It’s Friday lunchtime in Canada’s London, so it’s time for a ROUNDUP to update the local news that has this week occurred in our fair city. Hello! Let’s get stuck in.
That start-of-summer sleepy period has abated and we are back into a faster, more impactful news cycle, especially at City Hall, where three committees next week will generate flyer content for many political candidates. So - because this matters - let’s take a look together and learn a little bit.
Welcome to London Ontario Online News, where this is the kind of thing we do. Supported by you, our 350 subscribers (including more than 50 who are willing to pay cash money - wow) and our growing list of sponsors, we are giving you positive, engaging, practical guides to living in London, Ontario.
I’m Mike, and I work in communications. That means I’m driven to get good information out into our city, to fuel strong decisions that benefit us and our community. Here, we fight misinformation and disinformation and we ask you to pay attention in the interests of us all. We do it with briefings and columns like this.
Thanks for being one of the good guys.
Your soundtrack
And, every week, I provide some good noise that can play while you scroll. It’ll stop when you click something, so I tend to advise two reads of the ROUNDUP to get the full experience1. Today it’s a bit of Nina Simone and you are so very welcome.
Backyard Chickens and other City Hall creatures
I hope you found value in my Wednesday column, City Hall Notes, now sponsored by Spero Law. It’s filled with local government info that’s useful to us all, and should be worth a skim.
I tend to follow up on some of the issues on Fridays and, as ever, we’ve had a few more stories worth an eyeball since. In particular, the agendas for three committees have shown what will drive local government news discussions for the foreseeable.
I’m still working through it all, chatting with people and planning out the next week or so. It looks like this news cycle will be like eating pop rocks: stimulating, and a time to think carefully before opening your mouth.
I’ll share some recent media hits and an A.I. summary.
Carfax office move latest
As you may know, Carfax is a fast-growing London company specializing in, well, facts about cars, to help you know the value of yours. Here’s their local business directory with the actual deets. This is a success story and I am unreservedly delighted it is happening in London, Ontario.
Carfax is currently at 100 Kellogg in the east end and running out of room, especially for parking2. They have 600 employees and want to add 200 more. So they’re looking for a new home, and this story outlines their attempt to rent space from Farhi Holdings Corp at Westmount Mall. (It comes up at Planning on Tuesday - City planners are saying no.)
And, the line from the City appears to be: major office developments must be downtown. That’s an interesting idea, supported by Mayor Josh Morgan, and the subject of concern from Councillor Steve Lehman, who’s quoted in the story. It’s one that’s worth a look, and it’ll develop next week, I’m sure.
Next.
Mayor pitches team of special constables
‘Ello, ‘ello, ‘ello. What’s all this ‘ere then? A new approach to policing, it seems. This one will win some votes: Mayor Josh Morgan is asking city staff to report on creating a new City of London Special Constable service.
Council will consider implementation options after reviewing a feasibility study that already recommends launching a pilot project. The proposed special constables would have limited law enforcement powers focused on issues such as encampments, disorder, mental health interventions, traffic management, and enforcing select provincial laws and municipal bylaws.
CTV London was first with the story, although I think “exclusive” is a stretch when it’s a committee paper the same day.
Councillor wants free AC for seniors
A motion from Councillor Skylar Franke, coming to committee next week, would provide free/subsidized AC to seniors in London. Obviously there’s a conversation about eligibility and let’s point out this is one heck of a good issue to address in the summer of an election year. LINK
Two towers on Wellington - what, no parking?
The first story to emerge from the Planning agenda was this one, about two proposed towers at Wellington and High Street. All the ancillary discussion is about the lack of parking, which is a flaming burrito of a topic even right there on the BRT route.
Opinion alert: please please please give us better options to get around because I am so sick of sitting in traffic.
Homelessness services
A short update about House of Hope3, which has received new funding and, though it will close, that will now happen in March 2027. Here’s some of the reporting related to that: CTV London; CBC London; and the London Free Press.
Housing
That Wednesday column includes a story about London hitting its targets and getting a squillion dollars as a reward. Local news veteran Craig Needles picks up the story in his podcast here, asking “Where are the affordable homes?”
And moving on to other news and issues.
Healthcare
Two stories here, one positive and one less so:
Donations to LHSC’s foundation hit a massive number: LINK
Nurses unhappy about cuts to hospitals: LINK
Police conduct
This story by Dale Carruthers at the London Free Press appears to involve an allegation that somebody got a kick in the face while they were on the ground with a rifle pointed at them. This is obviously an untested allegation.
Community Living strike update
The somewhat-testy strike at Community Living London moved up a level as strikers confronted Minister Rob Flack at an event. Here’s CTV News. I can see why the perceived gentility of southern Ontario is affected by an invasion at a luncheon4, so this one clearly has added weight. I’m glad everyone is OK.
Jobs in London
Let’s just share the heading: why finding a job in London has become so difficult.5 That’s Jonathan Juha at the Freeps.
Picture feature: firefighters in training
A really good package of photos is offered in this feature by the London Free Press’s Geoff Robins. That’s the ‘future firefighters’ training session, with all the hoses and fire engines6 and whatnot, and tends to produce great stuff. Worth a look.
Meet the locals
Our team members have their other projects, y’know:
The street view: Cedric Richards’ Southwestern Ontario Journal.
Comment: Steve Cordes’ Community Matters.
