Happy Hump Day, leaders of London, Ontario, this delightful mid-sized city where you can just sit peacefully in your recliner and never give a thought to the car culture that has sold us a feeling of absolute safety. What a beautiful day in the Forest City!
I’m Mike, and I do communications and journalism at the same time, which is simpler than it looks. Here’s your latest Executive Briefing, oh my leadership team, to keep you informed in a way that doesn’t involve being called bad names by FirstnameBunchanumbers on a website run by an American company1. Instead, this is led by social need and public interest, which is easier when you’re not getting paid.
Anyways… let’s pick up the latest on the big issues that emanate from City Hall every day. This week, that includes meetings of the Community and Protective Services Committee and the Planning and Environment Committee, plus some issues emerging from other paths. As always, those are direct links to the meeting agendas and full video recordings, only to be used with extreme fortitude and probably not at all, if you take my advice. Rest assured, I’ll give you the gist of what’s occurring, and link to the reporting by London’s remarkable local journalists.
Sound good? It better. I’m doing it anyway.
I’ll add subheds2 to guide you. No need to read it all - skim through. I’ll try adding some tags each time. GO.
Tolpuddle Housing Co-op latest
Housing | Homelessness
Kicking off with an update from CTV London, where Daryl Newcombe has been turning in the good, good work on this file. Here’s a minute-long chunk of the nightly news featuring Councillor Skylar Franke, who is calling for an independent audit on this. That should answer a few questions.
Here’s a question: “Why didn’t the City support these people better, despite months of requests?”
And I see CBC London is on the case, with Kendra Seguin interviewing Tolpuddle community leader Jo Dee Phoenix, whose name I can now spell. LINK HERE.
If you want background, and more direct and appropriate words from Ms. Phoenix, you might check out my scene-setting post from last month.
Funding lifeline for Ark Aid Street and 519Pursuit
Homelessness | Municipal government
Here’s a London Free Press story about the one-year funding “lifeline” for services supporting our unhoused neighbours. That’s from the CAPS committee on Monday.
Opinion alert: I’m just going to point out that it is only a “lifeline” because barely weeks ago this council voted to limit funding awards to one-year contracts. The same people in this room could give clarity, confidence and job security to a whole sector of public services if they took a different approach, so let’s remember that when reading about this.
Tenants and renovictions: councillor leads plan for better protections
Housing | Homelessness
Other cities have it, so why not London? Councillor Skylar Franke was asking strong questions at the Planning and Environment Committee on Tuesday, pushing for better protections for tenants affected by the volatile housing market.
The story is here (that’s darling Daryl again) and you’ll see there was a lineup of councillors ready to support this one, which is (a) a big ole vote-winner and (b) something for the next council to figure out.
Of course, the outcome is a staff report to look at options, which could be (using the great summary from that CTV story):
minimum notice periods
financial compensation
rent gap payments
right-of return provisions
rental replacement requirements
and relocation support services.
Approved: highrise near Westminster Ponds ESA
Housing | Planning | Environment
This crossing a few issues, as so often happens in local government, and came up at the Planning committee on Monday.
The gist: Mayor Josh Morgan led approval of a highrise - boasting 868 units - on Commissioners East, near the Environmentally Sensitive Area at Westminster Ponds. This has been reported thus:
You might note the prominent use of “highrise” in these kind of stories. Londoners love to know towers are being built, even as they crave single family homes instead.
Fightback against Windermere Road development
Housing | Intensification | Public engagement
I’ll pick up the reporting on this item myself; and the City Hall Assistant bot starts me off with the basics from my notes:
The Planning and Environment Committee heard public opposition to a proposed 26-unit, three-bedroom development at 350–356 Windermere Road, described as student-oriented housing.
Residents raised concerns about neighbourhood character, tree loss, density, and parking, with several warning of cumulative impacts. Comments also focused on the effect of student housing in the area, including the neighbourhood association chair stating, “We don’t want another Broughdale.”
And, again, the public showed up. Listening to this made me think of the Cheapside Road development (which remains alive; latest on that here) and its debate about higher housing density and how it affects existing Londoners, who can vote. My favourite commenter was local resident and former London poet laureate Penn Kemp3, who’s an absolute dear and talked about the special area known as “the triangle”, a quiet spot near University Hospital, between Richmond and Western roads.
That Broughdale comment was telling, and later had Councillor Peter Cuddy saying it must not be so. Locals showed up and, consequently, Councillors Sam Trosow, Jerry Pribil, Corrine Rahman and others expressed concerns about the development.
The committee voted to send this back to staff for another look, especially about traffic in the area. Many in the room seemed surprised that there was no input from the nearby University Hospital, despite the obvious effect on road safety if the area gains 26 units of three students each, mostly showing up with cars. Councillors asked for a transportation study4, in particular.
I’ll link to any reporting of this that shows up.
Uncertainty for Beth Emanuel Church
Heritage | Planning
Emerging from the City Hall consultation process and not yet being considered by a Standing Committee, there’s this important story about the historic Beth Emanuel Church. The owners are asking for its heritage designation to be removed.
Next up: education in London and Ontario
Coming soon: an Education Special, bringing together the threads of cuts, funding, governance and why there’s even an election for trustees this year. There’s a great deal going on in that space and I want my leadership team (that’s you, hi) to be aware, at least at a high level. Briefing incoming when time allows.
And, as always, you can rely on a local news ROUNDUP on Friday. I take requests for that, y’know. Seen something important? Let me know!
ENOUGH
I’m away for a haircut. Usually that means all hell breaks loose. If it does, text me.
- Mike
PS: I’m platform-agnostic and examining all options for the future. And, I reported Andrew Tate to Substack today. Regardless, I’m grateful for all of you and will keep making good choices and staying in touch.
I’m looking at you, Postmedia. Stop farming hateclicks.
I’m finally giving in to my ancient instincts and allowing myself some journalism jargon these days. If something is mis-spelled, that’s probably to make it show up on spellcheck on a networked system. It’s a feature, not a bug. Examples: hed, subhed, folo, pix, reax… you get the idea.
Go to this website for wondrous things.
Where was all this important info? Let’s add north of 50 cars round the corner from Emerg and just not talk about it? Troubling.