Voters in London, Ont., are gearing up to move to the polls on Oct. 24 for the municipal election as residents of the Forest City will elect their next mayor, city councillors and faculty board trustees.
Sixty-one candidates are running in 14 wards across the town, but Ward 4 is ready to have someone latest as Coun. Jesse Helmer announced that he is not going to be in search of re-election, leaving seven challengers on the ballot.
So, with lots of latest faces coming to the table across the wards, Global News has reached out to all those within the running and emailed a listing of 5 questions on among the key issues in the town, amongst them combating homelessness, addiction and mental health issues, reasonably priced housing and accessible public transit.
The responses for each candidate who replies can be shared below.
Now it’s time to fulfill the candidates for Ward 4:
Susan Stevenson
Q1. Over the summer, the group The Forgotten 519 put out a call to motion to give you urgent solutions to handle London’s homelessness crisis. If elected, how would you tackle homelessness, addiction and mental health issues in London?
Good intentions can create bad outcomes and that’s where we’re immediately. What we’ve got been doing is clearly not working. So without blame, shame or guilt, we get to be honest about what isn’t working and be willing to let that go.
A singular deputy city manager is required to oversee and coordinate the response to this homelessness crisis in order that a single person can marshal resources, and assume accountability, of the municipality, in addition to direct the 40 plus well-intentioned, but unfocussed, aid agencies to deliver coordinated services.
I feel city council needs to point out true leadership and work to resolve this crisis fairly than manage it. This can be a complex problem that needs city council, private industry, non-profits and the community to work together and be accountable to measurable results. Programs like Haven for Hope in San Antonio, Texas have had success transforming lives at scale.
I also support permanently funding the COAST program and asking deputy premier Sylvia Jones for a dedicated mental health emergency centre, and far needed latest mental health spaces.
Q2. London business owners have recently highlighted among the economic challenges they’re facing particularly within the downtown core. What strategies do you intend to revitalize London’s downtown core to assist businesses thrive?
We cannot revitalize the downtown without addressing the security concerns and the rampant vandalism and thefts that companies are coping with, and in addition the security, each lived experience and perceptions, of individuals living, working and visiting the core. I support the request for an extra 52 law enforcement officials and expanding the COAST program.
We want to rewrite the CAAP (Core Area Motion Plan). If we’re reporting 49 per cent accomplished and 49 per cent on course within the delivery of CAAP, then our motion plan isn’t addressing the right things as the issue has only worsened.
I would really like to see programs and latest incentives to drive residential growth in downtown and convert under-utilized or redundant industrial properties to residential or mixed residential and industrial use. At the identical time, we must be sensible about construction scheduling.
The core is actually an island with a moat of road closure around it, with no relief in sight. Comprehensible that these are all essential infrastructure and transportation projects, however the scheduling doesn’t consider the employees that we are attempting to draw back to the core post COVID-19.
Q3. Affordability within the housing and rental markets is essentially the most pressing issue for a lot of Londoners. If elected, what changes would you push for to ease the burden on Londoners on the subject of the associated fee of living?
City council gets to guide by example and work the budget, such that inefficiencies are found and progressive solutions are used to maintain property taxes low. As a way to increase housing supply, increase availability and keep prices down, we want to make amendments that allow more quality housing to be available quickly.
For instance, adding garden suites, tiny homes, duplexing, cutting the red tape on infill developments, etc. We want to ask and hearken to industry experts to search out out where the town is making things difficult when getting land, approvals, adding apartments, intensification and development.
The town needs to assist, not hinder, and invite creative solutions to our housing crisis together with continuing to support organizations like Indwell and Habitat for Humanity and their great work. I’d also support the redevelopment and expansion of London and Middlesex Community Housing to handle the deep affordability needs.
Speed to market. From initial pre-meet to occupancy, it could possibly often take greater than ten years to bring housing online. Mechanize the method as much as possible, and staff development approvals scaled with the population of the town.
Q4. London is within the means of constructing three legs of bus rapid transit, but challenges remain for the north and west end of the town. What’s your vision for the following phase of public transit in the town?
