For those seeking the role on October 26 this year, it’s worth knowing that the mayor of Canada’s London has a pretty varied life. No two days are the same, and we’ve seen our mayors get up to some pretty funny stuff. But, for all the handshakes and photocalls, there is one event that is inked in the most indelible ink in His (or Her) Worship’s calendar: the State of the City Address.
This is an annual event, going back to the year nineteen oatcake, in which London Chamber of Commerce raises revenue for its work boosting local biz by giving the mayor a platform to address local business leaders. I know from chatting with Graham Henderson, its CEO, that the growing Chamber is advocating hard for the sector, and this huge event, with 1,200 people packed into RBC Place in downtown London, is part of the buzz. And of course, the Chamber streamed the whole thing online, too.
For the incumbent mayor, going into an election, this was a key moment in 2026. Something something bases loaded but I’m not a sports guy so let’s not. The crux: this was Josh Morgan’s biggest, most impactful opportunity to reach the private sector and win some votes in the fall, when he’s seeking four more years. And, spoilers: it was fine.
Just gimme the facts, man
Let’s set this up well with the headlines from this morning’s event. Traditionally, the mayor has something to share at the State of the City, and this time it was:
A new home ownership plan, in partnership with the London Homebuilders Association
A new aerosol factory (say that with your false teeth in) that will create 150 jobs
The event was attended by Daryl from CTV London (I’ll include an updated link in my roundup on Friday), Isha at the CBC, and Jack at the Free Press, who wrote this report and also led live updates, which was great to see.
EDITED TO ADD: I see the Chamber has shared its own key takeaways, which I’ll add here as good context. Lots of details there and an important perspective.
These announcements were definitely welcomed, and I see comment is being shared from leaders like Jared Zaifman from the London Homebuilders Association. I’m pleased to see this so well-covered by local media. Taking my public interest/communications-led approach, I’ll add context.
Who comes to the State of the City
It’s these people:
So, that’s our business leaders, and more. You’ll see a lot of familiar names on that list, from small startups to big banks, across a variety of sectors, public and private, and it’s a wide representation of the people who actually make the city run with their day-to-day leadership. And, add their networks and the way they will doubtlessly discuss the mayor’s remarks in private moments this year, and you have a lot of votes up for grabs. Plus there’s the livestream. So, a big deal.
People were there to listen, more than ever. There’s a lot of it about these days, as we continue to reawaken our city after the pandemic. It’s my impression that in-person events are becoming more viable and there is the chance to build some buzz for London’s 200th anniversary. (And here’s where to register for the big trivia night, Thursday night!) Folks are showing up in more ways than one. They showed up for this breakfast event in massive numbers, enjoying a buffet before settling in for the mayor’s address and, after it, a Q&A with Cleveland Brownlee, former London Majors player and Chamber board member.
Hang on - quick check
And back to the action
So how did it go down? The mayor had a lot to say, and made some unusual choices in doing it. As a Communications guy, I was puzzled to see him give a speech with lots of numbers but no visual aids - not a single slide. I did see visuals on social media soon after, so they must have existed. But it was odd to hear the mayor say he was not going to deliver the speech his staff had prepared, and instead to speak from basic notes. I’m not sure that filtered well into the minds of people who spend a lot of time looking at PowerPoint decks.
As for the messaging, it was a mixed bag. Mayor Morgan opened with “Today is accountability day” and talked about successes of his term of office, such as attracting Andriani, makers of pasta. There were those announcements, as reported, and also some bold statements based on the numbers, such as, in reference to policing: “Our city is safer than it was just a few years ago.” Morgan talked about rents coming down and projects completed, although it’s a bit of a stretch for this administration to claim the Adelaide Underpass, because the London Free Press says that took 100 years. But, full credit for the work done and more to come, like the new housing at Liberty Village (Oxford and Highbury).
Of course there was the room’s elephantine presence: homelessness. Keen to emphasize the work that has been completed, the mayor had half the room stand up (it’s a smart move to change the sensory state of your audience) to illustrate the 600 homeless people helped into housing within the period he chose to highlight. Recognizing London’s ongoing challenges, he noted his audience might have seen a vulnerable person on the way there and, with the Men’s Mission near the convention centre, he was probably right. “Progress is hard to see,” the mayor said repeatedly, which was fair, and… everyone in the room still sees the existing problems every day. They may also have read about attempts by some councillors to cut outreach services this week. Everyone knows it’s a difficult issue facing every city, of course.
And the speech had awkward moments. There were a few spots where applause was clearly expected and did not come, and a cringe when Morgan said “You can clap for that” after nobody got excited that the city met one of the targets in the London Plan. People did clap when asked, but there was spontaneous applause when the mayor said downtown parking is free for two hours. That’s a London audience for you.
Coming soon: the real conclusion
So, there it is. I’m thinking of when I used to write movie reviews for a newspaper, and my realization then that it’s fun to review only the very bad ones and very good ones, and the ones in between are a wee bit frustrating to describe. This is one of those in-between times, where the mayor did… fine.
I was worried that the feeling at the State of the City would be “the city’s in a terrible state” and that didn’t seem to be the case. But it’s hardly in a state of joy, either, and polite applause doesn’t win elections. There was no standing ovation, little real reaction, and a lot of neutral faces. I asked a few folks for reaction afterwards and it was mostly nervous smiles. I think they listened, and accepted what was said, and kept their own counsel. We’ll see soon enough how many people were won over.
As for Mayor Morgan, he’s liked in the business community and seen as a safe pair of hands. This is London, after all, where mostly we just want our mayors not to do a scandal. And, it’s hard to avoid the thought: what if Morgan has a serious challenger for the chain of office this year? Who’s still to declare and who thinks they can be making this speech next year, and doing it better?
Because “fine” is easy to beat.