Good afternoon, fellow Londoners. It’s a windy and rainy day and I hope you all can stay dry. If you have to be outside, I hope you bring an umbrella and a raincoat. And with that, I’m proud to be filling in for Mike Donachie on an end to a busy week filled with news. As the City Editor of London Ontario Online News, I am thrilled to be bringing you all of this below.
And this is London, Ontario where we have 10 days to go before London’s municipal election, the fifth such election to take place in my adult lifetime. I hope all of you reading this have already voted or are making a plan to vote on Monday, October 26. I think we can do better, so much better, than 25% turnout.
Welcome to today’s ROUNDUP, the executive summary and necessary collection of news stories and ephemera to get London Leaders caught up on the week that was.
Soundtrack of the week
This song is at the intersection for a few things in life for me. I saw Metric in concert about two weeks ago at Canada Life Place. There is a series of airings of Call The Office documentary at the Hyland, and this song below was one of the hits I heard during Indie Underground nights in London’s most famous music venue. It’s a callback to my optimistic, halcyon years as a college student.
Local government
This past Wednesday was the last full council meeting for this term of London City Council. As you may know, there is an election on October 26. There are no committee nor council meetings scheduled during what may be viewed as a transitional period, and the new council will begin their terms on November 15. This will be the second consecutive term to begin on November 15, as the province moved terms up from December 1, several years ago. (However, London Transit Commission has one more meeting this term, scheduled for this coming Monday)
As we reported on Wednesday in City Hall Notes, the demolition of 100 Stanley Street will go ahead after a 12-3 vote at the last council meeting.
Jerry Pribil and Steven Hillier, the councillors for Ward 5 and 14, respectively, are not standing in this municipal election and gave final speeches in the council chambers.
Commercial break
I love telling stories about this city. I also enjoy meandering around the city to learn a lot about it. This week, I found myself at what may be London’s narrowest street on Queens Place in Old East Village. The street is going to be extended in the near future, to Lorne Avenue with a new subdivision of houses that will abut Lorne Avenue Park.
Election 2026
Josh Morgan made an announcement with two council candidates to extend construction work hours on arterial roads, with mayoral opponents pushing back and a local construction CEO weighing in. CBC has the story here.
CTV is reporting that Susan Stevenson is questioning if Josh Morgan is complying with election rules citing a shot of London’s city hall in one campaign video, among other accusations in a letter to the City Clerk.
CBC also reports that advance voting shows an increase of 27% from the 2022 election, however, London grew by a lot in terms of eligible electors. (You’ve heard the stories about London’s population growth in recent years) Down the road, sometime after the election, we will find out just how much of the advance vote comprises the electorate.
Business
A minister’s zoning order was issued by local MPP and minister Rob Flack to allow Dancor Construction to develop an industrial park at the corner of Highbury Avenue South and Green Valley Road. Check out this story from the London Free Press here.
The federal government is funding Deep Breathe, an AI-based lung ultrasound tech company to the tune of $1 million, per Rogers TV.
From CTV News, the WSIB Centre of Excellence in Immersive Technologies Simulation for Workplace Safety has opened at Fanshawe College. WSIB has been having a moment since the provincial government transferred the agency’s headquarters from Toronto to London’s east end.
From CBC, Hitachi, in partnership with the provincial and federal governments have announced a plan to construct a transformer insulation factory, to be completed in 2028. The factory will be located in Huron Industrial Park, along Huron Street near London International Airport.
Healthcare
The provincial government recently launched the Emergency Department Action Team, which will be working with hospitals to bring down wait times in the emergency room. London Health Sciences Centre will be one of the hospitals working with this team, per the Free Press.
CTV News reports that Mississauga-based pharmaceutical company Pharmaline is coming to London, with plans to build a factory in Southeast London’s Innovation Park.
The Lightning Round
Here’s some other things in London that you need to know:
All charges against one accused have been dropped in the explosives probe, per the London Free Press.
Richmond Street is closed at the CPKC rail crossing for repairs, per Rogers TV
Needham Funeral Home, located in Midtown London, is closing its doors after 77 years, per the London Free Press
And it’s Socktober! Check out Rogers TV’s coverage.
Just One More Thing
Elsewhere at the Loon, Matt Brown and Steve Cordes chatted about Steve’s conversations with the mayoral candidates on Buckle Up. I explored a place halfway between Blackfriars and Western University on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we took a look at City Council’s final meeting of the term. In case you missed it on The Loon yesterday, Diana Tamblyn had a great look ahead at our arts and culture scene including what to catch at the Forest City Film Festival. And later today, Steve Cordes releases his thoughtful-as-always Reflections.
Enough
And that’s all the time that we have today. I hope you got what you needed from this ROUNDUP and I can’t wait to see you on Tuesday for another edition of The City. Thank you again for reading and subscribing; you are a London Leader when you choose The Loon!
The Loon (London Ontario Online News) lineup
Local independent journalism bringing you new content every day.
Find our editorial standards and policies here.
Meet the Londoners who team up to send you a new feature every weekday:
Monday - Buckle Up - podcast with Matt Brown
SPONSORED BY HAMILTON ROAD BIATuesday - City Tours with Cedric Richards
SPONSORED BY LONDON BICYCLE CAFÉWednesday - City Hall Notes by Mike Donachie
SPONSORED BY SPERO LAWThursday - the Forest City Arts and Culture Roundup by Diana Tamblyn
SPONSORED BY DOWNTOWN LONDONFriday - Reflections with Steve Cordes
SPONSORED BY OLD EAST VILLAGE BIA
Also on Fridays: the local news ROUNDUP.
Every other Saturday: The Matt Brown Podcast. It’s the show about all things local, and maybe some other stuff too. SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE.