City assets a ‘gold mine:’ speaker
By L. H. Tiffany Hsieh
A local history buff kicked off the 2008-2009 Canadian Club of Kingston luncheon program at Minos Uptown Village Restaurant last week.
Don Curtis, a communications consultant and strategic planner, was the first of eight guest speakers lined up for the popular monthly meeting this year. Since retiring to Kingston from Toronto in 2000, Curtis has developed historic tours as well as a book of walking tours on historic churches in the city. He has also conducted strategic studies of the city, including a “blue belt” strategy he calls Kingston’s “liquid assets.”
“You’ve got cities that brag about the green belt, well, we’ve got a blue belt,” he says. “We’ve got the finest water lifestyle in the entire country people would roll their eyes.”
For example, Curtis points out that Kingston is the freshwater sailing capital of the world. In 1976, the Olympic sailing regatta took place here. The city, along with Kiel, Germany and Brisbane, Australia, is the most coveted place to be for world-class sailors.
“And we are the only freshwater port,” he says. “You can sail anywhere in the world right from our harbour.” For powerboaters, “You can go to church on your boat in the 1000 Islands.”
Other thriving water sports Curtis says Kingstonians should be proud of and boast more include diving, fishing, canoeing and kayaking, rowing, and windsurfing and kite boarding.
“We have three different types of boating here and they are literally at the mouth of our downtown marina. We have 335 years of marine commerce and have some of the best wrecks in Canada,” he says.
As for fishing, “Kingston’s back lakes are a fisherman’s paradise with every kind of freshwater fish. You can go from one lake to another and not get out of your boat — it’s a $40-billion industry.”
However, in a typically san-fanfare Canadian fashion, these assets, along with the city’s rich history and heritage, are not being promoted as they should, says Curtis.
“There are cities in the States promoting ‘Come and see our historic downtown’ and they have four or five old buildings — some are not even authentic,” he says.
“We have over 600 historic buildings in our downtown alone, all authentic, all still in use.”
Curtis is currently working on a project called Kingston 360 (www.kingston360.ca), an online database of the city’s blue belt, history and heritage. He hopes the website, once developed, will make some big noise for Kingston’s unique assets.
“I urge you to go out and look, study the history and tell your kids and grandkids,” Curtis says. “It’s a gold mine, it’s all here. We don’t have to build the lake, the fish or the wind. Be ambassadors for the blue belt of Canada — nobody can compare to this.”
The Canadian Club of Kingston (www.canadianclubkingston.org) is a community-based organization that arranges monthly meetings featuring a speaker on a current topic of special interest to Canadians. It typically meets on the second Thursday of each month, from October to May.
Next luncheon, Nov. 13, features The Globe and Mail’s columnist Jeffry Simpson on “Hot Air.” Members of the public are welcome. Cost is $24 for members and $29 for non-members. Reservation is required and can be made by calling Minos at 613-384-2021.
Article ID# 1252422
The ad for the event
Canadian Club of Kingston
Next Speaker
Don Curtis, Advertizing Executive, will speak on "Kingston's Liquid Assets - its Blue Belt Lifestyle and Kingston’s Unequalled Historic Assets" Thursday 09 October 2008
Don has over 40 years experience handling communications for over 75 of the largest corporations in the country. He was partner and managing director of Goodgoll Curtis Advertising, 1990-2000; and managing director of Vickers and Benson Advertising, 1972-1989. Since retiring and moving to Kingston in 2000, Don has been highly active in the community. He has conducted a strategic study of the city; developed a walking-tour book on the Historic Churches of Kingston; developed Kingston’s Blue Belt (water lifestyle) strategy; developed historic tours; and is now developing Kingston 360 – a website to bring Kingston’s unique assets to the attention of the world. Don is a member of the Kingston Imagine Round Table, a contributing writer to the Kingston Whig-Standard and to Kingston This Week, and a guest lecturer at St Lawrence College.
Don will talk about Blue Belt-Kingston – surrounded by fresh, blue waters, Lake Ontario to the south, the St Lawrence River and the magnificent 1000 islands to the east, the historic Rideau Canal to the northeast, the Bay of Quinte to the west and a myriad of fresh pristine lakes to the immediate north. This gives rise to the finest water lifestyle in North America. Kingston has over 600 historic buildings, most still in daily use, all authentic, with fascinating stories – as you will hear.
The Canadian Club is a community-based organization that arranges monthly meetings at which distinguished speakers address its members on subjects of national or international significance. It typically meets on the second Thursday of each month, from October to May. Each luncheon meeting features a speaker on a current topic of special interest to Canadians.