Welcome to Ward 11
Cedric writes
We are continuing our journey through London’s wards in this summer series. From our last instalment, all you have to do is take Wonderland Road to Springbank Drive for this ward. (Or in my case, take Wonderland Road to the Guy Lombardo Bridge and hop on to the Thames Valley Parkway)
Ward 11 contains communities such as Old South, Southcrest, and Highland. Highland is in both Ward 11 and Ward 12, with Commissioners Road splitting it in half.
You may be familiar with this ward if you’ve attended Gathering on the Green or Indigenous People’s Day celebrations on the Green, Oktoberfest at the German Canadian Club, or jogged along the Thames Valley Parkway, or played with your dogs in the off-leash dog park at Greenway Park. Maybe you were born in the Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Center, like I was. Or do you remember the last time you’ve strolled through Wortley Village and Old South, and marveled at all of the historic buildings, and picked up a coffee along the way? Did you or your kids go to London South Collegiate Institute? I mulled the idea more than 20 years ago, nearly joining many family members and family friends.
Looking at demographics, the area is a land of contrasts. Old South has some of the highest proportions of people with a university degree or college diploma. Southcrest and Highland contain less university graduates and more people without a degree or a diploma. Old South also has the lowest proportion of visible minorities of any non-rural district in the city, with Southcrest and Highland incrementally ranking higher in that category. All three districts, however, have greater proportions of Indigenous people than the city-wide average, with Southcrest having the second-highest proportion in the city overall.
This area has become progressively familiar to me as I’ve seen family members grow up here and live here and later, I’ve found work in the ward. Those times form parts of eras in my life. Then, there are the events. (Events, my dear boy, events) I’ve found myself going to festivals along Wortley Road and on the Green, celebrating birthdays on patios, getting to know new friends over coffees, I’ve played in Thames Park Pool as a kid.
This ward is also home to a lot of socially conscious and politically active individuals and organizations. From my own personal experience working, visiting, and traveling through the ward, I can tell you that people are quick to let you know what is on their mind and what is up with the world. Sometimes it shows up on signs on their lawns or in their windows. In a time where the word “politics” is seen as a dirty word, Ward 11’s constituents are proudly political. But there’s more to this place, as I’ve been meandering through the area over the last number of weeks.
That’s our challenge this summer: the story of London Ontario in 14 wards. Join us. We’re going by bike and by car, and we’re inviting Londoners into the conversation.
Cedric says:
I’m always asked, ‘what are you doing in the village?’ whenever I’m spotted by a friend or a former coworker. Usually, I take a stroll or a ride south of the Thames River to have an ice cream at Karpos or a coffee at Sidetrack or Black Walnut. Sometimes, I like to relax at one of the benches on the Green. Other times, I just wander around the area and see if I run into someone I know. It’s a very social place.
Mike says:
Well, well, well, look who’s here. It’s the paradise known as Old South, known as one of Canada’s best neighbourhoods and of course a spot that generates a lot of discussion. I’ve always liked this part of town, and also found it massively frustrating because it’s not a village and, arguably, has worse traffic problems than much of the rest of town. To me, this is a very London attitude.
Every week, we’re having a chat in the ward itself. Here are our musings together in Ward 11, where we talk about the way things go south of the Thames River.
Part 1: Introducing Ward 11
Ward 11 - Old South, Southcrest, Highland
Population - 35,082
Cedric writes
Ward 11 generally consists of the Old South and Southcrest areas, having been created in 2006 from the former Ward 5 and 6.
The ward for the 2026 municipal election will see a few changes. A few amendments were made after the final rescue by City Council. The first is the addition of the Rowntree neighbourhood, inherited from Ward 1. It is east of Wellington and north of Commissioners and contains Victoria Hospital. Another amendment from the final review sees 15 residences along the north side of Springbank Drive near The Coves being added to Ward 11, from Ward 13.
Cycling is alright in this ward, and largely a pleasure to do so. I use the Thames Valley Parkway, running along the river, to travel between the downtown core and the west end. The in-boulevard bike lanes along Wonderland help me to travel throughout much of West London. Wharncliffe Road is not the place to be in any kind of vehicle, owing to all the collisions that have been happening as of late. On my bike, I tend to take Edward Street or Ridout Street as alternatives. For now, in place of Wellington, I take High Street to get through the east side of this ward. That will change when the multi-use pathway is constructed along Wellington as part of the bus rapid transit project.
Taking transit is a good option, but only if you’re traveling north-south throughout the city. There are not that many great frequent and fast options in South London if you’re travelling east-west across the city. You either have to stop downtown or meander through the suburbs in order to reach your final destination. With the Wellington Gateway BRT opening within the next few years, one can only hope that it will transform travelling within the city.