My vision for our public transit system is one which gets people to and from where they must be reliably and effectively. We want public transit routes that take staff to our industrial parks and prolonged hours of service to accommodate the work shifts of service and factory staff, labourers, health care staff, etc. A fantastic public transit system for London has to serve your complete city, so the challenges of the north and west end of the town get to be overcome.
Frequency and reliability – LTC (London Transit Commission) has long had their very own bus rapid transit concept, minus the dedicated lanes and infrastructure works. The 90-series express buses are on the core of that. Increase frequencies and carrying capacities from the downtown north to Masonville transit village, and from the downtown to the west, continuing past Wonderland Road and onward to West 5 Townhomes on Riverbend Road.
Also, we want to acknowledge that students on deeply discounted tuition-based passes represent about 60 per cent of the present ridership of the LTC. They’re a vital constituency, but the remainder of London’s transportation needs should be considered and funded in a sustainable manner – with frequencies that encourage ridership.
Q5. What’s your vision for London in the following 10 years and the way will we get there?
In 10 years, London’s core area business districts are thriving, beautiful and protected. Intensification has been helpful for each businesses and the encircling neighbourhoods.
London has achieved success, at scale, supporting people find a way out of their homelessness, mental health and addiction issues. London attracted progressive and quality housing developments that quickly provided much needed housing supply for rent and for reasonably priced home ownership by cutting red tape, improving the approvals process, using latest CIPs, and more flexible zoning by-laws. Deep affordability was addressed with each urgency and commitment which met the critical need for housing and prevented many individuals and families from falling into homelessness throughout the recession.
London reduced the waste going to landfill, became a pacesetter in urban agriculture and invested in tree cover, greenspaces and the humanities and music community to create a really great city for all Londoners.
Jarad Fisher
Q1. Over the summer, the group The Forgotten 519 put out a call to motion to give you urgent solutions to handle London’s homelessness crisis. If elected, how would you tackle homelessness, addiction and mental health issues in London?
London’s homelessness, addiction, and mental health issues are closely connected to one another. We want to resolve the three collectively.
Within the short-term, we want to hunt funding support from upper levels of presidency to offer increased access to shelters, alternatives to shelters, and transitional housing. These types of housing may also need wraparound services to offer assistance to those in need; physical health services, mental health services, addiction services, and other supports. Our neighbours are actually dying on our streets, we want to act quickly.
Within the long-term, we want to handle housing affordability on to stem the tide of homelessness. My platform addresses this by dramatically increasing the quantity of housing units London will construct going forward. One in every of the important thing methods to perform this can be increasing construction options by allowing alternatives to single family detached houses across the town. By increasing the housing construction options available we will more efficiently construct housing units to extend market supply and reduce housing pressure.
Q2. London business owners have recently highlighted among the economic challenges they’re facing particularly within the downtown core. What strategies do you intend to revitalize London’s downtown core to assist businesses thrive?
All businesses require customers to buy their goods and services. We want to construct a downtown that has numerous local residents by approving dense downtown development in addition to repurpose existing vacant properties for added residential space. Our downtown also needs direct access from different parts of the town through reliable transit and lively transportation networks to encourage all Londoners to go to, shop, and revel in our core.
Our homelessness crisis also impacts downtown businesses. The visible signs of homlessness make Londoners uncomfortable visiting and shopping downtown. My approach to the previous query about reducing homelessness can have a secondary good thing about helping our downtown businesses.
Importantly, London’s economy is made up of greater than just our downtown. The primary issue affecting London’s business community is talent acquisition and retention. My plan addresses these issues by constructing a city that individuals desire to live in. This includes reasonably priced, attractive, walkable 15-minute communities which are well connected with the remainder of the town. These are city attributes that young adults across Canada are clamouring for, and by constructing a London that has these qualities, our city and businesses can develop into more economically competitive.
Q3. Affordability within the housing and rental markets is essentially the most pressing issue for a lot of Londoners. If elected, what changes would you push for to ease the burden on Londoners on the subject of the associated fee of living?
Affordability basically, and housing affordability specifically, are each priorities for me and my platform. I’ll work with council to approve dramatically more housing units across the town, particularly the types of “missing middle” housing, comparable to duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, low-rise and mid-rise multi-unit buildings, and garden suites. Constructing more housing units in numerous configurations will reduce price pressure on the housing and rental market and improve affordability for all Londoners.