Discuss: Matt Brown’s podcast.
And I also love to recommend these two, in particular:
Reflect: Larry Cornies’ audio blog.
Sports: Gameday London.
Enough
I try not to overdo it with these ROUNDUPs but I always do, sigh. Remember you’re supposed to skip over the headings and choose the ones that spark interest.
And finally, if you can bear it, keep scrolling for some hints of what’s coming up next week. You don’t need to do that - I’ll keep you informed. But, the info is out, and it’s below if you want it.
Otherwise we’ll call that a weekend. Look out for Steve’s Reflection later this afternoon and remember that Chris McInnes gave us all a great guide to Sunfest yesterday, and that looks like a ton of fun downtown.
Let’s find joy every day. Misery is too easily available.
- Mike
And now with the PHOTO to break up this long post:
Coming up this week
Here are some stories to look out for. Some A.I. support was used here to prepare a few further possible highlights over the next week.
CAPS, Monday
Emergency Shelter Guidelines (2026) — The City is updating its standards for funded emergency shelters. The new guidelines emphasize housing-focused supports, lower-barrier access, privacy, mental health, harm reduction, participant rights, accountability and consistent service standards across the shelter system.
Homelessness procurement overhaul — Administration proposes a major restructuring of how homelessness services are funded and contracted. The plan introduces competitive procurement, stronger performance measures and phased contracting, while shifting the focus toward housing outcomes rather than emergency shelter alone.
Winter response 2026–27 — Staff recommend replacing the current weather-triggered warming centre model with a consistent overnight winter response running every night from December through March. The proposal aims to improve predictability for people experiencing homelessness and reduce operational confusion.
Graffiti bylaw fees (Councillor Susan Stevenson) — A councillor wants the City to stop charging administrative fees immediately when issuing graffiti work orders. Instead, property owners would first receive time to voluntarily remove graffiti before fees or enforcement would apply. The motion also asks Council to consider reimbursing some previously charged owners.
Provincial hazardous materials team — London Fire Department is being asked to join Ontario’s Provincial Hazardous Materials Team. The Province would provide annual funding and cover deployment costs, allowing London to assist with major hazardous materials incidents across Southwestern Ontario while maintaining local fire protection.
ICSC, Wednesday
Queen Elizabeth Scholarship policy update — The City is proposing to expand eligibility for its Queen Elizabeth Scholarship by including two French-language school boards: Conseil scolaire Viamonde and Conseil scolaire catholique Providence. No new funding is required; the change simply broadens who can apply.
Pet waste Green Bin pilot — Staff recommend a one-year pilot allowing about 1,900 households in Old South/Wortley Village and White Oaks to place bagged pet waste in Green Bins. The report also proposes expanding Green Bin service to more townhome complexes and selling replacement Green Bins and kitchen containers at cost beginning in 2027.
W12A landfill gas contract — Staff recommend awarding a five-year contract to Comcor Environmental to continue operating and maintaining the landfill gas collection and flaring system at the W12A landfill. The work captures methane, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and odours, and keeps the City compliant with provincial and federal regulations.
Federal public transit funding agreement — Council is asked to approve a contribution agreement that secures approximately $51.1 million over 10 years through the Canada Public Transit Fund. The funding is intended to support transit capital projects such as bus replacement and expansion, maintenance facility upgrades, and planning work for north rapid transit.
Plus Planning, Tuesday
Lots to look at in here, and we’re working on it.
Now with added PHOTO, because this post needed a few.
PHEW.
That’s over now. Just the lineup:
The Loon (London Ontario Online News) lineup
New content every day
We’re teaming up to send you a new feature every weekday:
Monday - Buckle Up - podcast with Matt Brown
Tuesday - Tour with Cedric Richards
Wednesday - City Hall Notes by Mike Donachie - SPONSORED BY SPERO LAW
Thursday - the Forest City Arts and Culture Roundup by Diana Tamblyn - SPONSORED BY DOWNTOWN LONDON
Friday - Reflecting - with Steve Cordes
And free on Fridays: the ROUNDUP, briefing you on the stories you need to know, gathered in one place. Regular analysis of the issues affecting London and the region.
PHEW
This is a normal approach in the comics medium and I’m having a lovely time trying new things here. The idea is to build richer, deeper experiences. Re-reading a graphic novel brings new rewards, y’know.
100 Kellogg parking tip: use the lot on the north side of Dundas, approaching from Burbrook, and cross on foot at the crossing. I used to get my hair cut there and know the deep, deep lore.
My now-routine DISCLOSURE: I’m supporting London Cares with communications services, so taking care with passing on this story. (I’m a PR guy in my main job and The Loon’s community journalism is designed as a side gig - ha ha, laughs about timesink.)
NOT related to this story, but few things in Canada cause me to giggle quite so suddenly as the incongruous use of the word “luncheon”. It seems to refer to a lunch event that has some level of formality, but to a British person it sounds like people pretending to be posh. I picture the Monty Python crew dressed as old ladies, throwing their feathered hats at each other and shrieking “luncheon” and “Spam”. This, of course, did not happen here.
Clicking on jobs in LinkedIn is one of the most depressing experiences of our times. I tend to go out and meet people instead. It’s no more effective as a job hunt but the coffee is better.
I still say fire engine instead of fire truck, and all my kids shout NEE NAW NEE NAW in unconscious mimicry of 1980s Britain.