Kingston, Ont. sleeping cabins move for the summer

About a dozen of the cabins have been moved away from Portsmouth Olympic Harbour to the Centre 70 Arena. City of Kingston staff continue to look for a permanent location

Little remains of the sleeping cabin community that called a portion of the parking lot at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour home over the winter.

Municipal staff started the work of moving the cabins to the Centre 70 Arena in the city’s west end around 6 a.m. Monday.

While moving the cabins is expected to be complete by the days end it could be a little longer before the occupants are back in them according to Kingston’s Manager of Housing Heather Scrannage.

“It may be Tuesday, it just depends on how long that set up at Centre 70 takes,” said Scrannage.

This is the second year the small cabin community has relocated in the spring.

While keeping the occupants and the cabins in one location would be ideal, Scrannage says use of the harbour picks up late spring and lasts into the fall.

“We have to let those summer uses to occur, which is why we move to Centre 70,” said Scrannage. “It doesn’t have the same summer uses but does have the late fall winter and early spring use.”

Bouncing between the two location is considered temporary while the municipality looks for a permanent location for the sleeping cabins.