1 00:00:03,040 --> 00:18:35,400 - Good afternoon everyone. 2 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,720 I will call to order the eighth meeting 3 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:41,440 of the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee. 4 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:43,030 With that, we'll begin with the land 5 00:18:43,030 --> 00:18:43,870 acknowledgement. 6 00:18:43,870 --> 00:18:46,170 The city of London is situated on the traditional 7 00:18:46,170 --> 00:18:46,490 lands 8 00:18:46,490 --> 00:18:48,950 of the Anishinaabic, Haudenosaunee, Lenapawik, 9 00:18:48,950 --> 00:18:50,310 and Adawandran. 10 00:18:50,310 --> 00:18:52,850 We honor and respect the history, languages, 11 00:18:52,850 --> 00:18:54,960 and culture of the diverse indigenous people 12 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:56,960 who call this territory home. 13 00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:58,630 The city of London is currently home 14 00:18:58,630 --> 00:19:01,830 to many First Nation, Métis, and Inuit today. 15 00:19:01,830 --> 00:19:03,930 As representatives of the people of the city of 16 00:19:03,930 --> 00:19:04,270 London, 17 00:19:04,270 --> 00:19:06,600 we are grateful to have the opportunity to work 18 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:09,760 and live in this territory. 19 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:11,130 Just to let folks know, 20 00:19:11,130 --> 00:19:15,740 we are joined in chambers by most of council. 21 00:19:15,740 --> 00:19:17,870 We have a couple members joining online, 22 00:19:17,870 --> 00:19:19,810 including Deputy Mayor Lewis, 23 00:19:19,810 --> 00:19:24,130 Councillor Palosa and Councillor Hillier. 24 00:19:24,130 --> 00:19:26,380 With that, we will look to item one, 25 00:19:26,380 --> 00:19:33,010 disclosures of pecuniary interest. 26 00:19:33,010 --> 00:19:35,920 Seeing none online, seeing none in chambers, 27 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:38,710 we will move to our consent items. 28 00:19:38,710 --> 00:19:43,530 I have a request to pull item 2.1 from consent, 29 00:19:43,530 --> 00:19:45,720 which leaves item 2.2. 30 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,530 I'll look for a mover and a seconder for item 2.2 31 00:19:48,530 --> 00:19:48,630 . 32 00:19:48,540 --> 00:19:50,130 Thank you, Councillor Cudi. 33 00:19:50,130 --> 00:19:52,580 I have Councillor Ferrera as well. 34 00:19:52,580 --> 00:19:58,310 We'll begin discussion on that item. 35 00:19:58,310 --> 00:20:01,400 Councillor Trossa. 36 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:02,890 - Thank you very much to the chair. 37 00:20:02,890 --> 00:20:05,930 I'm not gonna pull 2.2, but I just wanna, 38 00:20:05,930 --> 00:20:09,300 I wanna thank the authors of this report 39 00:20:09,300 --> 00:20:14,980 for addressing this issue about the committee of 40 00:20:14,980 --> 00:20:16,580 adjustment. 41 00:20:16,580 --> 00:20:21,440 Over the years, I've received a number of, 42 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:23,420 trying to think of the right word, 43 00:20:23,420 --> 00:20:27,480 complaints, concerns, questions about what goes 44 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:28,140 on 45 00:20:28,140 --> 00:20:32,330 at the committee, and I've felt that improvements 46 00:20:32,330 --> 00:20:33,280 are needed, 47 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:35,820 and I'm just, I'm thrilled to see this report. 48 00:20:35,820 --> 00:20:37,400 There's some things in here I'd like to 49 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:38,070 accelerate 50 00:20:38,070 --> 00:20:41,010 and move quicker, but I think this is a good 51 00:20:41,010 --> 00:20:42,670 report to start, 52 00:20:42,670 --> 00:20:46,280 and I'm grateful that this has been tabled with 53 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:46,660 us. 54 00:20:46,660 --> 00:20:49,350 And the residents are going to appreciate it. 55 00:20:49,350 --> 00:20:51,300 Thank you very much. 56 00:20:51,300 --> 00:20:53,310 - Thank you, looking for other speakers on this 57 00:20:53,310 --> 00:20:56,360 item. 58 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:59,440 Okay, seeing none online, seeing none in chambers 59 00:20:59,440 --> 00:20:59,540 , 60 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:07,870 we'll open the vote. 61 00:21:07,870 --> 00:21:11,740 - So votes, yes. 62 00:21:11,740 --> 00:21:15,870 - Closing the vote, motion carries 15 to zero. 63 00:21:15,870 --> 00:21:18,280 - Thank you, that moves us item 3.1, 64 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:21,210 which we're almost exactly on time for, 65 00:21:21,210 --> 00:21:22,430 which has never happened. 66 00:21:22,430 --> 00:21:27,130 So I'd like to invite Mr. Squire 67 00:21:27,130 --> 00:21:30,680 Mr. Chisholm to the microphones. This is for the 68 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:34,110 London Middlesex Community Housing 2025 Annual 69 00:21:34,110 --> 00:21:37,800 General Meeting of the shareholders and their 70 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:41,340 annual resolutions. They are going to begin with 71 00:21:41,340 --> 00:21:44,180 a presentation like all the presentations that we 72 00:21:44,180 --> 00:21:47,990 have today, which is just two. They've asked for 73 00:21:47,990 --> 00:21:52,080 10 minutes. If I do not see any resistance to 10 74 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:55,120 minutes on our two presenters for today, I'll 75 00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:57,290 I'll just allow it, and we won't take a vote 76 00:21:57,290 --> 00:21:59,870 on extending time, okay? 77 00:21:59,870 --> 00:22:02,540 Seeing that looks like it's good, 78 00:22:02,540 --> 00:22:05,870 we will begin with Mr. Squire, go ahead. 79 00:22:05,870 --> 00:22:07,690 - Thank you very much. 80 00:22:07,690 --> 00:22:10,670 I wanna start by thanking the staff that are here 81 00:22:10,670 --> 00:22:12,950 from London Middlesex Community Housing, 82 00:22:12,950 --> 00:22:17,130 and that includes our senior management group, 83 00:22:17,130 --> 00:22:19,420 some fellow members of the board. 84 00:22:19,420 --> 00:22:21,480 The board, just for people's reference, 85 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:22,310 I think it's important. 86 00:22:22,310 --> 00:22:25,110 We've pretty much been in place for just five 87 00:22:25,110 --> 00:22:26,060 years. 88 00:22:26,060 --> 00:22:28,590 I say that because sometimes people will tend to 89 00:22:28,590 --> 00:22:29,490 talk about things that happen a 90 00:22:29,490 --> 00:22:31,630 long time ago with London Middlesex community 91 00:22:31,630 --> 00:22:32,910 housing as a group. We've been 92 00:22:32,910 --> 00:22:35,440 here approximately five years working on the 93 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:37,520 things we've worked on. I also want 94 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:39,540 to thank Deputy Mayor Lewis and I want to thank 95 00:22:39,540 --> 00:22:41,920 Councillor McAllister for 96 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:44,690 serving on our board. They're active members of 97 00:22:44,690 --> 00:22:45,790 our board. They're involved in 98 00:22:45,790 --> 00:22:47,850 all of our discussions. I can tell you that we're 99 00:22:47,850 --> 00:22:50,040 a board that does not have a 100 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:52,400 lot of disagreement. We are united in the 101 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:54,690 approach we need to take going 102 00:22:54,690 --> 00:22:58,480 forward with our -- also with our senior staff, 103 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,300 which is gratifying for all of us. 104 00:23:01,300 --> 00:23:04,110 I also want to thank -- we have two tenant 105 00:23:04,110 --> 00:23:06,740 members of our board, important members of 106 00:23:06,740 --> 00:23:09,130 our board bring a unique perspective to the work 107 00:23:09,130 --> 00:23:11,140 of our board, and we're very grateful 108 00:23:11,140 --> 00:23:14,970 for them to be with us and contributing to the 109 00:23:14,970 --> 00:23:16,060 work we do. 110 00:23:16,060 --> 00:23:19,860 I also want to thank City Council for receiving 111 00:23:19,860 --> 00:23:23,000 our Master of Generation plan. 112 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,860 is our blueprint moving forward for the next 15 113 00:23:25,860 --> 00:23:28,080 years for rejuvenation. I'm going to remind 114 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:30,420 everyone that we have already started on that 115 00:23:30,420 --> 00:23:32,910 with the reimagined properties we are fully 116 00:23:32,910 --> 00:23:33,230 funded 117 00:23:33,230 --> 00:23:36,860 to complete those. I also want to thank council 118 00:23:36,860 --> 00:23:40,690 for approving the $29 million loan part of it 119 00:23:40,690 --> 00:23:40,930 being 120 00:23:40,930 --> 00:23:44,070 forgivable which will allow us to do that work as 121 00:23:44,070 --> 00:23:49,050 well as working on the property renovations we're 122 00:23:49,050 --> 00:23:54,920 doing. Also, I don't know how to phrase this and 123 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:59,020 not get into trouble. I acknowledge the 124 00:23:59,020 --> 00:24:03,830 staff report that we received. I didn't have a 125 00:24:03,830 --> 00:24:06,630 chance to see it until just before the meeting. 126 00:24:06,630 --> 00:24:09,610 It would have been nice when we met with them 127 00:24:09,610 --> 00:24:12,470 personally to have a discussion about their 128 00:24:12,470 --> 00:24:15,170 concerns. We did about the borrowing money, but I 129 00:24:15,170 --> 00:24:17,540 'm not sure we had a discussion about all of them. 130 00:24:17,540 --> 00:24:20,990 But I make the commitment that although I may not 131 00:24:20,990 --> 00:24:22,740 be entirely pleased to have received that 132 00:24:22,740 --> 00:24:26,060 report, we will continue to work diligently with 133 00:24:26,060 --> 00:24:30,260 city staff as we must to fund the continued 134 00:24:30,260 --> 00:24:33,780 work that we need to do. The tenants are more 135 00:24:33,780 --> 00:24:37,380 important to us than anything other than any 136 00:24:37,380 --> 00:24:39,510 kind of internal concern about reports that we 137 00:24:39,510 --> 00:24:42,160 receive and I'm quite used to it. So today, 138 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:44,940 very briefly, I thought, what should I do today? 139 00:24:44,940 --> 00:24:46,120 I thought, well, I would give you a couple of 140 00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:48,160 examples of things that are challenges for us and 141 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,300 a couple of things that we think we've had good 142 00:24:50,300 --> 00:24:54,450 results on. The challenge in the first quarter of 143 00:24:54,450 --> 00:24:56,320 2026, which I think is very 144 00:24:56,320 --> 00:25:00,120 important, is that the number of incidents we've 145 00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:01,830 had of trespassing and 146 00:25:01,830 --> 00:25:04,860 people trying to access our buildings doubled 147 00:25:04,860 --> 00:25:08,930 from what it was in 2025. That's 148 00:25:08,930 --> 00:25:12,330 in the winter months, of course, of that time. So 149 00:25:12,330 --> 00:25:14,640 what do we think is the cause of 150 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,040 it? I think part of it is what we're seeing in 151 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:19,110 our community. People in the 152 00:25:19,110 --> 00:25:21,450 winter months are seeking access. We're doing 153 00:25:21,450 --> 00:25:23,720 work on that, trying to educate 154 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:26,950 tenants about accessing, letting people access 155 00:25:26,950 --> 00:25:28,930 our buildings who are not tenants 156 00:25:28,930 --> 00:25:31,480 in the building, but it is something we are going 157 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:32,990 to continue to talk to police 158 00:25:32,990 --> 00:25:37,030 above. We have security and we're hoping to see a 159 00:25:37,030 --> 00:25:38,240 trend go down, but it's 160 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:39,990 something to be concerned about and it's 161 00:25:39,990 --> 00:25:42,260 something to be aware of for our tenants. 162 00:25:42,260 --> 00:25:45,060 The positive news for us, the one that I 163 00:25:45,060 --> 00:25:46,680 mentioned last time, but I'm gonna 164 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:48,510 to mention it again because it didn't get much 165 00:25:48,510 --> 00:25:48,880 notice 166 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:54,450 was our business building condition assessments. 167 00:25:54,450 --> 00:25:56,380 Last meeting, we mentioned that we were doing new 168 00:25:56,380 --> 00:25:56,900 assessments 169 00:25:56,900 --> 00:25:58,310 of the condition of our buildings 170 00:25:58,310 --> 00:26:00,590 and they will all be complete by the end of the 171 00:26:00,590 --> 00:26:01,420 year. 172 00:26:01,420 --> 00:26:03,390 To date, we are seeing improvements. 173 00:26:03,390 --> 00:26:05,830 Kent Street has moved from Port of Good 174 00:26:05,830 --> 00:26:08,890 and Dorchester Road has moved from Port to Fair. 175 00:26:08,890 --> 00:26:11,700 This is a brick and mortar assessment of our 176 00:26:11,700 --> 00:26:12,310 buildings. 177 00:26:12,310 --> 00:26:14,370 It indicates to us that the money that we're 178 00:26:14,370 --> 00:26:14,610 putting 179 00:26:14,610 --> 00:26:17,160 into our buildings is making a difference. 180 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,970 we expect to continue to get positive results. It 181 00:26:19,970 --> 00:26:24,360 is very difficult to be criticized about 182 00:26:24,360 --> 00:26:27,370 something in a general way so I wanted to bring 183 00:26:27,370 --> 00:26:30,780 you specific numbers and results in those areas. 184 00:26:30,780 --> 00:26:34,010 We often hear about pests at London Middlesex 185 00:26:34,010 --> 00:26:38,800 community housing. In May, the report, and we get 186 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:41,600 up-to-date numbers on what's going on in our 187 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:44,970 buildings. We don't use feel or what people tell 188 00:26:44,970 --> 00:26:48,950 us, we actually get the numbers. In May, the 189 00:26:48,950 --> 00:26:51,810 number of units that were being treated for 190 00:26:51,810 --> 00:26:56,810 pests was 11% of our total units. Let me tell you 191 00:26:56,810 --> 00:27:00,400 that that's down from a number of 25% 192 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:02,670 of our units getting treatment. What does that 193 00:27:02,670 --> 00:27:04,730 mean and why did that happen? Frankly, 194 00:27:04,730 --> 00:27:07,240 it means we're doing a better job. We had to 195 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:09,770 spend money on that, of course. We got new 196 00:27:09,770 --> 00:27:14,730 pest control service. Our staff made contact with 197 00:27:14,730 --> 00:27:17,160 tenants in a much more positive way to 198 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:19,620 make them aware of how they could be involved in 199 00:27:19,620 --> 00:27:21,600 this process. We're very pleased with this, 200 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:23,680 but when I said to staff, is that the number, is 201 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:25,810 that as good as we're going to do? They said, 202 00:27:25,810 --> 00:27:28,900 no, we think we can do better. That is an 203 00:27:28,900 --> 00:27:31,930 important result. It's not a general comment. It 204 00:27:31,930 --> 00:27:32,660 's not 205 00:27:32,660 --> 00:27:37,400 anything but facts. I also want to just comment 206 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:44,170 briefly about how we view criticism. We are happy 207 00:27:44,170 --> 00:27:47,420 to hear criticism, but it's important to me as 208 00:27:47,420 --> 00:27:50,240 the chair of the board to indicate when people 209 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:53,120 lash out in a general way at London Middlesex 210 00:27:53,120 --> 00:27:56,850 community housing. Go ahead and do it with me. 211 00:27:56,850 --> 00:28:01,210 Go ahead. That's fine. I'm used to it. But it 212 00:28:01,210 --> 00:28:04,230 affects our staff. It affects other board members 213 00:28:04,230 --> 00:28:07,050 when they're told they're not doing a good job. 214 00:28:07,050 --> 00:28:09,870 So today, I want to say very clearly that the 215 00:28:09,870 --> 00:28:12,940 board of directors stands behind our staff and 216 00:28:12,940 --> 00:28:18,440 our senior management. Thank you. Thank you. 217 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:21,510 I'll invite Mr. Chisholm up and you have about 218 00:28:21,510 --> 00:28:23,740 four minutes remaining on the time. 219 00:28:23,740 --> 00:28:34,520 All right, thank you. Good afternoon chair. Mayor 220 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:37,760 Morgan, members of council. Thank you for the 221 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:40,390 opportunity to present London Middlesex community 222 00:28:40,390 --> 00:28:43,670 housing 2025 annual general meeting materials. 223 00:28:43,670 --> 00:28:46,590 You've all received them in advance. I will keep 224 00:28:46,590 --> 00:28:49,910 this brief and provide some highlights and happy 225 00:28:49,910 --> 00:28:52,440 to discuss further as we go. I want to start much 226 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:57,220 like Mr. Squires did by thanking Council for its 227 00:28:57,220 --> 00:28:59,480 continued support of London Middlesex community 228 00:28:59,480 --> 00:28:59,940 housing. 229 00:29:00,540 --> 00:29:03,420 It's important. The city plays an important role 230 00:29:03,420 --> 00:29:04,600 in helping maintain 231 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:06,340 renew and grow community housing in the city, 232 00:29:06,340 --> 00:29:08,560 including a lot of mental sex community housing. 233 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:11,070 The investments in service improvements, capital 234 00:29:11,070 --> 00:29:12,520 repair and regeneration 235 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:16,920 have had an impact across all of the communities 236 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:18,230 we serve. 237 00:29:18,230 --> 00:29:21,060 And there's just really a few categories I want 238 00:29:21,060 --> 00:29:22,170 to talk through 239 00:29:22,170 --> 00:29:25,430 really just gratitude for the staff of LMCH. I 240 00:29:25,430 --> 00:29:26,150 want to show some service improvements 241 00:29:26,150 --> 00:29:29,110 and what the impact of the investments are in the 242 00:29:29,110 --> 00:29:30,100 organization. 243 00:29:30,100 --> 00:29:32,600 So to the staff of London Middle-Sex Community 244 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:33,050 Housing, 245 00:29:33,050 --> 00:29:34,950 thank you for the work you do. 246 00:29:34,950 --> 00:29:37,780 I don't think people realize that it is 247 00:29:37,780 --> 00:29:38,620 challenging work. 248 00:29:38,620 --> 00:29:41,410 It is complex work, and it's important that we 249 00:29:41,410 --> 00:29:41,820 recognize 250 00:29:41,820 --> 00:29:44,770 that they are doing work that most of us in the 251 00:29:44,770 --> 00:29:45,370 city 252 00:29:45,370 --> 00:29:47,300 do not know exists. 253 00:29:47,300 --> 00:29:49,590 So thank you for coming to work every day 254 00:29:49,590 --> 00:29:52,580 and working hard to improve the conditions of the 255 00:29:52,580 --> 00:29:53,060 units 256 00:29:53,060 --> 00:29:59,270 and support tenant's success, success. 257 00:29:59,270 --> 00:30:01,210 They do this with confidence that they remain 258 00:30:01,210 --> 00:30:01,750 focused 259 00:30:01,750 --> 00:30:03,860 on improving the state of repair and supporting 260 00:30:03,860 --> 00:30:04,850 our tenants. 261 00:30:04,850 --> 00:30:06,640 Over the last five years, 262 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:09,180 we have created a community safety team. 263 00:30:09,180 --> 00:30:10,960 We've increased the staff to provide support 264 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:12,260 to tenant and our communities, 265 00:30:12,260 --> 00:30:14,190 providing a little bit of case management, 266 00:30:14,190 --> 00:30:17,420 more referrals to agencies. 267 00:30:17,420 --> 00:30:19,390 We've increased our staff providing pest control 268 00:30:19,390 --> 00:30:20,540 and other maintenance services 269 00:30:20,540 --> 00:30:21,880 to improve the state of repair 270 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,810 and improve service responsibility. 271 00:30:24,810 --> 00:30:27,350 We've scaled up our asset renewal team 272 00:30:27,350 --> 00:30:30,720 to not only improve the state of our existing 273 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:31,160 housing, 274 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:33,720 but to build new housing in this community. 275 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:36,690 We brought our cleaning house in staff 276 00:30:36,690 --> 00:30:38,640 to make sure that we were no longer dealing with 277 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:39,230 a vendor. 278 00:30:39,230 --> 00:30:42,100 We had an opportunity to bring another 15 staff, 279 00:30:42,100 --> 00:30:44,630 put them in our buildings, have them wear our 280 00:30:44,630 --> 00:30:45,000 logos, 281 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:46,940 and speak to the tenants like they're accountable 282 00:30:46,940 --> 00:30:48,650 for what's happening in the building. 283 00:30:48,650 --> 00:30:51,070 So now staff have more contact with our cleaners. 284 00:30:51,070 --> 00:30:53,310 Cleaners have more structure. 285 00:30:53,310 --> 00:30:54,910 Our buildings are getting cleaner. 286 00:30:54,910 --> 00:30:57,660 Our cleaning programs are improving. 287 00:30:57,660 --> 00:30:59,830 That's important. 