Oh, you guys, it’s a rainy day here in Canada’s London and you know that won’t stop the team of five folks and friends here at London Ontario Online News in any way at all, right? Yes, it’s time to splish-splosh forward and to be drenched in local news with a weekly ROUNDUP that equips you with what you need to lead. Let’s get cracking.
I’m left with a determined mindset after watching the Herculean Cedric Richards cycle through monsoon conditions at Masonville this morning, despite knowing I could never be his equal. It’s a day to put your umbrella up and step forward with confidence, and possibly wet socks. And it’s a day to pay attention to the issues that matter, because every day is one of those. We know this, all 413 of us.
And this is London, Ontario, the marvellous, vibrant community which we share, where half a million souls are finding their way, uh, eventually, there’s construction this way, and also that way, and somehow also there, and here. Hi, I’m Mike, and this is your briefing as our city’s leaders, ready to use good information when you make your decisions.
Right?
Right.
Soundtrack of the week
I read Guy Lombardo’s autobiography1 last weekend and it’s been another milestone experience in my ongoing fascination with this son of London (and his siblings), who was one of the most famous people in the world for 50 years and is now, in many ways, fading from memory.
(I’m sure that at some point I’m going to write about the Lombardos and how they’ve been regarded in their hometown, but right now I want to thank some patient members of London’s Italian community for chats this week. Just fascinating.)
Guy Lombardo had a philosophy: the band would only play a tune if people could whistle it, sing it, or hum it easily. It was all about melody, simple feelings, and enjoyment of a gentle concert that will take you to a better place for a while. I think that sounds good for a rainy Friday, so hit that Play button for the Royal Canadians’ interpretation of one of the most compelling simple melodies of all time: the theme to the movie The Third Man2.
Isn’t that really something? It’s also a very safe concept and, while it explains the band’s longevity, it may also explain why they don’t have a strong reason to remain in the public consciousness. Whatever - it’s lovely3.
Oh my goodness I will get to the point. NEWS TIME.
Jobs - July stats for London
This is a monthly story: job stats from Stats Can. I don’t see local breakdowns yet but here is a national piece from CBC and there follows a quick par I figured out (with A.I. help and direct fact-checking on the Stats Can report).
London CMA (July 2026):
Unemployment rate: 8.0%, down from 8.2% in June.
London CMA figures are three-month moving averages, seasonally adjusted.
For comparison:
Canada: 6.4% unemployment, down from 6.5% in June.
Employment: Increased by 75,100 nationally in July.
The national unemployment rate declined for the third consecutive month.
So, slight dip, but not really or maybe, because it’s based on an average.
Backyard Chickens
In City Hall and other local government news, I’ll start with my usual Wednesday column here. That’s led by the Base Line Road West explosion story and has several other updates, all designed to bring us to a point where we can look at the new information emerging from committee agendas, which were published on Wednesday ahead of three meetings next week.
And… next up. All local media are working through the agendas for material and I’ll share some here, under subheds. You could go to the City site and get aaaaallll the info on your own, if you want - just click here. But I wouldn’t advise it. Better to leave that to the professionals4.
Here we go.
Homelessness services
This issue will probably dominate the news agenda for the next while, based on several items I see coming for those committees filled with incumbents seeking re-election, such as new procurement rules for agencies and a conversation about how our unhoused neighbours are supported during the winter. That looks like a good conversation with some common sense in the plan, at least as staff are putting it forward. We’ll see how that goes.
Also, we have this Councillor Sam Trosow effort to continue funding for agencies who are about to lose theirs. LINK
Smoke and heat
In a related but slightly wider issue, Trosow and Councillor David Ferreira are jointly seeking a review of “the city’s programs and procedures for responding to extreme heat and poor air quality conditions” - basically the wildfire smoke. Look out for that one on Monday.
Planning
First out of the gate from Tuesday’s Planning and Environment Committee agenda was this London Free Press report about the return of a South London tower proposal, which seems to have previous approval in a smaller form. Story is here and the 12-story apartment tower would be at Bradley and Dearness, near White Oaks Mall.
Flood maps
The city is taking a fresh look at designated at-risk-of-flooding areas, and you can find out more here. It’s generating a lot of discussion.