Part 2: Around the ward
Old South
Cedric writes
Old South: the name speaks for itself. It consists largely of a former suburb named London South, that was annexed by the city of London in 1890, from Westminster Township. The area consists of a lot of old, Victorian era houses in buildings. Many of them have been converted in the decades since to multiplexes and commercial buildings.
The centerpiece, the main street of it all, is known as Wortley Village, which is a three-block stretch of Wortley Road. Wortley Road is lined with many great small businesses and shops. (Full disclosure: I worked for one of them in 2020-2021.) The area at large is a great place to get coffee. Like I noted above, people here will let you know what they think, and they are very quick to strike up a conversation. It’s a place where you’re only a stranger once. It’s a place where your presence or absence is noted.
Old South is bounded by two arterial roads that are indicative of London’s transportation challenges. On the west is Wharncliffe Road. On the east side of the district is Wellington Road.
On the west side of Old South, Wharncliffe Road is four lanes wide. But going northbound and approaching Horton Street, the road narrows to 3 lanes. This arrangement exists because of the decades-old underpass located just north of Horton. Essentially, the east half of the road consists of one through lane and one turning lane. During rush-hour, you’ll see that through lane backed up with pure volume, while the right turn lane to Horton Street is empty. The need to enter the through lane often trumps safety on the road, and in recent years, there have been numerous collisions on this stretch of Wharncliffe. A reasonable person may ask, “why not widen the underpass to fit four lanes?” The city was trying to do that, and even controversially expropriated someone’s house, but the roadwork has been delayed and deferred. One can hope that this would be given a chance in the next multi-year budget.
On the east side of Old South, Wellington Road runs through the ward widely and proudly, bending around Bond Street, and breaking the street grid where it runs. Wellington in Ward 11 is the site of the final phase of construction of bus rapid transit. Wellington Road will be remade in a new image for a different kind of city, where buses will glide down the southern artery every five minutes. This phase is likely the most controversial one, because it involved the full expropriation of dozens of properties along the route, unmatched by every other segment of the transit network. A local restaurant described their expropriation and subsequent closure as being “hit by the bus”.
On a recent visit to Wellington Road, where my barber has been cutting my hair since 2019, there are full blocks along Wellington where the lots are either vacant or boarded up to make way for the road to be widened. Near Bond Street, the road is also set to be realigned to improve safety for all road users.
Old South receives a lot of London’s traffic pains, but I believe we can afford to be optimistic about solutions that can help get people moving.
Southcrest
Cedric writes
The first thing I think of in Southcrest is The Coves. I also think of all the things surrounding it like the trails along those ponds, and the German Canadian Club. I had never attended an Oktoberfest until 2024, and I enjoyed myself at this one. If you have the opportunity to see Walter Ostanek perform in person, you have to seize that opportunity.
The street grid breaks around here. Emery Street becomes Southcrest Drive at a bridge, over a ravine. Base Line Road West, one of London’s oldest streets, curves northward and ends at Southcrest. Berkshire Drive, lined with mostly apartment buildings and townhouses, runs through the west end of the ward. It is shaped like the Greek letter omega, and I’ve had to check twice to make sure I was traveling in the right direct along this street. If not, I would just follow it to the end and turn around at Wonderland Road or Springbank Drive.
There are also a lot of beautiful and unique one-story houses that were built after the Second World War. If you take a look at them, you will be wondering why this area doesn’t have its own heritage conservation district, like in Old South.
This is also the poorest part of the ward. It is also the part of the ward that helps out people in need, and most of all you can see it in the housing stock, which is among the most affordable in the ward. West of Wharncliffe, there is a supportive housing building in the former Elmwood Place long term care home now known as Coves Landing. Just a few blocks south, there is a Homes Unlimited townhouse complex on the site of the former Manor & Highland Park Public School. There are also two co-op apartment buildings, one on Tecumseh Avenue West, and the other on Commissioners Road West, that are geared toward the urban Indigenous population.
The provision of affordable housing did not go without controversy, when in 2022, a death took place inside 122 Base Line Road West. A report was produced by city staff on how to improve safety at the building, and some of the ideas involved changing the tenant mix going forward, and installing security systems to ensure that only tenants had unlimited access to the building.
Highland
Cedric writes
Going southward past Emery Street East, begins the Highland district. Highland straddles both Ward 11 and 12, but the differences between the two wards in this district are like night and day. The houses in this part of the ward are enormous, especially along Commissioners Road.
Mountsfield Public School is located a block away from the southern boundary of this ward and was one of the first elementary schools to take part in a “bike bus” program, where parents would lead a guided bicycle ride to school within the neighbourhood.
This part of the ward is also home to a few new developments that have faced a bit of opposition, but should help the material conditions of the people in the area.
345 Sylvan Street, located at the end of the street, off of Base Line Road East, is an affordable housing development with 42 units. It was constructed with funding in part from the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund. When you hear someone talk about how they “don’t have any more challenges” due to finding housing in this building, you believe them and you want to see more places like this constructed everywhere.
