Remembering Jim Neill — A 2017 Conversation on Kingston, Community & Civic Life

This archival episode features a 2017 conversation with the late Jim Neill, recorded when this program was still airing as a radio show.

Jim Neill was well known in Kingston, Ontario, for his decades of public service as a teacher, community activist, school board trustee, and Kingston city councillor. In this conversation, Jim reflects on several civic issues facing Kingston at the time, including development proposals along Princess Street, transportation planning, and discussion surrounding the city’s third crossing project.

Recorded nearly nine years before his passing in April 2026, the conversation offers insight into Jim’s thoughtful approach to leadership, community engagement, and municipal politics.

Beyond the local issues discussed, this episode stands as a reminder of the lasting impact that dedicated community-minded individuals can have on the places they serve.

HASHTAGS: #JimNeill #YGK #MunicipalPolitics #KingstonHistory #CityCouncil #CommunityVoices #RememberingJimNeill #KingstonPodcast 

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Transcript

Steve 0:08

Welcome to the Kingstonian, a podcast that profiles people who are passionate about what they do for a living, what organization they belong to, or the community they are a part of. Here is your host, Dave Cunningham.

Dave 0:24

Thank you, Steve. Hello everyone, and welcome. For decades, Jim Neal was a familiar and respected voice in the Kingston community. A teacher, community activist, school board trustee, and longtime Kingston City Councilor, Jim devoted much of his life to public service and civic engagement. Back in 2017, when this program was still airing as a radio show, Jim joined me for a thoughtful conversation about the issues shaping Kingston at the time. Born in 1951, Jim passed away in late April of 2026, leaving behind a legacy of commitment to his community and the people he served. Listening back nearly nine years later, it's striking how many of the topics we discussed still resonate today, from developments along Princeton Street to debates surrounding the city's Third Crossing. And while his conversation is deeply rooted in Kingston, Ontario, it also offers a timeless reflection of local leadership, public service, and the importance of community involvement. Here is my 2017 conversation with Jim Neo. A name that should be familiar to a lot of people. Jim is the counselor for the Williamsview, Williamsville District in the city. Also happens to be deputy mayor right now, and obviously passionate about what he does as a counselor. And you were also, I assume, very passionate about your teaching career, which you just brought to an end because you're now retired.

Jim 1:54

That's right. I was almost 30 years a teacher and really, really enjoyed it. Was active with my teachers' union and uh taught drama, teacher librarian, literature, English teacher. So I thoroughly enjoyed those years.

Dave 2:12

Now, as a teacher in this particular ... You were with the Limestone Board.

Jim 2:16

Uh no, actually I was with Upper Canada Board, which is our neighboring board. So I taught in Gann and Elgin. And places east.

Dave 2:23

Yes. Okay. So uh what brought you to that particular board as opposed to the Limestone board?

Jim 2:32

Um a job at the time. A job at the time. I taught at uh Limestone for a period of time um in corrections, but another job came forward and uh up in Elgin at Rideau District High School, which I was very happy to do.

Dave 2:47

Now you taught high school.

Jim 2:48

That's right.

Dave 2:49

What did you like about teaching high school?

Jim 2:51

Uh uh The kids are really interesting. That's about the things I miss most, I jokingly say, uh but seriously. I miss the kids. Being a drama teacher, I miss the field trips and I miss snow days, but that's about it.

Dave 3:10

Now you had did you actually act yourself teaching drama?

Jim 3:14

Uh I I didn't. I directed a lot of plays, and in my youth and at university I was uh more active in in plays.

Dave 3:26

Now you told me before we started the show that you were actually a volunteer here. That's right. For a little for this long.

Jim 3:33

Yes. Uh just before the 2010 election. I got qualified, did a couple of uh shows sharing with with people who had regular shows, and uh but once I was on council, there wasn't quite enough time to devote to doing it.

Dave 3:51

Your time went out the window. Yes, exactly. Exactly. Okay, so you decided to run for council. Yes. So the first time you were on council was what, 1991?

Jim 4:01

I ran in 91 and served until January of 98, and then I came back in 2010. Why run for council? Um I just I uh I've been active in the community, a community activist, an affordable housing activist, uh for for quite some time. And um I kind of ran in 1991 not expecting to win that first time, but thinking I'd get my name out there and I'd have an opportunity to run uh successfully again. So I surprisingly got elected, but and I enjoyed that those years on council. Right. Okay.

Dave 4:48

What do you like about being a councillor?

Jim 4:51

Uh the what I really enjoy about being a councillor is unlike other levels of government, you are the closest to the community. And so I was waiting at a bus stop today and got stopped by two constituents who wanted to talk about issues. I uh when I walk downtown, everybody, the wonderful thing about Kingston, everybody has a smiling, nodding acquaintance with everybody else. And you have an opportunity to talk about issues, uh, which we don't have the executive constituency assistant to kind of screen uh who we talk to, and so everybody has an opportunity uh to talk to councillors.

Dave 5:41

And everybody has your phone number.

Jim 5:42

Absolutely. And your website. And they know where I live.