Moreover, we want to enhance alternative transportation options to cut back reliance on costly automobile ownership. Many Londoners are struggling to afford their day by day needs and the worth of automobile ownership might be an anchor to people’s personal funds. By constructing a walkable city with a well-connected lively transportation network and a frequent, reliable transit system, Londoners can travel their city with dignity and ease even in the event that they can’t afford a automobile.
I’m also a powerful supporter of our library system. It’s an incredible resource that costs nothing for Londoners to access and provides the town as an entire with an incredible return on investment of over 450 per cent, based on 2015 numbers. Increased library quality and access is an incredible option to extend affordability for all Londoners.
Q4. London is within the means of constructing three legs of bus rapid transit, but challenges remain for the north and west end of the town. What’s your vision for the following phase of public transit in the town?
Transit routes within the north end of the town are over capability. That was the issue a decade ago that began the Shift rapid-transit initiative and the situation is barely worse now. We want some type of rapid transit solution. My preference has all the time been light rail, but in fact I’m just one vote out of 15.
For the west leg, the urgency isn’t as dire. Nevertheless, some type of rapid transit can be needed within the not-so-distant future and the associated fee of construction will only go up the more we delay. I’m an enormous proponent of constructing our city in a cost-efficient, economically sustainable manner. We either pay now or pay far more later.
Q5. What’s your vision for London in the following 10 years and the way will we get there?
My vision for London is a more vibrant, reasonably priced city crammed with thriving small-businesses in walkable, 15-minute communities that can profit all residents. It is going to be well-connected, allowing Londoners and tourists alike to travel the breadth of our city by automobile, transit, bike, or walking. It’s a city that cares for its most vulnerable and helps them back on their feet. It is going to have made great progress towards a lush tree cover and more green spaces throughout the town – including a dog park in Ward 4. My vision for London’s future is of a city that’s attractive to each current and future Londoners, and is a destination that individuals will wish to call their home.
Matt Nicolaidis
Q1. Over the summer, the group The Forgotten 519 put out a call to motion to give you urgent solutions to handle London’s homelessness crisis. If elected, how would you tackle homelessness, addiction and mental health issues in London?
During The Forgotten 519’s protest outside city hall, I attended their open mic event and spoke to the systemic issues which have created the current housing crisis. I support all of The Forgotten 519’s key pillars demanded of city hall, and I’ll fight to make them occur.
We even have a critical need for front-line social staff as we’re presently delegating this work to police that should not trained or qualified to do that kind of work. It’s also vitally vital to have interaction with organizations that served unhoused folks and discover what essentially the most critical needs are and the way the town will help.
Q2. London business owners have recently highlighted among the economic challenges they’re facing particularly within the downtown core. What strategies do you intend to revitalize London’s downtown core to assist businesses thrive?
The paramount concern can be addressing London’s homelessness crisis. We must connect these folks with meaningful supports and everlasting housing solutions. But we even have to handle the surplus of vacant and abandoned buildings in and across the downtown core. The town can not allow wealthy speculators to hoard these properties, after they could possibly be converted into housing or other useful spaces.
Q3. Affordability within the housing and rental markets is essentially the most pressing issue for a lot of Londoners. If elected, what changes would you push for to ease the burden on Londoners on the subject of the associated fee of living?
That is the one most significant topic of my campaign, and something for which immediate and significant change is required. A few of my key strategies include:
- An ambitious vacant property tax levied at real estate speculators who buy up London homes and leave them abandoned.
- Introduce RentSafe, or a program much like it, to compel landlords to take care of their properties in a livable state.
- Advocate for rent control, so rents can’t be drastically increased between tenants.
- Make smarter use of land inside London’s urban boundaries by discouraging sprawling estate homes and inspiring higher-density homes reasonably priced to working people in London.
- Fight for the advantage of on a regular basis Londoners, not the rich developers and speculators that currently have far an excessive amount of say in London’s development.
- Construct latest public and geared-to-income housing as soon as humanly possible, as the necessity is critical.
- Pressure the province to finish their regressive exclusionary zoning policies that make it harder to construct reasonably priced and mixed-use housing.
