As we March forwards into 2026 and the wider world continues to make dystopian science fiction look tame1, we’ll keep finding space for the municipal matters that cost Londoners a billion-and-a-half bucks every year. Don’t worry, it’s only the end of the world.
On that hopeful note, let’s look at this week’s Full Council meeting, which devoured Tuesday for many people. Over the last month, our 15 council members have invested quite a lot of time2 in discussions, decisions and, well, debacles, and all of that wondrous wisdom feeds into this council ceilidh3, at which it is endorsed (or otherwise) and converted into the bylaws that make the whole thing enforceable. So, everything you have heard from our 15 elected representatives since February 10 only becomes real after they combine to form Voltron4 at a meeting like this.
All the raw information - massive agenda, recording of livestream, many, many letters to council - is here but nobody needs to put themselves through that. Just no.
Instead, I’ll list our topics story by story, issue by issue, to bring us all up to now. Where it’s available, I’ll include the reporting. Note the paid reporters must follow the eyeballs, because their business is built on clicks now; in this blog, you’ll find a sober5 approach where the goal is to make us all better, together, with good info about local government. Off we go!
It’s a yes for the York tower
An easy one to start with. Let’s round up the reporting, because the gang was all there:
You might notice that all the headlines in this talk about the number of storeys, because height maximises profit while also having the most profound impact on residents and the local area. You might also note this item came with 15 added communications and the only one anybody’s quoting is the one from Ali Soufan of York Developments.
The gist of the arguments
This is good for London’s economy and is right on a boundary, so would have been approved if it was on the other side of the road.
This goes against planning policy and expert staff recommendations, and is bad for the people who already live in the area.
When this came up at planning, Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis had some angry residents removed from the public gallery. This time there were again protestors and one person made her voice heard, but was allowed to stay.
Bonusing for the community
This issue is a delicate one: the municipal chamber’s current unmentioned pachyderm. The short version is munis are limited in their powers to demand community benefit from planning applications, thanks to Planning Act changes6, and politically it’s a minefield as the need for housing growth clashes with current residents’ quality of life and people point it out loudly. Meanwhile, many muni peeps are eyeing careers at Queen’s Park. You know it’s true.
In this case, York came forward voluntarily to make some welcome concessions. Here’s a report from CTV (from before the council meeting) giving them a fair shake: link. It amounts to looking after the current residents better, and a privately-owned parkette that will bear watching.
Opinion alert: planning committee chair Councillor Steve Lehman got misty-eyed talking about Other London and its private parks, which caused me to mutter profanities because I have seen such spaces, in London and elsewhere, and they are not for ordinary folks. And these community benefits are not enforceable so we rely on developers to follow through. In my experience elsewhere, that’s a crapshoot. I hope York do include strong community benefit, partly because I’m on the Board of Eldon House, down the street.
And it’s rightly said that London is starry-eyed about Toronto’s towers. Oh you guys.
And a little bit of politics - how they voted
This is worth a close look. Note that Councillor Corrine Rahman voted against this development, saying she would prefer a stronger reliance on the city’s planning processes, including the London Plan. That breaks away from the rest of the at-least-sketched-out administration of mayor, deputy, budget chair and committee chairs. Hmmm.
Oh no, we’re on about donations again
It’s also worth noting that Rahman voted against the interests of developers here, despite all the talk of donations to councillors’ campaigns by leading figures in York Developments. She knew it would go through, but still, yeah.
Quick sidebar - you can hear Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis talk about the donations he accepts from developers on this new ep of the Craig Needles podcast. In it, he makes some statements about Councillor David Ferreira, including that the public gallery during this planning meeting included a $500 Ferreira donor.
I love an election year, hoo hah. We will return to this issue. I can do math, and I will.
Let’s move on to other matters.
More parking, wider driveways, maybe
My neighbour got a bylaw ticket for parking with two wheels on her own lawn, y’know. In Scotland, you’d have been chased down the street and made to eat your funny little hat, but never mind. We’re in the New World now, children, and do not wear the blue woad.
Anyway, council wants to make it easier to park. Wearily, here is a link to my rant about car culture last week, and the reporting of Jack-of-the-Freeps explains the outcome of the Full Council meeting here.
Opinion alert: this one will be a vote-winner - imagine yourself as an incumbent candidate at somebody’s front door, able to point out where a driveway could be widened. And, it’s typical London paper talk: maybe it’ll happen, maybe it’s another backyard chicken, but it’s no substitute for stronger leadership that brings us better public services.
