Aba MortleyFor City Council

Aba Mortley · for City Council

About me

Across our community, people are working hard to keep up with rising costs. Families are stretching their budgets, seniors are living on fixed incomes, students are balancing increasing expenses, and businesses are navigating higher operating costs. We need to ensure City Hall understands these realities and makes decisions with them in mind.

I'm a mom of four. I run a small business on a Kingston street and make payroll every two weeks. I teach at St. Lawrence College. I came to Canada from Trinidad and Tobago to study Engineering at Queen's University. Since then, I've built a life in Kingston—raising a family, earning graduate degrees, building a business, creating jobs, and giving back to the community through volunteer leadership.

As a homeowner, business owner, employer, and taxpayer, I understand that every dollar matters. I face the same rising costs as other residents, which is why I'll approach every spending decision with careful analysis, accountability, and a commitment to getting the best value for our community.

I am running for Council.

  1. To listen — first, and often.
  2. For transparency — decisions in the open.
  3. For accountability — reporting regularly, results back.
  4. For action — in how things are delivered.
Aba Mortley, candidate for Kingston City Council in King's Town District
Aba MortleyKing's Town
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Meet Aba Mortley

Have questions? Come chat with me.

Meet & greet

Wednesday, October 14 · 4–7 PM

Northside
198 Princess Street

Meet & greet

Wednesday, October 21 · 4–7 PM

Community House
99 York Street

Can't make it? Send me your question — I read every one.

How to vote

Three ways to vote.

  • Online votingOct 14–26
  • Advance votingOct 16 & 17
  • Election dayMon, Oct 26
Voter information

Why I'm running

Kingston has been my home for many years. It is where I built my career, raised my family, started businesses, volunteered. It's a City that has given me a great deal, and I want to give back.

I'm running because I want to continue serving our community and helping shape a City where my children, your children, and every resident can build a strong future. A City that supports people through every stage of life, creates opportunities, and fosters a true sense of belonging.

Like many of you, I'm a parent, a small business owner with payroll to meet, a taxpayer and a long-time volunteer. I see this City from a lot of angles — and all of them are getting more expensive.

Today, Kingston is a mix of families whose roots here go back generations, newcomers, students and seniors. Different lives, same problem: it costs more to live here every year.

For twenty-four years I've volunteered with Youth Diversion. Restorative justice has taught me to ask one question: how do we make this right? Not who do we blame — how do we fix it.

I think about the budget the same way. Every dollar on your bill came out of somebody's pay. My commitment is to ask the hard questions and carefully analyze how your tax dollars are spent. Every decision should be backed by evidence, deliver value to residents, and stand up to public scrutiny.

I don't pretend to have every answer. I do have commitments I'm willing to be judged on — and a habit, from twenty-four years of restorative justice work, of getting people in a room and keeping them there until something is fixed.

I came to Kingston from Trinidad to study engineering at Queen's. This City gave me an education, a business, four kids and a life. I'm running because I want to continue serving our community and helping shape a City where my children, your children, and every resident can build a strong future. A City that supports people through every stage of life, creates opportunities, and fosters a true sense of belonging. Aba Mortley
Questions I keep asking
What did that cost, and what did we get?
Who decided, and where can I read it?
Can a person who works in Kingston afford to live in Kingston?
The platform

Four strategies for a stronger Kingston.

Transparency & accountability

Trust is earned by showing your work.

My commitments
  • Hold community town halls and listening sessions
  • Explain Council decisions in plain language
  • Be accessible, approachable, and responsive to residents
  • Ask questions, review the evidence, and make informed decisions
  • Support clear, honest reporting on City projects, budgets, and results
  • Make sure every tax dollar is spent responsibly and delivers value
  • Listen to different perspectives and encourage respectful conversations

Healthy, strong, inclusive neighbourhoods

A neighbourhood works when you can walk to a park, get a bus when you need one, and know your neighbours.

What I will do
  • A district where a senior, a student, a newcomer and a fourth-generation family all get their calls returned
  • Support mental health and well-being initiatives
  • Improve accessibility — sidewalks, ramps and crossings — so everyone can participate fully in community life
  • Foster a welcoming community where everyone feels they belong
  • Support recreation, parks, trails, libraries and community spaces
  • Ensure residents of all ages, abilities, backgrounds and circumstances have opportunities to thrive

Smart, sustainable growth & infrastructure

Kingston is growing, and with that growth comes both opportunity and responsibility. Building a stronger City isn't simply about building more houses, it's about creating complete, connected communities where people of all ages and stages of life can thrive.

Where I'd focus
  • Support a mix of housing that meets the needs of all residents
  • Work with community partners, developers and other levels of government to find housing solutions
  • Plan growth that creates complete, connected neighbourhoods
  • Improve public transit and active transportation options
  • Protect and enhance parks, green spaces and public gathering places
  • Ensure growth is sustainable, responsible and planned for future generations
  • Balance new development with the needs and character of existing neighbourhoods
  • Make decisions that improve quality of life for current and future residents

Local businesses & jobs

As a business owner and employer, I've waited on permits, and I understand how delays and uncertainty can affect businesses, employees, and opportunities for growth.

Where I'd focus
  • Support local businesses, entrepreneurs and job creation
  • Make it easier to start, grow and operate a business
  • Reduce unnecessary red tape while maintaining responsible standards
  • Encourage innovation, investment and economic growth
  • Champion buying local to strengthen our local economy
  • Listen to business owners and work collaboratively to address challenges
  • Support the success of businesses in downtown, the east end, the west end and all neighbourhoods
  • Foster partnerships between businesses, community organizations and the City
Questions I'm hearing

What you're asking me at the door.

The same questions come up on almost every street. I've written longer answers to each one, so you can see exactly where I stand.

