Mayor of Kingston — 2026

Stephen
Cuthbertson

"Building a better Kingston."

Kingston deserves a city that invests in its people.

Kingston is a city of remarkable potential — a university town, an historic harbour, and a thriving community. But for too many the cost of simply living here is becoming out of reach, and social pressures are rising. I believe that's a policy choice, not an inevitability, and I'm running to change it.

What I'll fight for as Mayor

01

Scale local housing construction

KFHC currently manages a modest number of units with a balanced budget. I want to grow that dramatically over ten years using a combination of municipal land, new land purchases, federal CMHC funding, and the Housing Accelerator Fund.

02

Treat housing as a revenue asset, not just a cost

A municipally-owned corporation borrowing against the city's balance sheet can access capital at rates no private developer can match. Lower borrowing costs mean lower development costs — and that margin won't disappear into profit, it gets passed directly to tenants in the form of lower rents. The city retains the land, builds the units, collects the rent, and holds a permanently appreciating asset. Scale that up and it becomes a meaningful non-tax revenue stream, providing access to funding for public services without increasing taxes. The competitive advantage of public ownership isn't ideology — it's math.

03

Bring housing costs down for the middle, not just the margins

Affordable housing programs too often focus narrowly on those in acute need. I believe the city should be building for teachers, nurses, early-career professionals, and young families — people who earn too much for social housing but can't compete in Kingston's housing market. Expanding rental supply at all price points benefits everyone, and improving the Home Ownership Program will provide more options to first-time buyers who want to exit the rental market.

04

Fiscal discipline and transparency

Every platform commitment will be grounded in honest accounting of what it costs and how it's funded. A project is viable when it services its debt, covers its operating costs, and returns revenue to the city. That is the standard I will apply, and I will ensure that analysis is published to support it.

05

Fight for the environment

Whether you like to swim, sail, hike, bike, hunt, or hang out inside and play video games — doing that in a clean space devoid of toxic chemicals is imperative. Having a clean and healthy environment is apolitical, and I will fight to ensure environmental accountability across our city.