288 00:30:59,830 --> 00:31:01,710 And I think to support this, we just have to 289 00:31:01,710 --> 00:31:02,220 recognize 290 00:31:02,220 --> 00:31:05,000 that as we deal with such complex communities 291 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,110 complex tendencies, we are strengthening our 292 00:31:07,110 --> 00:31:08,810 health and safety programs to make sure that 293 00:31:08,810 --> 00:31:09,680 staff are 294 00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:12,920 working safely, working smartly, and they are 295 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:17,360 supported in the complex work they do. So to our 296 00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:21,100 staff, thank you. These investments and staff 297 00:31:21,100 --> 00:31:24,060 have let us do things that we weren't able to do 298 00:31:24,060 --> 00:31:24,160 a 299 00:31:24,130 --> 00:31:27,820 few years ago. So as mentioned, our pest activity 300 00:31:27,820 --> 00:31:31,570 rate continues to decline with numbers at 14% at 301 00:31:31,570 --> 00:31:34,780 at the end of 2025, and they continue to trend 302 00:31:34,780 --> 00:31:35,590 down. 303 00:31:35,590 --> 00:31:37,820 While there's some buildings that have more 304 00:31:37,820 --> 00:31:39,110 complex issues, 305 00:31:39,110 --> 00:31:42,300 those are still reducing numbers, 306 00:31:42,300 --> 00:31:44,600 and we expect to continue to see this improvement 307 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:46,540 through the year. 308 00:31:46,540 --> 00:31:50,090 Work order completion rates improve. 309 00:31:50,090 --> 00:31:52,930 We're 94 to 99% of our work orders 310 00:31:52,930 --> 00:31:55,070 are done within seven business days. 311 00:31:55,070 --> 00:31:58,180 So of the 2019,000 work orders we get, 312 00:31:58,180 --> 00:32:02,040 within seven days, we're resolving them. 313 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:03,780 We've extended our community safety hours 314 00:32:03,780 --> 00:32:05,500 make sure we have more staff available when 315 00:32:05,500 --> 00:32:08,430 tenant needs them, and we've had 4,000 proactive 316 00:32:08,430 --> 00:32:15,830 security patrols across our community. Investing 317 00:32:15,830 --> 00:32:17,630 in our communities is critical. At the end of 318 00:32:17,630 --> 00:32:18,510 2025, 319 00:32:18,510 --> 00:32:22,070 we've delivered 249 fully regenerated accessible 320 00:32:22,070 --> 00:32:25,010 units. We have 167 remaining by the end of 321 00:32:25,010 --> 00:32:28,300 2027, and we will hit that target. We've invested 322 00:32:28,300 --> 00:32:32,370 over $13 million in unit repairs 323 00:32:32,370 --> 00:32:35,490 over the last five years. In January, we did an 324 00:32:35,490 --> 00:32:37,900 ambitious program where we swapped out 900 hot 325 00:32:37,900 --> 00:32:39,790 water tanks across all of our townhouse and 326 00:32:39,790 --> 00:32:43,240 family sites not only improving the 327 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:45,340 condition of their hot water tanks we remove 328 00:32:45,340 --> 00:32:47,180 costs from our operating budget to 329 00:32:47,180 --> 00:32:50,440 our capital budget and Mr. Chisholm I'll give you 330 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:52,010 just some concluding statements 331 00:32:52,010 --> 00:32:54,360 if you don't mind thank you unless somebody wants 332 00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:54,860 to move a time 333 00:32:54,860 --> 00:33:00,920 extension thank you I have Council Ferreira go 334 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:08,310 ahead I'll move five minutes 335 00:33:08,310 --> 00:33:12,640 okay thank you I have a seconder and Councillor 336 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:13,990 Frank I saw your hand up first 337 00:33:13,990 --> 00:33:19,730 okay with that we'll put that in the system we're 338 00:33:19,730 --> 00:33:20,660 ready go ahead the vote 339 00:33:20,660 --> 00:33:40,560 will be open. So, trust out. Boog yes. Closing 340 00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:42,080 the vote. Motion carries 15 to 0. 341 00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:45,450 Please go ahead. You have five minutes. Thank you 342 00:33:45,450 --> 00:33:47,990 . Appreciate that time. So, as I was 343 00:33:47,990 --> 00:33:50,270 saying, we swapped out 900 hot water tanks. Moved 344 00:33:50,270 --> 00:33:51,590 costs from operating, to 345 00:33:51,590 --> 00:33:54,030 capital, improved energy efficiency. We have a 10 346 00:33:54,030 --> 00:33:55,370 -year comprehensive warranty 347 00:33:55,370 --> 00:33:58,280 reducing long-term maintenance costs. We continue 348 00:33:58,280 --> 00:33:59,960 to modernize our elevators. We 349 00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:03,470 have 28 elevator cabs over 15 sites. To date, 14 350 00:34:03,470 --> 00:34:05,030 cabs have been completed, six 351 00:34:05,030 --> 00:34:07,210 are under renovation right now, and eight have 352 00:34:07,210 --> 00:34:09,810 already been successfully awarded to 353 00:34:09,810 --> 00:34:13,920 be repaired within the next 12 months, investing 354 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:15,770 heavily in building electrical systems over 355 00:34:15,770 --> 00:34:18,450 seven million dollars over the last five years. 356 00:34:18,450 --> 00:34:20,820 We just approved another five million dollars. 357 00:34:20,820 --> 00:34:22,460 We're improving the health of our buildings. I 358 00:34:22,460 --> 00:34:28,310 think as we look forward, just really we 359 00:34:28,310 --> 00:34:31,300 continue to grow and think differently. We're 360 00:34:31,300 --> 00:34:32,840 building stronger connections across our 361 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:33,340 communities 362 00:34:33,340 --> 00:34:35,690 looking at how data from emergency services, 363 00:34:35,690 --> 00:34:38,130 health data, and other service providers can 364 00:34:38,130 --> 00:34:41,310 inform the planning we do to better programs and 365 00:34:41,310 --> 00:34:42,420 supports provided to our 366 00:34:42,420 --> 00:34:45,580 tenants. That is not work that we need to do is 367 00:34:45,580 --> 00:34:46,960 work we need to do together with 368 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:49,570 the community. We're doing building condition 369 00:34:49,570 --> 00:34:50,790 assessments they're underway 370 00:34:50,790 --> 00:34:54,800 across LMCH to inform our asset management plan. 371 00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:56,180 We're going to identify 372 00:34:56,180 --> 00:34:58,670 the capital repair backlog and with completion of 373 00:34:58,670 --> 00:35:00,200 this work in 2026 we're 374 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:03,230 going to be well positioned to inform the city of 375 00:35:03,230 --> 00:35:04,870 our capital repair backlog 376 00:35:04,870 --> 00:35:08,750 moving forward to 2028 to 2031 for the multi-year 377 00:35:08,750 --> 00:35:09,740 budget. We expect to see 378 00:35:09,740 --> 00:35:11,870 significant improvements with many of our 379 00:35:11,870 --> 00:35:13,630 buildings in a good state of repair. 380 00:35:13,630 --> 00:35:16,610 And we also continue the conversations on 381 00:35:16,610 --> 00:35:18,640 regeneration planning. We're getting 382 00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:21,850 future projects shovel ready. We're looking to 383 00:35:21,850 --> 00:35:24,000 make sure we have projects 384 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,430 that can be funded by all orders of government to 385 00:35:26,430 --> 00:35:27,610 improve and increase 386 00:35:27,610 --> 00:35:31,500 affordable housing across the city of London. So 387 00:35:31,500 --> 00:35:33,430 none of this is possible 388 00:35:33,430 --> 00:35:37,300 without the great staff at LMCH, our board, 389 00:35:37,300 --> 00:35:39,060 and the support of the shareholder. 390 00:35:39,060 --> 00:35:41,860 Thank you. 391 00:35:41,860 --> 00:35:42,700 - Thank you. 392 00:35:42,700 --> 00:35:45,190 I will look for a motion to go on the floor. 393 00:35:45,190 --> 00:35:46,660 There is one draft in these scribe. 394 00:35:46,660 --> 00:35:48,670 It is listed as motion one. 395 00:35:48,670 --> 00:35:52,290 It's to ratify and confirm the annual resolutions 396 00:35:52,290 --> 00:35:52,510 , 397 00:35:52,510 --> 00:35:54,540 the letter that's there to receive 398 00:35:54,540 --> 00:35:56,410 the presentation financial statements, 399 00:35:56,410 --> 00:35:59,000 annual report, and then the communication. 400 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:00,950 And I had Councilor Callister as the mover. 401 00:36:00,950 --> 00:36:02,790 Do I have a seconder? 402 00:36:02,790 --> 00:36:03,610 Councilor Henry? 403 00:36:03,610 --> 00:36:04,440 - I will second. 404 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:05,980 - Oh, thank you, Deputy Mayor Lewis as seconder. 405 00:36:05,980 --> 00:36:08,090 and I will look to begin discussion on this item, 406 00:36:08,090 --> 00:36:15,170 looking for speakers. 407 00:36:15,170 --> 00:36:17,130 Councillor Hopkins, go ahead. 408 00:36:17,130 --> 00:36:18,340 - I might as well go first. 409 00:36:18,340 --> 00:36:20,440 Thank you very much for being here and for the 410 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:21,280 presentation. 411 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:25,890 I did enjoy my time a number of years ago 412 00:36:25,890 --> 00:36:27,800 being on the board and really appreciate the 413 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:28,270 updates 414 00:36:28,270 --> 00:36:30,550 that we as council receive. 415 00:36:30,550 --> 00:36:35,320 There's a lot of positives here. 416 00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:38,910 We just heard in your presentation and also in 417 00:36:38,910 --> 00:36:39,610 the report, 418 00:36:39,610 --> 00:36:45,300 I think the pesticide rate is to be commended, 419 00:36:45,300 --> 00:36:48,190 as well as in-house custodian staff. 420 00:36:48,190 --> 00:36:50,260 I know that was a big conversation a number of 421 00:36:50,260 --> 00:36:50,930 years ago, 422 00:36:50,930 --> 00:36:55,290 and it's really good to see it back staff 423 00:36:55,290 --> 00:36:56,160 training. 424 00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:59,080 And I appreciate learning more 425 00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:01,100 about the building assessment improvements 426 00:37:01,100 --> 00:37:04,080 that took place and the investments that you've 427 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:04,370 made. 428 00:37:04,370 --> 00:37:06,280 Looking forward, I'm really pleased to hear 429 00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:08,540 that you're trying to get those projects in, 430 00:37:08,540 --> 00:37:11,280 in place so you can take advantage of the funding 431 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:11,380 , 432 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:14,460 as well as strengthening tenant support. 433 00:37:14,460 --> 00:37:19,060 I think those are the two main areas 434 00:37:19,060 --> 00:37:22,110 that I'm really pleased that you're looking 435 00:37:22,110 --> 00:37:23,500 forward. 436 00:37:23,500 --> 00:37:26,940 I know vacancy rates have always been a concern 437 00:37:26,940 --> 00:37:31,190 and a conversation, and as we look ahead, 438 00:37:31,190 --> 00:37:33,330 is there anything that you can share 439 00:37:33,330 --> 00:37:35,390 on not only the challenges, 440 00:37:35,390 --> 00:37:40,340 but how are you addressing the vacancy rates? 441 00:37:42,730 --> 00:37:47,210 I'll go to Mr. Chisholm and team. 442 00:37:47,210 --> 00:37:55,370 Oh, Misty Candida, go ahead. 443 00:37:55,370 --> 00:37:57,990 - Through the chair, good afternoon. 444 00:37:57,990 --> 00:37:59,580 So vacancy rates is something 445 00:37:59,580 --> 00:38:01,960 that we continuously keep an eye on. 446 00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:03,840 It's one of those things that kind of ebbs and 447 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:04,460 flows, right? 448 00:38:04,460 --> 00:38:06,660 You have, there's an element that's not as 449 00:38:06,660 --> 00:38:07,190 predictable, 450 00:38:07,190 --> 00:38:11,140 right, how many it's become within your stock. 451 00:38:11,140 --> 00:38:14,310 And so we are taking a very organized 452 00:38:14,310 --> 00:38:16,050 and systematic approach moving forward 453 00:38:16,050 --> 00:38:17,780 with how we manage that rate. 454 00:38:19,190 --> 00:38:22,060 The reality of how we receive units 455 00:38:22,060 --> 00:38:24,380 is that it is highly variable, right? 456 00:38:24,380 --> 00:38:27,250 So typically a stable, successful tenant, 457 00:38:27,250 --> 00:38:29,200 we receive a unit in a certain condition, 458 00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:30,990 and sometimes we don't. 459 00:38:30,990 --> 00:38:33,330 And so organizing ourselves from an efficiency 460 00:38:33,330 --> 00:38:33,940 perspective 461 00:38:33,940 --> 00:38:35,660 takes a lot of coordination, 462 00:38:35,660 --> 00:38:37,410 and it's work that our team has been focused 463 00:38:37,410 --> 00:38:38,770 on in particular the last three months 464 00:38:38,770 --> 00:38:40,480 and how can we organize ourselves 465 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:43,190 to be more efficient at the variability 466 00:38:43,190 --> 00:38:46,780 of the nature of how we receive vacancies. 467 00:38:46,780 --> 00:38:50,540 In addition to filling the vacancies, 468 00:38:50,540 --> 00:38:54,780 we are at full capacity now with our team, 469 00:38:54,780 --> 00:38:57,330 and we're seeing some tremendous results as of 470 00:38:57,330 --> 00:38:57,820 late. 471 00:38:57,820 --> 00:38:59,880 It's one of those figures that is highly 472 00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:00,930 sensitive to us 473 00:39:00,930 --> 00:39:03,040 because we understand our responsibility 474 00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:05,870 to ensure that housing is available to people in 475 00:39:05,870 --> 00:39:06,440 London. 476 00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:09,670 And it is also impacted at times 477 00:39:09,670 --> 00:39:12,730 by some of our capacity pressures across our 478 00:39:12,730 --> 00:39:13,900 organization. 479 00:39:13,900 --> 00:39:15,380 You see some tremendous results 480 00:39:15,380 --> 00:39:17,660 as it relates to pest control in other areas. 481 00:39:17,660 --> 00:39:21,090 And so when we have a flux in volume of vacancies 482 00:39:21,090 --> 00:39:21,190 , 483 00:39:21,090 --> 00:39:22,810 we have to reset ourselves. 484 00:39:22,810 --> 00:39:25,360 And so that's why you'll see the ebbs and flows. 485 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:27,040 And it is quite natural, I'd say, 486 00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:29,350 for the into housing industry. 487 00:39:29,350 --> 00:39:31,840 But it is something that we will always be 488 00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:32,510 watching. 489 00:39:32,510 --> 00:39:35,330 We will continue to strive to achieve a lower 490 00:39:35,330 --> 00:39:36,060 vacancy rate. 491 00:39:36,060 --> 00:39:38,880 The industry standard is about 3% or the target 492 00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:39,410 would be. 493 00:39:39,410 --> 00:39:41,330 And that's definitely where we're heading, 494 00:39:41,330 --> 00:39:43,560 moving into the end of the year. 495 00:39:43,560 --> 00:39:46,570 - And Councillor Hopkins. 496 00:39:46,570 --> 00:39:47,530 - Yeah, thank you for that. 497 00:39:47,530 --> 00:39:49,910 I think it's something that we should try to 498 00:39:49,910 --> 00:39:50,580 understand. 499 00:39:50,580 --> 00:39:52,470 It's not easy, and like you say, it ebbs and 500 00:39:52,470 --> 00:39:52,840 flows, 501 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:54,590 and it changes accordingly, 502 00:39:54,590 --> 00:39:58,240 but congrats and keep up the work. 503 00:39:58,240 --> 00:39:59,580 - Thank you. 504 00:39:59,580 --> 00:40:01,000 - Thank you, looking for other speakers. 505 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:03,150 Councilor Perble. 506 00:40:03,150 --> 00:40:05,500 - Thank you, sir, Chair, through LMCH. 507 00:40:05,500 --> 00:40:07,660 I was looking at last year when you presented, 508 00:40:07,660 --> 00:40:09,130 and there were certain initiatives 509 00:40:09,130 --> 00:40:10,200 that you were proposing, 510 00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:12,450 and you were planning to do during the last 12 511 00:40:12,450 --> 00:40:12,950 months. 512 00:40:12,950 --> 00:40:15,820 And I was just wondering if you can update us on 513 00:40:15,820 --> 00:40:16,140 that. 514 00:40:16,140 --> 00:40:18,450 The first one is enhancing services 515 00:40:18,450 --> 00:40:20,680 with technology for unit inspections, 516 00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:23,210 will improve transparency for work order 517 00:40:23,210 --> 00:40:24,190 management. 518 00:40:24,190 --> 00:40:28,000 Has it happened and any results update? 519 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:29,110 - Thank you. 520 00:40:29,110 --> 00:40:38,000 I'll go to Ms. Connecticut to hand you through 521 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:38,800 the chair. 522 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:41,120 Yeah, I'm pleased to report that we have adopted 523 00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:45,090 the technology and the tool for us to have 524 00:40:45,090 --> 00:40:45,890 essentially 525 00:40:45,890 --> 00:40:48,090 a handheld mobile device and allows us 526 00:40:48,090 --> 00:40:51,270 to effectively manage our annual unit inspections 527 00:40:51,270 --> 00:40:51,520 . 528 00:40:51,520 --> 00:40:56,220 We can directly take photos, do work orders on 529 00:40:56,220 --> 00:40:56,520 demand 530 00:40:56,520 --> 00:41:00,530 as we go along versus a follow-up to paper trail. 531 00:41:00,530 --> 00:41:02,830 We've seen huge efficiencies for our team 532 00:41:02,830 --> 00:41:06,400 in that coordination and also an additional 533 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:06,720 benefit 534 00:41:06,720 --> 00:41:09,660 as having stored a group of positive information 535 00:41:09,660 --> 00:41:11,090 from every single unit inspection, 536 00:41:11,090 --> 00:41:13,670 I think last year we did over 3,400. 537 00:41:13,670 --> 00:41:15,890 So this is, our team has seen tremendous games 538 00:41:15,890 --> 00:41:17,680 in terms of the day of efficiency, 539 00:41:17,680 --> 00:41:19,560 but from an organizational perspective, 540 00:41:19,560 --> 00:41:21,840 It is invaluable data. 541 00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:24,310 And so how we do our annual inspections 542 00:41:24,310 --> 00:41:27,390 is a, say, a cross-functional multi-team approach 543 00:41:27,390 --> 00:41:27,670 . 544 00:41:27,670 --> 00:41:29,580 So we have those kind of compliance 545 00:41:29,580 --> 00:41:30,660 accountability pieces 546 00:41:30,660 --> 00:41:32,220 with ESA and FIRE. 547 00:41:32,220 --> 00:41:34,060 We have our property services staff. 548 00:41:34,060 --> 00:41:36,980 And we also have some of our support staff 549 00:41:36,980 --> 00:41:38,840 for some of the tenants who may be having a 550 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:39,130 little bit 551 00:41:39,130 --> 00:41:42,060 of a hard time with that level of engagement in a 552 00:41:42,060 --> 00:41:42,570 day. 553 00:41:42,570 --> 00:41:44,360 So we really take a multifaceted approach. 554 00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:46,480 But from a data repository perspective, 555 00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:47,680 we're seeing tremendous gains. 556 00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:49,280 to promote workload efficiency perspective, 557 00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:51,290 we are as well too. 558 00:41:51,290 --> 00:41:52,910 - Council privilege. 559 00:41:52,910 --> 00:41:54,450 - Thank you for the positive update. 560 00:41:54,450 --> 00:41:56,490 Launching a tenant portal 561 00:41:56,490 --> 00:42:02,380 for increased communication and accountability. 562 00:42:02,380 --> 00:42:03,820 - Thank you for the chair. 563 00:42:03,820 --> 00:42:05,850 We're in the final testing stages 564 00:42:05,850 --> 00:42:08,670 just to ensure the technology is safe with our 565 00:42:08,670 --> 00:42:09,400 database. 566 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:12,830 But we are thrilled to be moving forward 567 00:42:12,830 --> 00:42:14,150 at some point this year. 568 00:42:14,150 --> 00:42:17,300 Essentially what Council privilege describing 569 00:42:17,300 --> 00:42:19,210 is a tenant facing portal. 570 00:42:19,210 --> 00:42:21,360 So think about on your phone, there's an app. 571 00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:24,110 have a maintenance request. Instead of now, you 572 00:42:24,110 --> 00:42:27,340 know, calling in or emailing, you now can, 573 00:42:27,340 --> 00:42:29,590 you would then be able to, for example, put your 574 00:42:29,590 --> 00:42:31,730 work order in through your mobile device. 575 00:42:31,730 --> 00:42:34,970 There's other tools available on these platforms 576 00:42:34,970 --> 00:42:37,460 that allow us to expand that service channel 577 00:42:37,460 --> 00:42:40,270 moving forward. We're taking a little bit of a 578 00:42:40,270 --> 00:42:42,310 slow approach, but right now we're at the stage 579 00:42:42,310 --> 00:42:44,270 of ensuring that it is compliant with our systems 580 00:42:44,270 --> 00:42:45,810 and that there's no, for example, 581 00:42:45,810 --> 00:42:48,630 security breaches possible. So we're doing that 582 00:42:48,630 --> 00:42:50,670 testing now and it's in the final stages. 583 00:42:50,670 --> 00:42:55,370 Thank you for that, through the chair, continuing 584 00:42:55,370 --> 00:42:56,720 to strengthen collaboration 585 00:42:56,720 --> 00:42:59,530 between the City of London administration, 586 00:42:59,530 --> 00:43:01,490 allowing LMCH to move forward 587 00:43:01,490 --> 00:43:04,730 differently as we improve our operations. Could 588 00:43:04,730 --> 00:43:05,700 you comment on that, please? 589 00:43:05,700 --> 00:43:09,310 Thank you, go ahead. I'll go back to Mr. Chisholm 590 00:43:09,310 --> 00:43:09,990 , go ahead. 