Rosel Park is located on Rosel Avenue, just northwest of Ridout and Base Line Road. For a long time, it consisted of just a patch of grass and nothing else. I remember grabbing coffees from a very busy Locomotive Espresso just a block away and with no seating available inside the cafe, I thought, “why not go sit in the park?” It’s hard to make that work with no seating. The city is currently constructing space for seating and a playground in the somewhat triangular park. The announcement of this construction was met with vocal opposition from a few locals, but when it opens, I believe it will be a net benefit for people in the area and beyond.
Part 3: Politics of Ward 11
Mike writes
This one’s fairly simple: there’s a popular incumbent councillor in one of the safest seats in town. Last time, she ran away with almost 58% of the vote, despite a strong campaign by community leader Jeremy McCall in second place; she was endorsed as a successor by the previous two-term councillor, Stephen Turner, and her 2022 election filing shows she gathered about three dozen small donations from grassroots supporters. With a socially-progressive and well-educated (and often well-connected) voter base, Franke has stayed popular while working hard as a ward councillor, as In The News shows below. So far, her only challenger is local realtor Harry Kumar, who hasn’t yet run a visible campaign. Franke looks on track for a second term.
Here are the outcomes of the last three elections. Again, dwindling turnout.
2022 results
2018 results
2014 results
A full list of Ward candidates is maintained by the City Clerk’s Office here. And you can find a guide to every ward in our MEGAPOST here.
Part 4: In the news
Mike writes
Stories around the ward
There are lots of narratives in this area and, while they reflect the personality of Old South and its environs, they’re notably similar to issues in the suburbs.
Local councillor Skylar Franke is front-and-centre in a local of local stories, such as this piece of campaigning to improve the intersection at Duchess and Edward.
Traffic volumes can cause all kinds of problems in an area like this, in its neighbourhoods and the nearby main roads. Here’s one of those incidents where a vehicle hit a building.
Housing is an issue everywhere, with Franke supporting infill projects in the chamber. Here’s a story about supportive housing in Old South and a city-wide analysis piece that uses a Wortley project as an example.
On more specific local issues:
The sad destruction of the Black Walnut Cafe was a big local topic, and here’s its rebuild and relaunch.
This area also happened to be the site of a gathering by a white nationalist group, and this counter-protest.
There’s a lot of colour about the Old South area in this Western Gazette piece.
Part 5: And there’s more…
Our restaurant pick
Archie’s has been a family favourite for decades. The original location is situated at the corner of Wharncliffe and Cove Road. Look for the lighthouse perched up top. I love their entire menu, centered on fish and chips, but I’m also a fan of the Landlovers breakfast they offer during morning hours. If you’re not in the area, they also have locations on Wellington Road just south of White Oaks Mall, and Huron Street east of Highbury Avenue.
The unmissable landmarks
The Green is like the public square of this ward. Located on Wortley Road, between Duchess Avenue and Elmwood Avenue, the building it abuts is a gem in the area. The building formerly known as the London Normal School, was opened in 1900 after being constructed over the preceding two years by architect Francis Heakes. It was a teacher’s college before becoming the London Board of Education’s headquarters in 1963. It swapped school boards in 1986 when the then-London & Middlesex County Separate School Board acquired the building, naming it the Monsignor Feeney Centre for Catholic Education. In 2005, the now-London District Catholic School Board left the building for more rural southern pastures. Nearly a decade later, the City of London bought it with the YMCA of Southwestern Ontario renting it out as their headquarters.
You’ll see lots of life here at all times during the day, every day of the week. During weekdays, you’ll pass by kids playing in the park with childcare staff. On weekends, you’ll see people lounging on the benches, walking their dogs along the sidewalks, and there’s the occasional weekend that a festival sets up, such as Gathering on the Green. Experiencing the energy of this space is a must for Londoners. (And you can experience a little of it in our audio podcast, above.)
That’s Ward 11
And that’s how we see it. We’ve meandered along its streets, its parks, and grabbed a coffee along the way, and we offer you this guide to what it’s all about. There were garbage trucks and a pretty bird, and a lot of chat about the people of Old South. We hope you found it valuable.
The Cedric/Mike teamup will continue all summer! We’re looking at all 14 wards, featuring one every Tuesday all the way to September. You can follow along here at London Ontario Online News, where there’s new content every day and we live here, too.
We’d love you to stay engaged and in touch. You can send us any topics you’d like us to discuss, or questions, or most anything else. Thank you - see you soon!
excellent and very interesting! A small grammatical note, humbly and respectfully given for your consideration: ''Southcrest and Highland contain FEWER university graduates.'' Not less. As my great uncle drilled me decades ago, fewer is for things you can count (i.e., university grads); less is for things you can't count (grammatical correctness). Keep up the good work