Kingston is a midsize city that is home to over 172,000 residents at the place where the Cataraqui and St. Lawrence Rivers flow into Lake Ontario. Europeans settled the area in the 1600s on First Nation lands named Katarokwi, calling it King’s Town in honor of Britain’s George III. Kingston, as it became known, went on to serve as Canada’s first capital – and that federal connection continues to this day. Kingston is home to Canadian Forces Base Kingston, Corrections Canada, the Royal Military College of Canada and various departments of the federal and provincial government.
The significant role of federal spending in the economy represents both a benefit and a risk to the city. While welcoming the former, Kingston has planned and executed carefully to create an innovative, diverse economy that delivers growth and hedges against policy change at the national level. The city-owned Utilities Kingston provides electric, water and sanitation to the city – and also operates a 1,000-kilometer dark-fiber network, supplemented by fixed wireless in hard-to-reach areas. Low cost of deployment has attracted multiple service providers to provision and manage business and residential services to customers. Business customers include global companies such as DuPont, INVISTA, Frulact, IDEXX, IPG Photonics and Umicore.
Diversity in a Knowledge Economy
The city’s economic development strategy has centered on one of its greatest strengths: a robust academic sector anchored by Queen's University, a top research institution, and St. Lawrence College, a leading applied-learning institution with schools of business, computer and engineering technology, health sciences, and skilled trades. Together with the Royal Military College of Canada, these institutions give Kingston the second largest talent pool in Eastern Ontario and one of the most highly educated populations in the nation. This diverse and skilled workforce is reinforced by strong program completions in health professions, biological sciences, engineering, chemistry and business, producing a full spectrum of talent to meet employer needs. The result is a city that not only ranks first among the 15 top Canadian cities for industrial and academic R&D (FDI Benchmark 2019) but also has become a premier hub for life sciences innovation and sustainable manufacturing. More than 30 research laboratories are located in the city, and many leading companies have chosen Kingston for their global R&D and production facilities, in order to benefit from access to cutting-edge expertise and facilities.
At the turn of the century, Queen’s University established a nonprofit technology-transfer corporation, PARTEQ Innovations, to identify intellectual property developed by university researchers and support its commercialization. Now called the Office of Partnerships and Innovation, the organization connects Queen’s University’s researchers and entrepreneurs with venture funding opportunities through strategic partnerships and plays a central role in the Eastern Ontario Innovation Corridor, which supports startups, SMEs and innovators across the region. From its founding to 2013, the Office helped form nearly 50 startup companies with a capitalization of C$1.4 billion, registered over 400 patents and returned C$33 million to the university to fund new research centers. Building on this legacy, Queen’s University has consolidated two previously successful entrepreneurial programs into the Queen’s Founders and Innovators Initiative (QFII), which offers award-winning training, mentorship and funding opportunities, alongside a pitch competition that can launch ideas into viable enterprises. Queen’s University has helped launch more than 700 startups to date, including Mosaic Manufacturing, a 3D printing company that raised $28 million in funding.
Kingston complements its academic and research capacity with innovative workforce and talent initiatives. The Workplace Inclusion Charter (WIC), launched in 2019, has supported more than 80 employers in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, with projects ranging from targeted initiatives for international students to collaborations with neighboring municipalities. The Charter’s success has earned national recognition and inspired local employers to build their own equity programs. The city also developed the NEST* Program, which helps relocating professionals and their families integrate into Kingston by supporting spousal employment, housing searches and community connections. As the program expands to include newcomers undergoing the immigration process, it is becoming a vital tool for attracting and retaining global talent.
The city further supports talent attraction with its Possible Made Here and bilingual counterpart Tout Est Possible Ici platforms that provide interactive tools like job search engines, cost-of-living calculators and neighborhood quizzes. These platforms won the 2020 EDCO award for innovation in workforce development and continue to evolve to meet new demands. Meanwhile, the Queen’s Career Apprenticeship Program connects Arts and Science graduates with employers through subsidized, year-long apprenticeships, resulting in more than $2.7 million in new payroll and the program’s expansion into eight other Canadian communities and the U.S.
