Bryan Paterson, Mayor Candidate
What are your top priorities?
My top priority is keeping Kingston affordable — from property taxes among the lowest of any major Ontario city, to better transit options, to good jobs in growing sectors like advanced manufacturing and health sciences. I want to see more homes built faster, including starter homes and continued support for people experiencing homelessness. I'll keep investing in safe, vibrant public spaces and getting shovels in the ground on projects like a new hospital and a permanent LaSalle Causeway. And as AI reshapes the economy, I want Kingston's workforce — including our graduates — ready to adapt and thrive.
How would you impact student life?
Queen's students are part of this city, and I want Kingston to work for you. My focus on housing supply—more rental units, more housing options—helps ease pressure on the market near campus. My platform commits to better transit and active transportation connections between neighbourhoods, campuses, and jobs, plus a more vibrant, walkable downtown. Programs like the Mayor's Innovation Challenge and the Reaction Hub accelerator connect Queen's talent to real Kingston projects, so more graduates can build careers here instead of moving away. I'm also committed to community safety and better access to mental health and addictions supports for everyone.
Why should Queen’s students vote for you?
I ask for your vote because I bring twelve years of steady, collaborative leadership at a time when Kingston needs it most. I've worked with Queen's throughout my time as mayor—from research partnerships that improve city services, to the Mayor's Innovation Challenge that puts student ideas to work on real civic problems. I run a positive campaign focused on results, not division. I believe every Kingstonian, including students who call this city home for a few years, deserves a say in decisions that shape housing, transit, and safety here. I'd be honoured to keep earning your trust and vote.
Conny Glenn, Mayor Candidate
What are your top priorities?
My priorities are housing, affordability, a strong local economy and a City Hall that works better for people. We need more housing, including purpose-built student housing, better transit and infrastructure, and a city where people can afford to live, work and build a future. We also need to run the City efficiently, pursue new revenues and senior government investment, and get better value from every tax dollar. Underlying all of that is trust. I want a City Hall that listens, communicates openly and recognizes that Queen's students are Kingston residents whose voices belong in the decisions we make.
How would you impact student life?
My approach is simple. Work with students, not make decisions about them. I created and chair Kingston's Post-Secondary Working Group, bringing students, institutions, the City and community partners together to address housing, safety, affordability and student-city relations. I also brought forward a Student Housing Strategy because student housing needs specific attention, including more purpose-built housing and better rental conditions. As Mayor, I would continue giving students a meaningful voice on housing, transit, food security, recreation, climate and neighbourhood issues. Students contribute enormously to Kingston, and our city should make it easier for them to participate fully in community life.
Why should Queen’s students vote for you?
Because I didn't suddenly discover students during an election. As the councillor representing most Queen's students, I have spent four years showing up, listening and working with students. I created the Post-Secondary Working Group, pushed for better rental housing and brought forward a Student Housing Strategy. We won't always agree, but I will listen, be straight with you and make sure students are at the table before decisions are made. Whether you stay after graduation or move elsewhere, while you are here, Kingston is your city too. I have worked to make that mean something, and as Mayor I will continue that work.
Vanessa Mensah, Mayor Candidate
What are your top priorities?
My top priorities are housing and affordability, reliable transportation and infrastructure, and creating a stronger local economy where people can build a future. For students, these issues are deeply connected. Students need somewhere affordable to live, reliable ways to get around, opportunities to work and build connections, and potentially stay after graduation. I want students to feel they belong in Kingston, rather than simply live here while gaining education. My Kingston Opportunity Partnership would connect Queen’s University, St. Lawrence College, Royal Military College, employers, and community organizations, to focus on creating pathways from education to employment, entrepreneurship, community life to stay in Kingston.
How would you impact student life?
Student life doesn’t end at the campus gates. Students are Kingston residents, and the city has a direct role in whether you can afford to live here, get around safely, access services, and feel connected. I would focus on transportation, housing, pedestrian safety, public spaces, and coordinated approaches to mental wellbeing. I would also strengthen the relationship between Queen’s and City Hall. Queen’s is one of Kingston’s greatest highlights, and we should connect its students, research, innovation, and talent with local employers and opportunities. I want students to see Kingston not simply as where they studied, but as somewhere they can build a future and belong.
Why should Queen’s students vote for you?