Read all my answers

In the news

The Queen's Journal · September 11, 2026 Three candidates run for councillor seat in King’s Town district Read the article → Kingstonist · September 3, 2026 Six questions with Aba Mortley, candidate for Kingston’s King’s Town District Read the article →

My story

Aba Mortley at Cher-Mère Day Spa

Hi, I'm Dr. Aba Mortley — a mom of four, a professor, an engineer and a small business owner. Kingston is where I built my career, started my business, raised my family, all of it. I'm running because I want to continue serving our community and helping shape a City where my children, your children, and every resident can build a strong future. A City that supports people through every stage of life, creates opportunities, and fosters a true sense of belonging.

  • The beginning Trinidad and Tobago to Kingston

    I arrived to pursue an education in Engineering at Queen's University. Like many newcomers, I learned how much it matters to feel welcomed, supported, and that you belong.

  • Engineering Queen's University, then Royal Military College of Canada

    A Bachelor of Engineering from Queen's, followed by a Master's and PhD in Materials and Chemical Engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada — and, in 2010, the Governor General's Gold Medal.

  • 2013 Bringing Cher-Mère to Canada

    My mother founded Cher-Mère Day Spa in Trinidad more than 35 years ago. I brought the brand here, and it still operates in Kingston today — hiring staff, supporting local suppliers, and building a workplace where people feel respected and included.

  • The classroom Professor at St. Lawrence College

    Today I'm a Professor and Program Coordinator in the Esthetics program, preparing the next generation of skilled professionals. In 2023 the College awarded me an Honorary Diploma.

  • 2002 to today Twenty-four years of serving the Kingston community

    Restorative justice taught me the value of listening, accountability, and strengthening community — the habits I'd bring to Council. Along the way I've served on a number of boards and committees:

    • United Way Board 2025 – present
    • Anti-Racism Task Force, Co-Chair 2023 – present
    • Homelessness Collective Impact Committee (HCIC), Board Member 2021 – 2024
    • United Way EDI Round Table 2020 – 2024
    • Tourism Kingston Board, Board Chair 2018 – 2022
    • Tourism Kingston Board, Finance Chair 2017 – 2018
    • University Council on Anti-Racism and Equity (UCARE), Board Co-Chair 2018 – 2022
    • University Council on Anti-Racism and Equity (UCARE), Board Member 2017 – 2018
    • Kingston Economic Recovery Team (KERT), Board Member 2020 – 2022
    • KERT Workforce & Systemically Underrepresented Individuals, Board Chair 2020 – 2022
    • Downtown Business Association (DBIA), Board Member 2019 – 2021
    • Youth Diversion Organization 2002 – present

I've done a lot of different jobs, and they all come down to the same thing: showing up and finishing what I started. I won't claim to have every answer. I will tell you exactly what I'm promising, and I'll publish whether I delivered it. This is the representation you can count on from me, to make sure every voice is heard, informed and included.

Community leadership

Twenty-four years of showing up. Now I'd like a seat at the table where it's decided.

My experience spans economic development, tourism, equity and inclusion, youth justice, homelessness, and community well-being.

Community & social impact

  • Board Member, United Way2025 – present
  • Co-Chair, Kingston Anti-Racism Task Force2023 – present
  • Board Member, Homelessness Collective Impact Committee2021 – 2024
  • United Way Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Roundtable2020 – 2024
  • Volunteer, Youth Diversion Program2002 – present

Economic development & business

  • Chair, KERT Workforce & Systemically Underrepresented Individuals Committee2020 – 2022
  • Board Member, Kingston Economic Recovery Team2020 – 2022
  • Board Member, Downtown Kingston BIA2019 – 2021

Tourism, City building & equity

  • Chair, Tourism Kingston Board of Directors2018 – 2022
  • Finance Chair, Tourism Kingston2017 – 2018
  • Co-Chair, Queen's Council on Anti-Racism and Equity2018 – 2022
  • Board Member, UCARE2017 – 2018

Awards & recognition

  • 2023Honorary Degree, St. Lawrence College
  • 2021First Capital Honourable Achievement Award, City of Kingston
  • 2020Nick Bala Distinguished Service Award, Youth Diversion Program
  • 2010Governor General's Gold Medal, Royal Military College of Canada
  • 2006Andrea Van Blaricom Volunteer of the Year Award, Youth Diversion Program
Get involved

There are lots of doors in our neighbourhood. I need help knocking on them.

This campaign has a spending limit of about $11,000 and one advantage: people. Between now and October 26 we need to have a real conversation at every door in Kingston. An hour gets a street done. Pick one.

Volunteer

Take a street. Knock on doors with me, drop literature, put up signs, or work a phone shift from your kitchen table. Tell us your hour and we'll find you a job.

Sign up to volunteer

Host a meet & greet

Get six neighbours in a room — a kitchen, a shop, a café. I'll come. You set the agenda and I'll answer whatever you ask, including the questions you'd rather not ask a politician.

Host a meeting

Endorse the campaign

Resident, business owner, community leader or organization — I'd be honoured to have your support, and to share why you're endorsing.

Endorse Aba

Request a lawn sign

A sign on your lawn tells 200 neighbours you've thought about this race. It's the cheapest, most effective thing you can do for us.

Request a lawn sign

Stay connected

Be the first to hear about campaign events, community conversations, new platform announcements, and ways to help.

Join the mailing list

Share your ideas

Tell me what's broken on your street. I read these myself, and the ones that keep coming up become priorities.

Share your ideas
Share your ideas

What would you fix first?

One thing. A street, a bus route, a bill, a park. Tell me what it is and I'll tell you honestly whether Council can fix it — and what I'd do if I'm elected.

Reach out directly
abaforcouncil@gmail.com
613-800-8750

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