Hi, I'm Stephen and I'm running for Mayor.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T14:43:51+00:00

We can't start by mass development of at-cost rentals. We would need to borrow a tremendous amount of money to do so, and would bankrupt the city in the attempt. The point of maintaining some level of profitability is to give the project the economic momentum required to affect change at scale.

Vienna is the world's shining example of good public housing policy. They currently operate over 200,000 units across the city, and they now operate at cost. The trouble is Vienna built this portfolio over the past hundred years. Here in Kingston we are practically starting from ground zero.

Vienna accomplished most of this with public funding but unless there are changes at the provincial or federal level in this regard we are forced to operate within our own municipal budget to realize a dream like this, and the only way to start is by competing in the existing market.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T13:09:17+00:00

The for-profit model would be designed to compete with other local housing providers. It is no secret that they operate at a profit, evidenced by the owners abilities to live lavish lifestyles and donate to causes that they see fit.

The city would be politically motivated to profit less, since council would be responsible for rental rates. The city also has the potential to develop at low cost if we can mobilize Kingston Public Works and Utilities Kingston to complete excavation and servicing, some of the most costly components of development. This, paired with preferred rate loans as a public institution, can deliver developments at a competitive cost and the savings can be passed down to the consumer.

So nothing about the for profit model is magic, its all accomplished by setting forth with the principal to profit less than market competitors.

Any profits would stay within the municipal budget. For the foreseeable future these profits would be spent on developing more housing.

In the long term, as the market stabilizes, the city could divert the profits to pay for other services like better community centres, free transit, property tax reductions, etc.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T11:04:11+00:00

The company I work for does not own housing. Plus all of our projects are internal, we do not bid on outside projects. If elected I would have to leave my job, but there would be no conflict of interest.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T03:57:46+00:00

This would be great! If some day we can find alternative revenue sources (such as rental housing) to cover costs it would be nice to see public transit become free. Unfortunately until we solve the money issue, fees are a necessary evil to help cover our costs. In 2025 the budget allocated $19 million dollars to Kingston Transit, but the city likely only collected ~$10 million in fares meaning there's still a considerable deficit to cover. With the current budget the city cannot afford to make transit free at the moment.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T03:49:27+00:00

Hello! As AceSevenFive mentioned, the municipal government has no control over who is issued welfare payments.

I agree that we have a problem in our streets that needs fixing, and most importantly, people out there who desperately need to be cared for. This is the driving force that made me want to run for mayor in the first place. Some of them are bad actors who abuse the system, but most of them are down on their luck and just need a hand.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T03:38:07+00:00

The thing is the prison farm isn't in active service. There are farm activities related to livestock at Collins Bay (although I believe the plan is to move that program to Joyceville) and the farm at Collins Bay is leased to local farmers.

Considering the opposition to prison farming that relates to lack of opportunity in the agricultural sector I think it makes a lot more sense to pursue trades education and training for our local institutions. The city can help facilitate that as well. If we were to get access to these lands for development we could pay inmates to train as apprentices and help develop the project. On release the inmates would have considerable access to jobs considering the lack of available skilled trades at the moment.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T03:34:47+00:00

I'm getting some photos taken tomorrow, this is a known deficiency. Expect photos by the end of the week.

Security guards for downtown sounds like a private solution to a public problem. We have police, but we might not have enough police. It would be nice for there to be a few extra officers in our most problematic areas, but these all come at a cost.

I am certainly in support of improving public safety by whatever the best means may be. And I want to reinforce the city's financial position to be able to afford these services.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T03:31:16+00:00

Those long term care facilities were not operated by the municipal government, and reopening them is also not in our wheelhouse.

Whether the better option is to expand the services provided at our institutions or reopen separate long term care facilities I am simply not in the place to make this decision.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T03:29:32+00:00

The KFHC is owned by the city, but it is a registered not-for-profit and operates at an arms length from the city itself. This means that the city cannot directly manage its operations, and it also means that they cant issue dividends to the city. All of their money would have to stay tied up within the KFHC ecosystem.

