Affordable Living

Reducing the costs of housing, childcare, food and transportation

Kingston is among the most expensive cities in Ontario. Expenses such as housing, childcare, food and transportation, are rising fast and affecting our ability to contribute to the local economy.

As your councillor, I will work to:

• Expand rental accommodations through incentives such as tax breaks to encourage the development of more basement and in-law suites. This will increase rental options for renters and allow home owners to supplement their income.
• Create more city-funded childcare spaces. This will allow parents to have more options and give them more opportunities to contribute to our local economy.
• Support community gardens and local food initiatives. This will put local, healthy and affordable food on more dinner tables.
• Encourage the use of public transit, car-pooling and active transportation. This will be done by expanding the express bus system, using smaller buses for feeder lines, expanding park and rides, and facilitating active transportation for all community members. This will give community members mobility at an affordable cost.

• The Problem: Kingston is an expensive city read more...

  Kingston is among the most expensive cities to live in Ontario. Living expenses Such as taxes and rents, child care, food and transportation are too high.

  My solution is to implement strategies to bring the cost of living as measured by the living wage down below the minimum wage. The four biggest expenses for a family in Kingston in order are shelter, child care, food and transportation.

• I. We need to expand rental accommodations at a faster rate than immigration: read more...

  1) changes in development charges and impost fees to favour intensive growth rather than extensive growth.

  2) encourage with tax break and/or education the development of in-law suites in homes to help bring multi-generational families together and/or to supplement the income of fixed income older adults.

  3) changes in the height and density bonus regime to reward intensive growth along main thoroughfares.

  4) support or incentivize organizations that build and provide low income housing and/or better terms on mortgages to people.

• II. City funded child care allows more people to have more options and opportunities to help make the city better.
• III. Work with the Kingston food council to implement the food charter and to bring affordable, healthy and accessible options to Kingston's food supply read more...

  1) support community gardens and local farmer's markets.

• IV. We need to make public transit the preferred method of travel for more of the population: transit must become smart, fast, timely, frequent, safe and comfortable. With the goal of having people prefer to use public transit than a private car. read more...

  1) expand the express bus system; including smaller buses for feeder lines.

  2) expand park and ride to reduce the need for extended trips and reduce commuter demand for downtown parking.

  3) expand alternative means of transportation.

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