Ken Thompson

Biography:

Born in Ottawa, Ken Thompson has been a full-time resident of Kingston since 1994. Ken is an accomplished curler locally and across the province having won, as a skip, the Ontario Silver Tankard championship in 1972.

Ken’s passion for the sport of curling is most significant when he initiates the organization of major curling events and brings them to Kingston. Over the years, he has led the organizing committees of the Ontario Masters in 2004, The Canadian Grand Slam of Curling in 2011, The Travellers Canadian Club Championship in 2017 and the two most prestigious curling events in Canada; the Canadian Women’s Championship, the 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Canada’s National Men’s Championship, the Tim Hortons Brier in 2020. It was the first time Kingston has hosted the Brier since 1957.

Ken understands the needs and desires of the main stakeholders at any curling event, the curlers, fans, sponsors and media. Understanding those interrelationships has helped Ken to build successful bid groups to bring some of the most prestigious national and provincial events in the sport to Kingston.

As a writer and co-publisher of the Ontario Curling Report, Ken covered many Briers over the years giving him insights into the game. In 2023 Ken was recognized by Curling Canada with the Ray Kingsmith Award for his “commitment to the sport of curling,” and in 2016 the Ontario Curling Hall of Fame presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Twice recognized with a Paul Harris Fellow award by Rotary International, the work Ken has done for over 50 years illustrates the true meaning of the Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self.”