Q4. London is within the means of constructing three legs of bus rapid transit, but challenges remain for the north and west end of the town. What’s your vision for the following phase of public transit in the town?
The BRT must be restored to its full scope. Period. The northern and western legs must be built. London is a city rapidly approaching 500,000 inhabitants, and our present road infrastructure is solely not sufficient to support a automobile for each family.
Most homes in London have a automobile, and I respect that, but we also must have a contemporary transit system that enables individuals who either cannot afford to or select to not drive to get where they must be in a timely manner.
There’s also a critical need to handle the current state of Voyago. The corporate we’re currently contracting out to isn’t providing adequate service to Londoners with mobility issues, with long wait times and frequent denial of service resulting from insufficient resourcing. Voyago drivers are also paid a fraction of what LTC drivers earn, and that’s frankly unacceptable. We want to significantly examine this contractor and see if a change of service providers could also be so as.
Q5. What’s your vision for London in the following 10 years and the way will we get there?
I demand a London that’s ambitious, inclusive, and where every resident has a high quality home. We cannot accept more of the “standard,” we want to begin putting on a regular basis Londoners first. I is not going to accept “It might’t be done.” I’ll ask, “How can we do it?”
London, 10 years from now, should be a city where working people can live healthy and joyful lives. Where our unhoused population finds adequate housing and supports to get them on their feet. Where people living with disabilities can flourish, and where we finally put the needs of Londoners ahead of the whims of the wealthy.
We want to do what we will to fight climate change. We want to make sure our infrastructure is adequate for our growing population, and we want to be certain that London is a protected home to all peoples, no matter any immutable factor. These should not radical demands – these are achievable, pragmatic things. And I’ll fight with all my power to make them occur.
Sylvia Nagy
Q1. Over the summer, the group The Forgotten 519 put out a call to motion to give you urgent solutions to handle London’s homelessness crisis. If elected, how would you tackle homelessness, addiction and mental health issues in London?
I’m a registered social employee with direct experience supporting marginalized individuals secure and keep their housing. London needs a trauma-informed approach to working with people experiencing mental health, addictions, and poverty. We want to support across the clock care once persons are housed to help with meals, basic needs, medication support if a person desires it, meaningful programming, and community.
There are also existing strengths, friendships, and community inside street culture. Individuals who have lived on the road might be extremely resourceful and show extraordinary integrity, humility, empathy, and take care of others. A standard issue I’d experience on the frontlines is that when one individual could be supported to get housing from the town, that individual would wish to then open their space, their couch, whatever they’d, to their friends who were still currently unhoused. It can be crucial that we acknowledge these natural networks as community and connection are huge mental health buffers, and have a look at housing people in small groups.
It’s cheaper for the town for 2 people to rent a two-bedroom apartment, or five people to rent a five-bedroom house, than to subsidize a one-bedroom apartment for one person. This also comes closer to approximate what a person receiving income support can afford with their housing allowance coming from OW or ODSP through the provincial government
Q2. London business owners have recently highlighted among the economic challenges they’re facing particularly within the downtown core. What strategies do you intend to revitalize London’s downtown core to assist businesses thrive?
It comes back to caring for our people and addressing the social issues we’re seeing within the core, which, importantly, includes the Old East Village. The problems of mental health, addiction and poverty are inaccurately conceptualized by many to be a criminal issue. But, it’s a problem of caring for our city’s most vulnerable.
London’s 2020-2023 budget’s operating expenditure devoted 18 per cent to police services and just 1 per cent to economic development. Criminalizing poverty creates further marginalization. It’s not an answer.
We want to prioritize caring for our people and understand that, as a rule, it’s a matter of circumstance, trauma, and poor family supports which have resulted in people’s present situation.
Q3. Affordability within the housing and rental markets is essentially the most pressing issue for a lot of Londoners. If elected, what changes would you push for to ease the burden on Londoners on the subject of the associated fee of living?
Everyone can get behind economic prosperity. Everyone.
To combat inflation and the rising costs of living, we want to extend the worth of our time and our working hour. Londoners must specialize our skills and education in order that our high school-aged Londoners, and people who find themselves underemployed, are set to dominate and innovate in industry.
We also must coordinate and work with the provincial governments and create incentives for giant and small diverse businesses. People get wages from big corporations, after which spend that cash in our city, at our small businesses and at our mom-and-pop shops.