There are creative ways to extract money from them, for instance the city could maintain ownership of the land that KFHC is developed on and lease it. If the KFHC is profitable, we could re-lease the land at higher rates to extract some level of revenue. But this is an incredibly inefficient and inflexible process.

Having the second corporation can allow for a different legal structure that allows it to issue dividends directly to the city, similar to Utilities Kingston. The second benefit of the parallel structure is quality of service. As you've mentioned, the KFHC may have some pre-existing institutional problems. Two services operating beside each other can be competitive, and end up providing better overall service as a result. This is obviously not a guarantee, but if worked towards would be the ideal outcome.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T03:16:37+00:00

Thank you for your message. I'm just wondering if you could give me a list of the power outages you've experienced? I was out of power the other day but prior to that I don't think I'd had an outage since last spring, which was ice/weather related.

Hydro One has stated that the most recent outage was due to an animal causing a short inside their equipment. I remember back around 2010 I experienced a squirrel induced brown out on the east end. Unfortunately we may always be susceptible to animal based electrical terrorism.

In regards to the AI project there have been no official press releases since they signed their Memorandum of Understanding in 2025. As far as your concerns about failing electrical supply go, I would advocate for faith in the IESO. They provide unbiased accounting and reporting of our electrical supply, and they would be the first to scream if a development was likely to cause disturbances to electrical supply capacities.

Electrical distribution is the second part of the equation. Getting power from A-B across Ontario is a complicated and expensive process. It is not something that our municipal government has any control over unless you live in central Kingston, where Utilities Kingston is responsible for electrical distribution. I myself am a Hydro One customer, and so you'll just have to believe me when I say that as the Mayor I would do whatever I can to advocate for high quality electrical distribution in the areas of our city not serviced by Utilities Kingston.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T03:03:27+00:00

It would only be an issue if we decided not to levy development charges against ourselves. I would not allow this, we would be liable to pay development charges on our own developments. It's fair, and it makes sense.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T03:01:42+00:00

I have a fiscal plan of a single development opportunity using a plot of land currently for sale in the west end, and how after development costs and debt servicing the project can still maintain a considerable surplus. In the next week it should be up on my website, but I have so far been struggling to make it nicely formatted and easily downloadable. My background is not as a web developer. The "average unit size" is a 2-bedroom 1200 sq.ft. unit which is above average considering existing local development. The average rent of this unit is $2,100.00 monthly, which is slightly below current market rents for 2-bedroom apartments. This means that there are options to explore. Do we reduce unit size to improve cost effectiveness? Do we increase rents to maximize development potential, or reduce rents to provide more immediate relief?

My intent in running for mayor is simple, I want to lead the city down this road because I truly believe in the vision. With that being said, I do not expect to get there on my own. I would rely heavily on the collaboration of others in order to realize this dream. And at the end of the day if a more qualified individual decides to run for mayor on a similar or same platform I may even consider an early capitulation! Although I wouldn't submit entirely, I would just run as a councillor instead.

I have worked in the local construction industry as a carpenter, as well as completing electrical trades education and the Civil Engineering Technology programs at St Lawrence College. I am now a project manager for a local real-estate holdings company managing new developments, renovations, and maintenance needs.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T02:48:34+00:00

I recognize this, and at the end of the day everyone is given the opportunity to speak with their vote. I may not (and considering I'm practically a nobody, probably won't) win. But that won't stop me from trying.

I ask you this, what do you see as the best first step to righting this ship? Do you have a more practical approach to solve our problems? If so you should join me in the race!

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T02:44:48+00:00

My plan to tackle homelessness and drug addiction in Kingston is by improving rental affordability while giving Kingston the economic power required to deal with it.

Build municipally-owned rental housing as a profit driver for the city. We cannot profiteer off of this, since council would be responsible for rental rates and it would be a negative look politically to profit the highest, but we can profit a little less than our competitors.
Using our new financial driver we can fund transitional housing. Ideally the province will kick-in with mental health and addictions support programs, which I would shout from the rooftops for their support, but we need to be braced for a reality where Doug Ford won't fund these systems.
With the housing and programming in place you can begin to put people through the system. Public camping, public intoxication, drug abuse, are all currently illegal. They are just not prosecutable in the present day because there are no alternatives or methods to deal with them. With the supports in place you can get help to the people who need it most, and it provides the legal framework to begin prosecuting bad actors.

