Greetings, subscribers! Here we are in London, Ontario, that amazing city with half a million people where, somehow, whenever you meet somebody new you’re always closer than Kevin Bacon1. Hark! Can we heard the geese returning?
I’m Mike, your communications support as our community’s leaders, here with an update from City Hall Notes. Here, we present public interest journalism with sobriety2 and care, because we all get better when we work as team, etc. etc. kumbaya.
So I’ll take a measured approach here as I reflect on recent days at Fortress Dufferin, sharing some highlights from Tuesday’s meeting of the all-of-council Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee. (If you want to catch up, start here, with my post from late last week. Or just stick around - I’ve got you. The agenda is here but no, just no, sssshhh.)
Tl;dr
Mayor Josh Morgan scored one massive success and one troubling failure as he works to build his re-election campaign. I’ll focus on those two in this post; plus, I’ll add some further quick updates at the end, in the context of one helluva packed schedule at City Hall as tick tock tick tock.
But this is mostly intended as a reflection. Off we go.
The Good: Micro-modular shelters
Everyone at City Hall now seems ready to accept that the Cheese Factory Road Micro-modular Shelters are actually working. This project proves that, after a number of unsuccessful attempts to add shelter space, it’s critical to choose the right site3. A general lack of neighbours was a big deal here, although nearby businesses did upgrade their fencing.
(Quick shoutout to City Staff Ashley Rammeloo and Christopher Green, who headed up this project and were singled out for praise by councillors for their leadership.)
Summary (A.I.)
More than 100 people are already on a waitlist for London’s new micro-modular shelter less than two months after opening, signalling demand far exceeds capacity. The site provides about 60 small units supporting roughly 70 people, with on-site services aimed at transitional housing. Uptake has been immediate, but the numbers expose the gap: even at full capacity, the program reaches only a fraction of those seeking shelter, underscoring both its appeal and its limited scale as a housing response.
Reporting
We have a full set on this one:
Everybody takes much the same line: this is going well so far, and there’s even more demand.
Context
Mayor Morgan needs a success story for his fliers and, assuming nothing changes, this is an absolute beauty. Even in the council chamber, it was hard to challenge him on it, although Councillor Susan Stevenson tried with a question about a fire in one unit. (It was small and limited; the residents are back in.)
<Opinion alert>: I’ll admit I’ve never liked this program, and I wasn’t alone. For me, it felt like we, as a community, were pushing a visible problem to somewhere less visible. That’s always bothered me, as someone who worked in a building once used as a poorhouse - it was on the edge of a city because that was the policy in less-enlightened times. I’ve always felt we should not hide from homelessness, but the reality has been that communities pushed back, a lot, and our city’s leadership did what they could. This, undeniably, seems a success - so full credit to all involved. </Opinion alert>
These days, homelessness is the single most challenging problem for the authorities of pretty much any community bigger than a hamlet. And, as noted, it’s extremely visible, so everybody’s going to bring it up when they hear “Vote for me”.
Morgan’s reply is now: “My solution is working. Look at these stats. Give me more time.”
That’s powerful stuff.
The bad: Mayor’s home ownership incentive
Over the last 24-hours-or-so, I’ve found myself in several conversations via text, DM and suchlike, in which folks asked: is this thing dead?
Well, while I recognize there may still be some breath there, it’s hardly bursting with life, is it4? This issue - the big policy announcement to the business community at the State of the City Address - was supposed to show the calibre of leadership offered by Josh Morgan but has instead highlighted divisions in the council chamber.
Just how many times will this be sent back to staff for a report? What will it take to get agreement?
Summary (A.I.)
Councillors again sent Mayor Josh Morgan’s home ownership incentive plan back for overhaul, signalling ongoing concerns about how it would work in practice. The proposal—using public funds to offset development charges for new homes—has faced repeated scrutiny over eligibility, repayment terms, and overall effectiveness. Councillors remain unconvinced the program delivers enough impact for the cost, directing staff to revise and return with clearer, more viable options, leaving the initiative stalled despite its prominence in the mayor’s housing agenda.
Reporting
Two paid reporters from the big outlets picked this up. This time the stories contrast, to the extent that I received two very different outcomes from A.I. summaries. I went with the gentler one.
Daryl Newcombe, CTV London: ‘Mayor abandons homebuyer incentive, announced in State of the City Address, seeks options council might support’
Jack Moulton, London Free Press: ‘Mayor’s home ownership program sent back again for overhaul’
Context
It was clear from the start of the meeting that this wasn’t going through. Mayor Morgan led with a conciliatory effort, which amounted to a list of ideas that staff and others might consider. That list does include the original proposal, but it’s hard to see how it will have any effect, with time ticking on this, too. (As well as the looming election, this uses federal money that comes with its own deadline.)
It’s also worth noting that this is intended to return via a different committee - Planning and Environment - where it might get a better hearing, based on who’s a member, although it’ll still need to pass through Full Council.
The important political point is this: Mayor Morgan is struggling to get his flagship policy passed. Anybody arguing that it’s not a failure is missing the point that it’s hardly a success. Do we really think this is how he wanted it to go?
And, fair play to the mayor: he avoided an embarrassing defeat and is trying to show leadership. His stakeholders in the business sector see him trying and, presumably, there is a positive message to voters somewhere in this issue.
The rest: a quick Lightning Round
News hits and more from 300 Dufferin this week.
There was a great deal of discussion about the City’s economic development plan. There’s lots of info on the agenda (Item 4) and we’ll hear discussion of this over time. I’ll share any reporting, but here are some contributions that councillors brought:
Councillor Corrine Rahman talked about the need for strong supports for immigrant entrepreneurs5.
Councillor Paul Van Meerbergen, who has long worked for a local business, spoke about the benefits of U.S. trade and drew smiles with a comment expecting “a less troglodyte president” in a few years.
Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said the ec dev plan needs to be simpler, with fewer priorities.
Councillor Susan Stevenson seemed to object to the whole thing on the basis of costs, saying it lacked detail and should have been more of a plan than a strategy.
Jack-of-the-Freeps looked at the $11 million cost to replace steam heating systems in City buildings. Link is here and it’s all a wee bit New Yawk to this Scot6.
And the same busy reporter updates us on that ‘weeping tiles’ problem for homeowners. Council decided that’s a ‘no’. Linkety-link here.
Councillor Sam Trosow used the word “infer” correctly and it made me really happy until a presenter used it wrongly. But the same presenter called him Councillor Trousseau, which made me snort with laughter.
OK, enough
That’s already a lot, and the idea behind this is to curate info and help us all to find space for local government among the deluge of data in which we drown. Remember this week has at least 16 stories to which, if local journalism still had its past capacity, an assignment editor might have despatched a reporter.
Got a request?
While I’ve focused on the highlights, I’m here for any questions or requests. Most of the items in my preview sailed through and may or may not lead to further discussion at Full Council. And some did not, but we can spare ourselves every tick tock of the clock as our local politicians prepare to engage with the public in the municipal campaign. If there’s an item you were following, and you’d like to know more, ping me a note.
That’s it for now! Back soon with more.
- Mike
Stop smirking.
We knew that, of course. And now, we REALLY know it, thanks to 20/20 hindsight.
This includes me and I haven’t seen any. Just saying.
And it makes me want to listen to Tom Waits, although this song’s about Minneapolis. “Steam comin’ outta the grille like the whole goddamn town’s gonna blow.”