On the eve of election day, four contenders running to be the next Member of Provincial Parliament for Kingston and the Islands came to campus to make their final pitch to student voters.
The AMS’s Commission of External Affairs hosted an all-candidates meeting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26 in Goodes Hall ahead of the snap provincial election called by Premier Doug Ford. Before an audience of 40 students, NDP candidate Elliot Goodell Ugalde, Liberal candidate Ted Hsu, and Green candidate Zachary Typhair debated key student concerns. Each candidate had five minutes to speak to their platform, followed by a prepared question period with candidates getting three minutes to answer each question.
PC candidate Ian Chapelle was invited to the but didn’t attend. The Journal reached out for comment but received no response.
In an interview with The Journal, Commissioner of External Affairs Dreyden George, ArtSci ’26, explained the importance of giving students a direct platform to hear candidates discuss key issues like housing, the environment, transportation, education, and Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) funding.
At 7:33 p.m., candidate James McNair for the None of the Above Direct Democracy Party (NOTA) arrived at the meeting, claiming he wasn’t invited. After a brief conversation in front of the students with George regarding the fact he wasn’t ed to partake, he was allowed to participate.
In a later interview with The Journal, McNair explained he learned about the event from party leader Greg Vezina the day before, tried ing the AMS for a spot, and, after no response, showed up unannounced.
At the end of the event, George apologized to McNair for not extending an invitation to him, saying they only emailed candidates who were listed on the official Elections Ontario website during the planning of the event on Feb. 14. McNair and his party are now listed on the website.
Like McNair, Allan Wilson of the Ontario Party was not listed on the official elections site during the planning of the event and did not receive an invitation.
Post-secondary education
Candidates spoke to issues facing post-secondary students at Queen’s and St. Lawrence College, highlighting student financial strain from caps on international students, tuition caps, and reductions to per student funding.
If elected, Typhair plans to prioritize investing in co-op programs and trades, advocating for sufficient funding to equip colleges and universities with the funds to ensure students receive hands-on job experience.
Hsu echoed these ideas, emphasizing the value of job experience and pledged to subsidize 40,000 internships and co-ops for Kingston students. He proposed increasing university funding to offset tuition losses from declining international student enrollment.
Goodell Ugalde touched on his experience as a current PhD student at Queen’s and a member of Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) 901. He believes he’s the only candidate who could hold the University able and aims to increase per student funding by 20 per cent and reverse cuts to OSAP, in addition to turning all OSAP loans into grants and eliminating interest on loans.
McNair criticized the idea of party politics, saying if Canadians followed a direct democracy system, constituents could vote to create free post-secondary education. He explained to do this, the provincial government should continue to borrow loans to make university free and build new universities. “We’re swimming in debt anyway,” he said.
Student housing
Candidates focused heavily on student housing, each proposing solutions to tackle high rent prices and low vacancy rates.
Hsu plans to establish vacancies in rental units between three to four per cent to increase the bargaining power of tenants. Additionally, he wants to incentivize the building of more units by allowing up to four residential units on residential lots without applications. Hsu proposes eliminating land transfer taxes and development charges in specific situations, including cases where a non-profit organization is involved, to incentivize the construction of new housing units in the city.
READ MORE: Ted Hsu seeks second term in provincial office
Typhair plans to invest in on-campus and co-op housing in addition to building two million homes in Ontario but didn’t specify a timeline of when they will be built.
Goodell Ugalde claimed he found Hsu’s “paternalistic rant” about the cost of housing for young people “hilarious,” stating he would build 2.5 million homes in opposition to Typhair’s plan. He wants to implement long-term rent control, in addition to developing 60,000 new ive housing units for those in encampments and shelters.
Meanwhile, McNair advocates for zero-percent loans for students to buy homes. He explained the costs would be covered through future taxes after graduation.
Polls for the provincial election are now open until 9 p.m. tonight
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