Questions and Answers

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, and 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 in touch with residents’ priorities.  I am familiar with the processes and procedures of Council, and 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 need 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 breathe.  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, I 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.

Infrastructure Investments

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 supports 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 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 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 about their concerns about development applications in the area. 

If elected I plan to be a full-time councillor.  I hope that the electorate see 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 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.  This is the top issue across the city, a recent CBC article entitled “Housing could be the foundation of Kingston's mayoral race” by Michelle Allan · CBC · Posted: Sep 22, 2022 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: September 22 stated

“Kingston's longstanding housing woes became even more acute during the pandemic. Last year, Kingston had the second-lowest rental vacancy rate in the province's major cities, higher only than Peterborough.”  Kingston’s vacancy rate is 1.4% making its rental market tighter than those in Barrie, Belleville , Greater Sudbury, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Oshawa, Hamilton and Toronto.  The average rent for a two-bedroom unit in Kingston is $1402.

“The average price of a resale home surpassed $600,000, an increase of more than 25% compared to 2020. The income required to purchase a home remained well above the actual average income, pushing homeownership out of reach for most potential first-time buyers.”  https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/professionals/housing-markets-data-and-research

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, 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 overlook, 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, and 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 environmental lens to score proposals on their environmental impact.  How are waterways, ribbons of life, tree canopy 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 and candidates should know that the public will see this as a conflict.

What do you hope to accomplish as a city councilor?

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 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.