.3fm (Tue. at 4pm) 

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Mark Potter has been a fixture on the Kingston sports scene for over 40 years.  Many remember him from his days as an anchor on CKWS-TV, covering all sorts of local sports activities.  But hockey seems to be #1 with Mark, and, right after signing up as a broadcaster, he became a volunteer with the Original Hockey Hall of Fame.  He has sat around that table for four decades.  Before there was a Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, and before the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame was established in Zurich, Switzerland, there was - and is – the Hall of Fame in Kingston.  Mark has been passionate about sharing the history of the game and telling the stories of the hockey ‘greats’ who have taken to the ice.  The Original Hockey Hall of Fame is located at the Invista Centre Arena on Gardiners Road in Kingston.

For more information on the attraction, head over to its website: www.originalhockeyhalloffame.com 

Our theme music is “Stasis Oasis”,  by Tim Aylesworth

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Episodes also air weekly on CJAI at 101.3fm (Tue. at 4pm) 

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Cliff Edwards has been a guest on the podcast before, but I thought it might be interesting to catch up.  For those who may not know Cliff, he was part of The Bells – a group that had a big hit back in the early seventies called Stay Awhile, a song that sold some three million copies worldwide.  Long based in Gananoque, Ontario, he continues to write and record his own material; to produce shows featuring some of the great talent our area has to offer; and recently, to author a memoir in the form of stories about his experiences.  Cliff also finds himself a welcome guest at a bar in Switzerland, where he takes the stage to sing in English for patrons who typically don’t speak the language!  

For more information about his upcoming shows, heard over to his Facebook Page.

Our theme music is “Stasis Oasis”,  by Tim Aylesworth

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Episodes also air weekly on CJAI at 101.3fm (Tue. at 4pm) 

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In almost every community, there is some form of organized basketball.  School gyms echo with the sounds of children of all ages, learning the game and the skills.   Obviously, these leagues need volunteers to make things happen – coaches, referees, and administrators.  In this episode, we focus on one such league and one very dedicated volunteer.  His name is Roland Billings.  Roland started off as a coach back in 1978 and has contributed many hours to the Pete Petersen Basketball League, serving as its President since 1992.  Basketball and its impact on the kids is incredibly important to him, but it isn’t the only thing.  He has given up some of the rest of his free time to the United Way, the Salvation Army and the Kingston Sports Hall of Fame.   His contribution to the community was acknowledged earlier this year when the City of Kingston gave him a Distinguished Citizen Award.

For information on the Pete Petersen Basketball League, type this into your search engine: https://justforthefunofit.ca 

Please listen for a tribute to Joanie Sagriff at the very end of the episode.

Our theme music is “Stasis Oasis”,  by Tim Aylesworth

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Episodes also air weekly on CJAI at 101.3fm (Tue. at 4pm) 

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Working the Wolfe Islander for 35 years, Brian Johnson has had the opportunity to hear a lot of stories about the Island, the Ferry and the people who have travelled back and forth.  If you’re not familiar with the geography, Wolfe Island is the largest among the Thousand Islands, stuck right between Kingston, Ontario, and Cape Vincent, New York; and where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River.   Over the years, Brian has taken these tales and ‘put them to paper’. His stories have been included in several publications, and he is putting the finishing touches on a book that will focus on the water, and the people who travelled the water, around Wolfe Island.  Definitely a ‘raconteur par excellence’, Captain Brian Johnson brings our history to life.  Hope you enjoy this conversation.

Our theme music is “Stasis Oasis”,  by Tim Aylesworth

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Episodes also air weekly on CJAI at 101.3fm (Tue. at 4pm) 

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Spencer Evans is no stranger to the music scene here in Kingston.  He has played his clarinet, his piano, his accordion; he also sings, dances and prances, whenever the spirit moves him.  He’s toured with The Cowboy Junkies, even making an appearance on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’.  Spencer was also part of a band entertaining Canadian Military Forces at the North Pole and in Bosnia.  Like many other musicians, not being able to perform live has been incredibly frustrating.  With things opening up a little, he looks forward to every opportunity to “supplying the music for people who are there to enjoy it”.

Our theme music is “Stasis Oasis”,  by Tim Aylesworth

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Send comments & suggestions to  [email protected] 

Episodes also air weekly on CJAI at 101.3fm (Tue. at 4pm) 

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Buzz Collins has been a radio personality for over three decades, and he’s worked the mic at stations from Saskatchewan to Ontario.  Currently, he does the morning show at Rock107 in Belleville, Ontario, starting his day at 3:25am; yes, 3:25am, Monday to Friday.  Even with that schedule, he finds time to devote to another passion – entertaining from the stage, when the pandemic will permit, as a hypnotist/mentalist.  And outside of that, Buzz is very conscious about leaving a legacy; in his words, “trying to make at least one person smile each day”.

Tune in to his show at https://www.rock107.ca

For more details on his stage show, https://www.buzzcollins.com 

Our theme music is “Stasis Oasis”,  by Tim Aylesworth

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Episodes also air weekly on CJAI at 101.3fm (Tue. at 4pm) 

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Many of us spent time in August watching athletes compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.  Yes, the Games were postponed a year, and, yes, restrictions were very intense; but the athletes were focused.  Canadian competitors made their fans back home very proud.  Ali ten Hove was one of them!  Ali raced, along with her team-mate, Mariah Millen, in the 49er FX sailing class (more on the class in the conversation).  How does an athlete prepare for this kind of regatta?  What was the experience in Japan like?  And what happens when that athlete gets back home?  Welcome back, Ali; and thanks for representing Kingston & Canada!

Our theme music is “Stasis Oasis”,  by Tim Aylesworth

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Episodes also air weekly on CJAI at 101.3fm (Tue. at 4pm) 

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Flora MacDonald was a Canadian politician who represented Kingston and the Islands (Ontario) from 1972 to 1988.  She served as a Minister in the Cabinets of both Joe Clark & Brian Mulroney.  After politics, she became a highly-regarded humanitarian working in refugee camps in Africa and mountain villages in Afghanistan.  Geoffrey Stevens was an Ottawa reporter for the Globe & Mail newspaper and has authored several profiles of Canadian political players.  For this memoir, Flora tells the story in her own words and Geoff puts it to ‘paper’.     

In this episode of The Kingstonian Podcast, I sit down with Geoff to get a preview of the book and an insight into the many passions of Flora MacDonald.

“Flora! A Woman in a Man’s World” written by Flora MacDonald and Geoffrey Stevens, published by McGill-Queen’s University Press

Our theme music is “Stasis Oasis”,  by Tim Aylesworth

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Episodes also air weekly on CJAI at 101.3fm (Tue. at 4pm)