Queen’s students deserve a Mayor who already understands their experiences and is prepared to act on them. I spent three years with Queen’s Student Wellness Services as a BIPOC mental health therapist, hearing countless stories about what students need to succeed academically, socially, and professionally. Those experiences shaped how I see challenges like housing, transportation, mental wellbeing, belonging, and opportunities after graduation. You deserve to be treated as Kingston residents, not temporary visitors. I’m asking you to vote for leadership that has listened to students, worked alongside them, and will ensure your voices help shape decisions at City Hall.
Andrew DaCosta, Councillor Candidate, District 10 (Sydenham)
What are your top priorities?
- Affordable, Quality Housing: Kingston is in a housing crisis. We need more housing, especially for students. I support increasing housing density near campus and downtown, and ensuring that housing is safe to live in.
- Student-City Relations: Increase the frequency of the City’s Post Secondary Working Group meetings to monthly and expand committee membership to include more students/residents.
- Improve City Services: Focus snow clearing priorities on Sydenham’s walking/cycling areas first, build new sidewalks and multi-use paths, introduce garbage cart pickup already available in other areas of Kingston, and increase Kingston Transit frequency along Union St and King St.
How would you impact student life?
- Decision-Making Power: I bring a student perspective directly to City Council, ensuring impact on students is always considered before decisions are made. Students need not just a voice, but real decision-making power.
- District Office: I will establish an office near campus, so students and community members have a dedicated space to resolve issues like unsafe housing, waste collection, and neighbourhood safety. No other candidate has made this commitment.
- Staying Informed: I will share regular updates through Queen’s student publications and communication channels. I will also commit to regular meetings with the AMS & SGPS to stay connected.
Why should Queen’s students vote for you?
I am a Queen’s student living, renting, and studying in Sydenham District. I will bring a student voice to City Council for the next 4 years.
Sydenham District hasn’t had a student Councillor since Cameron Watson, an undergraduate student, was elected in 1988! A 38-year gap without direct student representation at City Hall is far too long. Now is the time to send a student back to City Hall to make sure the needs of 35,000 students are actively addressed.
It’s time for decisions at City Hall that affect students to be made by students, not for them.
Annie Palone, Councillor Candidate, District 10 (Sydenham)
What are your top priorities?
Liveability, housing done right, and sustainability: that's what residents tell me they care about on repeat. Liveability includes streets safe enough for a kid on a bike, or a woman alone after dark. Housing done right means real affordability and real accountability – I named and pushed for Kingston's Student Housing Strategy, and I won't let it drift to 2028. Sustainability starts with protecting mature trees, growing our urban forest to cool our streets, and mitigating climate change impacts. Because it's your future on the line, not just mine.
How would you impact student life?
You're my neighbours, and I want all my neighbours to love where they live. Studentification is real: we need more, better, closer housing for students – that's why, with the Sydenham District Association (SDA), I've pushed for near-campus upzoning, so developers can build where you actually want to live, not just where the housing’s degraded and cheap to buy. I'll also push to fully launch the Landlord Registry that council approved in 2024, so unsafe housing gets flagged faster. Relationships are important, and I'll continue Councillor Glenn's bimonthly meetings with Principal Deane, and maintain close relationships with AMS & SGPS reps.
Why should Queen’s students vote for you?
I don't just listen, I act on what I hear. I bring real technical tools and design expertise to housing and development decisions – master's degrees in urban design and landscape architecture, so I know what it’s like to be a student too. I've already spent years doing this work as a volunteer: on the SDA Board, at the table with city planners, advocating for real change. Now I want to bring that same energy to Council, full-time. To show up, listen to you, turn it into a strategic plan, and get it done; that's the job, and I'm ready.
Rajesh Kumar, Councillor Candidate, District 10 (Sydenham)
What are your top priorities?
Student housing affordability and quality are my top priorities. Having lived in student housing, I know the importance of safe homes, fair leases, and essential amenities like air conditioning. I’ll push to finalize the Student Housing Strategy to guide the Official Plan and expand affordable options. I’ll advocate for allowing extra garbage bags for student houses. Fighting food insecurity is vital - I’ll support programs that help students afford both rent and meals. Improving transit frequency on student routes and ending racism, especially against students of color, will also be key. I’ll ensure City Hall listens and acts.
How would you impact student life?