Fostering Community Engagement through Digital Accessibility
Kingston has made public engagement a central principle of its governance, seeking to embed transparency, trust and collaboration into its decision-making processes. The City’s Public Engagement Framework guides consistent outreach across neighborhoods and sectors, supported by digital tools that make participation more accessible. Get Involved Kingston, the city’s online hub for engagement built on Granicus’ EngagementHQ platform, is among the highest-performing platforms in Canada. With more than 18,000 registered participants representing 14% of the population, it supports both local and citywide consultations, on topics ranging from park improvements to the official plan. In 2024 alone, residents provided nearly 9,000 pieces of feedback, with participation doubling year-over-year. A 2025 consultation on a proposed sports stadium drew more than 10,000 visits and 1,450 contributions, one of the largest engagement efforts in Kingston’s history. Complementing this, Kingston INFocus provides residents and partners with interactive data dashboards covering employment, housing, culture and the environment, giving residents insight into local challenges and opportunities.
The city also fosters inclusion and cultural connection through targeted initiatives. The Welcome to Kingston app, developed with community partners, helps newcomers access essential services, cultural events and community organizations in 15 languages, reducing isolation and improving integration. Kingston has also prioritized reconciliation and Indigenous engagement, supporting initiatives like the Katarowki Indigenous Art and Food Market, Indigenous programming at festivals and the “Engage for Change” project to strengthen relationships with Indigenous Peoples. The Mayor records monthly city podcasts and regular video updates to provide context and more information on issues brought up at each City Council meeting. These tools and programs combine digital accessibility with cultural inclusivity, ensuring that residents are informed, connected and empowered to shape the city’s evolution.
Life, Health and Sustainability
Kingston has placed sustainability at the center of its development strategy, recognizing that long-term economic growth and community well-being depend on responsible stewardship of resources. The city was the first in Ontario to declare a climate emergency in 2019 and the first in Canada to adopt a protocol for sustainable energy procurement. Its Climate Leadership Plan sets an ambitious target of carbon neutrality by 2040 and integrates both mitigation and adaptation strategies. Planned actions span transportation, buildings and energy, waste, food systems and forestry, with initiatives including establishing LEED-certified facilities, expanding organic waste diversion, growing in local food production and planting thousands of new trees annually. Kingston is further supporting these efforts with investments in an electrified municipal fleet, including buses, Zambonis and a new electric ferry, alongside expanded EV charging stations on land and even for boats.
In 2010, the city began nine-year reconstruction of Princess Street, Kingston’s main commercial artery, to replace end-of-life utilities while separating sanitary and storm sewers to prevent overflows into Lake Ontario and flooding in downtown businesses. This complex project was phased to minimize disruption to the tourism economy, with winter construction allowing streets to reopen for summer visitors – an innovation rarely attempted in Ontario. Such work underscores Kingston’s ability to blend environmental priorities with economic and cultural vitality. Other initiatives include upgrades to wastewater treatment facilities, where waste methane fuels a generator that produces 370 kW of electricity, covering about a quarter of the plant’s needs while also providing heat for buildings and digesters.
Kingston is also focusing heavily on community-driven action to advance sustainability. The Kingston Community Climate Action Fund, now in its fifth year, channels financial support and public awareness into local projects led by nonprofits and charities. In 2025, Extend-A-Family Kingston’s GrowAbility Hydroponic Greenhouse Project received support to scale two greenhouses capable of producing over 10,000 heads of lettuce annually using 90% less water than traditional farming. This initiative eliminates soil and transport emissions while strengthening local food resiliency. Alongside municipal leadership, Kingston’s life sciences and cleantech sectors are also thriving. The Periwinkle Clinic provides team-based health care for over 8,000 residents, while the HELIX Life Sciences Project and RXN HUB are creating facilities, funding, and networks to scale startups in life sciences and green manufacturing. Together, these programs and investments make Kingston a model for cities integrating health, sustainability, and innovation into a unified vision for the future.
Mclean’s magazine has recognized Kingston as one of the best places to live in Canada, with a thriving downtown, vibrant art and theater scene and high-class restaurant and bar district. Its 200-kilometer canal has gained World Heritage Site status from UNESCO. Combining its strengths in connectivity, ongoing development of a high-skilled workforce and a well-established innovation ecosystem, Kingston is ready to adapt and prosper through the continuing waves of change crossing the world’s economy.
Population: 172,000
Labor Force: 90,000
Website: www.cityofkingston.ca, www.investkingston.ca
Kingston Tourism: http.visitkingston.ca.
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