Queen’s students call for stronger focus on essentials in city’s 2026 budget.
The City of Kingston started developing its 2026 operating and capital budgets, and is urging Kingston residents—including Queen’s students—to weigh in on the city’s spending priorities. Feedback can be shared through the Get Involved Kingston portal, which opened on Sept. 5 and closes on Nov. 2.
Sydenham District Councillor Conny Glenn, whose district includes Queen’s campus and surrounding student neighbourhoods, explains how students’ input on the 2026 budget is important to shaping Kingston’s future.
“We have students coming from all over the country and internationally. So, I think that they bring some fresh ideas,” Glenn said in an interview with The Journal.. “This is about building your futures. So, those of us who are serving want to make sure that we leave the place better for you […] We need to be cognizant that when we start building today for something, it’s impacting the future users.”
On Jan. 14, Kingston announced food insecurity as an emergency. Councillor Glenn expressed that she’s found the issue to be a persistent issue amongst students.
READ MORE: City of Kingston declares food insecurity an emergency
“We’ve heard directly from postgraduate students who are going to the food bank asking for diapers and baby food,” Glenn said. “That’s heartbreaking, and it’s why we moved to support food banks with new funding.”
While the city attempts to tackle food insecurity, students also raised concerns about street safety, especially for those walking at night. Queen’s student Sabrina Wu, ArtSci ’27 said in an interview with The Journal that she often feels unsafe walking home after dark.
“At night, I often feel unsafe walking back from campus,” Wu said. “There are no stop signs or lights on my street, so students just have to run across, and hope cars stop. I’ve also had scary encounters where I’ve been yelled at or followed.”
Wu stressed that improving safety means investing in better infrastructure, like stop signs.
Queen’s student Aaliyah Signoretti, ArtSci ’27 says she hopes to see the city prioritize both cleaner streets. She expressed current conditions aren’t appealing to her or fellow students living in the garbage-riddled neighbourhoods and long-term housing solutions for unhoused residents.
“When I walk through the streets of Kingston, there’s sometimes an issue of garbage everywhere,” Signoretti said in an interview with The Journal. “There is a big problem with homelessness here in Kingston, I think it’s such a necessary thing to be allocating our money to […] permanent, not so much temporary solutions.”
With increased services and amenities, though, come increased fees and taxes. Glenn said the city doesn’t expect significant increases to user fees like parking, transit, or garbage bag tags in the 2026 budget.
City staff will be hosting a pop-up consultation booth during the Princess Street Promenade on Sept. 13, providing students and residents a chance to give feedback and opinions.
Tags
Budget, City Budget, Student Opinions
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