591 00:43:09,990 --> 00:43:17,560 Thank you, and through the chair. Yeah, we 592 00:43:17,560 --> 00:43:21,190 continue to work closely with the City of London 593 00:43:21,190 --> 00:43:21,590 as 594 00:43:21,590 --> 00:43:23,870 shareholder and a service manager, but also, you 595 00:43:23,870 --> 00:43:27,020 know, we work closely with them as they provide 596 00:43:27,020 --> 00:43:30,270 service to DAS as a business in the city of 597 00:43:30,270 --> 00:43:32,880 London. So a few great examples of this 598 00:43:32,880 --> 00:43:33,620 collaboration 599 00:43:33,620 --> 00:43:37,060 is the work with the service manager and Matt 600 00:43:37,060 --> 00:43:40,900 Feldberg's team just on different areas including 601 00:43:40,900 --> 00:43:44,300 regeneration where they were brought to the table 602 00:43:44,300 --> 00:43:47,060 during the master regeneration plan both 603 00:43:47,060 --> 00:43:51,190 from finance and housing to inform the strategy 604 00:43:51,190 --> 00:43:54,340 as it evolved to help us make sure that we 605 00:43:54,340 --> 00:43:57,150 We were on the right track, and we had a shared 606 00:43:57,150 --> 00:43:57,670 vision. 607 00:43:57,670 --> 00:44:00,210 And this also works in everything like by-law 608 00:44:00,210 --> 00:44:03,030 enforcement, where we have stronger relations 609 00:44:03,030 --> 00:44:06,340 with division leads and managers to make sure we 610 00:44:06,340 --> 00:44:09,060 have open dialogue as we work through some 611 00:44:09,060 --> 00:44:10,960 of the challenging situations we face. 612 00:44:10,960 --> 00:44:14,150 So I think there's lots of examples, and I think 613 00:44:14,150 --> 00:44:16,220 it just highlights, you know, this 614 00:44:16,220 --> 00:44:19,620 collaboration and confidence is really just when 615 00:44:19,620 --> 00:44:22,520 we had the Kochi and OFI funding dedicated 616 00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:25,110 to LMCH over a multi-year program period. 617 00:44:25,110 --> 00:44:26,680 That was the first time that had happened. 618 00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:30,110 That lets us plan better and lets the city make 619 00:44:30,110 --> 00:44:30,290 sure 620 00:44:30,290 --> 00:44:32,520 the money gets spent the way it should be. 621 00:44:32,520 --> 00:44:35,340 And it helps improve the whole community housing 622 00:44:35,340 --> 00:44:35,940 system. 623 00:44:35,940 --> 00:44:41,880 So lots of examples of working together. 624 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:45,070 >> Let's just go ahead. 625 00:44:45,070 --> 00:44:47,610 >> Yes, go ahead. 626 00:44:47,610 --> 00:44:49,020 >> So I actually mentioned that. 627 00:44:49,020 --> 00:44:52,210 So I'm going to explain what I meant by what I 628 00:44:52,210 --> 00:44:52,950 said. 629 00:44:52,950 --> 00:44:56,710 We did our regeneration plan and arranged for a 630 00:44:56,710 --> 00:44:57,040 meeting 631 00:44:57,040 --> 00:45:00,020 between board members, staff, our senior 632 00:45:00,020 --> 00:45:00,650 management 633 00:45:00,650 --> 00:45:01,840 and the city. 634 00:45:01,840 --> 00:45:03,270 What we were looking for, quite frankly, 635 00:45:03,270 --> 00:45:05,540 is what do you think of this plan? 636 00:45:05,540 --> 00:45:06,760 What do you think of it? 637 00:45:06,760 --> 00:45:09,020 Is it good? Is it bad? 638 00:45:09,020 --> 00:45:11,390 And, you know, I went to the meeting, 639 00:45:11,390 --> 00:45:15,230 and I did get two very specific impressions 640 00:45:15,230 --> 00:45:17,090 that the city would be concerned in the future 641 00:45:17,090 --> 00:45:21,030 if we were incurring debt, even if it was forg 642 00:45:21,030 --> 00:45:21,820 ivable debt. 643 00:45:21,820 --> 00:45:24,360 So in the case of the '28 or '29 million, 644 00:45:24,360 --> 00:45:26,310 a part of it, as you know, quite a large part of 645 00:45:26,310 --> 00:45:26,410 it, 646 00:45:26,340 --> 00:45:28,320 just forgivable but and even though we were 647 00:45:28,320 --> 00:45:31,710 taking on the responsibility to pay 648 00:45:31,710 --> 00:45:35,210 it back no tax payer burden it counts against the 649 00:45:35,210 --> 00:45:36,350 city debt so the city is 650 00:45:36,350 --> 00:45:38,830 concerned about that so in the future I'm not 651 00:45:38,830 --> 00:45:39,900 saying this is a negative in the 652 00:45:39,900 --> 00:45:42,440 future if we want to borrow money that we need to 653 00:45:42,440 --> 00:45:44,460 to enhance and build more 654 00:45:44,460 --> 00:45:46,790 that's going to be something you're gonna have to 655 00:45:46,790 --> 00:45:48,440 consider as council and so 656 00:45:48,440 --> 00:45:51,190 that's a discussion I think is better served for 657 00:45:51,190 --> 00:45:52,490 me to have with council than 658 00:45:52,490 --> 00:45:54,940 to have with staff to explain why we need to 659 00:45:54,940 --> 00:45:56,870 borrow money and why won't won't be 660 00:45:56,870 --> 00:46:00,520 hurt the city. That was important. We never 661 00:46:00,520 --> 00:46:03,860 received sort of a general, this is an 662 00:46:03,860 --> 00:46:04,920 interesting 663 00:46:04,920 --> 00:46:07,790 and good plan subject to our concerns. I never 664 00:46:07,790 --> 00:46:11,190 heard that. And sometimes it's nice to hear that. 665 00:46:11,190 --> 00:46:14,560 Thanks for the work. It's an interesting plan. We 666 00:46:14,560 --> 00:46:17,650 need this to be happening. So I definitely 667 00:46:17,650 --> 00:46:20,420 carried that away. And I know I may be being a 668 00:46:20,420 --> 00:46:23,260 little negative, but that was the impression 669 00:46:23,260 --> 00:46:26,100 that we had. And when we went to our debrief, one 670 00:46:26,100 --> 00:46:28,930 of the things I found difficult was to tell 671 00:46:28,930 --> 00:46:31,910 our staff, because they say to you, well, what 672 00:46:31,910 --> 00:46:34,420 did the city think of it? And I go, well, I wasn 673 00:46:34,420 --> 00:46:34,520 't 674 00:46:34,480 --> 00:46:38,330 quite sure what they thought of it. So that's, I 675 00:46:38,330 --> 00:46:40,880 have to do a better job of communicating. 676 00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:44,150 I have to arrange to meet with people. And I also 677 00:46:44,150 --> 00:46:46,000 have to be more direct, I think, 678 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:48,130 in here's what I would like to hear. Not if you 679 00:46:48,130 --> 00:46:50,270 want to say something bad, please say it, 680 00:46:50,270 --> 00:46:53,510 but it's really good to get feedback before we 681 00:46:53,510 --> 00:46:54,720 take something on. 682 00:46:54,720 --> 00:46:57,630 >> Return to Council approval. 683 00:46:57,630 --> 00:47:00,040 >> Thank you for both of those answers. 684 00:47:00,040 --> 00:47:05,580 2020-2027, an applicator capital program and 685 00:47:05,580 --> 00:47:08,380 citizen investment of $57.8 million. 686 00:47:08,380 --> 00:47:12,650 We are currently at less than two years left at 687 00:47:12,650 --> 00:47:13,380 43%. 688 00:47:13,380 --> 00:47:17,640 Can you kind of update on that or if it's going 689 00:47:17,640 --> 00:47:18,400 to be spent, 690 00:47:18,400 --> 00:47:20,430 if it's not going to be spent, if it's carried 691 00:47:20,430 --> 00:47:20,810 over, 692 00:47:20,810 --> 00:47:23,180 just if you can update me on this one. The other 693 00:47:23,180 --> 00:47:24,680 two are at 70, 76 percent, 694 00:47:24,680 --> 00:47:28,740 but this one is at 43. Thank you. Mr. Chisholm. 695 00:47:28,740 --> 00:47:32,550 Thank you through the chair. Yeah, that number 696 00:47:32,550 --> 00:47:37,310 is appears lower just in the nature of the 697 00:47:37,310 --> 00:47:43,120 funding. We don't commit to do the projects till 698 00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:43,220 the 699 00:47:43,200 --> 00:47:46,220 budgets approved and our budget is approved. You 700 00:47:46,220 --> 00:47:49,100 know, if we have a 2026 capital budget, 701 00:47:49,100 --> 00:47:51,920 we don't spend any dollars against that until 702 00:47:51,920 --> 00:47:53,160 January 2026. 703 00:47:53,640 --> 00:47:56,770 So what we're seeing is there's many of the 704 00:47:56,770 --> 00:47:58,820 projects that have a longer lead time. 705 00:47:58,820 --> 00:48:00,970 So whether they need technical assessment before 706 00:48:00,970 --> 00:48:03,120 we can actually get the specs to do the RFP. 707 00:48:03,120 --> 00:48:07,350 So they have a two to three year sort of project 708 00:48:07,350 --> 00:48:08,520 lifespan. 709 00:48:08,520 --> 00:48:11,620 So what we see is that sort of slow reporting of 710 00:48:11,620 --> 00:48:12,670 the funding. 711 00:48:12,670 --> 00:48:15,660 The funds are all committed. It's just basically 712 00:48:15,660 --> 00:48:17,020 bundling the projects. 713 00:48:17,020 --> 00:48:19,850 And what we find is like we will find like this 714 00:48:19,850 --> 00:48:22,040 five million dollars that we just approved for 715 00:48:22,040 --> 00:48:25,820 electrical work is a combination of 16 projects. 716 00:48:25,820 --> 00:48:27,700 So by the time we did the assessment to determine 717 00:48:27,700 --> 00:48:31,680 how to best get the most effective way to do it, 718 00:48:31,680 --> 00:48:35,210 those 16 projects became one project became thing 719 00:48:35,210 --> 00:48:35,310 . 720 00:48:35,230 --> 00:48:37,300 So it just takes us a little while to organize it 721 00:48:37,300 --> 00:48:38,810 once we have the technical assessment. 722 00:48:38,810 --> 00:48:40,210 The funds are already committed. 723 00:48:40,210 --> 00:48:42,850 We're in ongoing communications city finance 724 00:48:42,850 --> 00:48:45,030 on drawdowns against capital funds. 725 00:48:45,030 --> 00:48:46,740 So to make sure that we're aware of what they 726 00:48:46,740 --> 00:48:47,810 need to do 727 00:48:47,810 --> 00:48:50,240 and what we need to give them in order to make 728 00:48:50,240 --> 00:48:50,510 sure 729 00:48:50,510 --> 00:48:52,340 of the reimbursement and cash flow happens. 730 00:48:52,340 --> 00:48:55,950 So we don't believe it's at risk. 731 00:48:55,950 --> 00:48:58,100 - Councillor? 732 00:48:58,100 --> 00:49:01,010 - Thank you and there's some really positive 733 00:49:01,010 --> 00:49:01,770 indicators 734 00:49:01,770 --> 00:49:04,720 on the 25 impact dashboard. 735 00:49:04,720 --> 00:49:06,670 Are there certain without going into details? 736 00:49:06,670 --> 00:49:08,260 And by the way, thank you very much for answering 737 00:49:08,260 --> 00:49:10,490 my previous questions, including the financials. 738 00:49:10,490 --> 00:49:12,210 I'm not gonna be asking those again, 739 00:49:12,210 --> 00:49:14,120 but is there something that you would like to 740 00:49:14,120 --> 00:49:14,480 stress 741 00:49:14,480 --> 00:49:16,950 from this dashboard because this dashboard 742 00:49:16,950 --> 00:49:19,850 does have some really good positive indicators 743 00:49:19,850 --> 00:49:24,970 of the work you've done during the last year? 744 00:49:24,970 --> 00:49:27,640 - Mr. Chisholm. 745 00:49:27,640 --> 00:49:28,580 - Thank you and through the chair. 746 00:49:28,580 --> 00:49:31,720 I think just some highlights sort of jumps out at 747 00:49:31,720 --> 00:49:31,960 me. 748 00:49:31,960 --> 00:49:35,310 We've really increased the amount of staff 749 00:49:35,310 --> 00:49:35,620 training 750 00:49:35,620 --> 00:49:37,450 and professional development we're doing, 751 00:49:37,450 --> 00:49:38,770 which is important for our teams. 752 00:49:38,770 --> 00:49:39,880 They do complicated work, 753 00:49:39,880 --> 00:49:41,430 and there's a lot of regulatory compliance. 754 00:49:41,430 --> 00:49:44,890 So the ability to strengthen and improve that 755 00:49:44,890 --> 00:49:48,430 is paying dividends in the organization. 756 00:49:48,430 --> 00:49:50,390 I think the other thing that we just have to sort 757 00:49:50,390 --> 00:49:50,490 of 758 00:49:50,420 --> 00:49:54,120 reflect on is our residents and our tenants, 759 00:49:54,120 --> 00:49:56,540 members of the London communities and 760 00:49:56,540 --> 00:49:59,290 Middlesex communities. And I think we just 761 00:49:59,290 --> 00:50:01,400 need to pay attention to the number of 762 00:50:01,400 --> 00:50:04,090 times our tenants on fixed incomes are 763 00:50:04,090 --> 00:50:06,940 accessing food support programs. We're 764 00:50:06,940 --> 00:50:08,770 hearing all kinds of things across the 765 00:50:08,770 --> 00:50:10,480 city and whether it's families, seniors 766 00:50:10,480 --> 00:50:12,670 and others. It's something we just need 767 00:50:12,670 --> 00:50:14,420 to keep paying attention to and we're 768 00:50:14,420 --> 00:50:16,370 happy to support and facilitate these 769 00:50:16,370 --> 00:50:18,010 conversations with our partners and do 770 00:50:18,010 --> 00:50:19,680 some of the work ourselves. But I think 771 00:50:19,680 --> 00:50:22,650 it's you know our tenants are struggling 772 00:50:22,650 --> 00:50:26,450 with inflation and food security and many aspects 773 00:50:26,450 --> 00:50:26,550 . 774 00:50:26,450 --> 00:50:28,320 So I think we just have to keep that in mind 775 00:50:28,320 --> 00:50:30,200 to make sure the service programs we have going 776 00:50:30,200 --> 00:50:30,490 on, 777 00:50:30,490 --> 00:50:32,400 the community supports we have going on 778 00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:34,390 in London and Middlesex, 779 00:50:34,390 --> 00:50:38,420 consider the needs of low income households. 780 00:50:38,420 --> 00:50:39,700 - Councilor Perbal. 781 00:50:39,700 --> 00:50:40,510 - Thank you very much. 782 00:50:40,510 --> 00:50:42,760 No more questions for this time. 783 00:50:42,760 --> 00:50:47,530 - Thank you, looking for other speakers. 784 00:50:47,530 --> 00:50:49,750 Councilor Stevenson, go ahead. 785 00:50:49,750 --> 00:50:51,970 - Thank you for the report and all the progress 786 00:50:51,970 --> 00:50:53,700 that's been made over the last while. 787 00:50:53,700 --> 00:50:55,480 It's good to have some good news there 788 00:50:55,480 --> 00:50:58,610 for people who are living in our social housing. 789 00:50:58,610 --> 00:51:00,280 I didn't send the question in advance, 790 00:51:00,280 --> 00:51:02,250 so I'm happy to do it offline, 791 00:51:02,250 --> 00:51:04,690 but I just wondered, it's about the accounting 792 00:51:04,690 --> 00:51:05,040 stuff 793 00:51:05,040 --> 00:51:07,850 around accounts receivables, bad debts, that kind 794 00:51:07,850 --> 00:51:08,370 of thing. 795 00:51:08,370 --> 00:51:11,180 I don't know what you can share here generally 796 00:51:11,180 --> 00:51:11,570 speaking 797 00:51:11,570 --> 00:51:15,150 in terms of what the policy is around allowance 798 00:51:15,150 --> 00:51:18,830 for doubtful accounts or whether there are write- 799 00:51:18,830 --> 00:51:19,420 offs 800 00:51:19,420 --> 00:51:21,760 during the year as part of the accounting process 801 00:51:21,760 --> 00:51:26,650 . 802 00:51:26,650 --> 00:51:28,070 - Mr. Chisholm, go ahead. 803 00:51:28,070 --> 00:51:29,560 - Thank you, and through the chair, 804 00:51:31,550 --> 00:51:35,890 we write off our books bad debt only when a 805 00:51:35,890 --> 00:51:39,750 tenant moves out so you will see that year-over- 806 00:51:39,750 --> 00:51:40,240 year 807 00:51:40,240 --> 00:51:43,940 range from 300 to 800 to 900 thousand depending 808 00:51:43,940 --> 00:51:47,870 on what's going on. I think some of those 809 00:51:47,870 --> 00:51:48,490 fluctuations 810 00:51:48,490 --> 00:51:50,590 related to COVID and some of the slowdown in the 811 00:51:50,590 --> 00:51:53,210 landlord tenant board. So we do write off and 812 00:51:53,210 --> 00:51:53,450 that's 813 00:51:53,450 --> 00:51:57,410 reported on our financial report to the board. So 814 00:51:57,410 --> 00:52:00,840 that is something that we monitor on an ongoing 815 00:52:00,840 --> 00:52:02,910 basis and we're happy that it's sort of returned 816 00:52:02,910 --> 00:52:04,740 to a little bit of normally. The number last 817 00:52:04,740 --> 00:52:09,610 year is about 350,000. Behind the scenes in our 818 00:52:09,610 --> 00:52:12,320 sort of revenue line, we do have a rears 819 00:52:12,320 --> 00:52:17,100 for our current tenants and that number is around 820 00:52:17,100 --> 00:52:21,700 800,000. It's down from 1.3 million 821 00:52:21,700 --> 00:52:26,430 about five years ago and it's a combination of 822 00:52:26,430 --> 00:52:30,450 tenants who have made the conscious decision that 823 00:52:30,450 --> 00:52:32,220 they're going to be evicted and they're going to 824 00:52:32,220 --> 00:52:34,030 stop paying rent and that's a common trend. 825 00:52:34,030 --> 00:52:35,960 These if they know they're going to lose the 826 00:52:35,960 --> 00:52:37,430 tendency they will stop paying. 827 00:52:37,430 --> 00:52:39,890 That's very common and that's sort of there's 828 00:52:39,890 --> 00:52:41,620 some of that there. Then there's some tenant 829 00:52:41,620 --> 00:52:44,410 chargebacks and then what we have is very common 830 00:52:44,410 --> 00:52:47,980 for someone to fall behind and then sort of maybe 831 00:52:47,980 --> 00:52:49,940 have a little bit of a rears generated to a few 832 00:52:49,940 --> 00:52:53,260 hundred dollars and then they're able to stay 833 00:52:53,260 --> 00:52:55,550 current month to month on their current rent but 834 00:52:55,550 --> 00:52:57,950 not be able to catch up. So that's just about 835 00:52:57,950 --> 00:53:00,310 have in conversation. So we are having been 836 00:53:00,310 --> 00:53:02,610 strengthening that over time and we'll continue 837 00:53:02,610 --> 00:53:06,650 to strengthen that to reduce that number and it 838 00:53:06,650 --> 00:53:10,260 is something that is declining so we're 839 00:53:10,260 --> 00:53:12,070 happy with the trend but we will continue to 840 00:53:12,070 --> 00:53:13,600 manage it. 841 00:53:13,600 --> 00:53:16,550 Councillor Stevenson. Thank you. I appreciate you 842 00:53:16,550 --> 00:53:19,060 sharing that. The only follow-up I have 843 00:53:19,060 --> 00:53:22,920 I guess is around the Ontario Works ODSP portion 844 00:53:22,920 --> 00:53:28,470 just looking for reassurance that that is 845 00:53:28,470 --> 00:53:30,240 something that's addressed quickly so that it can 846 00:53:30,240 --> 00:53:31,550 be deducted from the check and it's 847 00:53:31,550 --> 00:53:34,540 not something that's being written off or getting 848 00:53:34,540 --> 00:53:40,520 into arrears. Mr. Chisholm? 849 00:53:40,520 --> 00:53:44,310 Thank you and through the chair, two sort of 850 00:53:44,310 --> 00:53:47,660 answers that support an understanding there. 851 00:53:47,660 --> 00:53:49,940 We've introduced the Tenet Intake and Support 852 00:53:49,940 --> 00:53:52,550 Program for new tenants to come in to connect 853 00:53:52,550 --> 00:53:56,330 with them sooner. We have a really robust tenant 854 00:53:56,330 --> 00:53:58,820 intake process until they move in and 855 00:53:58,820 --> 00:54:00,850 there's a little bit of a lag there where the 856 00:54:00,850 --> 00:54:03,640 tenant we, you know, would just self-manage. 857 00:54:03,640 --> 00:54:06,450 And then when they get into a rear six months 858 00:54:06,450 --> 00:54:08,410 later or have questions about supports, we 859 00:54:08,410 --> 00:54:08,810 connect 860 00:54:08,810 --> 00:54:11,180 with them again. So we've put an intended intake 861 00:54:11,180 --> 00:54:14,380 and support program in place that includes home 862 00:54:14,380 --> 00:54:17,790 visits, conversations about rent payment, where 863 00:54:17,790 --> 00:54:21,500 staff are actively looking where tenants are not 864 00:54:21,500 --> 00:54:24,300 making payments. Surprisingly, how many tenants 865 00:54:24,300 --> 00:54:26,420 struggle with that piece and some of its online 866 00:54:26,420 --> 00:54:28,720 and banking and the tools and things like that. 867 00:54:28,720 --> 00:54:32,330 Other times it's, they just don't really, 868 00:54:32,330 --> 00:54:34,930 they didn't understand that once they got the 869 00:54:34,930 --> 00:54:35,180 check, 870 00:54:35,180 --> 00:54:37,520 say if it was from Ontario Works or ODSP 871 00:54:37,520 --> 00:54:38,820 on their first and last month's rent, 872 00:54:38,820 --> 00:54:40,530 that they had to do something else. 873 00:54:40,530 --> 00:54:43,010 So about 20% of our new tenants struggle with 874 00:54:43,010 --> 00:54:43,270 that, 875 00:54:43,270 --> 00:54:45,730 and we're able to talk to them in the first month 876 00:54:45,730 --> 00:54:48,390 and say, here's what we need you to do, 877 00:54:48,390 --> 00:54:50,400 and we're finding that effective. 878 00:54:50,400 --> 00:54:52,700 So just being able to have that conversation 879 00:54:52,700 --> 00:54:53,040 early 880 00:54:53,040 --> 00:54:55,350 in a non-punitive way without a formal notice 881 00:54:55,350 --> 00:54:57,800 and Leno or Tenderboard is really helpful. 882 00:54:57,800 --> 00:55:00,000 We do work closely with our colleagues 883 00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:02,070 at Ontario Works and ODSP on our rears. 884 00:55:02,070 --> 00:55:03,470 So we have those conversations, 885 00:55:03,470 --> 00:55:05,810 and last year we had some really collaborative 886 00:55:05,810 --> 00:55:06,130 work 887 00:55:06,130 --> 00:55:08,160 with our colleagues in life stabilization 888 00:55:08,160 --> 00:55:10,830 to sort of say here's some tenants 889 00:55:10,830 --> 00:55:13,680 that we have Ontario Works that are in our rears. 890 00:55:13,680 --> 00:55:15,670 Can we sort of work through this 891 00:55:15,670 --> 00:55:17,610 and see if we can get, recover these funds 892 00:55:17,610 --> 00:55:19,200 and get the rent paid and things like that? 893 00:55:19,200 --> 00:55:21,660 And we were successful in many of those instances 894 00:55:21,660 --> 00:55:21,760 . 895 00:55:21,660 --> 00:55:23,490 So it is something we're in tune with, 896 00:55:23,490 --> 00:55:24,760 and there's regular conversations 897 00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:27,470 that take place to support that. 898 00:55:27,470 --> 00:55:29,060 - Councillor Stevenson. 899 00:55:29,060 --> 00:55:30,140 - Okay, thanks again. 900 00:55:30,140 --> 00:55:33,440 I know it's difficult conversations, 901 00:55:33,440 --> 00:55:35,940 but I wondered to just policy-wise, 902 00:55:35,940 --> 00:55:37,970 is there a policy where at a, 903 00:55:37,970 --> 00:55:40,400 like how many months are people allowed to go 904 00:55:40,400 --> 00:55:41,190 into a rears 905 00:55:41,190 --> 00:55:44,010 before it's sought to have it deducted from the 906 00:55:44,010 --> 00:55:44,840 check 907 00:55:44,840 --> 00:55:47,330 to sort of help them from falling into a rears as 908 00:55:47,330 --> 00:55:47,600 well? 909 00:55:47,600 --> 00:55:51,410 You know, it's, I'm just hoping we're using that 910 00:55:51,410 --> 00:55:51,920 ability 911 00:55:51,920 --> 00:55:53,990 to be able to get it deducted from the check 912 00:55:53,990 --> 00:55:54,850 quickly 913 00:55:54,850 --> 00:55:56,870 before the arrears grow. 914 00:55:56,870 --> 00:55:58,670 So is there a policy around how many months 915 00:55:58,670 --> 00:56:01,470 before that's initiated? 