I may also advocate for personal public sector partnerships. Developers can sustainably construct reasonably priced housing for working people in lower income brackets in addition to people who find themselves presently unhoused.
Q4. London is within the means of constructing three legs of bus rapid transit, but challenges remain for the north and west end of the town. What’s your vision for the following phase of public transit in the town?
We want to shift Londoner’s perceptions around rapid transit. It could take something like making rapid transit free or cheaper for all with a one-year pilot project. Perhaps the $2.25 the LTC gets from regular riders might be offset by increased economic and environmental profit in free transit, improving congestion, commute times and reducing pollution?
If it’s going to cost us more to handle pollution within the long-run than what we charge for bus fares, we should always examine that cost-benefit scenario. If we promote free or cheaper transit, make transit waiting stops shorter and more comfortable, and improve routes and frequency, people will begin to query if it makes more sense to purchase and maintain a vehicle, pay insurance, gas, all of this.
Q5. What’s your vision for London in the following 10 years and the way will we get there?
I see a London that has pride in caring for its people. I see a London that’s economically prosperous—where the role of police becomes caring for what we’ve got built here together.
We will’t dilute our goals and take a look at to please everyone. If elected, my education and skilled experiences could be best focused on issues referring to housing, belonging, mental health and addictions.
There’s an outdated notion that city councilors are all about fixing potholes and addressing your request in your neighbour to mow their lawn. Urban centres are where social change occur. Your city council is a conduit to the provincial and federal levels of power. We want a council that may be a strong ‘team London’ that mobilizes collectively, in addition to works with neighbouring towns and cities within the southwest region of Ontario to make significant change for the higher.
Colleen Murphy
Q1. Over the summer, the group The Forgotten 519 put out a call to motion to give you urgent solutions to handle London’s homelessness crisis. If elected, how would you tackle homelessness, addiction and mental health issues in London?
Having spent the last six yr working with a housing first organization I actually have seen first hand where we’re seeing the gaps in service so I’d work to make sure the city is investing in rent geared to income housing and dealing with the federal and provincial governments to secure investments in wrap around services. There’s a segment of the homeless population that can need additional support with the intention to achieve success of their housing and we want to work with other levels of presidency to ensure these needs are met.
Q2. London business owners have recently highlighted among the economic challenges they’re facing particularly within the downtown core. What strategies do you intend to revitalize London’s downtown core to assist businesses thrive?
I feel we want to have a look at how will we bring people back downtown. A part of that’s hosting events that may recreate the sentiments of community we had prior to the pandemic. It’s also vital that we acknowledge that some businesses have transitioned to a do business from home model so we may have to get creative and have a look at retrofitting a few of these buildings for housing. I feel expanding the COAST program would even be helpful in addressing among the fears patrons currently have in visiting downtown.
Q3. Affordability within the housing and rental markets is essentially the most pressing issue for a lot of Londoners. If elected, what changes would you push for to ease the burden on Londoners on the subject of the associated fee of living?
I feel it’s value revisiting the concept of a emptiness tax to be certain that existing housing stock is available on the market. As mentioned in my previous answer we could have a look at changing using buildings that previously housed businesses into apartments. We must always even be seeking to further put money into transit as after rent automobile ownership is usually the following biggest expense. We want to make certain our transit is getting everyone where they wish to go efficiently and effectively.
Q4. London is within the means of constructing three legs of bus rapid transit, but challenges remain for the north and west end of the town. What’s your vision for the following phase of public transit in the town?
I’d like to see a north west connection but we also need transit that gets staff to their jobs and connects employers with staff. We also need to handle the state of our accessible transit system which currently requires people to sit down on the phones for hours every day, hoping to win the lottery so that they can book a paratransit bus three days later. I’d suggest we don’t have an equitable transit system and with AODA compliance fast approaching, it must be a priority.
Q5. What’s your vision for London in the following 10 years and the way will we get there?
I need a London that’s meeting if not exceeding our climate change goals. I need a London that’s providing equitable services to Londoners and grows a way of community each inside our neighbourhoods and across London.
— Questions by Global News’ Jaclyn Carbone and Maya Reid