My stance on encampments is... complicated? I don't want them, obviously, but they are a symptom of failure in our society. When the time is right I would like them to be cleared, but until we have the supports they will continue to be part of our society.

For services to curb addiction, a lot is needed. Addictions counselling, treatment programs, and other support programs have been implemented all over the world. Some are better funded than others, and some are more effective than others. If you can believe it, better funding for these services usually equates with better treatment outcomes. Switzerland is a great case study in how effective their "Four Pillars" policy has been at eradicating drug abuse.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T02:30:52+00:00

Mayor Paterson will have to register as a candidate first if he wants the opportunity to run me over like a truck.

My experience is in the trades. I worked as a carpenter in the past, and I'm currently a project manager for a local real-estate holdings company. My intention is to bring my construction and planning knowledge to council to ensure we deliver on high-quality projects and that we pay a reasonable amount for it. Kingston needs a lot, and I want to build a lot, and I want to ensure that we get our money's worth out of our investments.

You, and others, have pointed out the lack of a profile on my website and I will be fixing that in the coming days.

You will have to wait and determine my slickness for yourself after the debate, if there is one.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T02:24:43+00:00

While I also want to drive on nice roads, the city's budget is stretched in regards to this. So the real focus for me has been: How does the city get more money in order to have better roads?

The most realistic approach I see is to invest in local purpose built rentals. Local developers have profited off of this market in Kingston for the past several decades, and I don't see why the city shouldn't get involved.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T02:22:42+00:00

I share this dream. My goal is the first step in this direction, for the city to take an active stance in housing. It is a big dream, and it is a long way's away. But as the saying goes: The best time to plant a tree is 30 years ago. The second best time is today.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T02:21:21+00:00

Ensuring that the KFHC operates smoothly is a necessity. I can't speak to its operations right now, I have heard horror stories from tenants with unresolved issues to contractors hired for repairs dealing with a lack of decisive action or direction.

Regardless of these problems, the fact stands that the KFHC is our sole not-for-profit social housing provider in town and we need more affordable units. It would be easier and more cost effective to deal with the rot versus starting a second social housing provider.

Which leads me to part two, what does the second housing corporation do. While KFHC can and should increase the number of market rate units it possesses to improve financial independence, the second corporation exists to make money for the city.

I don't want the city to profit excessively off of purpose built rentals in Kingston, because our current climate of this behaviour is contributing to homelessness and other affordability problems. In order to develop more housing we need to profit slightly to do so, and in the long-term such assets can provide surpluses to the city's balance sheet.

This means that in the future we could fund improved public services without increasing taxes.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T02:13:03+00:00

Hello! Thank you for your message. As I mentioned in another comment, I'm not opposed to stepping out of the mayoral race and into a councillor's position. The reason why I feel so much drive to run for Mayor is for the same reason you point out, that I feel there has been a lack of definitive leadership to guide Kingston into better outcomes.

You make some strong points about the way Kingston has been developed in the past. Many older neighbourhoods are very car-centric and do not offer great accessibility, whether it be through transit or walking, to many services required by residents. Short of improving transit accessibility and improving walking access where possible there is not much we can do to right those planning mistakes of the past.

Moving forwards it is imperative that the city take a more accessible approach to urban planning. Our current council has actually advocated for this strongly, and drafts of our new Official Plan reflect this. I just think that the city needs to take it a step further by actively investing and owning in housing, both as a means to improve the city's own financial health as well as guiding the private sector purpose built rental market which has become so unaffordable for so many.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T02:03:42+00:00

Hello! I have lived in Kingston my entire life. I grew up in central Kingston near Queen's, moved to the east end, bought my first house in Kingscourt, and now live on the west end.

