As we approach the 2022 municipal election, Global Kingston caught up with each of the 39 candidates seeking a seat on Kingston city council. Here we asked them about why they’re running and what issues matter most to them. Below is the question and answer for the candidates in Portsmouth who responded to our e-mail.
Don Amos
Why are you running?
Throughout my career and life, I’ve always given back. I volunteered my time and talents when I believed I could make a difference in helping groups/organizations. I have coached hockey or soccer for 15 years. More recently, I’ve volunteered my time to support the Tree of Hope campaign with CAS. I’ve also participated on city subcommittees with Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation and Taxi Commission. I want to make our great city even better. I do believe I have the skill set, and personality to be a thoughtful and active member of the city council. I believe there are many issues that need to be addressed that I can assist with.
What needs improvement in your district?
The infrastructure in our district is aging and the roads are in disrepair, especially in our subdivisions of Polson Park, Fairway Hills, and Calvin Park.
As well, there are a number of builds proposed for our district. We need to ensure that all new builds fit the footprint of the neighbourhood they are being proposed for. To name a few of the projects: Elevator Bay, Prison for Women site, Johnson Street corridor intensification and the King Street perpetual construction.
Absentee landlords and overcrowded student homes are major concerns and need to be addressed with a thoughtful solution that shows cooperation between the landlords, the city and the individuals being housed. I also believe St. Lawrence College and Queen’s University need to be a part of this dialogue.
Why do you feel you should represent that district?
I believe my skill set, with more than 30 years of experience dealing with large budgets gives me a solid understanding of finances. I have strong knowledge of the business/not-for-profit sectors: public relations, financial management, fundraising and development, strategic planning, and social enterprise. I’m used to working in cooperation with a Board of Directors, as well as building strong, collaborative relationships with staff. Throughout my career, I’ve worked with Provincial Ministries and Federal Departments. In my current role as Executive Director of the Seniors Association, I work closely with a number of City departments. With these attributes, I believe I can offer insight and work closely with other councillors. I can help our City develop, grow, and prosper responsibly with a conscious environmental perspective.
What is the most pressing issue in all of Kingston?
Affordable housing is the most pressing issue. We need a mix of apartments that include: geared to income, subsidized, and smaller homes. This is the way forward to alleviating the strain on the housing market.
What do you hope to accomplish as a city councillor?
First of all, I was to be an accessible, responsive councillor to my constituents. I want them to feel they have been heard, and ensure a timely response to their concerns and inquiries. I would like to see more businesses recruited to the Kingston area to create career opportunities for our younger population so they stay in Kingston. As a first-term councillor, I want to gain as much knowledge and information as I can so I can make thoughtful, educated decisions at council meetings. This would include decisions about: more permanent housing solutions for our vulnerable sector, responsible intensification development to assist in affordability, and an increased active transportation network.
Colleen Murphy
Why are you running?
My name is Colleen Murphy and I am running as a candidate in Portsmouth District, where I have lived for the past five years. I am a graduate of Regiopolis-Notre Dame High School, and of McMaster University in Hamilton where I earned a Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree. I have spent the past 9 years working at Queen’s University in financial roles which supported Research, most recently as a Financial Officer.
I decided to run in this election because I feel that my background, education and work experience have helped me develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed to make the decisions that will best serve Portsmouth District and the wider City.
As a homeowner, I was notified in November of 2021 of changes the City planned to make as part of the Central Kingston Growth Strategy. My neighbours and I thoroughly reviewed these plans and disagreed with some of the methods to intensify the district. We joined together, challenged these issues, and won! The City updated the plan removing the Johnson Street corridor. This hard-fought win saved hundreds of mature trees along Johnson St. Since then, I have been watching and participating in Planning Committee meetings for almost a year and have been watching City Council Meetings. I am familiar with the processes and procedures of Council, and am in touch with residents’ priorities. I am familiar with the processes and procedures of Council, and am in touch with residents’ priorities. I have noted that of the candidates running for the upcoming municipal elections only twenty-eight percent are women. I need your support as a woman running for council!
What needs improvement in your district?
