Kingston Tackles Housing Crisis and Homelessness - 07 Jul 26

By Claude & Parth on 2026-07-08, City: Kingston, View Transcript

Kingston Council Meeting: Housing, Accessibility, and Transportation Focus

Kingston council focused heavily on housing, including student housing data and the timeline for a student housing strategy, an affordable housing development at 367 Gore Road, and homelessness supports. Council also approved committee reports, discussed recreation and playground accessibility planning, and passed motions on neighbourhood pathways, parking enforcement, and a traffic review at Point St. Mark and Wobbin Crossing. Councillor Ryan Boehme declared a pecuniary interest in Clause 1, Report 58, as an employee of Utilities Kingston.

Topics Discussed

1. STUDENT HOUSING STRATEGY AND POPULATION DATA

Delegation speaker Nicholas Graham said Kingston lacks reliable data on how many students live in the city. He told council, "Surprisingly, the report indicates that we do not know how many students live in Kingston, and that the census numbers may under-report by tens of thousands." Graham also said, "The impact of student housing on central neighbourhoods is enormous, and it's set to increase," citing research by Queen's professor David Gordon on the conversion of family neighbourhoods to student neighbourhoods.

Council discussed the broader affordability context as it considered housing-related reports. Councillor Gregory Ridge said rental costs are rising sharply, stating, "A three bedroom rental the average rental increases from 23 to 25 by 27 percent," while "the year over year increase for average one bedroom apartment from 24 to 25 is 13 percent."

2. 367 GORE ROAD HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

Council considered Report 57, Clause 2, involving Brower Homes at 367 Gore Road. The proposal includes 40 units, including five affordable rental units that would remain affordable for 25 years. Brower Homes would receive 1.18 acres, while 2.12 acres would remain city-owned undevelopable land.

During questions to staff, Councillor Brandon Tozzo asked for clarification on the land split: "So we know that Brower Homes will get the, you know, like 1.18 acres, which leaves just over two acres left that can be undevelopable. Does that stay in the city hands that stays a city land, the 2.12 acres." Council also discussed the affordable component. Staff said "the units that we've purchased, the five units would be about 250,000 per unit," according to Mr. Forrest.

Councillor Ryan Boehme supported affordable housing but cautioned against weakening oversight, saying, "More affordable housing is always great. It's one of the biggest things we hear at the door. We just want to make sure we're not pushing things through because affordable housing is being dangled as a carrot." Councillor Jeff McLaren said the city should move quickly, and Councillor Casey said, "We are in the midst of a housing crisis and housing affordability crisis... We're in the crisis today and we need these houses online right now."

A motion to defer failed 2-10. Council then approved the project 11-1.

3. HOMELESSNESS SUPPORTS AND FUNDING

Council discussed homelessness prevention and housing supports, including prevention and diversion workers, non-repayable grants for rent and utility arrears, and the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit. Staff said the portable benefit is supporting about 385 families, with 60 more recently awarded.

Councillor Wendy Stephen asked staff what support exists for households beyond individual recipients, saying, "What are we doing for families. Not just individuals." Council also discussed the funding structure for homelessness programming. Councillor Ridge asked, "Is the primary funding source for that... federal Provincial Is it a mix of both? And does the municipality provide any funding with regards to this programming."

4. ACCESSIBILITY AND RECREATION PLANNING

Council discussed recreation capital planning, including redevelopment or reconstruction planning for three recreation buildings. Staff said the projects would be phased rather than built all at once.

Council also considered a playground accessibility framework using a three-tier system for inclusive design. Mayor Bryan Paterson praised the report and asked staff to explain the evaluation method: "This is an awesome report. Like the amount of work that's been put into this is just terrific... can you just talk about the metric that was evaluated about playground accessibility and how you came up with it?" Councillor Don Amos added, "I think this might be a standard that others will pick up."

5. PATHWAYS, PARKING, AND TRAFFIC MOTIONS

Council passed a motion directing staff to inventory and assess neighbourhood pathways, consult the public, and bring forward recommendations on maintenance standards, costs, and implementation options, with funding to be considered in the 2027 capital budget. Councillor Brandon Tozzo said, "These neighbourhood pathways are a really important part of our pedestrian network" and active transportation network.

Council also passed a motion on parking enforcement. Councillor Ryan Boehme said residents complain about vehicles "parking in the middle of cul-de-sacs," adding that the review would give the city "more tools in the toolbox" to deal with repeat offenders and keep streets available for proper use.

Another motion directed a review of turn restrictions at Point St. Mark and Wobbin Crossing, with public consultation by the end of Q2 2027. Councillor Gregory Ridge said the change is intended to help residents reach nearby destinations, including the library: "It's to allow people from that community to be able to come out and actually exit and go across to the library for instance."

Motions

Attendees

Councillors identified in the meeting notes as present:

Other attendance note: - Councillor Ryan Boehme declared a pecuniary interest in Clause 1, Report 58, as an employee of Utilities Kingston.

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