Dave 5:47

Now we'll talk about Williamsville in a second, but uh I was interested when I was reading some information about you online, is that your social justice um involvement included a trip to El Salvador.

Jim 6:01

That's right. Um in 1990, I actually went to El Salvador as an international observer at a teachers conference there. And that was really the thing that motivated me to run the first time, because uh we learned about a number of teachers who had disappeared in returning to their villages from uh the the Andes, their teachers union conference in uh 1989. Okay. And so that really kind of motivated me. Uh and then I I went again with a group of Kingstonians to be uh to be uh an observer at uh the presidential election. Okay, just a few years ago.

Dave 6:54

So okay, let's talk about Williamsville. Now, one of the things that I found is that having lived in Kingston since 1966, so I've been here a while, you don't get to talk too much about the various neighborhoods or districts in the city. Talk about the city as a whole, but you don't get to focus. Now, for those people who are not aware, Williamsville is smack dab in the middle, uh I would guess you would call it. Basically, the borders are Sir John A. McDonald Boulevard, Bath and Concession, Division, and back up along Johnson. Exactly. Now talk about Williamsville. What do you like about the district you represent?

Jim 7:34

Uh I find it really an interesting district because unlike any other district in the city, it's like a microcosm of the city. In the uh Southeast, it's primarily students uh that I represent. In the Northeast, it's around Memorial Center and and to the east, it's uh it's primarily affordable working class families for the most part. You go to the southwest and it's um 1960s, 70s suburban area, which has the name Sunnyside. That's the neighborhood. And in the northwest, it's apartments and condominiums. So it's it's almost like a snapshot in microcosm of the whole city.

Dave 8:29

When we talk about Williamsville and Princess Street in particular, so that section of Princess Street that is in Williamsville. Yep. If you're driving downtown and you're going through Williamsville on Princess Street, there are a lot, now there are a lot of apartment buildings, I think, designed for students primarily. The there is one big building that's on the corner of Victoria. Yep, exactly. Where the big fire was. Exactly. And uh we have other buildings that are going up there and and areas that don't seem to have much happening. So is there a strategy that you're a part of in that theory?

Jim 9:06

There is indeed. We had a really good secondary study uh that had full community consultation, that drew up a plan and led to the newest zoning that we have in the city, which is the Williamsville Business Corridor area. I totally support that. It's fairly new zoning, so I think we need to be very vigilant that we maintain the principles of that zoning. But it says if you have a large enough footprint, you can go up to ten stories. Uh, but there are other parameters for amenity space and parking and and there should be uh a laneway in the back so we don't have trucks, commercial trucks loading and unloading on Princess Street, as happens in on Lower Princess Street. Right downtown, yeah.

Dave 10:03

So when you talk about the zoning has been modified or changed, and we're talking about density is probably one issue that comes up? Absolutely. What about commercial in that section?

Jim 10:15

Uh we call for for a large part of that sec of that uh Williamsville business corridor. We make it clear that first floor should be commercial with the full ceiling height of commercial. And so by following that, we should and we are developing the commercial aspects and renewing the commercial aspects of what used to be called the uptown area.

Dave 10:47

Now, when we go down Princess Street right now, we see a lot of the bigger buildings that are accommodations or apartment buildings. What kind of time frame are you looking at with respect to when we expect to see more commercial in that stretch?

Jim 11:01

Uh well, the you'll s um university suites are twin ten-story apartments on the corner of University and Princess, the only thing holding them up is an OMB appeal, which has gone through the full process. So I'm assuming that if they uh carry the OMB appeal, which I expect it was passed unanimously by council, it was uh and it it was supported by the community association. So I'm assuming that it'll be approved. That should happen sooner rather than later. Uh we also have uh three other properties that are in at the proposal stage just going through the planning process. And so by I would think by 2020 we should have uh at least three, maybe four more uh developments along there. And although they're primarily student uh uh expected to be the the uh uh the the primary tenants, there's also going to be uh condos and uh developments that would fit uh young professional couples people to to live there as well. So it's it's I think a good a good strategy. And it'll take ten to or five to ten years to totally build out, but it's going to replace a lot of those abandoned former car lots and that that right now are just uh empty fields. Just sitting there. Exactly.

Dave 13:01

I mentioned to you before we started the program that I was a student at Queens back in the late 60s, early 70s, and I can't remember this amount of building. Like this is all very new in terms of the the density and the number of buildings going up to accommodate the student population.

Jim 13:17

Yeah. And that's good because the students have been uh living primarily in former family homes that are converted, and this will hopefully allow those home a lot of those family homes to remain as f as a mixed neighborhood uh i closer to the university, and that with more options for people to students to live elsewhere.

Dave 13:49

Okay. We are going to talk about one of the issues that people have been talking about in this town forever, and that's the third crossing.

unknown 13:59

Yes.

Dave 14:00

What can you tell us that's new?

