Last Updated on October 10, 2025 by Owen Fullerton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
At the end of October, Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada (BBBS) will be ceasing operations in Kingston, Lennox, Frontenac & Addington after more than 50 years of service in the area – but the organization says the region won’t be left without mentoring services.
After an email sent from BBBS on Friday was circulated on Kingston based reddit and Facebook pages, community members began mourning the loss, and wondering what the impact of losing such a longstanding program with as high demand as it did.
On Saturday evening after the posts that had been shared garnered hundreds of comments, BBBS KFLA posted in the Facebook group to provide some clarification on the situation, saying the initial post shared was lacking detail.
In short, the organization says the ceasing of operations does not spell the end of mentor/mentee programs in the area, with the Boys and Girls Club stepping in to fill the gap.
“The image posted did not contain the full message. We are pleased to share that new mentorship programs in-schools and in-Clubs will be available through the Boys and Girls Club, and that BGC South East has a plan for expanding programs and serving even more youth in our community,” the post from BBBS KFLA read.
“We respectfully communicated this change with families and mentors first, and will be releasing more information to the community about the new mentorship programs through BGC South East.”
While the office of BBBS was closed over the weekend while the partial email message gained online attention and staff were not available to field comments, the organization wanted to avoid further panic about the loss of services.
BBBS say they’re working with a number of providers to try to transition programs to remain active in the area, noting that another organization is ready to kick off its own mentor/mentee program in response to the closure.
“There is an opportunity for mentors and mentees to continue to participate in mentoring programs as part of other community organizations,” the post reads.
“One organization, BGC South East, will be providing its own site-based individual and group mentoring programs.”
Representatives for the local Boys and Girls Club and Big Brothers Big Sisters did not provide comment, and said they are waiting on further direction from BBBS Canada.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A mistake was made in the interpretation of an email from a spokesperson of BGC South East, the organization was waiting on direction from the national chapter of the Boys and Girls Club, not Big Brothers Big Sisters.