916 00:56:01,470 --> 00:56:03,070 - Mr. Chisholm. 917 00:56:03,070 --> 00:56:03,880 - Thank you. 918 00:56:03,880 --> 00:56:05,640 And through the chair, there is no policy. 919 00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:09,330 We cannot direct the tenant how to pay their rent 920 00:56:09,330 --> 00:56:09,580 . 921 00:56:09,580 --> 00:56:12,810 So our preferred channel is online. 922 00:56:12,810 --> 00:56:14,590 It's very low trend, you know, 923 00:56:14,590 --> 00:56:16,480 there's no touch points on paper, 924 00:56:16,480 --> 00:56:19,590 there's no late fees, it just happens. 925 00:56:19,590 --> 00:56:23,490 Tenants on its area works in ODSP can authorize 926 00:56:23,490 --> 00:56:24,980 to pay the rent directly, 927 00:56:24,980 --> 00:56:27,700 but there is no policy that requires that. 928 00:56:27,700 --> 00:56:29,690 So we'll have conversations where it's in fact in 929 00:56:29,690 --> 00:56:29,790 the 930 00:56:29,760 --> 00:56:32,990 tendency, or we maybe make a part of a mediated 931 00:56:32,990 --> 00:56:33,480 settlement, 932 00:56:33,480 --> 00:56:36,550 but there is no policy to say after three months 933 00:56:36,550 --> 00:56:37,520 thou shalt. 934 00:56:37,520 --> 00:56:39,830 It's sort of managing and navigating our role as 935 00:56:39,830 --> 00:56:40,260 landlord. 936 00:56:40,260 --> 00:56:43,860 We can't tell an income support program how they 937 00:56:43,860 --> 00:56:44,380 're required 938 00:56:44,380 --> 00:56:45,650 to support a client. 939 00:56:45,650 --> 00:56:47,940 So it's sort of, it's a little sticky, but we do 940 00:56:47,940 --> 00:56:48,290 work 941 00:56:48,290 --> 00:56:52,130 through that very effectively. 942 00:56:52,130 --> 00:56:53,230 - Councillor. 943 00:56:53,230 --> 00:56:55,230 - Thank you. 944 00:56:55,230 --> 00:56:57,280 It just keeps more questions, keep popping up. 945 00:56:57,280 --> 00:57:00,130 So when you say you can't tell an income support 946 00:57:00,130 --> 00:57:00,710 program 947 00:57:00,710 --> 00:57:05,730 how to do it, what are we referencing there? 948 00:57:05,730 --> 00:57:07,300 - Mr. Chisholm. 949 00:57:07,300 --> 00:57:09,320 - Well, it's under the Residential Tenancies Act. 950 00:57:09,320 --> 00:57:13,950 There's specific frames out how a landlord is 951 00:57:13,950 --> 00:57:14,350 able 952 00:57:14,350 --> 00:57:16,650 to collect rent, how rent is increased, 953 00:57:16,650 --> 00:57:19,080 what you can require a tenant to do. 954 00:57:19,080 --> 00:57:21,430 You have to think of like damage deposits used to 955 00:57:21,430 --> 00:57:21,850 be a thing, 956 00:57:21,850 --> 00:57:23,760 but more no longer required to do that. 957 00:57:23,760 --> 00:57:27,910 So we can set the rent and say to the tenant, 958 00:57:27,910 --> 00:57:31,340 their rent is $250, we cannot dictate that they 959 00:57:31,340 --> 00:57:31,500 need 960 00:57:31,500 --> 00:57:33,440 to give us a check, they have to pay in advance, 961 00:57:33,440 --> 00:57:35,700 they have to give us cash, they have to, you know 962 00:57:35,700 --> 00:57:35,800 , 963 00:57:35,700 --> 00:57:39,430 so essentially the legal obligation is 964 00:57:39,430 --> 00:57:41,810 that they pay their lawful rent. 965 00:57:41,810 --> 00:57:44,460 As said out in the lease and the RGI agreement, 966 00:57:44,460 --> 00:57:46,670 we can't tell them how that takes place. 967 00:57:46,670 --> 00:57:48,800 That's just sort of, it's outside of our role 968 00:57:48,800 --> 00:57:51,040 of a landlord. 969 00:57:51,040 --> 00:57:51,860 - Councillor Stevenson. 970 00:57:51,860 --> 00:57:52,990 - Thank you, I'll just ask one more 971 00:57:52,990 --> 00:57:57,250 and then if I have more, I'll take it offline. 972 00:57:57,250 --> 00:57:59,590 So I understand that we can't tell people how to 973 00:57:59,590 --> 00:57:59,870 do it, 974 00:57:59,870 --> 00:58:02,770 but I would have thought once rent wasn't paid 975 00:58:02,770 --> 00:58:04,650 and they're in arrears that now there's a 976 00:58:04,650 --> 00:58:05,620 mechanism 977 00:58:05,620 --> 00:58:07,480 to ensure that it gets deducted, 978 00:58:07,480 --> 00:58:09,950 but that's not the case. 979 00:58:09,950 --> 00:58:11,550 - Mr. Chisholm. 980 00:58:11,550 --> 00:58:13,200 - Thank you, it is part of the conversation, 981 00:58:13,200 --> 00:58:16,460 but there is no switch that says now 982 00:58:16,460 --> 00:58:18,800 when you're in arrears that we have different 983 00:58:18,800 --> 00:58:19,410 rights. 984 00:58:19,410 --> 00:58:21,420 So it is part of the conversation we'll have with 985 00:58:21,420 --> 00:58:21,920 the client. 986 00:58:21,920 --> 00:58:24,190 It's maybe part of a mediated settlement 987 00:58:24,190 --> 00:58:25,950 if we're at the Atlanta or tenant board related 988 00:58:25,950 --> 00:58:26,780 to arrears 989 00:58:26,780 --> 00:58:29,190 and it could be a conversation that takes place 990 00:58:29,190 --> 00:58:33,020 with their Ontario Works or the ESP case worker, 991 00:58:33,020 --> 00:58:36,010 but there's nothing that dictates that that shall 992 00:58:36,010 --> 00:58:36,560 happen. 993 00:58:36,560 --> 00:58:39,090 So we are looking to make sure we get paid on 994 00:58:39,090 --> 00:58:39,350 time 995 00:58:39,350 --> 00:58:42,240 in a full and the tenant wants to pay the rent. 996 00:58:42,240 --> 00:58:46,520 We just try to navigate how to best to do that. 997 00:58:46,520 --> 00:58:48,360 - Councillor, thank you, I appreciate it. 998 00:58:48,360 --> 00:58:49,540 Thank you. 999 00:58:49,540 --> 00:58:54,240 - Thank you, looking for other speakers. 1000 00:58:54,240 --> 00:58:57,380 I have Councillor Trosto next. 1001 00:58:57,380 --> 00:59:00,770 - Thank you very much. 1002 00:59:00,770 --> 00:59:02,810 I'm going to ask some different questions today 1003 00:59:02,810 --> 00:59:04,460 than some of the questions I've been asking 1004 00:59:04,460 --> 00:59:06,900 over the last couple of meetings. 1005 00:59:06,900 --> 00:59:09,500 I'm not going to reiterate my concern 1006 00:59:09,500 --> 00:59:11,970 about what I felt was a deficiency in the 1007 00:59:11,970 --> 00:59:13,500 regeneration plan. 1008 00:59:13,500 --> 00:59:15,470 I'm not going to reiterate my concern 1009 00:59:15,470 --> 00:59:17,640 about the results of the asset management plan, 1010 00:59:17,640 --> 00:59:21,120 'cause as you say, you are making, 1011 00:59:21,120 --> 00:59:23,270 within your ability, you're trying to make 1012 00:59:23,270 --> 00:59:25,140 some progress there, and I'm looking forward 1013 00:59:25,140 --> 00:59:27,810 to the next asset management plan. 1014 00:59:27,810 --> 00:59:32,780 I saw there was some positive news stories 1015 00:59:32,780 --> 00:59:36,160 about things that you're doing at Kent Street, 1016 00:59:36,160 --> 00:59:39,680 And certainly a lot of really good news stories 1017 00:59:39,680 --> 00:59:44,840 about things in the regeneration plan 1018 00:59:44,840 --> 00:59:48,150 regarding Southdale and other things that are 1019 00:59:48,150 --> 00:59:49,830 coming up. 1020 00:59:49,830 --> 00:59:53,680 However, I wanna raise, first of all, 1021 00:59:53,680 --> 00:59:56,650 I wanna raise some concerns about the vacancy 1022 00:59:56,650 --> 00:59:57,350 rate, 1023 00:59:57,350 --> 00:59:59,110 which seems to be climbing. 1024 00:59:59,110 --> 01:00:02,490 After it got under control for a while, 1025 01:00:02,490 --> 01:00:04,590 it does seem to be climbing, 1026 01:00:04,590 --> 01:00:06,370 and I inquired this morning, 1027 01:00:06,370 --> 01:00:11,560 the vacancy rate for Q1 2026 has climbed to 4.4%. 1028 01:00:11,560 --> 01:00:18,190 And that's something I got from your office. 1029 01:00:18,190 --> 01:00:22,970 One of the things that really was unsatisfying 1030 01:00:22,970 --> 01:00:25,390 about the annual report, 1031 01:00:25,390 --> 01:00:27,860 and actually this annual report is very typical 1032 01:00:27,860 --> 01:00:29,370 for the annual report. 1033 01:00:29,370 --> 01:00:31,610 You give a lot of metrics, you have your 1034 01:00:31,610 --> 01:00:32,280 dashboard, 1035 01:00:32,280 --> 01:00:36,230 but there's no consistent year-by-year reporting 1036 01:00:36,230 --> 01:00:37,260 showing trends. 1037 01:00:37,260 --> 01:00:40,370 You have to go back and look for that. 1038 01:00:40,370 --> 01:00:44,140 So I did a bit of research into the historical 1039 01:00:44,140 --> 01:00:45,350 vacancy rates 1040 01:00:45,350 --> 01:00:48,380 because as people remember in 2019, 1041 01:00:48,380 --> 01:00:50,880 that was one of the main concerns that the 1042 01:00:50,880 --> 01:00:51,930 council had 1043 01:00:51,930 --> 01:00:55,010 before they made substantial changes. 1044 01:00:55,010 --> 01:00:57,410 But I'm wondering what is considered 1045 01:00:57,410 --> 01:01:03,070 an acceptable vacancy rate? 1046 01:01:03,070 --> 01:01:06,940 - Thank you, I'll go to Mr. Chisholm. 1047 01:01:06,940 --> 01:01:11,550 MCH has a target vacancy rate of 3% and inform 1048 01:01:11,550 --> 01:01:13,740 ally what that means to us internally is we have 1049 01:01:13,740 --> 01:01:17,500 about 2% of the units going through renovation to 1050 01:01:17,500 --> 01:01:20,260 make ready and 1% in the pool that's being 1051 01:01:20,260 --> 01:01:23,860 rented out. So actively working with clients to 1052 01:01:23,860 --> 01:01:26,410 make sure that they can select their housing. 1053 01:01:26,410 --> 01:01:35,170 Councillor Chaucer. The number that we received 1054 01:01:35,170 --> 01:01:36,500 in the report for 2025 was 3.7 vacancy rate. That 1055 01:01:36,500 --> 01:01:42,050 that went up from the 2024 report of 2.6, 2023, 1056 01:01:42,050 --> 01:01:45,400 it was 2.7, and it dropped quite a bit 1057 01:01:45,400 --> 01:01:48,640 between 2022 and 23. Now, I know there are ebbs 1058 01:01:48,640 --> 01:01:50,060 and flows, but this seems like it's 1059 01:01:50,060 --> 01:01:53,640 a large increase, and I'd like to know in your 1060 01:01:53,640 --> 01:01:56,460 view what accounts for the spike that 1061 01:01:56,460 --> 01:01:57,450 we're seeing right now. 1062 01:01:57,450 --> 01:02:00,950 Thank you. 1063 01:02:00,950 --> 01:02:09,740 Go to Mr. Chisholm. 1064 01:02:09,740 --> 01:02:10,730 Thank you. 1065 01:02:10,730 --> 01:02:12,770 And through the chair, in the Q4, you know, this 1066 01:02:12,770 --> 01:02:14,630 is something that's reported extensively 1067 01:02:14,630 --> 01:02:18,590 at our board and the reports are available online 1068 01:02:18,590 --> 01:02:21,700 and the Q4 report that we essentially 1069 01:02:21,700 --> 01:02:24,540 do five rolling quarters to our board we don't 1070 01:02:24,540 --> 01:02:28,020 trend much longer than that and we're happy 1071 01:02:28,020 --> 01:02:30,240 to answer questions on the longer term from our 1072 01:02:30,240 --> 01:02:32,170 board should they have them but what you'll 1073 01:02:32,170 --> 01:02:35,030 notice is that the current vacancy trend is sort 1074 01:02:35,030 --> 01:02:37,350 of something that's about two quarters 1075 01:02:37,350 --> 01:02:43,380 years old, where we were in terms of unit turns, 1076 01:02:43,380 --> 01:02:47,400 so we were running at 1.4% in Q3 2025, where 1077 01:02:47,400 --> 01:02:51,610 our target is 2, and then in Q4 2025, for a name 1078 01:02:51,610 --> 01:02:54,150 flex of units from our Canum Works and 1079 01:02:54,150 --> 01:02:57,930 Housing program, we went up to 2.5%. So that is 1080 01:02:57,930 --> 01:03:00,740 higher than we wanted, but it's not unexpected 1081 01:03:00,740 --> 01:03:01,990 because of the work, the way we're getting units 1082 01:03:01,990 --> 01:03:05,120 from the CMHC program to make the rent 1083 01:03:05,120 --> 01:03:06,900 ready at the end of the process. 1084 01:03:06,900 --> 01:03:08,770 You'll also see that there's fluctuating numbers 1085 01:03:08,770 --> 01:03:09,950 that we have in our tenant placement, 1086 01:03:09,950 --> 01:03:11,700 where the team is on top of it, 1087 01:03:11,700 --> 01:03:13,700 and then something shifts, 1088 01:03:13,700 --> 01:03:16,900 and it could be something as simple as a staff 1089 01:03:16,900 --> 01:03:17,220 person 1090 01:03:17,220 --> 01:03:19,280 is off for a few months, 1091 01:03:19,280 --> 01:03:24,170 or we have another program that's having a demand 1092 01:03:24,170 --> 01:03:24,570 on them, 1093 01:03:24,570 --> 01:03:25,970 or extra work comes to them. 1094 01:03:25,970 --> 01:03:29,440 So what we saw at the end of Q4 was really, 1095 01:03:29,440 --> 01:03:32,110 reimagine Southdale coming online with 53 units, 1096 01:03:32,110 --> 01:03:34,460 an increase in CMHC units coming to us, 1097 01:03:34,460 --> 01:03:36,450 And that slowed down the rental process. 1098 01:03:36,450 --> 01:03:38,830 So we addressed that by bringing in an extra 1099 01:03:38,830 --> 01:03:39,240 resource 1100 01:03:39,240 --> 01:03:41,320 to do rental in Q1, 2026. 1101 01:03:41,320 --> 01:03:42,630 And that will start addressing that. 1102 01:03:42,630 --> 01:03:44,550 We're seeing those trends go down. 1103 01:03:44,550 --> 01:03:48,340 And as we've mentioned, we'll continue to work 1104 01:03:48,340 --> 01:03:50,580 on reducing the numbers of units in active 1105 01:03:50,580 --> 01:03:51,450 restoration. 1106 01:03:51,450 --> 01:03:58,230 We are an organization that has no free capacity. 1107 01:03:58,230 --> 01:04:00,410 So we do not have staff waiting 1108 01:04:00,410 --> 01:04:02,640 to sort of take on new tasks. 1109 01:04:02,640 --> 01:04:06,280 So our staff, our frontline staff specifically, 1110 01:04:06,280 --> 01:04:12,170 at maximum. And when we have things like in Q4 1111 01:04:12,170 --> 01:04:14,740 2025 the fire code changed, requiring us to put 1112 01:04:14,740 --> 01:04:17,520 in almost a thousand new carbon monoxide 1113 01:04:17,520 --> 01:04:21,050 detectors across our portfolio. Work like that 1114 01:04:21,050 --> 01:04:21,790 takes energy 1115 01:04:21,790 --> 01:04:24,900 away from other work we need to do. You know, it 1116 01:04:24,900 --> 01:04:27,520 's not that the work is not important. We do have 1117 01:04:27,520 --> 01:04:30,490 capacity issues. So you will see this happen over 1118 01:04:30,490 --> 01:04:33,600 time. We pay attention to this quarterly, 1119 01:04:33,600 --> 01:04:35,860 and we look for there's some other indicators in 1120 01:04:35,860 --> 01:04:37,520 the numbers we share with our board 1121 01:04:37,520 --> 01:04:40,400 that indicate we're making positive movement. 1122 01:04:40,400 --> 01:04:41,910 Our experience is that when we see 1123 01:04:41,910 --> 01:04:44,440 an increase in vacancy trend, 1124 01:04:44,440 --> 01:04:47,320 it's three to four months before the trailing 1125 01:04:47,320 --> 01:04:47,690 numbers 1126 01:04:47,690 --> 01:04:50,230 of how long it takes to turn a unit, et cetera, 1127 01:04:50,230 --> 01:04:52,440 start to remedy just to the nature of the work we 1128 01:04:52,440 --> 01:04:53,760 do. 1129 01:04:53,760 --> 01:05:03,580 - Councilor Trosso, Mr. Chisholm, your microphone 1130 01:05:03,580 --> 01:05:06,720 , please. 1131 01:05:06,720 --> 01:05:12,160 - Okay, so may I assume then that the 4.4% for Q1 1132 01:05:12,160 --> 01:05:12,260 , 2026 1133 01:05:12,160 --> 01:05:17,130 should be expected to go down in Q2 1134 01:05:17,130 --> 01:05:20,340 in subsequent quarters this year. 1135 01:05:20,340 --> 01:05:23,140 - Mr. Chisholm. 1136 01:05:23,140 --> 01:05:25,990 - We expect the trend to reflect in these numbers 1137 01:05:25,990 --> 01:05:27,700 in Q3, right? 1138 01:05:27,700 --> 01:05:30,010 So we're seeing some positive improvements 1139 01:05:30,010 --> 01:05:33,330 in two or three months so far this quarter. 1140 01:05:33,330 --> 01:05:36,700 So we're just, but the issue is, 1141 01:05:36,700 --> 01:05:38,940 one of the things we track is the number of days 1142 01:05:38,940 --> 01:05:41,900 the unit is in make ready. 1143 01:05:41,900 --> 01:05:44,310 And that number, as you slow down units 1144 01:05:44,310 --> 01:05:46,010 coming out of the system increases 1145 01:05:46,010 --> 01:05:48,490 and then just it does take a little bit of to 1146 01:05:48,490 --> 01:05:51,200 clean that up. 1147 01:05:51,200 --> 01:05:52,020 - Councillor. 1148 01:05:52,020 --> 01:05:55,260 discussion in this report and in the media and 1149 01:05:55,260 --> 01:05:57,980 previous discussions we've had deal with 1150 01:05:57,980 --> 01:05:58,910 operational 1151 01:05:58,910 --> 01:06:03,010 issues that can be quantified. I'd like to turn 1152 01:06:03,010 --> 01:06:06,540 to some of the other aspects of what's in the 1153 01:06:06,540 --> 01:06:11,460 strategic plan including organizational dynamics 1154 01:06:11,460 --> 01:06:15,410 and general service to the community. I would 1155 01:06:15,410 --> 01:06:15,570 like 1156 01:06:15,570 --> 01:06:19,190 I would like to ask a specific question and that 1157 01:06:19,190 --> 01:06:24,310 is how, what metric can you point to the LMCH 1158 01:06:24,310 --> 01:06:29,940 uses to assess overall organizational health. 1159 01:06:29,940 --> 01:06:33,050 Mr. Chisholm. 1160 01:06:33,050 --> 01:06:39,240 We don't currently have a measure for 1161 01:06:39,240 --> 01:06:40,950 organizational health. 1162 01:06:40,950 --> 01:06:45,660 We report on some metrics to our board related to 1163 01:06:45,660 --> 01:06:50,100 indicators of organizational health, but we don't 1164 01:06:50,100 --> 01:06:52,450 have an organizational health sort of. 1165 01:06:52,450 --> 01:06:57,080 of dashboard. I will say that we, you know, we 1166 01:06:57,080 --> 01:06:59,730 are working towards a staff engagement 1167 01:06:59,730 --> 01:07:02,970 survey, which is rolling out this year to sort of 1168 01:07:02,970 --> 01:07:05,820 create that baseline to start building 1169 01:07:05,820 --> 01:07:10,250 on that. As an organization, your reference to 1170 01:07:10,250 --> 01:07:13,290 the KPMG report, the indicator there is 1171 01:07:13,290 --> 01:07:17,860 that we have 57 staff to do this work across 3, 1172 01:07:17,860 --> 01:07:20,720 300 units. This organization has continued 1173 01:07:20,720 --> 01:07:22,990 to strengthen the staff to address the issues 1174 01:07:22,990 --> 01:07:23,790 across the community. 1175 01:07:23,790 --> 01:07:26,260 So now, instead of being a medium-sized employer 1176 01:07:26,260 --> 01:07:30,320 with 50 to 60 staff, we now have over 125 staff 1177 01:07:30,320 --> 01:07:32,310 doing various work from community safety 1178 01:07:32,310 --> 01:07:34,940 to tenant support to cleaning to maintenance 1179 01:07:34,940 --> 01:07:36,970 and all the support functions. 1180 01:07:36,970 --> 01:07:40,250 So our organization has increasingly been 1181 01:07:40,250 --> 01:07:42,480 becoming more complex, so we're recognizing that 1182 01:07:42,480 --> 01:07:47,530 and we will continue to build that. 1183 01:07:47,530 --> 01:07:49,740 - Thank you, and Councilor, there's also page six 1184 01:07:49,740 --> 01:07:53,010 of the report that fosters a healthy organization 1185 01:07:53,010 --> 01:07:53,220 . 1186 01:07:54,270 --> 01:07:55,100 - Councilor Johnson. 1187 01:07:55,100 --> 01:07:57,520 - Yes, and I'm asking specifically about how, 1188 01:07:57,520 --> 01:07:58,910 and I know it's harder to measure 1189 01:07:58,910 --> 01:08:01,850 these qualitative factors, 1190 01:08:01,850 --> 01:08:05,820 but I just don't see these indicators, 1191 01:08:05,820 --> 01:08:10,490 employee engagement, workload, sustainability, 1192 01:08:10,490 --> 01:08:12,390 leadership effectiveness, 1193 01:08:12,390 --> 01:08:15,210 and I know that in the past I've given most of my 1194 01:08:15,210 --> 01:08:15,940 attention 1195 01:08:15,940 --> 01:08:18,340 through the particular conditions and the 1196 01:08:18,340 --> 01:08:18,880 premises, 1197 01:08:18,880 --> 01:08:20,910 but I just wanna broaden this a little bit, 1198 01:08:20,910 --> 01:08:23,860 and I think I would like to see this council 1199 01:08:23,860 --> 01:08:27,560 start to get more reporting as you develop these, 1200 01:08:27,560 --> 01:08:29,470 I think very important metrics 1201 01:08:29,470 --> 01:08:32,300 about general organizational health issues, 1202 01:08:32,300 --> 01:08:35,700 and I see that the chair is-- 1203 01:08:35,700 --> 01:08:36,740 - Yeah, so that's it. 1204 01:08:36,740 --> 01:08:38,260 - Thank you, Mr. Squire. 1205 01:08:38,260 --> 01:08:39,360 - Sorry, through you, Chair. 1206 01:08:39,360 --> 01:08:41,400 That's an entirely valid question. 1207 01:08:41,400 --> 01:08:44,010 So I'm gonna tell you what we did, 1208 01:08:44,010 --> 01:08:46,080 and then you've heard about what we plan to do. 1209 01:08:46,080 --> 01:08:49,620 We did an entire reorg of our entire staff, 1210 01:08:49,620 --> 01:08:52,640 and it told us a lot of things that we needed 1211 01:08:52,640 --> 01:08:55,190 to do to be healthier and be more effective. 1212 01:08:55,190 --> 01:08:57,260 And I'll give you the example. 1213 01:08:57,260 --> 01:08:58,960 Sarah, who you just saw a few minutes ago, 1214 01:08:58,960 --> 01:09:01,260 I don't know if she introduced herself, 1215 01:09:01,260 --> 01:09:03,520 but she's now the Chief Operating Officer 1216 01:09:03,520 --> 01:09:05,500 of London Middlesex Community Housing. 1217 01:09:05,500 --> 01:09:07,210 So we effectively split the role 1218 01:09:07,210 --> 01:09:11,210 because we were told that our CEO was spending 1219 01:09:11,210 --> 01:09:15,070 trying to juggle sort of development of financing 1220 01:09:15,070 --> 01:09:17,860 and high level issues that we needed to deal with 1221 01:09:17,860 --> 01:09:17,960 . 1222 01:09:17,860 --> 01:09:22,750 And we didn't have enough sort of work being done 1223 01:09:22,750 --> 01:09:25,080 on the ground and what was the result of that? 1224 01:09:25,080 --> 01:09:26,920 The result of that is some of the things like 1225 01:09:26,920 --> 01:09:28,040 pest control 1226 01:09:28,040 --> 01:09:31,160 and that I've talked about today weren't being 1227 01:09:31,160 --> 01:09:31,670 addressed 1228 01:09:31,670 --> 01:09:33,620 and I think lots of people were raised before 1229 01:09:33,620 --> 01:09:36,110 including our board, we wanted to do better. 1230 01:09:36,110 --> 01:09:40,000 So now that Sarah is here, she's taking over 1231 01:09:40,000 --> 01:09:43,540 the full load of what are the deep operational 1232 01:09:43,540 --> 01:09:44,260 matters. 1233 01:09:44,260 --> 01:09:47,870 Human resources was also expanded 1234 01:09:47,870 --> 01:09:49,860 and we were told to do that. 1235 01:09:49,860 --> 01:09:52,890 To make sure that the health of our organization 1236 01:09:52,890 --> 01:09:55,350 was met and complied with all the statutes. 