I have been living in Portsmouth District for the past 5 years and now am canvassing the many neighbourhoods, with more than 4000 completed myself. I am listening, I know that what is important to you may not be the same as what is important to your next-door neighbour. However, there are trends that I am seeing across the district and across the city. Listening is the first step and the most important one. Many people are apprehensive about sharing their thoughts with a politician, likely because they feel that they are wasting their breath. I have and will continue to encourage all residents to speak up and get engaged in local politics. When I tell residents what I have been doing, it seems to help them lower their guard and open up about the issues that are important to them. I have been actively working to address citizen concerns since November 2021. I have requested potholes be repaired on Francis Street, requested updates from the planning department on many files, have even tried to get a family doctor for residents whose family doctor was retiring. I have been speaking with residents from all neighbourhoods Fairway Hills, Polson Park, Calvin Park, and Portsmouth I will address some of the trends now and will speak to housing and affordability in my response to the second question. Portsmouth is a mature district, that hasn’t seen improvements to our backbone infrastructure for many decades. Our infrastructure is at the end of its useful life, so I would like to see a commitment to investment in Public Resources like the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, our parks especially play structures located close to apartment buildings, transit including active transportation, traffic calming measures, and in improving our crumbling roads, curbs, sidewalks and sewers! We also need to focus on support to help seniors stay in their homes longer, providing access to health care and on resident concerns about safety, security, and theft.
Inclusivity and Diversity
I aim to serve and respect all constituents; people both young and old, of all abilities both mental and physical, of all income levels and faiths, BIPOC, and people from the LGBTQ+ community.
Equality, accessibility, and inclusion are very important to me. Barriers which impede involvement by members of our community need to be identified and addressed so that we can all come together to solve the significant issues we face today. I advocated for my elderly and disabled grandmother for 15 years as a caregiver. This has helped me to identify the needs of a large segment of our district who have mobility and accessibility needs.
I value feedback and the ability to see issues from different perspectives. A lack of diversity only limits our ability to name the factors at play and reduces our ability to find effective solutions. Serving on council is about representing the district! It is not about my views.
Why do you feel you should represent that district?
I am seeking election in Portsmouth District, primarily because I live in the district. Not all candidates for Portsmouth for the municipal election can make this claim. I have used my voice to challenge the status quo and have been working with the residents since November 2021 to address their concerns, especially as these relate to the Central Kingston Growth Strategy, the state of our roads, and their concerns about development applications in the area.
If elected I plan to be a full-time councillor. I hope that the electorate sees me as representing good value for the district. I will work for residents by advocating for their concerns full-time. Most Councillors continue in their day jobs and are part-time councillors, however, I have listened to the feedback of councillors and residents and believe that devoting myself to this role full-time will better serve the City and its residents. I feel it is the right time and it is the right thing to do: to give back to the City which has helped me to succeed.
What is the most pressing issue in all of Kingston?
Portsmouth district is facing enormous pressures to intensify, there are many applications currently in the queue for Planning Committee reviews and approvals. I follow housing and affordability issues and recognize the need to create more affordable housing city-wide; especially rent-geared-to-income units. Developing a resident-led plan for Portsmouth District is priority number one! Portsmouth District lacks a lot of the services and businesses that other surrounding districts have, we are predominantly a residential district. The Central Kingston Growth Strategy failed to have meaningful engagement with residents. By completing this document, we will be able to prioritize infrastructure repairs and investments and identify opportunities for active transportation corridors, green spaces, and housing intensification. The city must continue to encourage secondary suites to support our goal of creating more affordable housing units.
If we are going to tackle the City’s housing crisis, we need to be aware of some of the challenges. The city and province have largely ignored the impacts new developments will have on traffic and safety issues; and on adjacent properties due to overlooking, shadowing, and loss of privacy. They are also ignoring that these proposals are often unsuitable due to their relative size compared to the fabric of the surrounding neighbourhoods, because they are too big for the lots where they are proposed to be built and that they will not create affordable housing units! These concerns need to be considered when creating a plan for housing!
Our planning and policies also need to reflect the Climate Emergency! While the City is mandated to view development applications in terms of the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS), I look to add an environmental lens to score proposals on their environmental impact. How are waterways, ribbons of life, and tree canopies impacted by proposals?
We need to act now to ensure housing in Kingston is affordable! We need to create opportunities for our local builders to create affordable starter homes/units, missing middle, or rent geared to income units through partnerships with the City. That said, I challenge residents to ask the other candidates whether they have accepted donations from landlords or developers. Candidates should be representing the community, not special interest groups, accepting donations from individuals known to have ties to these groups should know that the public will see this as a conflict.
What do you hope to accomplish as a city councillor?
I hope to advocate for all residents, especially the most vulnerable. I was the only candidate to have participated in the sleeping cabin information sessions which were held in the fall of 2021 and fall of 2022 to discuss the pilot at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour. I was the only candidate that openly supported the integrated care hub at the Portsmouth District Community Association debate held on October 6th, 2022. I encourage all residents to watch the video which is available on youtube if you search: Portsmouth candidates debate a link is also provided here: https://youtu.be/u2A6tkUMGnE
I will encourage the city to pursue more engagement with residents before making decisions which will impact them. The current engagement process isn’t adequate, it is a check-the-box component currently. I will be accessible to constituents and will work to represent their concerns at the council. I know from talking with residents that affordability and housing are top of mind for residents, these will be my focus both within Portsmouth District and city-wide.