Yes, the garbage people broke my blue bin again.
Susan Stevenson cleared by Integrity Commissioner
Reading out a report from the Integrity Commissioner, and getting councillors’ reactions to it, took so much time out of this extremely expensive meeting that I just read my book. That’s a lot of salaries in a room to receive a report that should never have been needed. There was some kind of legal thing happening but all I could think of was, well, better public services please.
Here’s what the LFP did in advance of the meeting. And here’s a video report with relevant clips, per CTV. That’s all the info you would need. Stevenson stood up for herself well.
And, this was about a ‘citizen journalist’, a topic on which I have opinions. I want to see such people operating in our community, but with strong values and proper training & support. If you’re interested, contact me. I’m serious.
That’s a general comment. On this specific case, I would point out that communication ahead of time, including understanding of the procedures needed, would have avoided the whole, expensive, pointless endeavour. Enough.
Old East Village graffiti cleanup
This went through,. thanks to leadership from Councillor Susan Stevenson. You can find some background here, but that’s old and nobody seems to be reporting this outcome yet.
Here’s the relevant paragraph:
The Civic Administration BE DIRECTED to immediately reimburse the Old East Village BIA in the amount of $14,152.33 from the Community Investment Reserve Fund for previously expended costs related to private property clean-ups, graffiti removal, and enhanced safety and security measures;
Other councillors expressed concerns about this, based on some kind of chat about process - there was something about non-BIA members benefiting from the BIA - but I’d stopped listening by that point. Nobody cares where the money comes from. They just want the City to step up.
And the Lightning Round
Let’s Get Struck7 by the Lightning Round, in which I gather some things and stop typing quite quickly.
There was no mention of council members’ expenses at the meeting.
Nobody talked about the latest report to the province on how many City staff earn more than that magical $100k that gets them on the Sunshine List. My math says 835 people. It’s item 2.1 on this mini-agenda.
Nary a word on Assessment Growth, reported in LFP here (and this is CTV), which is big money for our services and the opportunity to make jokes about “ass growth”.
The UNESCO City of Music issue, which caused much discussion earlier, was not mentioned.
Better communication on traffic calming - this went through. Worth noting the letter from Western academic Martin Horak (6.3.2 on agenda), also the go-to for local media comment since Andrew Sancton retired. Andrew was great - always an easy four pars.
More letters there about displaying landlord info in public, and the Acorn group was in the gallery. This did not come up verbally. Background is here.
Watch the outcome of agenda item 8.4.138 on that recording and you will find Councillor Stevenson the lone dissenting vote against appropriating lands for the Wellington Gateway. Yes, the Bus Rapid Transit project.
Oh, and Mayor Josh Morgan’s big housing incentive hasn’t shown up again yet. Soon, I’m sure. It was sent back to staff for a report last month.
This post is too long
But we’re sticking with it until the end!
Coming up next week:
A planning meeting with no fewer than 10 public participation items. I see the word “heritage” in there - buckle up.
And a potentially incendiary CAPS meeting in which Councillor Stevenson is unhappy about the following (item 4.2).
It has been reported by the Middlesex London Health Unit (MLHU), that the following items were handed out in 2025:
Pipes (crack and meth) = 224,079
Needles = 602,983
Condoms = 122,187
Cookers = 274,867
Foil (fentanyl) = 1,540,774
Straws, as part of snort kits = 6,379
The gallery will fill up when word gets around about that one. Back with you soon, I’m sure.
- Mike
Did you know Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, made in 1927, is set… now? Local screening, oh wow. An entirely fictional masterpiece about a bleak underworld of exploited workers underneath the prospering city… never mind.
Thank all the gods for livestreaming. I used to have to sit there until I had corners on my arse.
Pron: ‘kay-lay’. In the Gaelic tradition, a meeting, a coming-together, and not necessarily a booze-up with all that mad dancing. Shut up.
We have reached the stage where I don’t even need to put content in the footnotes. Your brains do the work for me. [cackles on rooftop]
I’m aware of the irony of writing this in the pub. It’s a sair fecht.
Live shot of those changes:
I miss the London Lightning. And RIP Micheal Ray.
DO NOT DO THIS.
Keep crushing it Mike. This is the local journalism we need.
Thank you! Fabulous as always, and a great, much appreciated round up of info.