Welcome to London Ontario Online News, everybody! I’m so happy I can connect with so many of you, thanks to a tiny wee news service that’s growing slowly, steadily, and happily. Hello to everyone here in Canada’s London, where Friday may find us glaring at the calendar and wondering who stole August, but it remains a beautiful city filled with all the potential that half a million people can bring, so we should get out there and enjoy it. Here at The Loon, we want to help.
I’m Mike, and my main job is communications and PR support, so hmu there anytime1. And, in the public interest, every week I offer this ROUNDUP as a guide to local news, equipping my subscribers with what they need to know to be well-informed Londoners who lead. And I will never stop saying this: caring, paying attention, gaining good information and using it when you make decisions? That’s leadership. Thanks for being those people.
And we ask for your support. I’m routinely taken aback (in a good way) by the subscriber numbers ticking up, and we’re really grateful to all five of our sponsors. Other local supporters have approached us, too, and we want you to know the door is open to anyone who cares about local independent journalism and community voices.
I’m really proud to be a part of this.
Our weekly soundtrack is a treat for your ears
Just a great song this time. Penny Lane will lift your spirits every time.
As always, you can click the embed for background music while you read. It’ll stop if you click on an outside link, so choose your moments. I always advise a first sweep and a deeper dive - remember the ROUNDUP is designed for skimming for anything sparks your neurons.
Now let’s get goooooing with some local news.
Explosives charges
Continuing its status as the most puzzling local story this year, we have an update here from CBC on allegations against four Western University students (then-current or recent). That involves 19 new charges, taking it to a total of 31. We’ll keep following along.
Backyard Chickens: moments in local government
And we’ll run straight to City Hall next, with a few interesting updates in local government news this week. Of course, you saw the Wednesday City Hall Notes column, and that, in particular, mopped up a lot of this week’s housing and homelessness stories.
Elsewhere in public services, I do of course want to highlight how dazzling Daryl Newcombe of CTV London is keeping our community informed about changes. Here’s a compelling piece about how the crossing guards budget is maxed out and has no fewer than 30 outstanding requests to help communities. This came out of that additional committee on Wednesday, Infrastructure and Corporate Services.
Opinion alert: if our neighbourhoods must be islands surrounded by streams of traffic, we have a collective need to act to keep pedestrians safe. Crossing guards seem like a simple, popular solution. Imagine if a candidate promised more of them?
Election 2026 update
We are now up to 972 candidates with a week to go before the nominations close. Simply wow. This week’s additions give us candidates in Wards 5 (Simon Sabeesh Karikassery) and 14 (Ubaid Bhatti), plus two more for school boards.
In the mayoral race, the Kirsten Krose campaign seems to have caused a stir by holding a fundraiser in Toronto. That’s from CTV.
And it’s not local but there’s a wrestler running for mayor in Brantford3. You can find out about Pretty Ricky Willdy here.
Now for a bold claim
Back to it.
Healthcare
Three shares in this area today.
Here’s a CBC London story about hospitals being short-staffed. That’s Kate Dubinski taking a further look at the funding woes at LHSC.
The Free Press has something about opioid deaths here, from an interview with Dr. Alex Summers of the London-Middlesex Health Unit. There’s some detail there, and stats and so on, and I’ll stay focused on the sad fact that it’s about 62 deaths.
And, taking this further into the related issue of food insecurity, Craig Needles over at Blackburn News interviews that same Dr. Summers for an interesting podcast episode here.
Look out for me on a Needles podcast soon, chatting at considerable length about the City Hall races. My list of safe seats has reduced from six to five. (And if you’re paying attention, this fixes one of today’s typos.)
Homelessness
We already noted the Unity Project is celebrating 25 years, and here’s another piece about it, this time focusing on its roots in a protest movement. That’s Gerry Dewan at CTV.
Lightning round
And we are almost at the end, with our quick series of striking stories that might interest you.
Data centres. There’s another great Kendra Seguin piece for CBC London right here, this time looking at guidelines for data centres at provincial level. Again, this issue will come to London soon enough. Let’s be well-informed as leaders.
E-scooters. According to this CBC story about injuries among kids, these things are a problem. That’s out of the GTA.
Base Line blast update. The Free Press followed this up, with the police ruling out criminality but no update on the condition of the victim.
World rowing event. That’s rowing (in boats) not rowing (in an argument). CTV reports on this picturesque activity out on Fanshawe Lake.
And there was a car on the TVP. For goodness’ sake.
Enough
Isn’t it just? And of course it’s time to get out there - don’t forget Diana’s fab movie guide from yesterday, or Cedric’s amazing 14 Wards guides, which this week reached the subaquatic region of Masonville.
And later today, Steve will send out his Reflections video. This week it’s about homelessness, and he’s calling for more accountability. Worth a watch.
I’ve had a busy week and I’m feeling privileged to partner with cool folks every day, making a living by telling the truth. London, Ont. may have its challenges but we can stay focused on its potential, now and in the future, and also on the Portuguese custard tarts from Nova Era. Now I want some of those, oh bloody hell.
Thanks for following along with The Loon all week and look out for our second-stage rocket booster, coming soon.
Happy Friday! I hope it brings you a four of fish and finger pies, whatever that is.
- Mike
This week I enjoyed writing about a new collected edition of a British comic book, Albion, from Rebellion. It’s helluva niche but here if anyone’s interested.
Cheers!
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 BIA
Tuesday - Ward Tours with Cedric Richards - SPONSORED BY LONDON BICYCLE CAFÉ
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 - SPONSORED BY OLD EAST VILLAGE BIA
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.
I’m entrepreneuring. Strategic communications support. Ayethankyew.
On Wednesday a typo had me briefly report there were then 97, when it was 94, so I fixed it. It’s now actually 97, at least at time of writing. It’s just a lot.
In English politics, poor old Count Binface did not, in fact, defeat Nigel Farage in Clacton. But it’s been quite a ride, and now an investigation into Farage’s finances can resume. Here’s a BBC story, if you like.