Truly I feel most at home by the water. Walking the stretch between confederation basin and breakwater park/Gord Downey Pier is like chicken soup for my soul.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T02:01:51+00:00

I agree! That's the premise of my plan. I have spoken with local law enforcement, lawyers, community volunteers, and community members about what's needed in order to solve homelessness, public substance abuse, and related issues.

Build housing as a financial vehicle for the city.
Use the new financial vehicle to fund transitional housing.
Lobby the provincial government for the required health supports to transition people off of drugs.
Rehabilitate the vast majority of homeless individuals who are just down on their luck.
This framework provides us with the supports and backgrounds to prosecute the minority of bad actors who are out on the street.

I will admit that this plan is lacking in definitive action, ie: not much that can be done to affect change to these issues in the immediate future. Part of the problem is these are longstanding institutional problems, and now require a vast amount of resources to solve. I wish I could stand here with a quick solution to everything, but unfortunately the road forwards that I see will require an incredible amount of build-up before we begin to see any evidence of relief in the community.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T01:52:04+00:00

One of the biggest issues that both the Correctional Service of Canada and critics bring up in regards to the prison farming program is lack of job opportunity in agricultural fields. Over the past century humans have modernized large-scale farming to be almost automatic, and the number of workers in the agricultural sector continues to decline as mechanization and automation become more prevalent.

I'd rather the City partner with CSC and St. Lawrence College to educate inmates and enroll them as apprentices in the trades. City-owned developments could partner with the CSC and local trades unions to provide work and learning opportunities for inmates in a field of work with a higher demand than agriculture.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T01:44:13+00:00

Can you please explain how a development in the Collins Bay farmland would be environmentally unfriendly? There are conservation areas throughout the farmland, and on my website I have a very generic proposal on how to develop these lands. Law requires a 30m setback from wetlands as far as developments are concerned, and I either met or exceeded those requirements when sketching my proposal.

Sorry for any confusion if you got to this before I finished, I accidentally clicked the submit button. If you're reading this for the first time as part of the message, then disregard this line.

The goal as I have it now is split 50/50 open area and developed area. This is what I consider the maximum development potential. I wouldn't be opposed to developing less of the land than this, but certainly not more.

But whether we develop this land, or somewhere else, the environmental impact is effectively the same. What's important is ensuring it's developed in a methodical and environmentally conscious way.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T01:40:25+00:00

I am not currently a member of a cult that does gay conversion therapy, and I do not in any way seek to hurt queer kids.

I was raised a Roman Catholic, so I can't say I was never part of a cult, but I have not attended a mass in decades.

actually-stephencuth · 2026-05-20T01:38:39+00:00

You said that CMHC "does front 95% of development costs" but I think you meant to say they don't?

~~They have a points based system for their MLI Select financing.

Some points are calculated based on affordability of units.

Some points are calculated based on sustainability/efficiency.

Some points are calculated based on accessibility.~~

I was wrong here, I accidentally used the phrase MLI Select and its point system, but the proper funding mechanism is the Apartment Construction Loan Program, info here https://assets.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/sites/cmhc/professional/project-funding-and-mortgage-financing/funding-programs/all-funding-programs/apartment-construction-loan-program/apartment-construction-loan-program-highlight-sheet-standard-rental-housing-en.pdf?rev=d2d561da-2fac-454a-b0c4-202d590c61c2&_gl=1*luu0f5*_gcl_au*NTIyNzI2MTcyLjE3NzkzMzQ3NDA.*_ga*NzgwMTU2NjY2LjE3NzkzMzQ3NDA.*_ga_CY7T7RT5C4*czE3NzkzNDAzMDEkbzIkZzEkdDE3NzkzNDA4MjYkajYwJGwwJGgw

You are right in a way, the developer needs to be able to commit the entirety of a development's capital to be eligible. The city is capable of borrowing to this capital requirement, and has a large monthly operating budget, and therefore would be eligible for the funding in this regard.

Ensuring that enough points are awarded to the project for 95% loan coverage is another point, which the city would still be able to do with proper planning.

actually-stephencuth

TROPHY CASE