peeks around the edge of the front door
Is it… Friday?
Once again, you guys, we made it to the end of the week, somehow, in defiance of the odds and anything resembling a sense of order. It’s been another week, as every week tends to be, so it remains my assertion that you need London Ontario Online News to help you make sense of it all.
What? Well, this is your super, soaraway ROUNDUP of local news that equips you to address anybody you overhear talking in Timmies with a “well, actually”. Or, better still, these shares and musings will set you up to make good decisions with good information and consequently (at least this is my hope) lift up our community, to the benefit of all.
High-falutin’, eh?
And this is London, Ontario, home of the Earth Day traffic jam and, now, a kilometre-long queue of cars for National Tree Day. I suppose some of the cars were electric1. Let’s move on before I say something unwise.
Off we go with some local news tips that you might follow, as a London Leader who engages when it matters. Right?
Right.
Soundtrack of the week
I don’t want to depress anybody, but this week I had some great chats about the music of the Cold War. It’s a varied life. And of course this classic popped up, and I can’t resist sharing it as this week’s song to accompany your reading, at least until you click on something.
This ought to wake us up for Friday afternoon. Everyone’s a superhero - everyone’s a Captain Kirk!
Election 2026
Promises, promises, eh?
How do we feel about election pledges? That kind of promise gets a bad rep, I think. Some of them must be authentic, right? Well, we’ve had a few lately, so we shall see.
Mayoral candidate Susan Stevenson, for example, is promising a review of BRT spending and road construction. LINK
Meanwhile, Ward 2 incumbent Shawn Lewis and Ward 3’s Peter Cuddy say they would eliminate London’s $5 fee for overnight winter street parking permits if re-elected. Residents currently get 15 free nights, then pay $5 per night. The councillors say the fees add up for households with more vehicles than driveway space. Permits would still be required so the city could restrict parking during heavy snowfall. They say the city collected about $14,000 from paid permits last winter.
Here’s a link if you want to read more, and separately, Lewis and Ward 8 incumbent Steve Lehman have pledged to pursue later work hours on major road projects away from residential areas, aiming to shorten construction timelines.
Let’s come back here in a few months and talk about this again, shall we?
Anyway…
In the ward races, CBC London’s Matthew Trevithick offers this Ward 12 profile. I was at the All Candidates Meeting for this ward and think this is a good reflection of the area.
We might also note that Ward 12’s Elizabeth Peloza, among the strongest incuments and the City’s Budget Chair, is echoing Lewis in saying this (per Matt’s story):
“Can the city not work later into the evenings or on weekends and get it done faster?” is a question Peloza says she’s been asked more than once, and adds she’s interested in the idea of a pilot project that would look at the issue.
So maybe that’s coming soon.
Meanwhile in Ward 6, Sam Trosow is defending a slim majority and facing tough challengers. Here’s a Free Press report on that interesting All Candidates event, which is in a really interesting ward, with challengers Stephanie Marentette, Ian Sterling Leishman and Naomi Nadea all making an impact.
And a link to some opportunities to engage with your candidates:
I think just two of these events remain: Wards 3 and 7.
More City Hall news
Next week’s committees are Community and Protective Services, and Planning and Environment. I see several stories ready to bear fruit, including one about additional funding for homelessness services. Here’s a quick A.I. summary:
CAPS is being asked to redirect $350,000 from the City’s Social Services Reserve Fund to four temporary homelessness services: $100,000 for 519Pursuit’s street outreach, $65,000 for a London Cares team around 602 Queens Avenue, $55,000 to expand shower and basic-needs access at the Salvation Army Centre of Hope, and $130,000 to stabilize Ark Aid Street Mission’s drop-in service. The money could become available for reuse if federal funding reimburses the City for earlier spending. Staff say the added services would help with immediate pressures, while warning that demand across the homelessness system continues to outstrip available funding.
Further on the wider issue of difficulties on the street, Mayor Josh Morgan has been doing some media to say police are in a second-phase crackdown on open drug use. Story is here.