Election 2026
We’re now up to 87 candidates, including an incredible NINE in Ward 7, out in the northwest. I’ll do an update on all that soon.
And here’s a CBC guide to Ward 14, the big rural ward you will recall from our post and podcast here.
Parks - investment
Thames Park’s redevelopment has this update from CTV London. The work is under way; the story is mainly interesting detail. Looks good!
Commercial break
So the other day my doorbell rang and it was my neighbour, a terribly nice man, who wanted to present me with an extra zucchini. I’m really grateful, and also relieved to confirm it’s a courgette, in European terms, and therefore quite delicious.
I realize this may open some disturbing floodgates, but I’d welcome recipes in the comments.
Stop sniggering at the back. It’s got some girth, eh?
Back to the important news to keep us all watercooler-ready.
London Community Foundation grants
It’s always worth following the excellent work of the London Community Foundation, and they have this recent news about awarding $1.45 million in grants to six local orgs: ALUS Middlesex, Daya Counselling Centre, Humane Society of London and Middlesex, Lionhearts London, London ACORN and Queer Intersections.
Roads and gettin’ round town
We do so love to talk about this, don’t we? Of course, construction is an issue that never goes away, but here are a couple of other related reports that may interest and inform.
The police cracked down on a “road safety blitz”, according to this report from CTV London. That includes nearly 300 traffic charges and taking 30 vehicles off the road.
Taxpayer opinion: cops should do this more often, and maybe we’d argue less about their budget. Get the city moving.
And there’s a new cycling app to help the bravest of the brave navigate London, and a CBC story about it here. That’s great to see, and of course the challenges for cyclists are manyfold.
Now let’s run through a few stories by the issues…
Heritage
This is a huge moment in the local heritage community and I’m hearing quiet optimism about the sale of Beth Emanuel church to Pastor Sandie Thomas, who has a plan to preserve it, and to add to the site with amenities and affordable housing. You can find out more from CBC here.
An extract:
"It's not just about keeping the heritage, but it's also about building something that could bring longevity to our community," Thomas told CBC News. "We want to keep the historical church building but build a 40-unit affordable housing building on the adjacent property."
Opinion alert: impressive.
Housing
“London-area housing market moves toward balance”, CTV News tells us. It amounts to: more homes being sold; slight drop in average price, per LSTAR. (That link takes you to their monthly stats page, which is the source of this kind of story and pretty accessible if you want to cut out the media entirely.)
In a housing conditions story: elevators are out in an apartment building on McNay, just east of Adelaide. LINK
Healthcare
Here’s discussion of hospital funding and the “austerity agenda”, and it includes our local services. LINK
Education
I’m pinpointing a segment on the Craig Needles Podcast this week: find the ep here. He covers a few topics and of most interest, IMO, is a good discussion about the school trustee races, an underrepresented issue.
Lightning round
Just a few more stories that may spark something in you.
Enough
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Happy Friday!
- Mike
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My review: a ghost-written book, self-serving but revealing anyway.
Massive spoiler for a 77-year-old movie, which you should absolutely watch. Now please invest a few minutes in the cuckoo clock speech.
Lovely is all very… lovely, but it was a terribly safe approach, right? In his book, published in 1975, Guy Lombardo explains his distaste for the cacophony of rock and roll. Two years later, six months before Guy passed away, the Sex Pistols released this. And I like this much more.
This is what happens when you hang around politicians for too long. TW for scary bug-in-ear scene and also for Ricardo Montalban’s faintly disturbing chest.
Your comments on the Lombardo legacy are spot on, Mike. Yes, we have a music pavilion (in Springbank Gardens) and a bridge that bear his name, but his stature as a popular musician is vastly under-appreciated in his home town, especially among younger generations, for whom the music of Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians is a quaint throwback to their grandparents' and great-grandparents' generations. Consider: Only one Canadian entertainer has eclipsed the Royal Canadians in terms of popularity and album sales. That's Céline Dion. Justin Bieber is still some distance behind. In fact, the combined music sales of Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Diana Krall, Michael Bublé and Randy Bachman amount to about half of what the Lombardo Brothers managed during their half-century in the business. And, in 2023, Western University declined an offer from the Lombardo Estate to accept into their archives, free of charge, the collection of sheet music and original material that had been preserved in Florida until such time as a proper home could be found. As a community, we're not doing enough.