Hello, Londoners! Have you been enjoying the beautiful weather today? I have, and with rain on the way this weekend, it felt like a good idea to get ahead of some tasks as I plant a new garden this spring. It’s my favourite time of year and I have been filled with joy and energy. You know what that means, right?
Yes, that’s right - I am in so much pain that I long for oblivion. One day, sad songs will be ululated in grave recognition of the sheer agony in my ageing joints, while religious orders are inspired by my resilience despite the ache in my back. I hope that, soon, some ancient, wise, celestial race passes cruel judgement upon the Earth, just so I can stop hurting. It’s a small price to pay.
Anyway, hi. Sorry I’m a bit late. I was doing yardwork1.
This is your weekly ROUNDUP of local news, from the POV of a communications support equipping a leadership team. What, you ask2? Yes, I reply: this is public interest journalism as a briefing, not an exercise in affecting your blood pressure for profit. I’m all about strategic communications, and you’re the leadership team, and the strategy is community, civic pride, and showing the hecking heck up.
And this is London, the city where the weather does all the things3 as often as it can and you never have the right jacket with you but that’s OK because you can sit out on the patio for now and maybe move inside later.
Time for curated news. Let’s go.
Local government
You know this is my jam, so let’s do a wee bit here first.
My COUNCIL CATCHUP post from midweek covers a bunch of issues including:
Housing
Tenants’ rights
Planning
Homelessness
And on that surplus
The biggest municipal story of the week is all about the money. After months of painful conversations about crisis funding this and paid-for studies that and all the budgets and accountabilities and apparent penny-pinching and phew, what a time…. City Hall has another surplus. (Jack Moulton from the LFP there.)
There’s a lot to unpack there. Maybe it’s good management, and maybe it’s a difficult read for the folks who asked for more money during winter emergencies. I’ll look out for more reaction this week.
Opinion alert: You know I love to comment on the theatre of City Hall, and this is one of those times I just can’t keep my mouth shut. I’m delighted to see this surplus spent on supporting the homeless, which is fast becoming the central plank of Mayor Josh Morgan’s re-election campaign, and, wow, the timing has generated a neat headline heading into the summer. Wow. I’m so jaded.
Housing
Always a big issue locally, and this time Matt Brown is taking it wider with a fascinating chat on his podcast here. He’s talking housing affordability and government efforts to affect it, and he’s joined by some great guests: economist and Londoner Mike Moffatt and London Homebuilders CEO (and former London councillor) Jared Zaifman.
Don’t miss that episode - it’s a beaut.
Support for drug users
In the same general area, Councillor David Ferreira did a reaction video about problematic activity on the street. That’s CTV London.
Education
I served up a lot of info on education yesterday (post is here) and there’s one update which, of course, comes from the London Free Press’s Heather Rivers Davey. It’s here, and raises interesting questions about how competencies for this kind of role will be identified, and where candidates might come from. The private sector? Perhaps.
Craig Needles had some of his roundtable people chatting about this issue, too. And a brief, non-local detour, also about…
Doug Ford’s private jet
There’s commentary on that podcast and international media coverage of this. Here’s the BBC.
Back to London news.
Health
Another Free Press story, and I’ll always celebrate having their journalists working on our community. Their Brian Williams breaks down the recent nursing cuts at LHSC.
Policing
I’m pleased to see some coverage of the London Police Services Board, which is the City of London’s biggest board/commission. This is a fairly routine update, even with a story about the Board’s structure.
Environment
Best wishes to the Thames River cleanup folks, when they manage to get out there. Story here.
The local indies
Support these folks, please.
Highlighting the Southern Ontario Journal by Cedric Richards, which this week reaches the spot that sold me on London. I love King and Talbot very much.
Read Cedric’s longest-ever report here.
Here’s everyone else:
Sports: Gameday London.
Business: London Inc.
Commenting: Steve Cordes’ Community Matters.
Discussing: Matt Brown’s podcast.
Treading the boards: The Beat Magazine and TheatreInLondon.ca.
Speaking so well and wisely: Larry Cornies’ audio blog
And that Lightning Round
Some snippets to pick up, if you’re interested.
Driving to Stratford to take a GO train to T’ronno? Count me in. (Not local but nearly.)
What a clickbaity headline. “Legendary band set to play first London show ever at airport’s Rock the Runway.” It’s Limp Bizkit.
Happy to see a positive story out of Old East Village - a $300K renovation by the curling club.
And a wee bit of crime, which I usually don’t touch, but this one is unusual, at least for now. Copper thefts are the kind of crime that can’t be ignored, because you lose power. LINK
Enough enough ouch
I’m off in search of a ridiculous cocktail4 and an early night, for tomorrow we paint walls! Ouch again.
I hope your weekend is rewarding and you spend it enjoying the Forest City somehow. Please look out for more journalism coming your way from London Ontario Online News next week, and get ready to tell your friends.
Thanks, as always, for supporting!
- Mike
PS: ouch.
And we’ll have a tighter, more regular publishing structure after we switch on the paid subscriptions. Watch out for more info next week.
Even though I burble on like this every week.
It’s never boring: local weather.
oucccccchhhhh