Queen’s University
THE JOURNAL —
Vol. 154, Issue 5
—
Friday, September 11, 2026
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Situated on the
traditional lands of
the Anishinaabe and
Haudenosaunee peoples.
Since 1873
instead relying largely on that we are acting like we are,” such as media she said. She pointed to issues A new term or a new direction? isopportunities interviews and public events. including food insecurity and “I’m just trying to get it out as pressures on municipal services Mayor candidates make their case organically as I can,” he said. and infrastructure. She argued
Affordability, mental health, and Kingston’s relationship with Queen’s emerge as priorities Emmet Paradis Senior News Editor
Four candidates for Kingston mayor are pitching different approaches to the city’s affordability, housing, and social challenges ahead of the Oct. 26 municipal election. The mayor serves as the head of Kingston City Council, chairing council meetings, helping set the City’s priorities and direction, and representing Kingston publicly. The position also carries “strong mayor” powers under provincial legislation, including additional authority
Four candidates run for Sydenham District council-
over the municipal budget and certain City decisions. Election day is Oct. 26, with polls open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advance voting will take place Oct. 16 and 17 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., while online voting will be available from Oct. 14 until polls close on election day. Candidates Grant Bedard, Conny Glenn, Vanessa Mensah, and Bryan Paterson, PhD ’06, spoke with The Journal about their priorities. Grant Bedard
Bedard is running without previous political experience. Born in Kingston, Bedard said his candidacy is rooted primarily in his life experience and a belief Kingston needs change. Having previously experienced homelessness, he said it was an experience that informed his perspective on challenges facing residents. Bedard initially considered running for councillor in his
lor open seat Race puts student housing and community relations at the forefront Lola Hustins Assistant News Editor
Four candidates — (John Meligrana, Annie Palone, Andrew DaCosta, and Rajesh Kumar) — are running for Sydenham District councillor. The race originally included five candidates, but Jago Garrett withdrew his candidacy on Aug. 18.
Previous Sydenham District Councillor Conny Glenn has left her seat to run for mayor, leaving the district without an incumbent. According to the City of Kingston’s electoral districts map, Sydenham District covers the area south of Johnson St., extending to Ontario St.,
east to Gore St., with Sir John A. Macdonald Blvd. forming its western boundary. Each candidate spoke with The Journal about their priorities for the district. Andrew DaCosta
“I live here, I work here, I study here. My life revolves around Sydenham,” said DaCosta, ArtSci ’29. Though a Queen’s student, DaCosta’s campaign website assures that he is “not running a campaign focused only on Queen’s students,” but focused on all residents of Sydenham District. Studying Political Studies for his second year at Queen’s, DaCosta’s platform focuses on six main points: the housing
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Municipal Election crisis, active transportation, the relationship between the City of Kingston and post-secondary institutions, capital tax, keeping residents informed, and a report card outlining his work and progress. DaCosta said Sydenham has not had a student representative on council in almost 40 years, pointing to Cam Watson, a Queen’s student who was elected as Sydenham Ward’s alderman — an elected member of a municipal government who represents a specific district or ward — in 1988. He said this makes student representation a key priority for him. He identified Kingston’s housing crisis as one of Sydenham’s biggest issues, saying candidates must be prepared to address it.
the City needs systemic changes and new approaches to addressing those challenges. Current Sydenham District Glenn said the relationship — which encompasses Queen’s between the City and Queen’s campus — Councillor Conny has improved during her time Glenn is campaigning for mayor representing Sydenham District on her record at City Hall and a and, if elected mayor, she call for a change in leadership. would focus on keeping those An ergonomist by training, relationships. Glenn said she ran a national “We can’t sort of take our ergonomics and disability man- foot off the pedal here,” she said. agement consulting company “The reality is on the student for almost 30 years. front; you guys change over According to her website, pretty quickly.” she’s running on four pillars: Among the major decisions housing, affordability, a city hall facing the next council, Glenn that reflects its city, and commu- identified the possibility of nity safety and belonging. moving water and wastewaShe currently sits on the ter services to a municipal board of the Federation of services corporation. She said Canadian Municipalities, a the model may have financial national organization represent- advantages, but argued council ing municipal governments, and must consider alternatives and co-chairs its Defence Task Force, public concerns before making a which focuses on the infrastruc- decision. ture needs of communities with military installations. See Mayor on page 2 “We are in the middle of multiple crises, and I don’t think Conny Glenn
signs. “That’s a climate initiative I’ve been working towards even right now on my campaign,” DaCosta said. Rajesh Kumar
“If you’re not ready to address that, I don’t think you’re ready for this position,” DaCosta said. He supports denser housing development to keep residents where they need to be, including students near campus and residents to essential services. DaCosta said he recently met with Principal Patrick Deane to discuss Kingston’s housing crisis and possible solutions and initiatives that both Queen’s and the City could develop. If elected, DaCosta said he would aim to establish a permanent office on Queen’s campus where students and residents could raise concerns with him or his team. On sustainability, DaCosta said he is the only candidate in the race using recyclable paper signs rather than plastic lawn
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A Look into Queen’s Cheer Page 8 @queensjournal
While working as the manager of economic development on the Partnership and Innovation Team at Queen’s, Kumar, who has a master’s degree from Queen’s, is also a PhD student in the Smith School of Business. He has served as chief administrative officer in the Municipality of Clyde River, Nunavut, where he managed multi-million-dollar budgets and built partnerships with Indigenous leaders. Kumar said he saw the challenges communities in Nunavut were facing from “very close quarters,” and, when he arrived in Kingston for his master’s degree, he “realized things are not very different here.” His campaign website highlights the four main focuses of his platform including creating safe, accessible, and liveable neighbourhoods, affordable housing, seeing that basic needs are met, and ensuring City Hall is fiscally responsible and kept accountable. See Sydenham on page 2
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Remembering 9/11, 25 years later Page 4 queensjournal.ca
district, but decided to run for mayor after Brandon Tozo, who Bedard expected would seek the mayor’s position, instead ran for councillor in Kingscourt District. Asked about specific projects he would pursue, Bedard said he has ideas but declined to detail them, saying he’s concerned ideas he shares may later emerge from other candidates or sources. “I have some ideas, but I have noticed as time’s gone by, when I share out my ideas, they end up coming out from a different angle,” Bedard said. On the relationship between Queen’s and Kingston, Bedard said he would prefer greater emphasis on communication and less police involvement. “I think there should be more people just talking to each other and working out their differences,” he said. Bedard isn’t running what he described as a conventional campaign. He said he isn’t canvassing door-to-door and
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Kingston writer discusses the English student to published author pipeline Page 10 @thequeensjournal