Kingston, Ont. shines on the big screen
With the Mayor of Kingstown premiering on Paramount+ this week, it’s shining a spotlight on the city of Kingston, Ont.
Kingston Tourism says movies like these have brought big business to the city.
The drama, starring Jeremy Renner, was filmed over the summer at the Kingston Penitentiary, as well as in several other downtown locations. It’s also co-written and stars Hugh Dillan, who is originally from Kingston.
However, the production is not the only one to use Kingston as a backdrop in the last year. Netflix and Amazon Plus are also among the companies that have looked to the city for filming locations in the last year.
Kingston Tourism says those productions are expected to inject more than $5 million into the local economy.
With the influx of crews, more than $2 million has been spent at local hotels, a major relief during another summer under COVID restrictions, says Delta Kingston Waterfront Hotels General Manager Stephanie Quick.
"We have 126 rooms, there were times when we were at 80 to 90 per cent occupancy," says Quick. “During COVID, it was huge for us to see (this). At a time when we were just starting to see travel come back to the city... it was definitely big for us."
"It allowed us to maintain our staff levels. To keep the restaurant hotel open and vibrant. Especially with the housekeeping staff, we were able to keep everyone on."
It was also a boost to restaurants. Sitting next to the Kingston Pen, crews for Mayor of Kingstown often filled the tables of nearby Portsmouth Tavern.
"Some of them turned into regular for a couple weeks so it was nice to see for sure," says manager Dan Oosterman.
He says he’s excited for fans of the show to see the city.
"It’s exciting and then people will see it and go, 'Oh that's beautiful, lets go visit and see the historical sites.'"
With more productions set to take action in the coming months, businesses say they continue to be ready.
"This past year’s been incredible the amount we’ve seen," says Quick. "I can’t wait to see what the next few years bring."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.