Real change means follow-through, not promises. Too often students raise concerns and never hear back — that ends with me. I'll strengthen Town and Gown relations, keeping a direct channel to City Hall with visible updates on what's fixed, however small. I'll push for more frequent, wider-coverage transit on routes students use, and tenant-rights education so no one faces mold, slow repairs, or unfair leases alone. I'll launch a digital portal where tenants can share their rental experiences, and ensure the Post-Secondary Working Group includes AMS and SGPS directly, not just administrators. I'll measure success by change you can see.
Why should Queen’s students vote for you?
I bring a unique combination few candidates have: I’m a Queen’s employee, PhD student, and father searching for a home in Kingston’s tight market. While my family lives in Barrie, I’m actively seeking affordable housing here and know firsthand the challenges of mold and slow repairs in student housing. With 20 years of leadership experience - building a startup, serving as Chief Administrative Officer in an Arctic municipality, and working within Queen’s innovation ecosystem - I connect faculties, students, the City, and startups to create real opportunities. I’m both a student and a proven leader ready to deliver results for Sydenham.
Aba Mortley, Councillor Candidate, District 11 (King’s Town)
What are your top priorities?
My priorities are housing and growth, transparency and accountability, healthy and inclusive neighbourhoods, and a strong local economy. For students, housing is a major part of affordability. We need more rental housing, but we also need to ask what students are paying, and whether the quality and value match those costs. Growth should include safe, well-maintained housing and be connected to reliable transit, cycling and walking routes, parks and community services. I also want transparent decisions about how public dollars are spent and a Kingston where students are seen not simply as temporary residents, but as valued members of our community.
How would you impact student life?
Students are residents of Kingston, and municipal decisions directly affect daily life: housing costs, transit, cycling and pedestrian safety, recreation, public spaces and the vitality of downtown. I would bring a student lens into those decisions by asking who is being served and who is not. I support a more connected, protected cycling network and reliable, accessible transit, and I want housing policy focused not only on the number of units built, but on affordability and the mix of housing available. I would also prioritize meaningful consultation before decisions are made.
Why should Queen’s students vote for you?
Queen's students should vote for me if they want a councillor who will listen, ask difficult questions and make evidence-based decisions rather than arrive assuming I already have every answer. As a former Queen’s student, I understand how quickly the costs of student life add up, housing, food and transportation. I want to be diligent about how the City spends public dollars and ensure decisions consider affordability and the people they affect. I want Kingston to be a city where students feel welcomed, heard and that they belong, not simply that they study here.
Greg Ridge, Councillor Candidate, District 11 (King’s Town)
What are your top priorities?
My priorities remain the same as they have been since I was first elected in 2022.
Building more housing and affordable housing
- Responsibly increasing housing options for everyone.
Sustainability and affordability
- Making smart municipal investments that address affordability while delivering value for residents and providing practical climate solutions.
Supporting our Arts, Culture, and Tourism
- Supporting artists, cultural organizations, and events through sustainable opportunities and resources.
Building a Safer and More Supportive Community
- Continuing investment in our public spaces, including roads, parks, and active transportation networks; and strengthening partnerships on mental health, addictions treatment, and homelessness supports.
How would you impact student life?
Students are often portrayed as distinct from other Kingstonians. I disagree. Students face the same pressures facing everyone in Kingston: affordability, lack of housing options and its cost, and wanting to have safe and enjoyable use of functional public spaces.
The policies and programming Kingston offers need to address these needs for everyone - including students.
One example of policy benefiting students is the development of the next official plan. Making it easier to build closer to campus and with higher density through zoning can reduce pressures on rental market vacancy rates and provide attractive options closer to campus.
Why should Queen’s students vote for you?
I have extensive experience in education in policy and governance. I have been a Councillor now for four years. I have my BA, BBA (in Accounting), and my MPA with a focus on housing policy. I was a Legislative Assistant for a Member of Provincial Parliament and understand the interdependency of cities and the province.
I also believe students are an important part of what makes Kingston special. They contribute in so many ways: to our culture, to businesses, and through advocacy and charitable work.
I’m here to listen. If re-elected, I will continue to support students however I can.
The below candidates did not reply to our questions:
- Grant Bedard (Mayor)
- Vincent Cinanni (District 9)
- John Meligrana (District 10)
- Melissa Reid (District 11)