1237 01:09:55,350 --> 01:09:57,660 Now, Sarah just reminded me that she actually 1238 01:09:57,660 --> 01:09:59,690 started working 1239 01:09:59,690 --> 01:10:02,160 at our London Middlesex Media Housing 1240 01:10:02,160 --> 01:10:04,820 three days before the last annual meeting. 1241 01:10:04,820 --> 01:10:06,640 I remember her coming to the meeting and meeting 1242 01:10:06,640 --> 01:10:06,840 her. 1243 01:10:06,840 --> 01:10:07,730 She was sitting there and I said, 1244 01:10:07,730 --> 01:10:09,560 "Hi, Sarah, how are you nice to meet you?" 1245 01:10:09,560 --> 01:10:13,790 So we haven't moved quite fair to point out. 1246 01:10:13,790 --> 01:10:16,460 We haven't moved to that next step of evaluating. 1247 01:10:16,460 --> 01:10:18,720 First of all, what's the effectiveness of what we 1248 01:10:18,720 --> 01:10:19,330 've done? 1249 01:10:19,330 --> 01:10:21,650 These changes we've made, are they helping? 1250 01:10:21,650 --> 01:10:24,750 we think they are. In fact, I'm fairly convinced 1251 01:10:24,750 --> 01:10:26,820 they are, just from the reports we're getting. 1252 01:10:26,820 --> 01:10:28,980 Do we need to go on and do what you're saying? 1253 01:10:28,980 --> 01:10:33,150 Absolutely. Absolutely. And we will do it. 1254 01:10:33,150 --> 01:10:34,140 Councillor Trossa. 1255 01:10:34,140 --> 01:10:37,110 Okay. Well, thank you for that, because to 1256 01:10:37,110 --> 01:10:40,060 reiterate the concern that I'm landing on 1257 01:10:40,060 --> 01:10:45,210 today, it's that we are receiving operational 1258 01:10:45,210 --> 01:10:49,250 capital-focused views of organizational 1259 01:10:49,250 --> 01:10:50,160 performance. 1260 01:10:50,160 --> 01:10:53,840 and one can always pull out particular things 1261 01:10:53,840 --> 01:10:56,650 that you've done that are considered to be 1262 01:10:56,650 --> 01:10:56,970 effective, 1263 01:10:56,970 --> 01:10:59,630 like what you've done at Kent Street. 1264 01:10:59,630 --> 01:11:00,700 Now, when I saw your-- 1265 01:11:00,700 --> 01:11:01,540 - 30 seconds. 1266 01:11:01,540 --> 01:11:02,370 - When I saw your Kent, 1267 01:11:02,370 --> 01:11:04,470 I'm gonna ask for some additional time. 1268 01:11:04,470 --> 01:11:05,620 I'd like another two minutes 1269 01:11:05,620 --> 01:11:12,520 if somebody would move that for me. 1270 01:11:12,520 --> 01:11:14,930 - I have a request for two additional minutes. 1271 01:11:14,930 --> 01:11:15,920 I have Councillor Stevenson 1272 01:11:15,920 --> 01:11:18,200 who's willing to move that request for additional 1273 01:11:18,200 --> 01:11:18,440 time 1274 01:11:18,440 --> 01:11:19,990 looking for a seconder. 1275 01:11:19,990 --> 01:11:21,300 Councillor Hopkins, thank you. 1276 01:11:21,300 --> 01:11:34,900 Just a moment, please. 1277 01:11:34,900 --> 01:11:35,670 Thank you. 1278 01:11:35,670 --> 01:11:40,950 We will open the vote. 1279 01:11:40,950 --> 01:11:47,800 - So votes yes. 1280 01:11:47,800 --> 01:11:51,300 the motion carries 13 to 2. Thank you you may go 1281 01:11:51,300 --> 01:11:54,500 ahead you have just about two 1282 01:11:54,500 --> 01:11:59,480 minutes and I guess I remain frustrated that I 1283 01:11:59,480 --> 01:12:02,340 get my five minutes every year 1284 01:12:02,340 --> 01:12:05,130 to ask questions this year I get seven so thank 1285 01:12:05,130 --> 01:12:07,390 you thank you very much for that 1286 01:12:07,390 --> 01:12:09,620 and I spent a lot of time doing research beyond 1287 01:12:09,620 --> 01:12:10,830 what was on the face of the 1288 01:12:10,830 --> 01:12:15,600 reports I am I'm I still have this nagging 1289 01:12:15,600 --> 01:12:20,080 problem that the same time that 1290 01:12:20,080 --> 01:12:24,110 But you are admittedly increasing your scope in 1291 01:12:24,110 --> 01:12:26,800 terms of things that you're going to do. 1292 01:12:26,800 --> 01:12:29,820 You're going to not just provide RGI housing, you 1293 01:12:29,820 --> 01:12:32,350 're going to provide affordable housing, 1294 01:12:32,350 --> 01:12:37,670 which is closer to market, and some market. 1295 01:12:37,670 --> 01:12:40,080 Without having a very, very broad discussion 1296 01:12:40,080 --> 01:12:42,490 about whether or not you're capable of doing 1297 01:12:42,490 --> 01:12:45,240 that, given your current organizational structure 1298 01:12:45,240 --> 01:12:48,150 , because I don't want to seem negative. 1299 01:12:48,150 --> 01:12:50,090 I'm trying to be positive today. 1300 01:12:50,090 --> 01:12:53,170 But I have serious concerns about this. 1301 01:12:53,170 --> 01:12:57,030 And if I feel that your ambition in terms of 1302 01:12:57,030 --> 01:13:00,870 doing new things is outpacing your ability 1303 01:13:00,870 --> 01:13:03,920 to absorb that in your organization, given your 1304 01:13:03,920 --> 01:13:06,590 organizational constraints, and given 1305 01:13:06,590 --> 01:13:09,900 the funding that you have, I'm going to raise 1306 01:13:09,900 --> 01:13:10,680 that. 1307 01:13:10,680 --> 01:13:13,040 I do not feel as if this council gets enough 1308 01:13:13,040 --> 01:13:15,460 reporting, I would like to see these reports 1309 01:13:15,460 --> 01:13:17,950 come in more often. 1310 01:13:17,950 --> 01:13:21,730 I would like to not have to be just a once-a-year 1311 01:13:21,730 --> 01:13:24,390 event that would like to have more of an ongoing 1312 01:13:24,390 --> 01:13:27,190 opportunity to raise these questions, 1313 01:13:27,190 --> 01:13:29,990 particularly about some of these qualitative 1314 01:13:29,990 --> 01:13:30,750 functions 1315 01:13:30,750 --> 01:13:34,580 regarding organizational health. 1316 01:13:34,580 --> 01:13:37,890 And I really want to see the vacancy rate come 1317 01:13:37,890 --> 01:13:40,650 down because the vacancy rate is really 1318 01:13:40,650 --> 01:13:44,050 what affects our most vulnerable citizens from 1319 01:13:44,050 --> 01:13:46,280 being able to access housing. 1320 01:13:46,280 --> 01:13:50,130 And I think that at some point, we need to see 1321 01:13:50,130 --> 01:13:51,050 that come down. 1322 01:13:51,050 --> 01:13:54,290 I mean, you were doing well for a while. 1323 01:13:54,290 --> 01:13:54,870 And then something-- 1324 01:13:54,870 --> 01:13:55,880 30 seconds? 1325 01:13:55,880 --> 01:13:57,610 I can't put my finger on it. 1326 01:13:57,610 --> 01:14:00,520 And I'm going to continue to try to investigate 1327 01:14:00,520 --> 01:14:01,090 this. 1328 01:14:01,090 --> 01:14:03,730 I will say, at a very operational level, 1329 01:14:03,730 --> 01:14:08,690 the complaints that I get from residents in-- 1330 01:14:08,690 --> 01:14:10,010 well, I'm ward 6. 1331 01:14:10,010 --> 01:14:14,630 As you know, I have 345 Warren Cliff. 1332 01:14:14,630 --> 01:14:16,790 The complaints have not gone down. 1333 01:14:16,790 --> 01:14:19,610 if anything they get worse and I'm really hearing 1334 01:14:19,610 --> 01:14:22,600 from people in the neighborhood that it's just 1335 01:14:22,600 --> 01:14:25,760 becoming very, very difficult to be around your 1336 01:14:25,760 --> 01:14:28,010 premises. And I tried to stay away from 1337 01:14:28,010 --> 01:14:28,730 operational 1338 01:14:28,730 --> 01:14:31,540 issues today. I'll be focusing on some of the 1339 01:14:31,540 --> 01:14:34,060 other health issues and I'll pick this up at the 1340 01:14:34,060 --> 01:14:38,340 council. Thank you very much. Thank you. I didn't 1341 01:14:38,340 --> 01:14:41,760 hear a question. I didn't want it to be 1342 01:14:41,760 --> 01:14:42,550 disrespectful 1343 01:14:42,550 --> 01:14:44,310 and not have someone standing at the podium. But 1344 01:14:44,310 --> 01:14:45,880 if there's a question I can answer, I'd be 1345 01:14:45,880 --> 01:14:46,110 pleased 1346 01:14:46,110 --> 01:14:48,170 I'm so thrilled that Councillor Trosto 1347 01:14:48,170 --> 01:14:49,160 got an extra two minutes. 1348 01:14:49,160 --> 01:14:49,990 That's. 1349 01:14:49,990 --> 01:14:52,250 - Thank you, Mr. Sawyer. 1350 01:14:52,250 --> 01:14:53,820 Okay, I will look to other members. 1351 01:14:53,820 --> 01:14:57,730 Council for questions. 1352 01:14:57,730 --> 01:15:00,480 I'm Councillor McAllister, go ahead. 1353 01:15:00,480 --> 01:15:02,550 - Thank you and through the chair. 1354 01:15:02,550 --> 01:15:05,280 I did just want to again, take this opportunity. 1355 01:15:05,280 --> 01:15:06,950 Thank you, almost each staff. 1356 01:15:06,950 --> 01:15:09,260 I know we have some board members here as well. 1357 01:15:09,260 --> 01:15:13,130 And our tenants as well as being engaged 1358 01:15:13,130 --> 01:15:15,320 as much as they are on the board. 1359 01:15:15,320 --> 01:15:17,350 They also have their opportunities 1360 01:15:17,350 --> 01:15:20,040 within the different locations as well. 1361 01:15:20,040 --> 01:15:21,630 I think Mr. Chisholm also mentioned earlier 1362 01:15:21,630 --> 01:15:23,420 in terms of food security. 1363 01:15:23,420 --> 01:15:25,810 I find it really heartwarming to see 1364 01:15:25,810 --> 01:15:26,700 the community come together. 1365 01:15:26,700 --> 01:15:27,900 They have their community cupboards. 1366 01:15:27,900 --> 01:15:29,590 There's a lot of different programs on site 1367 01:15:29,590 --> 01:15:32,040 that the different communities come together 1368 01:15:32,040 --> 01:15:32,820 to support each other. 1369 01:15:32,820 --> 01:15:34,350 So that's appreciated. 1370 01:15:34,350 --> 01:15:36,140 In terms of the report from last year, 1371 01:15:36,140 --> 01:15:38,730 I again want to reiterate how important it is 1372 01:15:38,730 --> 01:15:41,110 that we are seeing the first community housing 1373 01:15:41,110 --> 01:15:43,000 built in 50 years. 1374 01:15:43,000 --> 01:15:44,690 I think that's a testament to the investment 1375 01:15:44,690 --> 01:15:48,660 Council previously and this Council as well has 1376 01:15:48,660 --> 01:15:50,960 made. I do think we are trending in the right 1377 01:15:50,960 --> 01:15:53,750 direction. A lot of these metrics are going in 1378 01:15:53,750 --> 01:15:56,880 the right direction. Yes, we do want to get the 1379 01:15:56,880 --> 01:15:59,400 vacancy rate down, but we had a big disruptor 1380 01:15:59,400 --> 01:16:02,840 last year in terms of, you know, change over from 1381 01:16:02,840 --> 01:16:02,940 , 1382 01:16:02,850 --> 01:16:05,060 you know, townhouses to a mid-rise and seeing 1383 01:16:05,060 --> 01:16:07,640 those turnovers, I'm sure it took a little bit of 1384 01:16:07,640 --> 01:16:07,880 a 1385 01:16:07,880 --> 01:16:10,160 time and staff have spoken to that in terms of 1386 01:16:10,160 --> 01:16:12,430 some of the issues we were dealing with. 1387 01:16:12,430 --> 01:16:14,520 but I just want to say from my perspective as a 1388 01:16:14,520 --> 01:16:15,220 board member, 1389 01:16:15,220 --> 01:16:17,490 I'm always pleased in terms of what I see at the 1390 01:16:17,490 --> 01:16:18,010 board. 1391 01:16:18,010 --> 01:16:20,320 As Councillors, we very much have the opportunity 1392 01:16:20,320 --> 01:16:22,320 to engage with LMCH. 1393 01:16:22,320 --> 01:16:25,510 We all have different sites in our areas, 1394 01:16:25,510 --> 01:16:27,830 and I think the staff have been very willing to 1395 01:16:27,830 --> 01:16:28,140 meet with 1396 01:16:28,140 --> 01:16:29,820 Councillors one-on-one if they have those 1397 01:16:29,820 --> 01:16:31,660 operational issues they want to raise. 1398 01:16:31,660 --> 01:16:34,480 So again, I want to thank them for coming today, 1399 01:16:34,480 --> 01:16:35,330 engaging with us. 1400 01:16:35,330 --> 01:16:36,840 I'm very happy with what we've seen in this 1401 01:16:36,840 --> 01:16:37,080 report, 1402 01:16:37,080 --> 01:16:38,760 and I think we're moving in the right direction, 1403 01:16:38,760 --> 01:16:39,720 so thank you. 1404 01:16:39,720 --> 01:16:46,010 Thank you. Mayor Morgan next. Yes, I'll make a 1405 01:16:46,010 --> 01:16:49,040 few comments. First, I'm maybe on the vacancy 1406 01:16:49,040 --> 01:16:51,000 rate. I'll just say I appreciate the concern 1407 01:16:51,000 --> 01:16:53,020 about the vacancy rate because it's something 1408 01:16:53,020 --> 01:16:53,180 that 1409 01:16:53,180 --> 01:16:56,090 has been a concern of previous councils and has 1410 01:16:56,090 --> 01:16:58,980 led to some fairly dramatic shifts in our 1411 01:16:58,980 --> 01:16:59,380 approach 1412 01:16:59,380 --> 01:17:01,860 to the board in the past. What I will say is I do 1413 01:17:01,860 --> 01:17:04,780 feel Mr. Chisholm pretty clearly answered some of 1414 01:17:04,780 --> 01:17:07,060 and I think Councillor McAllister recent 1415 01:17:07,060 --> 01:17:09,820 fluctuations in the vacancy rate. I think there's 1416 01:17:09,820 --> 01:17:10,360 a significant 1417 01:17:10,360 --> 01:17:12,330 an amount of renovation work going on through the 1418 01:17:12,330 --> 01:17:14,990 CMHC grants that are very beneficial to 1419 01:17:14,990 --> 01:17:17,150 the organization and the quality of the units, 1420 01:17:17,150 --> 01:17:19,300 the accessibility of the units, as well as 1421 01:17:19,300 --> 01:17:21,210 the new stock that's coming online. 1422 01:17:21,210 --> 01:17:23,300 And so when those things all happen at once, 1423 01:17:23,300 --> 01:17:25,680 there's a lot of people to get into new spaces 1424 01:17:25,680 --> 01:17:28,500 and there's obviously no shortage of need, but 1425 01:17:28,500 --> 01:17:30,710 that does take a process in some time. 1426 01:17:30,710 --> 01:17:31,700 So I understand that. 1427 01:17:31,700 --> 01:17:33,980 But I also expect, as others do, that that would 1428 01:17:33,980 --> 01:17:35,810 stabilize to a more normalized level 1429 01:17:35,810 --> 01:17:38,300 in the coming quarters. 1430 01:17:38,300 --> 01:17:42,110 I want to say to the organization, I think that 1431 01:17:42,110 --> 01:17:43,570 when we're the shareholder and you have 1432 01:17:43,570 --> 01:17:46,350 a chance to come before us, you know, only once 1433 01:17:46,350 --> 01:17:48,350 or twice a year for different matters, 1434 01:17:48,350 --> 01:17:50,220 I think it can be a lot of questions and, you 1435 01:17:50,220 --> 01:17:51,970 know, we get a lot of feedback and, you 1436 01:17:51,970 --> 01:17:53,690 know, being a city council means you get a lot of 1437 01:17:53,690 --> 01:17:54,280 criticism. 1438 01:17:54,280 --> 01:17:56,390 People don't often say, call in when something's 1439 01:17:56,390 --> 01:17:57,390 going really great. 1440 01:17:57,390 --> 01:17:59,030 They're calling in when they have a concern or a 1441 01:17:59,030 --> 01:18:00,740 problem or need some help with something. 1442 01:18:00,740 --> 01:18:02,730 So I think that's why you would tend to get a lot 1443 01:18:02,730 --> 01:18:04,480 of questions about the organization 1444 01:18:04,480 --> 01:18:07,150 because we get a lot of feedback about that. 1445 01:18:07,150 --> 01:18:10,450 I'll say this is an organization that is on the 1446 01:18:10,450 --> 01:18:13,160 front lines of like housing 1447 01:18:13,160 --> 01:18:15,970 affordability in the city of the 5,000 RGI units 1448 01:18:15,970 --> 01:18:17,690 that are in the city you know 1449 01:18:17,690 --> 01:18:20,780 almost 3,300 of them are managed by one of 1450 01:18:20,780 --> 01:18:24,280 Middlesex community housing and that 1451 01:18:24,280 --> 01:18:27,890 means you're really helping people who most have 1452 01:18:27,890 --> 01:18:30,000 an affordability issue have a 1453 01:18:30,000 --> 01:18:32,780 place to live and so that involves an incredible 1454 01:18:32,780 --> 01:18:35,100 amount of work. I also want 1455 01:18:35,100 --> 01:18:37,170 and I'm gonna echo what Councillor McAllister 1456 01:18:37,170 --> 01:18:37,270 said. 1457 01:18:37,240 --> 01:18:39,400 I don't think we should discount how significant 1458 01:18:39,400 --> 01:18:40,570 it is 1459 01:18:40,570 --> 01:18:43,340 that this organization is now building 1460 01:18:43,340 --> 01:18:46,060 with council support, building new stock, 1461 01:18:46,060 --> 01:18:48,370 not just one building, but two buildings 1462 01:18:48,370 --> 01:18:50,710 and then funded for the third 1463 01:18:50,710 --> 01:18:52,690 for the first time in over 50 years. 1464 01:18:52,690 --> 01:18:55,500 Like when we recognize the need for housing in 1465 01:18:55,500 --> 01:18:55,820 the city, 1466 01:18:55,820 --> 01:18:58,080 we know that investments in environmental sex 1467 01:18:58,080 --> 01:18:58,400 community 1468 01:18:58,400 --> 01:19:01,980 housing are an absolutely critical part of that. 1469 01:19:01,980 --> 01:19:03,970 And I had a chance to meet with the CEO 1470 01:19:03,970 --> 01:19:08,620 of Bill Canada Homes a couple weeks back. 1471 01:19:08,620 --> 01:19:12,040 And we talked about social housing corporations 1472 01:19:12,040 --> 01:19:15,640 and municipally owned housing corporations 1473 01:19:15,640 --> 01:19:17,990 and the incredible opportunity that we have 1474 01:19:17,990 --> 01:19:21,020 with those organizations that are in a position 1475 01:19:21,020 --> 01:19:24,330 to have stock that is in need of refurbishment 1476 01:19:24,330 --> 01:19:24,990 and repair, 1477 01:19:24,990 --> 01:19:28,010 but also and most importantly land 1478 01:19:28,010 --> 01:19:30,710 that has the ability to have some 1479 01:19:30,710 --> 01:19:32,500 some density added to it and some refurbishment 1480 01:19:32,500 --> 01:19:33,450 added to it 1481 01:19:33,450 --> 01:19:35,340 At a time when the federal government is 1482 01:19:35,340 --> 01:19:35,870 desperately 1483 01:19:35,870 --> 01:19:38,330 looking for land partners and people 1484 01:19:38,330 --> 01:19:41,650 who have assets that they can pour a considerable 1485 01:19:41,650 --> 01:19:41,900 amount 1486 01:19:41,900 --> 01:19:45,090 of capital dollars into to create housing, 1487 01:19:45,090 --> 01:19:47,520 and a particular focus on affordable housing. 1488 01:19:47,520 --> 01:19:50,670 So there are many innovative approaches 1489 01:19:50,670 --> 01:19:52,020 that are happening across the country 1490 01:19:52,020 --> 01:19:55,590 to taking advantage of existing land stock in 1491 01:19:55,590 --> 01:19:56,360 municipalities, 1492 01:19:56,360 --> 01:19:58,280 whether that's federal, provincial, municipal. 1493 01:19:58,280 --> 01:20:00,510 But housing corporation land, I think, 1494 01:20:00,510 --> 01:20:02,500 is a really strategic asset. 1495 01:20:02,500 --> 01:20:04,930 and we know from previous experience, 1496 01:20:04,930 --> 01:20:07,870 the reorientation of some of the housing stock 1497 01:20:07,870 --> 01:20:10,200 could be quite beneficial to the clients they 1498 01:20:10,200 --> 01:20:10,740 serve. 1499 01:20:10,740 --> 01:20:13,610 Some of the stock was built in an era in a time 1500 01:20:13,610 --> 01:20:17,000 where you don't have a great design 1501 01:20:17,000 --> 01:20:18,520 to the structure of the buildings, 1502 01:20:18,520 --> 01:20:21,690 it can create challenges for sightlines and 1503 01:20:21,690 --> 01:20:22,630 safety, 1504 01:20:22,630 --> 01:20:25,260 and that there is an opportunity to correct that 1505 01:20:25,260 --> 01:20:27,170 through the regeneration plan, 1506 01:20:27,170 --> 01:20:29,170 and I think the vision that this board 1507 01:20:29,170 --> 01:20:30,760 and this organization has for the future. 1508 01:20:30,760 --> 01:20:34,100 So I greatly appreciate the work that the staff 1509 01:20:34,100 --> 01:20:34,430 is doing. 1510 01:20:34,430 --> 01:20:36,110 I know that it's incredibly difficult and 1511 01:20:36,110 --> 01:20:36,790 challenging work, 1512 01:20:36,790 --> 01:20:38,260 and it's a work for an organization 1513 01:20:38,260 --> 01:20:42,100 that has moved into a different era of operations 1514 01:20:42,100 --> 01:20:42,200 , 1515 01:20:42,100 --> 01:20:44,130 where they're actually building now, 1516 01:20:44,130 --> 01:20:46,150 and they have all of those components of building 1517 01:20:46,150 --> 01:20:47,400 new stock, 1518 01:20:47,400 --> 01:20:50,910 now part of the daily work of an organization 1519 01:20:50,910 --> 01:20:53,730 that for a long time was simply just a property 1520 01:20:53,730 --> 01:20:53,980 manager 1521 01:20:53,980 --> 01:20:56,740 with other community partners engaged with them. 1522 01:20:56,740 --> 01:20:59,530 So I appreciate the work that's being done. 1523 01:20:59,530 --> 01:21:01,400 I want to say I appreciate the investments 1524 01:21:01,400 --> 01:21:04,230 from the federal government as well through CMHC. 1525 01:21:04,230 --> 01:21:06,310 The type of work that we're now doing is very 1526 01:21:06,310 --> 01:21:06,700 difficult 1527 01:21:06,700 --> 01:21:09,970 to do without partnerships and capital dollars 1528 01:21:09,970 --> 01:21:11,490 from federal and provincial governments. 1529 01:21:11,490 --> 01:21:15,790 So all that to say, I don't have any questions 1530 01:21:15,790 --> 01:21:16,240 today. 1531 01:21:16,240 --> 01:21:17,930 And I just appreciate the work that's being done 1532 01:21:17,930 --> 01:21:21,260 and I wanted to end on that note. 1533 01:21:21,260 --> 01:21:24,600 - Thank you, Councilor Palosa, next. 1534 01:21:24,600 --> 01:21:26,120 - Thank you, Madam Chair. 1535 01:21:26,120 --> 01:21:28,910 This could be a question through you first at LMC 1536 01:21:28,910 --> 01:21:29,010 H 1537 01:21:29,000 --> 01:21:30,860 and then to city staff, same question. 1538 01:21:31,980 --> 01:21:35,380 I appreciate the update today and having been on 1539 01:21:35,380 --> 01:21:37,750 site with your reimagined Southdale project 1540 01:21:37,750 --> 01:21:39,740 and the investment we're making in community 1541 01:21:39,740 --> 01:21:43,030 housing, grateful that the staff complement 1542 01:21:43,030 --> 01:21:47,270 is increasing to help address a better service 1543 01:21:47,270 --> 01:21:50,020 standard to the residents and while reducing 1544 01:21:50,020 --> 01:21:54,340 the time expected to get said service. Looking to 1545 01:21:54,340 --> 01:21:57,810 LMCH and the city both for reply as your 1546 01:21:57,810 --> 01:22:01,660 training staff, engaging them and doing these 1547 01:22:01,660 --> 01:22:02,050 things. 1548 01:22:02,050 --> 01:22:05,310 Has there been any conversation of an opportunity 1549 01:22:05,310 --> 01:22:08,750 that might already exist with city train 1550 01:22:08,750 --> 01:22:09,460 that could be available? 1551 01:22:09,460 --> 01:22:11,310 I'm thinking in the past, 1552 01:22:11,310 --> 01:22:14,850 this council's allowed for board training 1553 01:22:14,850 --> 01:22:16,960 of some not-for-profits. 1554 01:22:16,960 --> 01:22:18,670 There's been bystander intervention training 1555 01:22:18,670 --> 01:22:19,860 before, 1556 01:22:19,860 --> 01:22:21,370 especially former councilor Squire, 1557 01:22:21,370 --> 01:22:23,080 we'd know about the I-Learn programs. 