It’s Homecoming Weekend!
We have a singularly London, Ontario experience coming this weekend, when Homecoming at Western University brings alumni, students and the campus community together for reunions, events, celebrations, walking around in enormous crowds and, for reasons I don’t understand, drinking on rooftops2.
Rogers tv is on the story with some strong public interest content: fire safety (including making sure your porch is strong enough to match your level of popularity) and a message from the police, which urges everyone to take care of each other and advises we will see more police in London this weekend. And a whole lotta purple.
The Free Press leads with a police warning about fines.
Education
A few bits in this area this week.
CBC reports on a possible strike vote from a third education union. LINK
Heather Rivers at the Free Press wrote about the need for bus monitors. LINK
And I’m not sure this is the right time to be discussing renumeration, but here’s a TVDSB candidate doing just that. LINK
Roads and construction
Slow down for tractors. Make good choices, please. Wee bit rural there.
Matt Brown talks about construction as an ever-present issue during the Buckle Up podcast every Monday. And here’s a great lookahead piece from CBC. Construction continues, basically.
The Lightning Round
Some more good-to-knows, if you like knowing things.
Hydro bills are rising for some, and CBC put the spotlight on it here.
In agriculture, it’s worth knowing it’s been a good growing season. LINK
TD is closing its branch at Cherryhill, to the consternation of its senior residents. LINK
There might be a strike among faculty at Western University. LINK
And it’s a St. Thomas story but just so huge that we can’t ignore it: a delay for the massive VW battery plant. LINK There are comments in there from Mayor Joe Preston and Andrew Lawton MP.
Don’t miss this from The Loon
You know we’re sending content out every day, right? It’s been a heck of a good week for it.
Yesterday, Diana Tamblyn was all about punk, and she had a great chat with the man behind The Loon’s branding, James Kingsley. It’s a delight to have James on board. He was one of the first people to encourage me when I started doing this frankly bonkers thing. Thanks, James! (And he’s created business cards so cool that people actually ask for them.)
We had Matt Brown and Carol Dyck take apart the mayoral debate on Monday, Cedric Richards with thoughts on our city on Tuesday, and Steve Cordes was talking about compassion and justice on Friday.
Later today, Steve will have another of his Reflections posts, starting a series of interviews with mayoral candidates. It’s a video chat with incumbent mayor Josh Morgan. Check it out after around 2:30!
Enough
Somehow, we’re still doing this. Please keep supporting it! I’m still convinced we need more voices and I keep chatting with potential collaborators. This is about public interest, community and the long-term viability of our cheeky wee media outlet, and I want to say special thanks to everyone who’s supported from the start. We see you.
And, to those coming aboard through the year: welcome. There are more and more of you all the time, as we build awareness of The Loon in our various community-minded ways. Thanks for signing up and, if you haven’t yet, please consider a Paid Subscription to help us consolidate our local biz. Thanks for your dollars and your hearts. Idealism will see us through.
At least, that’s the idea.
Hey, cake would also see us through. Happy Friday!
- Mike
The Loon (London Ontario Online News) lineup
New content every day.
We’ve teamed up to send you a new feature every weekday:
Monday - Buckle Up - podcast with Matt Brown
SPONSORED BY HAMILTON ROAD BIATuesday - Ward Tours with Cedric Richards
SPONSORED BY LONDON BICYCLE CAFÉWednesday - City Hall Notes by Mike Donachie
SPONSORED BY SPERO LAWThursday - the Forest City Arts and Culture Roundup by Diana Tamblyn
SPONSORED BY DOWNTOWN LONDONFriday - Reflections with Steve Cordes
SPONSORED BY OLD EAST VILLAGE BIA
Also on Fridays: the local news ROUNDUP.
Every other Saturday: The Matt Brown Podcast. It's the show about all things local, and maybe some other stuff too. SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE.
Honestly, I showed this to some British friends and they thought it was The Onion.
I’m not saying I’ve never done it. I’m just saying it’s not a good idea.