Well, this is a blast from the past…
Here’s a quick roundup of two interesting news stories I happened to encounter this week. Scroll down for JOURNALISM - because I say it is, right?
Unnecessary personal content ahoy! This is the bit where you wish they’d just get to the recipe. Auntie Annie had a dishcloth that I loved when I was four…
I’m Mike Donachie, semi-professional Scotsman, and you can find out all about me on my LinkedIn over here, or maybe just Google me - I’m not your dad, I dunno. I’ve been telling the truth for a living for more than 30 years, as a communications pro and journalist. As of January 2026, I’m in the job market and having a lovely time gadding around London Ontario - the nice-but-challenging city in which I have chosen to live - networking, swapping stories and making a nuisance of myself.
Here’s my take on what I heard at City Hall this week. Note: there was no coffee and this was not the end of the troubles. Lawks!
You can start reading again now.
Hamilton Road BIA explains how it lost $111,000 of taxpayers’ money in phishing scam
A volunteer board member has revealed the background to a cyber fraud that resulted in $111,000 being transferred out of the Hamilton Road BIA’s bank account last summer.
The Infrastructure and Corporate Services Committee meeting, on Monday, January 12 at City Hall was the first time it had come to council in a staff report, noted Ward 4 Councillor Susan Stevenson, referring to media reports as the source of information. (This CBC story was the first.) Stevenson asked for, and received, more information on the incident. BIA treasurer Grant Gardener spoke from the public gallery, explaining it was a phishing scam in which banking credentials were compromised. Funds were transferred overnight in multiple transactions and, he said, the BIA was not notified until the following day.
The employee who fell for the scam is no longer employed by the organization, he continued. The BIA has switched banks and is considering legal options related to the incident, Gardener said, adding that everybody involved feels terrible about what happened. Opinion alert: a local business owner, Gardener talked about tough times and community and, frankly, seemed a stand-up guy handling a bad situation.
And there was a lot of other chat, oh my. Stevenson repeatedly asked about processes requiring two signatures, although it was an electronic transfer that clearly only needed one authorization. At the other side of the room, Councillor David Ferreira was keen for Stevenson to stop “flogging a dead horse”, using the phrase an ironic number of times while she looked at her phone and ignored him. Other councillors also talked a lot. Really, a lot, and it’s far from the worst it gets. Opinion alert: it was just as hilariously dysfunctional as every other council I’ve seen, here and elsewhere. What a laugh.
Anyway, I’m happy to share this link to the London Free Press, where their City Hall guy summed up the voting (and changes of opinion) better than I can.
The committee discussed the issue, argued about some things that few seemed to understand anyway, and approved the 2026 budget for the Hamilton Road Business Improvement Area. As with all City Hall standing committees, the final say comes at the next meeting of Full Council. London’s next one is on January 20.
I see some councillors can simply call into meetings now, instead of having to show up in person. That’s a different approach, for sure.
Councillors support waiving Cross Cultural Learner Centre’s development charges
This is why I showed up. I think this is a really important project and it needs to succeed.
The Infrastructure and Corporate Services Committee also heard a complaint this week from the London Cross Cultural Learner Centre about development charges applied to its Doorways to Dreams project, a two-building affordable housing development in east London, including a high-rise.
The request before committee was to waive the development charges. City staff explained that, under the city’s reading of the legislation, full forgiveness of development charges is reserved for organizations primarily focused on housing services. While the Cross Cultural Learner Centre is a non-profit, staff said it does not meet that threshold. On that basis, the charges were applied.
Councillors jumped to support it, led by Susan Stevenson and Mayor Josh Morgan. Members recognized the importance of the Doorways to Dreams development as affordable housing for people who need it. Notably, Councillor Skylar Franke pointed out the city waives a lot of fees for orgs that make a profit.
Council unanimously supported waiving the development charges, including votes from councillors who had taken a different position on a similar matter earlier in the same meeting, for reasons they explained. You’ll have to watch the recording for that, because life’s just too bloody short.
And one final opinion alert: It was odd to see the Cross Cultural Learner Centre’s representative appeared by video as legal counsel, despite other project representatives being present in person. It’s not how I would have approached the opportunity, but it seems to have worked.
And the decision needs approved by Full Council on January 20. That’s it!
ENDS ENDS ENDS
Edited to fix the names of the London Cross Cultural Learner Centre and Doorways To Dreams, which somehow I had slightly wrong.