1558 01:22:23,080 --> 01:22:24,590 Is there anything that the city can do 1559 01:22:24,590 --> 01:22:29,030 or has done to help address staff training 1560 01:22:29,030 --> 01:22:30,770 through programs that we currently offer 1561 01:22:30,770 --> 01:22:32,510 that could be of use to you as well. 1562 01:22:32,510 --> 01:22:34,390 Realizing this could potentially reduce some 1563 01:22:34,390 --> 01:22:34,890 training 1564 01:22:34,890 --> 01:22:36,910 if we already had the modules available in-house 1565 01:22:36,910 --> 01:22:43,380 that could make available to LMCH. 1566 01:22:43,380 --> 01:22:44,210 - Thank you. 1567 01:22:44,210 --> 01:22:45,350 I think I'll start with LMCH 1568 01:22:45,350 --> 01:22:48,020 and then we'll go to city staff. 1569 01:22:48,020 --> 01:22:51,480 Ms. DeCandy, go ahead. 1570 01:22:51,480 --> 01:22:54,760 - Through the chair, we do have access 1571 01:22:54,760 --> 01:22:57,490 to quite a bit of training. 1572 01:22:57,490 --> 01:23:00,840 So for example, we just participated in many 1573 01:23:00,840 --> 01:23:04,020 staff participate in RGI. We call it RGI 101 1574 01:23:04,020 --> 01:23:07,290 training last week. There are a few different 1575 01:23:07,290 --> 01:23:09,220 cross-functional training that our staff 1576 01:23:09,220 --> 01:23:13,670 participate in. At LMCH, we also do offer our own 1577 01:23:13,670 --> 01:23:14,250 training, 1578 01:23:14,250 --> 01:23:16,760 for example, you know, managing complex 1579 01:23:16,760 --> 01:23:19,820 situations, de-escalations. We have our own 1580 01:23:19,820 --> 01:23:21,900 training as well, too, whether it's a done-by- 1581 01:23:21,900 --> 01:23:24,460 third party, and we have some certified staff in- 1582 01:23:24,460 --> 01:23:24,760 house. 1583 01:23:25,630 --> 01:23:29,890 that does speak to, so we're an organization that 1584 01:23:29,890 --> 01:23:31,650 is evolving, we're an organization that 1585 01:23:31,650 --> 01:23:35,010 very much appreciates the need for us to continue 1586 01:23:35,010 --> 01:23:40,460 to upscale. In speaking for a moment to 1587 01:23:40,460 --> 01:23:45,550 council trust those comments as well to on 1588 01:23:45,550 --> 01:23:46,410 organizational well-being, I think I'm actually 1589 01:23:46,410 --> 01:23:49,740 grateful because coming from I come from health 1590 01:23:49,740 --> 01:23:53,590 care, coming into housing, I'm now understanding 1591 01:23:53,590 --> 01:23:55,970 differently the need for advocacy around people 1592 01:23:55,970 --> 01:23:57,920 who work in housing across the 1593 01:23:57,920 --> 01:24:01,710 sector not just at LMCH. Staff well-being and 1594 01:24:01,710 --> 01:24:04,460 safety has been a priority of 1595 01:24:04,460 --> 01:24:06,120 organization that I walked into and has been my 1596 01:24:06,120 --> 01:24:07,240 number one priority since I've 1597 01:24:07,240 --> 01:24:10,170 been here. As we evolve and our business changes 1598 01:24:10,170 --> 01:24:11,500 the complexity and community 1599 01:24:11,500 --> 01:24:15,090 change we need to continue to offer the training 1600 01:24:15,090 --> 01:24:17,400 and up-skiller staff to reflect 1601 01:24:17,400 --> 01:24:19,250 the realities of what we're seeing in our 1602 01:24:19,250 --> 01:24:20,980 communities and what our staff are 1603 01:24:20,980 --> 01:24:24,160 taking home. So there are some metrics that weren 1604 01:24:24,160 --> 01:24:25,980 't mentioned that we are looking at so Paul 1605 01:24:25,980 --> 01:24:30,320 mentioned a baseline staff survey. This is the 1606 01:24:30,320 --> 01:24:32,580 first time in many years that this will be done 1607 01:24:32,580 --> 01:24:37,200 that'll help give us some good intel. We are also 1608 01:24:37,200 --> 01:24:42,080 looking at different tools that are available to 1609 01:24:42,080 --> 01:24:45,310 us even the academic space around presenteeism. 1610 01:24:45,310 --> 01:24:48,280 So looking at are you taking vacations? How are 1611 01:24:48,280 --> 01:24:52,020 using sick time. That kind of stuff will be 1612 01:24:52,020 --> 01:24:53,970 looking at retention. These are all 1613 01:24:53,970 --> 01:24:56,000 numbers that we do have access to that we are 1614 01:24:56,000 --> 01:24:57,600 looking at and we're developing a 1615 01:24:57,600 --> 01:25:00,140 plan hopefully in alignment with the staff survey 1616 01:25:00,140 --> 01:25:01,300 that are put us in a path 1617 01:25:01,300 --> 01:25:03,380 forward. It's better reflective of the pressures 1618 01:25:03,380 --> 01:25:04,610 we face in the work we do every 1619 01:25:04,610 --> 01:25:06,720 day in addition to the pressures we take home 1620 01:25:06,720 --> 01:25:08,190 with us as a result of the work we 1621 01:25:08,190 --> 01:25:11,070 do every day. So there's a lot of great work 1622 01:25:11,070 --> 01:25:12,760 happening that and we're just 1623 01:25:12,760 --> 01:25:16,720 getting started. Thank you. I saw Mr. Felberg sit 1624 01:25:16,720 --> 01:25:17,990 down so I'm assuming that he 1625 01:25:17,990 --> 01:25:22,410 to answer a question. So go to him. Thank you. 1626 01:25:22,410 --> 01:25:24,600 Thank you, Madam Chair. So as Mr. 1627 01:25:24,600 --> 01:25:28,290 Canada noted, we we've recently done some RGI 1628 01:25:28,290 --> 01:25:29,390 training with a number of our 1629 01:25:29,390 --> 01:25:31,670 nonprofits and property managers on CH 1630 01:25:31,670 --> 01:25:34,220 participated in that as well. We've 1631 01:25:34,220 --> 01:25:37,050 also delivered and have on our city website a 1632 01:25:37,050 --> 01:25:39,220 series of board training modules 1633 01:25:39,220 --> 01:25:41,510 that we worked with pillar nonprofit on. Not sure 1634 01:25:41,510 --> 01:25:42,970 that that necessarily fits with 1635 01:25:42,970 --> 01:25:45,740 what LMCH might need as far as training goes. 1636 01:25:45,740 --> 01:25:47,330 They have a very competent board. 1637 01:25:47,330 --> 01:25:52,420 Our finance team certainly supports LMCH with 1638 01:25:52,420 --> 01:25:53,740 their capital asset management work and all 1639 01:25:53,740 --> 01:25:56,270 of the activities around that. 1640 01:25:56,270 --> 01:25:59,850 And then recently we do bi-monthly meetings with 1641 01:25:59,850 --> 01:26:02,990 non-profit sector proponents, property 1642 01:26:02,990 --> 01:26:06,250 managers and non-profit housing providers, LMCH 1643 01:26:06,250 --> 01:26:08,540 is an active participant at that. 1644 01:26:08,540 --> 01:26:10,220 And we've recently been undertaking some 1645 01:26:10,220 --> 01:26:12,370 continuous improvement work where we're starting 1646 01:26:12,370 --> 01:26:12,610 to look 1647 01:26:12,610 --> 01:26:15,810 get some of the different processes within our 1648 01:26:15,810 --> 01:26:16,610 waitlist, 1649 01:26:16,610 --> 01:26:18,640 for example, our overhouse process, 1650 01:26:18,640 --> 01:26:20,720 and LMCH will be an active participant 1651 01:26:20,720 --> 01:26:24,560 in those continuous improvement activities, 1652 01:26:24,560 --> 01:26:26,710 which are also with the property managers 1653 01:26:26,710 --> 01:26:28,750 out in the nonprofit sector as well. 1654 01:26:28,750 --> 01:26:31,910 So there are a lot of things already happening. 1655 01:26:31,910 --> 01:26:33,540 If Councilor liked to chat offline, 1656 01:26:33,540 --> 01:26:35,410 maybe there's some specific things that she's 1657 01:26:35,410 --> 01:26:35,980 looking at, 1658 01:26:35,980 --> 01:26:38,340 and we can certainly approach LMCH 1659 01:26:38,340 --> 01:26:40,820 about further enhancements. 1660 01:26:40,820 --> 01:26:42,530 - Councilor Pileza. 1661 01:26:42,530 --> 01:26:43,860 - Thank you, Madam Chair. 1662 01:26:43,860 --> 01:26:45,840 Mr. Felberg, I enjoy our time together, 1663 01:26:45,840 --> 01:26:47,300 but it was just really a touch point, 1664 01:26:47,300 --> 01:26:49,520 making sure that those conversations 1665 01:26:49,520 --> 01:26:51,420 are happening and resources available. 1666 01:26:51,420 --> 01:26:55,420 One follow up to LMCH as you are gonna be 1667 01:26:55,420 --> 01:26:56,700 starting 1668 01:26:56,700 --> 01:26:59,760 the staff survey, and we had mentioned retention 1669 01:26:59,760 --> 01:27:02,220 and absenteeism are those things that we could 1670 01:27:02,220 --> 01:27:03,090 anticipate 1671 01:27:03,090 --> 01:27:06,190 as council coming forward in a future report 1672 01:27:06,190 --> 01:27:12,500 that we would get to see those numbers as well. 1673 01:27:12,500 --> 01:27:15,360 - Mr. Chisholm, go ahead. 1674 01:27:15,360 --> 01:27:17,440 - Thank you and through the chair. 1675 01:27:17,440 --> 01:27:20,960 What we anticipate through the work we're gonna 1676 01:27:20,960 --> 01:27:21,060 do 1677 01:27:21,020 --> 01:27:24,760 over the next 12 to 15 months is we're gonna take 1678 01:27:24,760 --> 01:27:25,120 the, 1679 01:27:25,120 --> 01:27:27,230 we're gonna roll with the engagement survey. 1680 01:27:27,230 --> 01:27:29,220 We're gonna use that information to inform 1681 01:27:29,220 --> 01:27:31,400 the engagement on our strategic plan, 1682 01:27:31,400 --> 01:27:32,600 which will include staff. 1683 01:27:32,600 --> 01:27:34,790 And what we expect to do is build out 1684 01:27:34,790 --> 01:27:40,270 our priority set for the next four years, 1685 01:27:40,270 --> 01:27:44,230 2028 to 2031, that'll sort of have that strategy. 1686 01:27:44,230 --> 01:27:46,580 We would expect that strategy to come to the 1687 01:27:46,580 --> 01:27:47,210 board 1688 01:27:47,210 --> 01:27:50,040 come to council once approved by the board so it 1689 01:27:50,040 --> 01:27:53,210 will inform leadership and 1690 01:27:53,210 --> 01:27:56,570 management it will be shared with our board and 1691 01:27:56,570 --> 01:27:58,450 then it will make its way to 1692 01:27:58,450 --> 01:28:00,540 council so how that iterates from the exact 1693 01:28:00,540 --> 01:28:02,110 numbers of the engagement survey 1694 01:28:02,110 --> 01:28:05,010 results we haven't yet sort of looked at see how 1695 01:28:05,010 --> 01:28:06,890 the results will come back to us 1696 01:28:06,890 --> 01:28:10,090 so I can't say on that but yeah it is it will 1697 01:28:10,090 --> 01:28:12,380 form the basis for the next 1698 01:28:12,380 --> 01:28:15,900 health organization priorities for our 20-28-31 1699 01:28:15,900 --> 01:28:17,880 strategic plan. 1700 01:28:17,880 --> 01:28:19,260 - Councilor Palosa. 1701 01:28:19,260 --> 01:28:20,220 - Sorry, thank you, Madam Chair. 1702 01:28:20,220 --> 01:28:21,250 Not quite a direct answer, 1703 01:28:21,250 --> 01:28:24,070 but I'm assuming if absenteeism and retention 1704 01:28:24,070 --> 01:28:26,890 is information they collect for the LMCH board 1705 01:28:26,890 --> 01:28:28,560 that that would be available to us as well 1706 01:28:28,560 --> 01:28:30,270 as it informs other decision-making. 1707 01:28:30,270 --> 01:28:32,810 I'll leave it there as I know we have more things 1708 01:28:32,810 --> 01:28:34,980 on the agenda, thank you. 1709 01:28:34,980 --> 01:28:37,390 - Thank you, looking for other speakers. 1710 01:28:37,390 --> 01:28:38,450 Councilor Stevenson. 1711 01:28:38,450 --> 01:28:40,500 - Thank you, I just wanted to ask a question. 1712 01:28:40,500 --> 01:28:43,050 You know, it's been mentioned about the first 1713 01:28:43,050 --> 01:28:46,300 housing built in 50 years and yet Londoners know 1714 01:28:46,300 --> 01:28:49,730 we built 403 Thompson and 122 baseline 1715 01:28:49,730 --> 01:28:52,980 and I understand and the board chair mentioned 1716 01:28:52,980 --> 01:28:55,730 that LMCH is new because we had LMHC and we 1717 01:28:55,730 --> 01:28:58,690 have had HDC and now we have LMCH. 1718 01:28:58,690 --> 01:29:05,480 I just wondered through you chair, from your 1719 01:29:05,480 --> 01:29:10,460 perspective, is there a reason why all the 1720 01:29:10,460 --> 01:29:14,720 housing isn't in with LMCH like even now why we 1721 01:29:14,720 --> 01:29:17,520 're not as a city transferring that property 1722 01:29:17,520 --> 01:29:22,340 to LMCH so we have all the housing in one space 1723 01:29:22,340 --> 01:29:26,040 and if it's not appropriate to ask here that's 1724 01:29:26,040 --> 01:29:26,280 fine 1725 01:29:26,280 --> 01:29:29,050 but it's it's a question that I keep wondering 1726 01:29:29,050 --> 01:29:34,710 about. Okay I'm looking at Mr. Chisholm do you 1727 01:29:34,710 --> 01:29:34,870 have 1728 01:29:34,870 --> 01:29:36,730 anything to add if not I can turn to other 1729 01:29:36,730 --> 01:29:40,520 speakers to answer that question. Through the 1730 01:29:40,520 --> 01:29:40,900 chair that 1731 01:29:40,900 --> 01:29:45,640 that is out of the scope of the CEO's answer. 1732 01:29:45,640 --> 01:29:46,460 - Thank you. 1733 01:29:46,460 --> 01:29:48,310 I'm not sure city staff want to address that 1734 01:29:48,310 --> 01:29:48,720 question 1735 01:29:48,720 --> 01:29:50,050 at this time. 1736 01:29:50,050 --> 01:30:01,480 Well, I can turn to Mr. Felberg. 1737 01:30:01,480 --> 01:30:03,030 - Thank you and through Madam Chair. 1738 01:30:03,030 --> 01:30:04,710 So under the Housing Services Act, 1739 01:30:04,710 --> 01:30:07,870 we have our 63 nonprofits and we recently added a 1740 01:30:07,870 --> 01:30:09,690 64th. 1741 01:30:09,690 --> 01:30:13,710 And so we've been delegated that authority 1742 01:30:13,710 --> 01:30:14,910 from the province under that 1743 01:30:14,910 --> 01:30:16,740 to manage all of those nonprofits. 1744 01:30:16,740 --> 01:30:19,610 And then LMCHS, our local housing board, 1745 01:30:19,610 --> 01:30:21,840 which was delegated also through the province 1746 01:30:21,840 --> 01:30:27,820 and is Council's sole shareholder up. 1747 01:30:27,820 --> 01:30:30,580 - Thank you, I'll go back to Councilor Stevenson. 1748 01:30:30,580 --> 01:30:32,370 - Thank you, so I guess my question though 1749 01:30:32,370 --> 01:30:36,690 is we've got buildings that LMCH is managing, 1750 01:30:36,690 --> 01:30:38,860 or one of them, I guess 122 baseline, 1751 01:30:38,860 --> 01:30:40,720 and we've contracted that out, 1752 01:30:40,720 --> 01:30:43,470 but we're leaving some of these buildings 1753 01:30:43,470 --> 01:30:46,530 in the city assets, like is there a plan? 1754 01:30:46,530 --> 01:30:49,240 And maybe, I was gonna ask it when we got to HTC, 1755 01:30:49,240 --> 01:30:51,240 and so maybe that's a better time, 1756 01:30:51,240 --> 01:30:55,520 but when we talk about the first time we built 1757 01:30:55,520 --> 01:30:55,990 housing 1758 01:30:55,990 --> 01:31:00,740 in 50 years and as a city, we've opened buildings 1759 01:31:00,740 --> 01:31:07,480 in this term. 1760 01:31:07,480 --> 01:31:09,850 - I'll go to Mr. Mayor's, go ahead. 1761 01:31:09,850 --> 01:31:11,690 - Through to the chair, those are very good 1762 01:31:11,690 --> 01:31:12,260 questions 1763 01:31:12,260 --> 01:31:15,390 and I think they need to be addressed. 1764 01:31:15,390 --> 01:31:17,600 We've had the same kind of discussions over the 1765 01:31:17,600 --> 01:31:17,940 years 1766 01:31:17,940 --> 01:31:20,040 about where these assets should remain. 1767 01:31:20,040 --> 01:31:22,990 So we will have future updates on that. 1768 01:31:22,990 --> 01:31:25,010 We don't have a specific answer for you today 1769 01:31:25,010 --> 01:31:26,620 'cause there might be different ways to deal 1770 01:31:26,620 --> 01:31:28,200 with each of the different buildings 1771 01:31:28,200 --> 01:31:30,030 that we currently have associated. 1772 01:31:30,030 --> 01:31:37,020 So, but there will be a future reporting on that. 1773 01:31:37,020 --> 01:31:38,600 - Thank you, I'll go back to Councillor Stevenson 1774 01:31:38,600 --> 01:31:38,700 . 1775 01:31:38,600 --> 01:31:40,890 I'll leave it there, thanks. 1776 01:31:40,890 --> 01:31:44,570 Thank you, looking for other speakers. 1777 01:31:44,570 --> 01:31:49,940 Okay, Councillor Van Mirbergen. 1778 01:31:49,940 --> 01:31:52,310 - Thank you, Chair. 1779 01:31:52,310 --> 01:31:56,590 I was very happy to hear that the level of clean 1780 01:31:56,590 --> 01:31:57,690 liness 1781 01:31:57,690 --> 01:32:01,450 is significantly improving. 1782 01:32:01,450 --> 01:32:05,260 What is the main driver of that? 1783 01:32:05,260 --> 01:32:10,330 Is it better contractors, better direction? 1784 01:32:10,330 --> 01:32:14,120 - Could you expand on that? 1785 01:32:14,120 --> 01:32:16,700 - Mr. Chisholm. 1786 01:32:16,700 --> 01:32:19,940 - Thank you and through the chair. 1787 01:32:19,940 --> 01:32:22,280 A lot of their challenges on cleanliness in the 1788 01:32:22,280 --> 01:32:22,880 building 1789 01:32:22,880 --> 01:32:26,010 is the behavior of guests, trespassers, 1790 01:32:26,010 --> 01:32:27,830 and some tenant behavior. 1791 01:32:27,830 --> 01:32:29,810 So we've been actively working with tenants 1792 01:32:29,810 --> 01:32:33,170 on sort of, you know, making sure they're leaving 1793 01:32:33,170 --> 01:32:33,410 things 1794 01:32:33,410 --> 01:32:34,920 where they're supposed to be leaving them and 1795 01:32:34,920 --> 01:32:35,830 managing that. 1796 01:32:35,830 --> 01:32:39,000 But also the fact of taking over direct manage 1797 01:32:39,000 --> 01:32:41,230 of the custodians and the cleaning staff, 1798 01:32:41,230 --> 01:32:44,560 we're better able to directly direct their work 1799 01:32:44,560 --> 01:32:47,290 on each site to meet the needs of the site. 1800 01:32:47,290 --> 01:32:50,110 So we've been able to increase hours at some 1801 01:32:50,110 --> 01:32:50,420 sites. 1802 01:32:50,420 --> 01:32:52,770 We've been sort of making sure we're strengthened 1803 01:32:52,770 --> 01:32:55,080 in training protocols and things like that. 1804 01:32:55,080 --> 01:32:58,070 So it's just really, we're able to put a greater 1805 01:32:58,070 --> 01:32:58,540 attention 1806 01:32:58,540 --> 01:32:59,380 to it. 1807 01:32:59,380 --> 01:33:02,200 So by talking to tenants or dealing with their 1808 01:33:02,200 --> 01:33:02,300 guests 1809 01:33:02,210 --> 01:33:03,800 when they're not behaving appropriately, 1810 01:33:03,800 --> 01:33:06,350 leaving garbage in the hallways or making messes, 1811 01:33:06,350 --> 01:33:10,560 we're actively doing that every day and also 1812 01:33:10,560 --> 01:33:10,900 working 1813 01:33:10,900 --> 01:33:13,720 with our team to make sure that they have a 1814 01:33:13,720 --> 01:33:14,110 cleaning 1815 01:33:14,110 --> 01:33:15,980 schedule and program that works for the building. 1816 01:33:15,980 --> 01:33:18,050 The number of hours, the tools they have, 1817 01:33:18,050 --> 01:33:20,130 and we'll continue to strengthen that program. 1818 01:33:20,130 --> 01:33:22,000 We're going to be introducing sort of things 1819 01:33:22,000 --> 01:33:23,890 like walk behind machines that you sort of see at 1820 01:33:23,890 --> 01:33:24,310 Costco 1821 01:33:24,310 --> 01:33:26,230 where they're able to sort of sweep and mop 1822 01:33:26,230 --> 01:33:27,740 at the same time and we're just, 1823 01:33:27,740 --> 01:33:29,140 let's us do it more efficiently. 1824 01:33:29,140 --> 01:33:31,850 We'll leave a cleaner floor and things like that. 1825 01:33:31,850 --> 01:33:34,880 So we're actively engaging in how do we improve 1826 01:33:34,880 --> 01:33:35,120 this, 1827 01:33:35,120 --> 01:33:37,470 make it more efficient and make it a better place 1828 01:33:37,470 --> 01:33:39,330 to live for tenants. 1829 01:33:39,330 --> 01:33:41,550 - Council Mayor Mirrigan. 1830 01:33:41,550 --> 01:33:42,860 - Okay, thanks for that. 1831 01:33:42,860 --> 01:33:48,480 - Similarly, the drop in the need for pest 1832 01:33:48,480 --> 01:33:49,500 control 1833 01:33:49,500 --> 01:33:51,940 is another good news story. 1834 01:33:51,940 --> 01:33:54,060 Would that be directly linked to the fact 1835 01:33:54,060 --> 01:33:56,510 that the cleanliness has gone on? 1836 01:33:56,510 --> 01:33:59,470 What would account for the drop in the need for 1837 01:33:59,470 --> 01:34:00,720 pest control? 1838 01:34:00,720 --> 01:34:03,650 - Mr. Chisholm. 1839 01:34:03,650 --> 01:34:05,040 - Thank you and through the chair. 1840 01:34:05,040 --> 01:34:10,010 It is really a persistence of staff to develop 1841 01:34:10,010 --> 01:34:13,090 and implement an integrated pest management 1842 01:34:13,090 --> 01:34:13,940 program. 1843 01:34:13,940 --> 01:34:17,070 So we started about three years ago 1844 01:34:17,070 --> 01:34:19,010 where we were putting a lot of energy and 1845 01:34:19,010 --> 01:34:19,510 resources 1846 01:34:19,510 --> 01:34:21,550 into pest control, but not driving results. 1847 01:34:21,550 --> 01:34:24,010 So by just paying attention to the data 1848 01:34:24,010 --> 01:34:25,000 differently, 1849 01:34:25,000 --> 01:34:27,830 getting better records, seeing what's happening, 1850 01:34:27,830 --> 01:34:30,820 we went through an evolution where we were 1851 01:34:30,820 --> 01:34:32,690 looking at different treatment models, 1852 01:34:32,690 --> 01:34:34,920 we were looking at how to support tenants better 1853 01:34:34,920 --> 01:34:36,590 through the process, trying to figure out, 1854 01:34:36,590 --> 01:34:38,300 answer that exact question that you're like, 1855 01:34:38,300 --> 01:34:40,010 what is driving these numbers? 1856 01:34:40,010 --> 01:34:43,630 And the reality is it's a combination of the 1857 01:34:43,630 --> 01:34:44,590 buildings 1858 01:34:44,590 --> 01:34:47,740 and as they are and how tenants are living in the 1859 01:34:47,740 --> 01:34:48,180 units 1860 01:34:48,180 --> 01:34:50,280 and sometimes some just bad behavior 1861 01:34:50,280 --> 01:34:52,850 of collecting things out of the garbage 1862 01:34:52,850 --> 01:34:54,580 that are already infested with bugs 1863 01:34:54,580 --> 01:34:56,000 and bringing them into their unit. 1864 01:34:56,000 --> 01:34:59,080 So what we've done is we are integrated pest 1865 01:34:59,080 --> 01:34:59,850 management 1866 01:34:59,850 --> 01:35:02,150 focused on timely service delivery, 1867 01:35:02,150 --> 01:35:03,700 meaning that we're getting to the units. 1868 01:35:03,700 --> 01:35:06,030 There's not weight you call and we come out to 1869 01:35:06,030 --> 01:35:07,660 your building 1870 01:35:07,660 --> 01:35:09,760 the same day every week and we'll get you in. 1871 01:35:09,760 --> 01:35:13,530 And we have a philosophy of do something. 1872 01:35:13,530 --> 01:35:16,630 So in the past, if you have a structured program, 1873 01:35:16,630 --> 01:35:18,260 if the people don't prep a certain way 1874 01:35:18,260 --> 01:35:20,190 your pest control provider wouldn't do a 1875 01:35:20,190 --> 01:35:20,850 treatment, 1876 01:35:20,850 --> 01:35:23,430 which would delay the cycle again and again. 1877 01:35:23,430 --> 01:35:25,060 So we've got on top of that 1878 01:35:25,060 --> 01:35:26,530 and we have a do something approach, 1879 01:35:26,530 --> 01:35:29,350 which means when the pest control company goes in 1880 01:35:29,350 --> 01:35:30,000 there, 1881 01:35:30,000 --> 01:35:30,840 they do something. 1882 01:35:30,840 --> 01:35:32,350 They do the best they can. 1883 01:35:32,350 --> 01:35:34,650 They might not do the most effective treatment, 1884 01:35:34,650 --> 01:35:36,440 but they will start the treatment program. 