Jim 14:03

There's been a lot of discussion, it was over the last 40 years about a third crossing. Now, the majority of council, and I believe it was by an 8-5 vote, agreed to make uh the third crossing shovel ready by 2018, the next election. Uh the estimates are quite quite high for how much it would cost. And clearly we would need for it to go ahead, we would need uh some kind of matching infrastructure dollars from the province and the federal government. Now, the province has spent or will have spent at the end of this year, $168 million for the upgrading and the widening of the 401 as it goes across Kingston. So I'm not sure if they'll have an appetite to spend another $70 or $80 million. Because they're going into an election too. Yes, exactly. So um and increasingly people are asking uh what the financial impact of spending what might be when all the costs are in as much as a quarter of a billion dollars on a third crossing. Uh we have very strict uh boundary for urban growth that we are maintaining in the encouragement in order to encourage more development within the core of the city and to to do more infilling where where it makes sense. So so there's uh a fair bit of and growing, I think, hesitancy about a third crossing given that what the costs would be. Uh so it may end up being the kind of thing that sensibly should be a referendum question for the community. Because the impact is everybody across the city will be paying for a third crossing, and that will impact both their taxes and it will impact how much money we have to develop other capital projects like parks and and community centers and that. And so it it may indeed impact the city as a whole, and people should be aware of what those costs might be.

Dave 16:51

Now, when it comes to getting money from the provincial or federal governments, obviously there has to be some money that you can access in their budgets. And how difficult a task is that, Premier? Let's go with the Federal Government.

Jim 17:04

Well, the the Federal Government in their first round of infrastructure said that it was that that it was money primarily for social infrastructure that they wanted, not and it it should be sustainable. And they specifically said it shouldn't be for roads and bridges.

Dave 17:27

Okay.

Jim 17:28

So the first round of came came through with that clear message. The second round that was just uh presented at the last budget is uh stretches out for a longer period of time, but the focus was on things that we desperately need, like affordable housing and and little was devoted to the idea of ro again, roads and bridges. So it's it depends, you know, if there's going to be all kinds of changes in the next ten years, whether they be self-driving cars or uh that will impact on what we need for an infrastructure to support vehicles. And so uh so it's it's interesting that all of that is coming, and uh I'm I'm concerned that we don't build a bridge for 1970s. Reasons. Reasons. And so so I'm I'm still have a healthy skepticism, I believe.

Dave 18:51

Now you mentioned earlier you enjoy working as a city counselor because you're closer to the people than the other levels of government. Exactly. And I would probably suggest that being a city counselor is in one sense a more difficult job because you have to make yourself an expert on a whole bunch of different things. And you don't have big staff. I would assume. You don't have any staff, maybe. Yeah. And you have to do a lot of reading to prepare yourself for some of these discussions. That's right.

Jim 19:18

And uh I find it a little bit easier now that I'm retired. But for all of my colleagues, most of them have young families, full-time jobs, and so it's it really is a challenge to stay on top of everything.

Dave 19:36

One of the issues that I noticed you were in the paper talking about a few weeks ago, and it's an issue that I guess we go back to your buddy Donald Trump, and we talk about sanctuary cities. Yes. And I know that people may have heard the term, but they may not be aware of just what a sanctuary city in Canada really means. So why don't you have a few minutes left, so why don't we talk about that?

Jim 19:59

Yeah, it's very different than a sanctuary city in the States. Uh in Canada and London, Hamilton, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver have all passed uh motions to declare themselves sanctuary cities. I believe all uh happened unanimously. In Canada, uh we are service managers for welfare, and the province controls the uh ODSP. So those two forms of social assistance, the criteria is determined by the province, and we just administer it. Right. But what it would mean is that we're able to we're able to ensure without fear of recourse, all the other municipal services, library, bus, uh, and other opportunities for uh that only require residency. So these would help who? Uh they would help uh people always envision refugees as those people uh undocumented that are crossing at great danger snowy borders. But in fact, about 500,000 people are in Canada who came legally, either as students or as as uh on work temporary work leaves, uh cre uh entered into relationships, some even had children, and they lost their status, but they continue to uh to work and and live in the community. And those are the people who this would help and we would give them an opportunity. Uh when they came to the city to s to get legal assistance to find out who they should talk to about making themselves legal legal residents.

Dave 22:14

Okay. All right, so that's something that you're asking counsel to take a look at. Exactly.

unknown 22:20

Okay.

Dave 22:20

We have run out of time on the program today. Jim, and I thank you very much for dropping by and having this conversation. Thank you. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you. That was my 2017 conversation with Jim Neal, educator, activist, trustee, counselor, and a passionate advocate for the Kingston community. In revisiting this discussion after Jim's passing in April of 2026, it's clear how deeply he cared about the future of his city and the people who called it home. Whether speaking about growth, infrastructure, education, or neighborhood concerns, Jim approached public service with thoughtfulness, conviction, and a genuine desire to make a difference. My sincere sympathies to his friends and family. As always, thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and consider rating and subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It helps others discover the show. I'll be back soon with another conversation.

Steve 23:25

The theme music for the podcast is Stace's Oasis, written and performed by Kingston musician Tim Aylesworth. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about any of the episodes, please send a note to the Kingstonian Podcast at gmail.com. For details on upcoming guests, follow us on Facebook.