Zachary Tyfair
Why are you running?
I’m running for City Council in Kingston because I’m passionate about serving the community with innovation, collaboration, and compassion.
I’m tired of watching people struggle, the homeless population increasing, the stigma against those with mental health and addiction challenges and the slow and limited action on climate change.
With the wealth and resources that this community has, people shouldn’t have to choose to pay the bills or feed themselves. We have lost too many lives to government inaction. I’m offering a new generation of leadership that will put people ahead of money, engaging and listening to people’s concerns even after the election by continuing to canvas the district and getting feedback directly from the people I will be representing.
What needs improvement in your district?
Roads, conditions of some apartments buildings and homelessness.
It’s no secret that Kingston has bad roads. It’s why I would like to pilot a plastic road or another renewable resource program to fix this issue. Plastic roads are cheaper, more durable, and have complementary sustainable benefits: it improves overall resource efficiency and enhances the circular economy by reducing the amount of post-consumer plastic going into landfills.
For too long, Kingston Frontenac, DNS, Homestead, and others’ buildings have been left in poor condition. Areas like the Van Order and Bradstreet Apartments, and the townhouses on Curtis Crois and Young Street have been dealing with bug infestations, bad airflow and poor maintenance. If elected, I will work on all the Kingston Housing Committees to find solutions to ensure that these companies can no longer stall and ignore the residents’ basic housing needs.
We need permanent housing for the homeless. I want to spearhead a project with the Provincial and Federal governments to build a community of tiny homes (not cabins) with wrap-around services behind the 300 Conacher Drive apartment buildings. The reason for this location is that it is close to many bus routes, including No Frills, Dollarama, Service Ontario, Rideau Heights Community Centre, and the Kingston Community Health Centre.
Why do you feel you should represent that district?
In addition to having deep family roots in this community, I have been canvassing the district since June. In fact, I am the only candidate who has canvassed this district over multiple years. I’ve been actively listening to our residents since 2017. After multiple elections, and hearing the same issues repeatedly, I decided to take direct action.
I’ve put my values over political gain. In August, I reached out to all of my fellow candidates, requesting that we agree not to use yard signs; a Portsmouth tradition for over a decade. I’m saddened that two candidates from outside the district decided to use them. Also, I have not accepted donations from anyone with a vested interest in City Council decisions. In fact, I’ve put my own life savings into this campaign.
Politicians talk too much and accomplish too little. I want to be a Councillor bringing in young and refreshing ideas while keeping an open mind and listening to everyone. This is why I am giving out my personal phone number and email. It’s also why, if elected, I will continue to canvas to actively collect feedback from all the people I represent.
What is the most pressing issue in all of Kingston?
Affordability is the biggest issue Kingstonians are facing. Affordable housing, food insecurity, and transportation are making it hard for many to make ends meet. The affordability crisis is affecting all generations and we must stop leaving people behind.
We must work with developers to create more affordable options for first-time homebuyers and develop special zoning for homes that are built with more modest finishes, smaller sizes, and simpler designs. This back-to-basics approach could include houses under 1,000 square feet on smaller lots and even small multiplex options.
Food banks and meal services have seen dramatically increased demand and declining support due to the pandemic and rising inflation. We need to explore opportunities to partner with local food suppliers and delivery organizations for food distribution.
We absolutely must ensure seniors aren’t left behind. We need to explore indoor community gardens to provide opportunities for seniors to participate in growing fresh produce. We need to work with other levels of government to increase housing options for low to medium-income seniors.
What do you hope to accomplish as a city councillor?
I would like to accomplish everything in my platform but I’ll focus on three issues here.
Affordable housing and the pathway to homeownership go hand in hand. For first-time homeowners, I want to streamline the application process for adding affordable rental units to their primary residences to help cover their own housing costs while offering affordable housing for others. Also, I will work with the Provincial government to help fund a grant to help upgrade primary residences into duplexes that offer affordable housing.
I want to build a permanent tiny home community for the homeless with wrap-around services with the help of all levels of government. It’s not right to keep moving them. I am committed to immediately working with all levels of government to take care of our people.
I want to improve transit by piloting a free transit program on the 701/702 Express routes and increasing their frequency. By creating a city with a convenient, 15-minute commute, we will reduce congestion on our roads and parking lots AND reduce our transportation carbon footprint.
Comments