1885 01:35:36,440 --> 01:35:38,470 So what we're seeing is that is improving the 1886 01:35:38,470 --> 01:35:39,340 clearance rate. 1887 01:35:39,340 --> 01:35:42,390 building confidence with tenants, the tenants are 1888 01:35:42,390 --> 01:35:43,510 getting a little information of how to 1889 01:35:43,510 --> 01:35:45,940 do it better next time in real time from the 1890 01:35:45,940 --> 01:35:46,620 provider. 1891 01:35:46,620 --> 01:35:48,630 So we're able to just build up and build up on 1892 01:35:48,630 --> 01:35:49,460 confidence. 1893 01:35:49,460 --> 01:35:52,410 So now by making sure we're doing that 1894 01:35:52,410 --> 01:35:55,610 effectively, we're seeing reductions. 1895 01:35:55,610 --> 01:35:58,670 So we're seeing, and by things like we talked a 1896 01:35:58,670 --> 01:36:01,600 little bit about the unit inspection program, 1897 01:36:01,600 --> 01:36:04,970 our unit inspection program as part of one of the 1898 01:36:04,970 --> 01:36:07,650 outcomes of that is we identify units 1899 01:36:07,650 --> 01:36:10,910 that are not on our pest control radar, 1900 01:36:10,910 --> 01:36:12,630 that have pest infestations. 1901 01:36:12,630 --> 01:36:14,260 So I think the number last year 1902 01:36:14,260 --> 01:36:17,620 was maybe 150 units that hadn't told us they had 1903 01:36:17,620 --> 01:36:17,970 pests. 1904 01:36:17,970 --> 01:36:19,440 So we're getting to those units 1905 01:36:19,440 --> 01:36:21,230 before they become problematic. 1906 01:36:21,230 --> 01:36:23,310 And then everything else is built to make sure, 1907 01:36:23,310 --> 01:36:25,660 what can we do to make sure they get treatment? 1908 01:36:25,660 --> 01:36:28,050 And do we divert them to a housing stability case 1909 01:36:28,050 --> 01:36:28,490 coordinator 1910 01:36:28,490 --> 01:36:29,920 that can work one-on-one with them? 1911 01:36:29,920 --> 01:36:31,400 Do we engage in agency? 1912 01:36:31,400 --> 01:36:33,710 So it's really do something, let's address this 1913 01:36:33,710 --> 01:36:34,190 problem. 1914 01:36:34,190 --> 01:36:36,100 And it's really having a significant impact 1915 01:36:36,100 --> 01:36:38,950 across the organization. 1916 01:36:38,950 --> 01:36:39,750 - Councillor. 1917 01:36:39,750 --> 01:36:42,320 - Well, thank you and congrats on that 1918 01:36:42,320 --> 01:36:45,210 because that directly improves quality of life. 1919 01:36:45,210 --> 01:36:48,060 And so this is a good news story. 1920 01:36:48,060 --> 01:36:50,910 So thanks very much. 1921 01:36:50,910 --> 01:36:55,700 - Other speakers, okay, seeing none in chambers 1922 01:36:55,700 --> 01:36:58,480 and none online, we will open the vote on this 1923 01:36:58,480 --> 01:37:15,190 item. 1924 01:37:15,190 --> 01:37:19,440 Closing the vote, motion carries 15 to zero. 1925 01:37:19,440 --> 01:37:20,890 - Thank you, Mr. Chisholm. 1926 01:37:20,890 --> 01:37:22,110 Thank you, Mr. Squire. 1927 01:37:22,110 --> 01:37:24,650 Thank you, Ms. DeCandida as well. 1928 01:37:24,650 --> 01:37:26,910 Okay, we'll move on to item 3.2, 1929 01:37:26,910 --> 01:37:28,700 which is the Housing and Development Corporation, 1930 01:37:28,700 --> 01:37:31,570 London 2025 Annual General Meeting 1931 01:37:31,570 --> 01:37:34,440 of the Shareholder Annual Resolutions. 1932 01:37:34,440 --> 01:37:37,590 You have in front of you the 2025 year-end report 1933 01:37:37,590 --> 01:37:40,100 to Shareholder and the financial statements 1934 01:37:40,100 --> 01:37:43,770 of Housing Development Corporation from KPMBG 1935 01:37:43,770 --> 01:37:46,280 from December 31st of 2025. 1936 01:37:46,280 --> 01:37:48,400 I'm looking for a mover and a seconder for this 1937 01:37:48,400 --> 01:37:48,600 item 1938 01:37:48,600 --> 01:37:50,150 before we begin discussion. 1939 01:37:50,150 --> 01:37:52,690 I have Councillor Frank and Councillor Ferrera, 1940 01:37:52,690 --> 01:37:53,180 thank you 1941 01:37:53,180 --> 01:38:00,960 and looking for speakers on this item. 1942 01:38:00,960 --> 01:38:02,960 Councillor Stevenson. 1943 01:38:02,960 --> 01:38:04,640 - Thank you, I do have some questions 1944 01:38:04,640 --> 01:38:07,300 on the financial statements on this one. 1945 01:38:07,300 --> 01:38:13,190 So it says basically the financial assets 1946 01:38:13,190 --> 01:38:17,310 of the corporation as of December 31st, 2025 1947 01:38:17,310 --> 01:38:20,390 is a reserve fund with the city. 1948 01:38:20,390 --> 01:38:27,200 And it says set aside for, I've lost it now, 1949 01:38:27,200 --> 01:38:29,940 but I think it said set aside for specific 1950 01:38:29,940 --> 01:38:31,060 purposes. 1951 01:38:31,060 --> 01:38:32,660 I just wondered if we could find out 1952 01:38:32,660 --> 01:38:35,340 what those purposes are. 1953 01:38:35,340 --> 01:38:37,260 Mr. Felberg. 1954 01:38:37,260 --> 01:38:38,180 - Thank you, Madam Chair. 1955 01:38:38,180 --> 01:38:41,510 and I'm acting in capacity as the HDC at the 1956 01:38:41,510 --> 01:38:42,150 moment. 1957 01:38:42,150 --> 01:38:44,340 So the purposes will be for, 1958 01:38:44,340 --> 01:38:47,520 that will ultimately be transferred to the city 1959 01:38:47,520 --> 01:38:49,290 and it will go back into the Affordable Housing 1960 01:38:49,290 --> 01:38:49,950 Reserve Fund 1961 01:38:49,950 --> 01:38:51,420 and then it will be used for the purposes 1962 01:38:51,420 --> 01:38:55,590 of further future affordable housing. 1963 01:38:55,590 --> 01:38:57,240 - Councillor Stevenson. 1964 01:38:57,240 --> 01:38:58,070 - Thank you. 1965 01:38:58,070 --> 01:39:00,310 Any reason why that just wasn't done at year end? 1966 01:39:00,310 --> 01:39:01,760 Like a lot of things were cleared out, 1967 01:39:01,760 --> 01:39:04,160 but not this amount. 1968 01:39:04,160 --> 01:39:06,050 - Mr. Felber. 1969 01:39:06,050 --> 01:39:07,370 - Thank you and through you Madam Chair. 1970 01:39:07,370 --> 01:39:09,120 So there's still some activities related 1971 01:39:09,120 --> 01:39:10,880 to the dissolution that we need to complete. 1972 01:39:10,880 --> 01:39:14,900 So as you'll note in a shareholder report, 1973 01:39:14,900 --> 01:39:18,290 we talk about two outstanding claims that we need 1974 01:39:18,290 --> 01:39:18,890 to resolve. 1975 01:39:18,890 --> 01:39:21,840 Once those are resolved, the full dissolution can 1976 01:39:21,840 --> 01:39:22,640 occur. 1977 01:39:22,640 --> 01:39:24,790 There are still some minor expenses 1978 01:39:24,790 --> 01:39:26,340 that we need to maintain and pay for. 1979 01:39:26,340 --> 01:39:28,620 For example, the financial audit 1980 01:39:28,620 --> 01:39:31,610 and the financial statements that we do annually. 1981 01:39:31,610 --> 01:39:35,230 This should hopefully be the second last annual 1982 01:39:35,230 --> 01:39:36,620 shareholder 1983 01:39:37,330 --> 01:39:41,600 meeting that HDC completes and all of the real 1984 01:39:41,600 --> 01:39:42,010 assets, 1985 01:39:42,010 --> 01:39:43,750 all the agreements, all the properties 1986 01:39:43,750 --> 01:39:45,050 have been transferred to the city 1987 01:39:45,050 --> 01:39:49,420 with that last remaining piece still outstanding. 1988 01:39:49,420 --> 01:39:51,300 - Councillor Stevenson. 1989 01:39:51,300 --> 01:39:52,130 - Thank you. 1990 01:39:52,130 --> 01:39:54,380 So I did hear the answer in the previous section, 1991 01:39:54,380 --> 01:39:56,100 but you just said there the assets were 1992 01:39:56,100 --> 01:39:56,590 transferred 1993 01:39:56,590 --> 01:40:00,370 to the city and I would like to know, 1994 01:40:00,370 --> 01:40:02,590 was council involved in that decision 1995 01:40:02,590 --> 01:40:04,480 as to where the assets were transferred, 1996 01:40:04,480 --> 01:40:06,530 whether it went to the corporation of the city of 1997 01:40:06,530 --> 01:40:06,860 London 1998 01:40:06,860 --> 01:40:10,250 or whether it went to LMCH. 1999 01:40:10,250 --> 01:40:12,300 Mr. Felberg. 2000 01:40:12,300 --> 01:40:13,960 - Thank you, and through you, Madam Chair. 2001 01:40:13,960 --> 01:40:17,900 So civic administration brought a report to SPPC 2002 01:40:17,900 --> 01:40:21,960 in November of 2024, and at that time, 2003 01:40:21,960 --> 01:40:26,860 we outlined the transition plan 2004 01:40:26,860 --> 01:40:28,570 and how it would be actioned. 2005 01:40:28,570 --> 01:40:30,960 And at that time, it was decided 2006 01:40:30,960 --> 01:40:33,270 that the assets would be transferred to the city. 2007 01:40:33,270 --> 01:40:37,750 At this point, that completing the dissolution 2008 01:40:37,750 --> 01:40:38,900 is definitely the first step 2009 01:40:38,900 --> 01:40:42,120 of all the activities related to the HDC and 2010 01:40:42,120 --> 01:40:43,260 wrapping it up. 2011 01:40:43,260 --> 01:40:45,350 What to do with those three properties? 2012 01:40:45,350 --> 01:40:47,780 So Thompson, Sylvan and Baseline is still one 2013 01:40:47,780 --> 01:40:49,650 of those things that we have to address. 2014 01:40:49,650 --> 01:40:51,950 And we'll be the subject of future reports 2015 01:40:51,950 --> 01:40:55,220 as Mr. May, there's already identified. 2016 01:40:55,220 --> 01:40:57,360 - Councillor Stevenson. 2017 01:40:57,360 --> 01:40:58,190 - Thank you, yes. 2018 01:40:58,190 --> 01:40:59,740 So if I could just ask at the time 2019 01:40:59,740 --> 01:41:02,010 that that recommendation came to council saying 2020 01:41:02,010 --> 01:41:02,860 transfer them 2021 01:41:02,860 --> 01:41:05,120 to the corporation of the city of London, 2022 01:41:05,120 --> 01:41:10,430 what was the rationale for that, Mr. Felber? 2023 01:41:10,430 --> 01:41:11,580 - Through you, Madam Chair. 2024 01:41:11,580 --> 01:41:14,380 So at the time, a big part of what we were 2025 01:41:14,380 --> 01:41:15,020 wrestling with 2026 01:41:15,020 --> 01:41:19,140 with the province was the land transfer tax. 2027 01:41:19,140 --> 01:41:22,140 So because we were transferring from a 2028 01:41:22,140 --> 01:41:22,990 corporation 2029 01:41:22,990 --> 01:41:25,970 of the city of London to the city of London, 2030 01:41:25,970 --> 01:41:28,050 we were provided with an exemption for land 2031 01:41:28,050 --> 01:41:28,750 transfer tax. 2032 01:41:28,750 --> 01:41:30,230 So we didn't end up paying for that. 2033 01:41:30,230 --> 01:41:32,450 So that was a big part and a big cost savings 2034 01:41:32,450 --> 01:41:34,520 for the city overall for us to be able to 2035 01:41:34,520 --> 01:41:34,920 transfer 2036 01:41:34,920 --> 01:41:38,730 the properties at that time in that way. 2037 01:41:38,730 --> 01:41:40,830 - Councillor Stevenson. 2038 01:41:40,830 --> 01:41:41,660 - Thank you. 2039 01:41:41,660 --> 01:41:43,600 So my understanding was part of the reason 2040 01:41:43,600 --> 01:41:46,420 This is dragged on so long was this issue 2041 01:41:46,420 --> 01:41:47,610 of the land transfer tax. 2042 01:41:47,610 --> 01:41:51,180 So was that the only way then to avoid the land 2043 01:41:51,180 --> 01:41:52,000 transfer tax? 2044 01:41:52,000 --> 01:41:54,110 So we weren't able to, 2045 01:41:54,110 --> 01:41:55,830 it would have cost us money basically then 2046 01:41:55,830 --> 01:41:58,770 to go to LMCH. 2047 01:41:58,770 --> 01:41:59,540 - Mr. Palper. 2048 01:41:59,540 --> 01:42:01,870 - Through you Madam Chair. 2049 01:42:01,870 --> 01:42:03,460 So yes, the land transfer tax, 2050 01:42:03,460 --> 01:42:06,530 that was a few million dollars in cost to the 2051 01:42:06,530 --> 01:42:07,200 city. 2052 01:42:07,200 --> 01:42:08,710 So it was one of the ways 2053 01:42:08,710 --> 01:42:11,740 and one of the recommendations from KPMG 2054 01:42:11,740 --> 01:42:14,010 who was providing us advice on that. 2055 01:42:15,000 --> 01:42:18,040 We didn't explore the transfer to LNCH at that 2056 01:42:18,040 --> 01:42:18,510 time, 2057 01:42:18,510 --> 01:42:20,900 but again, that is something we'll be looking at 2058 01:42:20,900 --> 01:42:22,950 in future. 2059 01:42:22,950 --> 01:42:24,330 - Councillor Stevenson. 2060 01:42:24,330 --> 01:42:25,160 - Okay, thanks. 2061 01:42:25,160 --> 01:42:27,490 A couple other questions on the related party 2062 01:42:27,490 --> 01:42:28,360 transaction, 2063 01:42:28,360 --> 01:42:30,890 section three on page 98. 2064 01:42:30,890 --> 01:42:35,850 It talks about receivables. 2065 01:42:35,850 --> 01:42:39,120 In 2025, the city assumed loan receivable 2066 01:42:39,120 --> 01:42:41,970 and accounts receivable, receivable, 2067 01:42:41,970 --> 01:42:46,100 from the corporation in the amount of 240, 2,437, 2068 01:42:46,100 --> 01:42:46,900 000. 2069 01:42:47,260 --> 01:42:49,990 So I'd just like more details on that 2070 01:42:49,990 --> 01:42:52,160 and where those amounts collected, 2071 01:42:52,160 --> 01:43:05,700 particularly the accounts receivable portion. 2072 01:43:05,700 --> 01:43:07,610 - I'll go to Mr. Felberg 2073 01:43:07,610 --> 01:43:10,130 or anyone else would like to answer that question 2074 01:43:10,130 --> 01:43:10,360 . 2075 01:43:10,360 --> 01:43:11,270 - Thank you, Madam Chair. 2076 01:43:11,270 --> 01:43:13,400 I'd need to go back and take a look at that 2077 01:43:13,400 --> 01:43:14,040 specifically. 2078 01:43:14,040 --> 01:43:16,830 I'm not sure Ms. Barmon has any information on 2079 01:43:16,830 --> 01:43:16,930 that 2080 01:43:16,840 --> 01:43:20,600 at the moment. 2081 01:43:20,600 --> 01:43:21,750 - Thank you. 2082 01:43:21,750 --> 01:43:23,690 Counselor, are you satisfied with an answer 2083 01:43:23,690 --> 01:43:24,550 offline on that 2084 01:43:24,550 --> 01:43:29,600 or I think that's what we have right now? 2085 01:43:29,600 --> 01:43:30,510 - Okay, that's fine. 2086 01:43:30,510 --> 01:43:33,330 if I could get it by email before council, 2087 01:43:33,330 --> 01:43:35,320 then that would be great. 2088 01:43:35,320 --> 01:43:36,850 I'll send some of the other ones I have 2089 01:43:36,850 --> 01:43:40,000 in terms of the specifics of the financial pieces 2090 01:43:40,000 --> 01:43:42,460 of the HDC. 2091 01:43:42,460 --> 01:43:45,880 It does just seem like a lot of stuff is lumped 2092 01:43:45,880 --> 01:43:46,460 together 2093 01:43:46,460 --> 01:43:48,560 and put through, and I just feel like the 2094 01:43:48,560 --> 01:43:49,040 taxpayers 2095 01:43:49,040 --> 01:43:50,700 wanted to see the specifics, 2096 01:43:50,700 --> 01:43:53,960 especially when 122 baseline was involved. 2097 01:43:53,960 --> 01:43:56,020 Thanks. 2098 01:43:56,020 --> 01:43:58,790 - Thank you, and I see a head nod from Mr. Fal 2099 01:43:58,790 --> 01:43:58,890 berg 2100 01:43:58,790 --> 01:44:00,760 about providing that before council. 2101 01:44:01,750 --> 01:44:10,520 Councilor, do you have any other questions? 2102 01:44:10,520 --> 01:44:16,940 - Maybe just a quick overview from staff 2103 01:44:16,940 --> 01:44:18,800 for the public who, like I said, 2104 01:44:18,800 --> 01:44:22,460 is maybe not aware of the transitions 2105 01:44:22,460 --> 01:44:24,200 through what happened with the housing, 2106 01:44:24,200 --> 01:44:26,780 how HTC came and went so quickly, 2107 01:44:26,780 --> 01:44:29,030 and maybe why it's been dragging on so long, 2108 01:44:29,030 --> 01:44:32,900 would be helpful. 2109 01:44:32,900 --> 01:44:36,960 - Mr. Felberg, if you wanna hit the highlights. 2110 01:44:36,960 --> 01:44:39,610 - Thank you, Madam Chair, and through you. 2111 01:44:39,610 --> 01:44:43,880 So back in 2019, 2020, around that time, 2112 01:44:43,880 --> 01:44:47,620 there was an audit undertaken by KPMG. 2113 01:44:47,620 --> 01:44:49,720 And at that time, they had identified that they 2114 01:44:49,720 --> 01:44:51,580 proposed 2115 01:44:51,580 --> 01:44:55,310 a council that they moved the HDC back in-house. 2116 01:44:55,310 --> 01:44:58,200 And it would provide a better oversight for 2117 01:44:58,200 --> 01:44:58,600 council 2118 01:44:58,600 --> 01:45:00,520 and a loud council that have more input on 2119 01:45:00,520 --> 01:45:01,570 housing 2120 01:45:01,570 --> 01:45:04,310 and affordable housing and new developments 2121 01:45:04,310 --> 01:45:07,110 and all the things around what the HDC was doing 2122 01:45:07,110 --> 01:45:08,170 at the time. 2123 01:45:08,170 --> 01:45:10,060 I think you've seen over the past couple of years 2124 01:45:10,060 --> 01:45:10,160 , 2125 01:45:10,160 --> 01:45:11,990 civic administration brought a number of reports, 2126 01:45:11,990 --> 01:45:14,690 councils had been able to provide guidance 2127 01:45:14,690 --> 01:45:18,240 and provide support and direction on various 2128 01:45:18,240 --> 01:45:18,620 elements 2129 01:45:18,620 --> 01:45:21,430 of the roadmap to 3,000 and other programs such 2130 01:45:21,430 --> 01:45:21,960 as that. 2131 01:45:21,960 --> 01:45:27,150 So as far as the redevelopment side of things, 2132 01:45:27,150 --> 01:45:29,020 so the three properties that we have, 2133 01:45:29,020 --> 01:45:30,730 as I noted, those are things that we'll be 2134 01:45:30,730 --> 01:45:31,330 bringing forward 2135 01:45:31,330 --> 01:45:34,670 in the future and looking to really deliver 2136 01:45:34,670 --> 01:45:37,100 on what HDC's original intent was, 2137 01:45:37,100 --> 01:45:39,390 which was to actually build buildings 2138 01:45:39,390 --> 01:45:44,130 with the property operator on board at the time 2139 01:45:44,130 --> 01:45:45,680 and then be able to transfer 2140 01:45:45,680 --> 01:45:47,840 in order to create new affordable housing in the 2141 01:45:47,840 --> 01:45:48,460 city. 2142 01:45:48,460 --> 01:45:50,290 So that's all activities that are 2143 01:45:50,290 --> 01:45:52,250 municipal housing and industrial development team 2144 01:45:52,250 --> 01:45:52,920 do already 2145 01:45:52,920 --> 01:45:54,900 and we'll just be looking to enhance that 2146 01:45:54,900 --> 01:45:56,850 and continuing to deliver on the good work 2147 01:45:56,850 --> 01:45:58,750 that we've been doing. 2148 01:45:58,750 --> 01:46:00,190 - Councillor Stevenson. 2149 01:46:00,190 --> 01:46:01,020 - Thanks, that's good. 2150 01:46:01,020 --> 01:46:02,870 I'd love the better oversight part 2151 01:46:02,870 --> 01:46:04,330 and I guess that's why I have a lot of questions 2152 01:46:04,330 --> 01:46:07,430 on these statements, so I'll send them via email. 2153 01:46:07,430 --> 01:46:10,830 - Thank you, I've Councillor Trossa next. 2154 01:46:10,830 --> 01:46:15,890 - Yes, through the chair, I'm just wondering, 2155 01:46:15,890 --> 01:46:19,690 are there continuing roles that this corporation 2156 01:46:19,690 --> 01:46:22,680 could productively be playing? 2157 01:46:22,680 --> 01:46:25,890 In that, anytime you wanna set up a new entity, 2158 01:46:25,890 --> 01:46:29,230 their startup costs, we have this entity. 2159 01:46:29,230 --> 01:46:32,150 Does this entity have any particular statutory 2160 01:46:32,150 --> 01:46:32,790 powers 2161 01:46:32,790 --> 01:46:35,050 that could be of assistance to the city 2162 01:46:35,050 --> 01:46:37,350 and some of the things we're trying to do with, 2163 01:46:37,350 --> 01:46:40,280 for example, building new housing 2164 01:46:40,280 --> 01:46:43,830 or doing things downtown, or assisting with the 2165 01:46:43,830 --> 01:46:44,570 conversion 2166 01:46:44,570 --> 01:46:48,220 of office buildings to residents. 2167 01:46:48,220 --> 01:46:53,470 Is there a potential role for this agency 2168 01:46:53,470 --> 01:46:55,730 that we should really think about before we 2169 01:46:55,730 --> 01:46:58,220 dissolve it? 2170 01:46:58,220 --> 01:47:00,840 - Thank you, I'll go to Mr. Felbert. 2171 01:47:00,840 --> 01:47:02,710 - Thank you, and through you, Madam Chair. 2172 01:47:02,710 --> 01:47:05,650 So the audit that was undertaken back in 2019, 2173 01:47:05,650 --> 01:47:06,330 2020, 2174 01:47:06,330 --> 01:47:08,440 consider all of those different factors 2175 01:47:08,440 --> 01:47:10,500 and what the benefits were to cancel. 2176 01:47:10,500 --> 01:47:13,000 and at the time it was decided that the 2177 01:47:13,000 --> 01:47:13,560 corporation 2178 01:47:13,560 --> 01:47:14,910 should be brought back into the city 2179 01:47:14,910 --> 01:47:17,870 so that council had more oversight. 2180 01:47:17,870 --> 01:47:19,600 - Councillor Trossa. 2181 01:47:19,600 --> 01:47:21,210 - Yet we've seen through the chair, 2182 01:47:21,210 --> 01:47:23,120 yet we've seen some very serious changed 2183 01:47:23,120 --> 01:47:24,420 conditions 2184 01:47:24,420 --> 01:47:27,120 since the time of that last audit, 2185 01:47:27,120 --> 01:47:28,870 which I guess raises two questions. 2186 01:47:28,870 --> 01:47:31,100 Number one, is should we revisit it? 2187 01:47:31,100 --> 01:47:34,030 And do we need to do another performance review 2188 01:47:34,030 --> 01:47:37,110 of these agencies that might update some of the 2189 01:47:37,110 --> 01:47:37,540 findings 2190 01:47:37,540 --> 01:47:41,300 that were made in 2019? 2191 01:47:41,300 --> 01:47:43,000 - Mr. Palberg. 2192 01:47:43,000 --> 01:47:44,880 - Thank you and through you, Madam Chair. 2193 01:47:44,880 --> 01:47:47,510 So I think the work that municipal housing 2194 01:47:47,510 --> 01:47:49,240 industrial development has been doing over the 2195 01:47:49,240 --> 01:47:49,780 past number 2196 01:47:49,780 --> 01:47:53,410 of years tying in some of the housing accelerator 2197 01:47:53,410 --> 01:47:53,770 funding 2198 01:47:53,770 --> 01:47:56,400 and some of the provisions to accelerate 2199 01:47:56,400 --> 01:47:59,470 and improve the simplicity and the ability for us 2200 01:47:59,470 --> 01:48:01,750 to bring forward and develop new affordable 2201 01:48:01,750 --> 01:48:02,420 housing. 2202 01:48:02,420 --> 01:48:03,740 I think a lot of those activities, 2203 01:48:03,740 --> 01:48:05,930 they were outlined in the February report 2204 01:48:05,930 --> 01:48:08,360 on the update to affordable and community housing 2205 01:48:08,360 --> 01:48:08,600 . 2206 01:48:08,600 --> 01:48:11,130 There's been a significant number of policies and 2207 01:48:11,130 --> 01:48:11,670 changes 2208 01:48:11,670 --> 01:48:14,180 and generally successful projects 2209 01:48:14,180 --> 01:48:16,260 that we've been able to deliver on. 2210 01:48:16,260 --> 01:48:19,190 So certainly could take Council direction 2211 01:48:19,190 --> 01:48:21,050 on whether we need to re-explore that, 2212 01:48:21,050 --> 01:48:24,030 but the KPMG audit and the outcomes 2213 01:48:24,030 --> 01:48:26,060 that were identified in that report, 2214 01:48:26,060 --> 01:48:28,570 they seem to be taking hold and coming to 2215 01:48:28,570 --> 01:48:29,120 fruition 2216 01:48:29,120 --> 01:48:32,610 based on Council's original direction. 2217 01:48:32,610 --> 01:48:33,720 - Councilor Chassa. 2218 01:48:33,720 --> 01:48:35,740 - That's all for now. 2219 01:48:35,740 --> 01:48:40,510 - Thank you, looking for other speakers. 