Kingston and the Islands

Kingston and the Islands encompasses the City of Kingston and the Township of Frontenac Islands, including Wolfe Island, Howe Island, and Amherst Island in eastern Ontario. Situated at the northeastern end of Lake Ontario where the St. Lawrence River and the Cataraqui River meet, Kingston is one of Canada's oldest cities and served as the first capital of the Province of Canada in 1841. The riding had a population of 134,415 in the 2021 census. The demographic profile is 80 per cent white, 6 per cent Indigenous, and 3.6 per cent South Asian, with English spoken by 85 per cent of residents.

Candidates

Mark Gerretsen (Liberal) * Born and raised in Kingston, Gerretsen is the son of former Ontario MPP John Gerretsen. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Queen's University and studied computers at St. Lawrence College. He served on Kingston City Council beginning in 2006 and was Mayor of Kingston from 2010 to 2014 before being first elected to Parliament in 2015. He was re-elected in 2019 and again in 2021.

Vic Sahai (NDP) A public health scientist with 30 years of senior management experience, Sahai studied at Queen's University in the 1980s and returned to Kingston in 2007 to work as a professor and research director at Hotel Dieu Hospital. His career has focused on strategic planning, policy development, and epidemiology. He has volunteered with HIV/AIDS organizations and worked closely with Indigenous communities in northern Canada.

Gary Oosterhof (Conservative) Oosterhof grew up on a dairy farm in Athens, Ontario, and built and operated an electrical contracting business in Kingston for more than 25 years. He served on the Ontario board of directors of the Electrical Safety Authority and sat on Kingston City Council representing the Countryside District at the time of the election.

Shelley Sayle-Udall (PPC) A mental health therapist working with Maltby Centre, Sayle-Udall was raised in Kingston. She entered federal politics motivated by concerns about mental health challenges, particularly among children, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

About the Riding

Kingston's economy is anchored by three major institutional employers: Queen's University with roughly 9,350 employees, Kingston Health Sciences Centre with approximately 5,950 staff, and Canadian Forces Base Kingston with about 5,800 military and civilian personnel. Together these institutions account for a substantial share of local employment, giving Kingston a distinctive public-sector and knowledge-economy character. The Royal Military College of Canada, St. Lawrence College, and the Correctional Service of Canada also maintain a significant presence.

The city's heritage architecture, limestone buildings, and waterfront location support a vibrant tourism sector, with the Thousand Islands region to the east and Prince Edward County to the west drawing visitors year-round. The downtown core features a mix of restaurants, boutiques, and cultural institutions including the Grand Theatre and the Agnes Etherington Art Centre.

In 2021, housing affordability and the cost of living were top concerns, driven in part by rising real estate prices in a city with a constrained land base. The student population from Queen's University and St. Lawrence College shapes neighbourhood dynamics, particularly in the downtown core and Sydenham ward. Healthcare access, including emergency-room overcrowding at Kingston General Hospital, was a persistent issue.

The riding's island communities face their own set of challenges, including ferry service reliability and costs, limited infrastructure, and the effects of climate change on water levels and shoreline erosion. Kingston and the Islands has returned Liberal members to Parliament in most recent elections, reflecting a riding where education, healthcare, and institutional employment tend to shape political preferences.