2220 01:48:40,510 --> 01:48:42,610 Okay, seeing none online, seeing none in chambers 2221 01:48:42,610 --> 01:48:42,710 , 2222 01:48:42,610 --> 01:48:54,130 we will open the vote on item. 2223 01:48:54,130 --> 01:48:57,600 - Closing the vote, motion carries 15 to zero. 2224 01:48:57,600 --> 01:48:59,540 - Thank you, that takes us to item 4.1, 2225 01:48:59,540 --> 01:49:01,800 the Center of Opportunity, London's economic 2226 01:49:01,800 --> 01:49:05,110 development strategy, 2026 to 2030, and the 2227 01:49:05,110 --> 01:49:07,420 implementation plan. I will go to Ms. Stater's 2228 01:49:07,420 --> 01:49:09,110 Bear to introduce this topic. 2229 01:49:09,110 --> 01:49:11,360 Thank you, Madam Chair. And I just wanted to 2230 01:49:11,360 --> 01:49:13,190 speak briefly about actually the next two 2231 01:49:13,190 --> 01:49:18,510 items, 4-1 and 4-2. And just an overall statement 2232 01:49:18,510 --> 01:49:20,580 about these two pieces of information in front 2233 01:49:20,580 --> 01:49:22,830 of committee today, we're really pleased to be 2234 01:49:22,830 --> 01:49:25,230 able to coordinate the presentation of both of 2235 01:49:25,230 --> 01:49:25,610 them 2236 01:49:25,610 --> 01:49:28,610 today, both the ECTEDB strategy and the downtown 2237 01:49:28,610 --> 01:49:30,550 master plan, and I want to acknowledge the 2238 01:49:30,550 --> 01:49:34,500 work of staff in this, both in Mr. Mather's area, 2239 01:49:34,500 --> 01:49:37,170 in my own area, in the CMO, but across 2240 01:49:37,170 --> 01:49:40,430 the corporation as well, and also the work of Del 2241 01:49:40,430 --> 01:49:42,680 oitte on the ECTEDB strategy and the 2242 01:49:42,680 --> 01:49:45,160 Canadian Urban Institute with respect to the 2243 01:49:45,160 --> 01:49:47,860 downtown master plan. As it relates specifically 2244 01:49:47,860 --> 01:49:51,530 to the ECTEDB strategy, committee will remember 2245 01:49:51,530 --> 01:49:54,530 that we presented the draft framework to you in 2246 01:49:54,530 --> 01:49:57,530 January and the consultants final recommendations 2247 01:49:57,530 --> 01:49:59,750 in late March alongside 2248 01:49:59,750 --> 01:50:02,570 each SPPC meeting staff sent follow-up 2249 01:50:02,570 --> 01:50:04,230 communications to organizations and 2250 01:50:04,230 --> 01:50:06,330 individuals who were engaged during Deloitte's 2251 01:50:06,330 --> 01:50:07,650 formal process that started in 2252 01:50:07,650 --> 01:50:11,220 the fall of 2025. Through April and May we 2253 01:50:11,220 --> 01:50:13,410 incorporated feedback from committee 2254 01:50:13,410 --> 01:50:16,660 and impact lab London we use the impact lab 2255 01:50:16,660 --> 01:50:19,240 London work as well to support this 2256 01:50:19,240 --> 01:50:22,600 work. We have reviewed the strategy against the 2257 01:50:22,600 --> 01:50:24,360 city's equity and climate 2258 01:50:24,360 --> 01:50:27,170 tools processes as well as other Council approved 2259 01:50:27,170 --> 01:50:29,440 strategies to move this forward and have it in 2260 01:50:29,440 --> 01:50:32,250 front of you today. We've refined and validated 2261 01:50:32,250 --> 01:50:35,360 this presentation to you through further 2262 01:50:35,360 --> 01:50:35,990 conversations 2263 01:50:35,990 --> 01:50:38,810 with partners in our community to arrive at this 2264 01:50:38,810 --> 01:50:43,000 strategy. 200 business and community leaders 2265 01:50:43,000 --> 01:50:45,820 were engaged through this process for the ECDAV 2266 01:50:45,820 --> 01:50:48,100 strategy and I'm sure we'll hear from 2267 01:50:48,900 --> 01:50:51,770 CUI about the engagement they've done as well, 2268 01:50:51,770 --> 01:50:53,680 conversations were candid, insightful, 2269 01:50:53,680 --> 01:50:57,700 and we really know that this community cares 2270 01:50:57,700 --> 01:51:00,620 about what happens in this city 2271 01:51:00,620 --> 01:51:02,940 and certainly believes its potential. It's really 2272 01:51:02,940 --> 01:51:05,260 the strategy in front of you today follows the 2273 01:51:05,260 --> 01:51:07,620 data from the Deloitte information that you 2274 01:51:07,620 --> 01:51:10,180 received and focuses on where and how the city 2275 01:51:10,180 --> 01:51:10,890 adds value 2276 01:51:10,890 --> 01:51:13,980 to the economic development ecosystem. What you 2277 01:51:13,980 --> 01:51:16,360 have in front of you is a direction for the way 2278 01:51:16,360 --> 01:51:18,350 that we want to travel forward and we're hoping 2279 01:51:18,350 --> 01:51:21,050 to be able to present additional information as 2280 01:51:21,050 --> 01:51:21,150 we 2281 01:51:21,130 --> 01:51:23,570 move forward and get feedback from council today 2282 01:51:23,570 --> 01:51:25,900 relating to the strategy. And I'm happy to take 2283 01:51:25,900 --> 01:51:31,900 any questions as is Mr. Fowler. Thank you. Okay, 2284 01:51:31,900 --> 01:51:34,500 before we move to questions, I think what we'll 2285 01:51:34,500 --> 01:51:34,820 do 2286 01:51:34,820 --> 01:51:38,380 is we'll hear from our delegations. We have one 2287 01:51:38,380 --> 01:51:41,990 motion drafted for the three delegation requests 2288 01:51:41,990 --> 01:51:45,730 received. This is not a PPM, just the delegations 2289 01:51:45,730 --> 01:51:49,560 that were emailed ahead of time, had provided 2290 01:51:49,560 --> 01:51:54,610 a request to delegate. So I will look to get a m 2291 01:51:54,610 --> 01:51:58,040 over and a seconder for a delegation for 2292 01:51:58,040 --> 01:52:02,770 Mr. Wallace, for Mr. Morrison, and for Ms. Smith. 2293 01:52:02,770 --> 01:52:04,560 And I've got lots of hands, but I'll 2294 01:52:04,560 --> 01:52:07,630 go to Councillor Hopkins and Councillor Cuddy, 2295 01:52:07,630 --> 01:52:10,860 and we will open that request for the delegations 2296 01:52:10,860 --> 01:52:10,960 . 2297 01:52:10,920 --> 01:52:28,770 Mr. Palosa, closing the vote. 2298 01:52:28,770 --> 01:52:31,290 Motion carries 15 to zero. 2299 01:52:31,290 --> 01:52:34,070 - Thank you and we'll start with Mr. Wallace. 2300 01:52:34,070 --> 01:52:36,030 Thank you for being here, you have five minutes. 2301 01:52:36,030 --> 01:52:37,800 Please go ahead. 2302 01:52:37,800 --> 01:52:38,610 - Thank you, Madam Chair. 2303 01:52:38,610 --> 01:52:40,850 Thank you, Mr. Mayor and fellow Councillors 2304 01:52:40,850 --> 01:52:43,750 for supporting the delegations here today. 2305 01:52:43,750 --> 01:52:45,960 We are, my name is Mike Wallace. 2306 01:52:45,960 --> 01:52:47,780 I'm here on behalf of LDI, 2307 01:52:47,780 --> 01:52:49,560 but you may get a few Mike Wallace comments 2308 01:52:49,560 --> 01:52:51,060 in there throwing in there too. 2309 01:52:51,060 --> 01:52:55,740 We are in support of you moving forward on an 2310 01:52:55,740 --> 01:52:57,580 economic plan. 2311 01:52:58,510 --> 01:53:02,170 We do appreciate staff's outreach to our 2312 01:53:02,170 --> 01:53:04,310 community. 2313 01:53:04,310 --> 01:53:08,890 The fact is that as the economic development 2314 01:53:08,890 --> 01:53:09,360 growth 2315 01:53:09,360 --> 01:53:11,870 happens within London, my industry, 2316 01:53:11,870 --> 01:53:13,900 I represent benefits. 2317 01:53:13,900 --> 01:53:17,020 There's no question about it in terms of whether 2318 01:53:17,020 --> 01:53:18,950 it's 2319 01:53:18,950 --> 01:53:23,580 housing or commercial sites, industrial sites, we 2320 01:53:23,580 --> 01:53:25,030 benefit. 2321 01:53:25,030 --> 01:53:27,480 And staff have reached out on a number of 2322 01:53:27,480 --> 01:53:28,010 occasions 2323 01:53:28,010 --> 01:53:30,410 to our group and to me individually to talk about 2324 01:53:30,410 --> 01:53:33,470 this plan. 2325 01:53:33,470 --> 01:53:35,920 I want to thank Kathy and Trevor in particular 2326 01:53:35,920 --> 01:53:39,700 for hearing my rant a few months ago on this 2327 01:53:39,700 --> 01:53:40,860 piece. 2328 01:53:40,860 --> 01:53:44,610 I would encourage you to support this, 2329 01:53:44,610 --> 01:53:47,530 but there's one key part that I think is kind of 2330 01:53:47,530 --> 01:53:48,200 missing. 2331 01:53:48,200 --> 01:53:53,580 I think the report identifies what the actual 2332 01:53:53,580 --> 01:53:54,040 industries 2333 01:53:54,040 --> 01:53:56,840 that have a foothold in this community now 2334 01:53:56,840 --> 01:54:00,110 and have potential for growth and retention, 2335 01:54:00,110 --> 01:54:02,520 But where I think the report, 2336 01:54:02,520 --> 01:54:09,380 and it's a little bit of consultant ease in here, 2337 01:54:09,380 --> 01:54:10,720 which is their job, 2338 01:54:10,720 --> 01:54:13,870 but where I think it really misses the boat 2339 01:54:13,870 --> 01:54:16,430 or has potential is on page six 2340 01:54:16,430 --> 01:54:19,430 in terms of the city's role. 2341 01:54:19,430 --> 01:54:22,220 The one thing that is missing from that list of 2342 01:54:22,220 --> 01:54:22,870 six 2343 01:54:22,870 --> 01:54:25,790 is leadership from the city. 2344 01:54:25,790 --> 01:54:28,530 I've been in a city council that had a different 2345 01:54:28,530 --> 01:54:29,320 approach. 2346 01:54:29,320 --> 01:54:33,770 We tried to outsource our economic development. 2347 01:54:33,770 --> 01:54:35,430 We thought we would be able to leverage 2348 01:54:35,430 --> 01:54:37,990 a whole bunch of business investment 2349 01:54:37,990 --> 01:54:40,620 that would come from us not being involved 2350 01:54:40,620 --> 01:54:42,920 and we'd outsourced it. 2351 01:54:42,920 --> 01:54:45,670 Frankly, it did not work. 2352 01:54:45,670 --> 01:54:48,900 You got to have leadership from the mayor's 2353 01:54:48,900 --> 01:54:49,690 office, 2354 01:54:49,690 --> 01:54:53,430 from the council, actually make economic 2355 01:54:53,430 --> 01:54:54,740 development work. 2356 01:54:54,740 --> 01:54:56,810 It's about creating jobs, it's about bringing 2357 01:54:56,810 --> 01:54:57,230 business, 2358 01:54:57,230 --> 01:55:00,370 it's about sales of this community. 2359 01:55:00,370 --> 01:55:02,130 It's a sales job. 2360 01:55:02,130 --> 01:55:05,050 It's not a kumbaya, let's get together. 2361 01:55:05,050 --> 01:55:06,390 It is a sales job. 2362 01:55:06,390 --> 01:55:09,410 You think the mayor of St. Thomas, 2363 01:55:09,410 --> 01:55:11,880 that it through got that investment in that 2364 01:55:11,880 --> 01:55:13,070 community, 2365 01:55:13,070 --> 01:55:16,810 in on land that the city didn't even control. 2366 01:55:16,810 --> 01:55:19,160 You had to go to the province to get the boundary 2367 01:55:19,160 --> 01:55:20,480 of the city to change, 2368 01:55:20,480 --> 01:55:23,020 so they're able to attract that distance that is 2369 01:55:23,020 --> 01:55:24,180 there now. 2370 01:55:24,180 --> 01:55:27,680 We need to be aggressive as the city of London. 2371 01:55:27,680 --> 01:55:30,200 There are tons of competition everywhere. 2372 01:55:30,200 --> 01:55:32,420 If you wanna go online today, 2373 01:55:32,420 --> 01:55:34,290 Pickering, City Pickering, 2374 01:55:34,290 --> 01:55:38,200 just put out their economic development plan just 2375 01:55:38,200 --> 01:55:38,950 this week, 2376 01:55:38,950 --> 01:55:41,720 happen to know one of the consultants. That's why 2377 01:55:41,720 --> 01:55:43,530 I know it's there. And it sounds pretty 2378 01:55:43,530 --> 01:55:47,740 familiar to what's here. Different consultants? 2379 01:55:47,740 --> 01:55:50,520 Same result. The difference is it's the people 2380 01:55:50,520 --> 01:55:53,880 who will make the sale. It's the mayor's office. 2381 01:55:53,880 --> 01:55:56,580 It's the city manager's office. It's getting 2382 01:55:56,580 --> 01:55:59,380 the processes right here so that when you get an 2383 01:55:59,380 --> 01:56:02,970 attractive business, an industry based 2384 01:56:02,970 --> 01:56:06,470 on, in my view, on what we have here, look at the 2385 01:56:06,470 --> 01:56:09,330 agro food business that we have here. 2386 01:56:09,330 --> 01:56:12,120 We need to be out talking to them about who their 2387 01:56:12,120 --> 01:56:15,460 competition is, who their suppliers 2388 01:56:15,460 --> 01:56:18,460 are, who is their customers, and can we attract 2389 01:56:18,460 --> 01:56:21,150 them, is there something we can do to attract 2390 01:56:21,150 --> 01:56:22,420 them? 2391 01:56:22,420 --> 01:56:24,580 Sitting around here, we don't know who's doing 2392 01:56:24,580 --> 01:56:26,340 what, but those in the industry know 2393 01:56:26,340 --> 01:56:29,910 who's selling, who's moving, who's expanding, who 2394 01:56:29,910 --> 01:56:31,190 's shrinking. 2395 01:56:31,190 --> 01:56:33,490 We need that leadership at this table to make 2396 01:56:33,490 --> 01:56:35,070 that happen. 2397 01:56:35,070 --> 01:56:38,210 I don't want this report to collect dust. 2398 01:56:38,210 --> 01:56:42,130 I want this report to be a report that leads to 2399 01:56:42,130 --> 01:56:43,230 action, 2400 01:56:43,230 --> 01:56:45,140 and I'm asking you as a counselor, 2401 01:56:45,140 --> 01:56:47,950 except what this is, spend the money, spend the 2402 01:56:47,950 --> 01:56:48,290 time, 2403 01:56:48,290 --> 01:56:51,080 and make it happen on the economic development 2404 01:56:51,080 --> 01:56:51,530 file 2405 01:56:51,530 --> 01:56:55,040 for London, thank you very much. 2406 01:56:55,040 --> 01:56:58,760 - Thank you, we have a delegation from Mr. 2407 01:56:58,760 --> 01:57:02,700 Morrison next. 2408 01:57:02,700 --> 01:57:08,680 Thank you, Mr. Morrison from the old East Village 2409 01:57:08,680 --> 01:57:08,930 BIA. 2410 01:57:08,930 --> 01:57:11,330 - It's not often that I'm referred to as Mr. 2411 01:57:11,330 --> 01:57:11,830 Morrison, 2412 01:57:11,830 --> 01:57:13,640 that was my father. 2413 01:57:13,640 --> 01:57:14,870 For those of you that don't know me, 2414 01:57:14,870 --> 01:57:16,800 My name is Kevin Morrison. 2415 01:57:16,800 --> 01:57:18,250 Five minutes. 2416 01:57:18,250 --> 01:57:21,000 Probably as you give me that much, sir, Madam 2417 01:57:21,000 --> 01:57:21,880 Chair. 2418 01:57:21,880 --> 01:57:25,590 I also submitted a written document as well for 2419 01:57:25,590 --> 01:57:25,690 your 2420 01:57:25,690 --> 01:57:28,100 consideration with observations and 2421 01:57:28,100 --> 01:57:29,240 recommendations from a 2422 01:57:29,240 --> 01:57:32,170 perspective of a business improvement area 2423 01:57:32,170 --> 01:57:32,820 working daily 2424 01:57:32,820 --> 01:57:34,810 with the businesses and the property owners, the 2425 01:57:34,810 --> 01:57:38,030 investors, residents, and community partners. 2426 01:57:38,030 --> 01:57:41,690 I want to begin by recognizing the significant 2427 01:57:41,690 --> 01:57:42,690 work that has 2428 01:57:42,690 --> 01:57:45,510 undertaken by the Civic Administration Deloitte 2429 01:57:45,510 --> 01:57:48,880 Council and the many stakeholders who contributed 2430 01:57:48,880 --> 01:57:51,210 to this strategy. 2431 01:57:51,210 --> 01:57:54,990 What I appreciate most about this document is 2432 01:57:54,990 --> 01:57:59,470 that it focuses on implementation, accountability 2433 01:57:59,470 --> 01:58:01,610 and measurable outcomes. 2434 01:58:01,610 --> 01:58:05,940 And the reality here is simple, London does not 2435 01:58:05,940 --> 01:58:08,300 suffer from a lack of plans. 2436 01:58:08,300 --> 01:58:10,650 Over the years we have produced studies, we have 2437 01:58:10,650 --> 01:58:12,710 produced strategies, we have produced 2438 01:58:12,710 --> 01:58:16,280 revitalization plans and reports. What businesses 2439 01:58:16,280 --> 01:58:18,010 are asking for today is not 2440 01:58:18,010 --> 01:58:23,350 another plan. They're asking for results. And as 2441 01:58:23,350 --> 01:58:25,220 I reviewed this strategy the one 2442 01:58:25,220 --> 01:58:27,320 word kept coming to mind and it's called 2443 01:58:27,320 --> 01:58:30,420 confidence. Economic development is not 2444 01:58:30,420 --> 01:58:33,770 simply about attracting investment. It is about 2445 01:58:33,770 --> 01:58:35,410 creating the conditions where 2446 01:58:35,410 --> 01:58:38,280 businesses want to invest. Entrepreneurs want to 2447 01:58:38,280 --> 01:58:40,440 take risks. Employees want to 2448 01:58:40,440 --> 01:58:43,990 work, and customers want to spend their time and 2449 01:58:43,990 --> 01:58:45,900 their money. 2450 01:58:45,900 --> 01:58:47,810 And for many businesses operating in London's 2451 01:58:47,810 --> 01:58:50,220 core area neighborhoods, that confidence has 2452 01:58:50,220 --> 01:58:54,110 been stretched to its limits. 2453 01:58:54,110 --> 01:58:56,300 Business owners are dealing on a day-to-day basis 2454 01:58:56,300 --> 01:58:58,220 with vandalism, property damage, open 2455 01:58:58,220 --> 01:59:01,010 drug use, mental health crisis, public disorder 2456 01:59:01,010 --> 01:59:03,740 encampments, discarded needles and aggressive 2457 01:59:03,740 --> 01:59:05,850 behavior and growing concerns about safety and 2458 01:59:05,850 --> 01:59:08,110 cleanliness all while trying to run successful 2459 01:59:08,110 --> 01:59:10,130 businesses. 2460 01:59:10,130 --> 01:59:12,340 These may be social issues, but they are also 2461 01:59:12,340 --> 01:59:15,440 economic issues. 2462 01:59:15,440 --> 01:59:18,360 When customers choose not to visit a commercial 2463 01:59:18,360 --> 01:59:21,240 district, that's an economic issue. 2464 01:59:21,240 --> 01:59:24,340 When investors hesitate, that's an economic issue 2465 01:59:24,340 --> 01:59:24,550 . 2466 01:59:24,550 --> 01:59:28,100 And when businesses lose confidence, economic 2467 01:59:28,100 --> 01:59:30,630 development suffers. 2468 01:59:30,630 --> 01:59:32,460 The next point I want to make is about the 2469 01:59:32,460 --> 01:59:34,490 business improvement areas. 2470 01:59:34,490 --> 01:59:37,800 And too often, BIAs are viewed as organizations 2471 01:59:37,800 --> 01:59:40,320 that hang banners, plant flowers, organize 2472 01:59:40,320 --> 01:59:42,290 events, and promote local businesses. 2473 01:59:42,290 --> 01:59:45,390 I guess we do those things. 2474 01:59:45,390 --> 01:59:48,600 But increasingly, BIA's are also responding to 2475 01:59:48,600 --> 01:59:53,460 issues directly that directly impact confidence 2476 01:59:53,460 --> 01:59:56,470 and commercial district vitality. 2477 01:59:56,470 --> 01:59:59,280 We're coordinating cleanups, we're addressing 2478 01:59:59,280 --> 02:00:01,150 safety issues, we're advocating for our 2479 02:00:01,150 --> 02:00:01,990 businesses, 2480 02:00:01,990 --> 02:00:03,650 we're working with city departments, we're 2481 02:00:03,650 --> 02:00:05,240 liaison with the police more often than we 2482 02:00:05,240 --> 02:00:07,580 ever have before, we're supporting property 2483 02:00:07,580 --> 02:00:10,260 owners, and we're helping businesses navigate 2484 02:00:10,260 --> 02:00:14,340 challenges extend well beyond the traditional 2485 02:00:14,340 --> 02:00:16,680 mandate of what BIAs do and we 2486 02:00:16,680 --> 02:00:18,980 don't do this because it's the role of a BIA we 2487 02:00:18,980 --> 02:00:21,080 do it because in these days it's 2488 02:00:21,080 --> 02:00:24,110 necessary. If London is serious about 2489 02:00:24,110 --> 02:00:28,380 implementing the strategy then BIAs must 2490 02:00:28,380 --> 02:00:30,870 be recognized as economic development partners 2491 02:00:30,870 --> 02:00:34,240 and included at the table. Why? 2492 02:00:34,240 --> 02:00:36,880 Because no one understands the opportunities and 2493 02:00:36,880 --> 02:00:38,120 challenges facing London's 2494 02:00:38,120 --> 02:00:39,970 commercial districts better than the 2495 02:00:39,970 --> 02:00:42,260 organizations working with them every 2496 02:00:42,260 --> 02:00:48,270 day. As the old East Village BIA, we do support 2497 02:00:48,270 --> 02:00:52,570 this proposal. But its success will not be 2498 02:00:52,570 --> 02:00:55,400 measured by the number of meetings held or the 2499 02:00:55,400 --> 02:00:58,350 more reports produced. It's going to 2500 02:00:58,350 --> 02:01:00,690 be measured by whether businesses five years from 2501 02:01:00,690 --> 02:01:04,510 now can actually see and feel the difference. 2502 02:01:04,510 --> 02:01:07,470 Will confidence be stronger? Will investment be 2503 02:01:07,470 --> 02:01:11,380 growing? Will commercial districts be healthier? 2504 02:01:11,380 --> 02:01:13,390 Will entrepreneurs be optimistic about their 2505 02:01:13,390 --> 02:01:16,800 future here in London? Those are the questions 2506 02:01:16,800 --> 02:01:20,810 it matter and again we don't need another plan we 2507 02:01:20,810 --> 02:01:21,960 need implementation and 2508 02:01:21,960 --> 02:01:24,910 business improvement areas here in your city are 2509 02:01:24,910 --> 02:01:27,040 standing ready to help thank 2510 02:01:27,040 --> 02:01:34,290 you thank you next I will go to Vicki Smith and 2511 02:01:34,290 --> 02:01:37,020 Vicki is the interim executive 2512 02:01:37,020 --> 02:01:43,740 director of downtown London good afternoon Madam 2513 02:01:43,740 --> 02:01:45,530 Mayor Mayor Morgan and 2514 02:01:45,530 --> 02:01:48,500 members of council on behalf of downtown London 2515 02:01:48,500 --> 02:01:49,090 thank you for the 2516 02:01:49,090 --> 02:01:51,570 opportunity to speak in support of the economic 2517 02:01:51,570 --> 02:01:53,420 development strategy we are 2518 02:01:53,420 --> 02:01:55,750 encourage that the strategy recognizes downtown 2519 02:01:55,750 --> 02:01:58,390 revitalization as essential to London's broader 2520 02:01:58,390 --> 02:02:02,230 economic competitiveness. Downtown represents 2521 02:02:02,230 --> 02:02:05,490 only 0.5% of the city's land area, yet generates 2522 02:02:05,490 --> 02:02:10,080 5.4% of London's property tax revenue. That is a 2523 02:02:10,080 --> 02:02:13,080 clear reminder that downtown is one of London's 2524 02:02:13,080 --> 02:02:16,140 strongest economic assets, and its continued 2525 02:02:16,140 --> 02:02:18,990 prosperity will help ensure downtown remains 2526 02:02:18,990 --> 02:02:21,930 a strong economic driver for the entire city for 2527 02:02:21,930 --> 02:02:25,160 years to come. One of the most important 2528 02:02:25,160 --> 02:02:27,610 strengths of this strategy is that it positions 2529 02:02:27,610 --> 02:02:30,290 downtown revitalization as an economic 2530 02:02:30,290 --> 02:02:30,770 development 2531 02:02:30,770 --> 02:02:34,430 priority. It recognizes that business confidence, 2532 02:02:34,430 --> 02:02:37,300 vacancy, investment attraction, creative 2533 02:02:37,300 --> 02:02:41,150 economic growth, and public ground conditions are 2534 02:02:41,150 --> 02:02:44,460 all connected. We are especially supportive 2535 02:02:44,460 --> 02:02:47,380 of the strategy's focus on downtown, street-level 2536 02:02:47,380 --> 02:02:50,690 business advisory support, a downtown investment 2537 02:02:50,690 --> 02:02:54,560 portfolio, the proposed creative industries hub, 2538 02:02:54,560 --> 02:02:58,420 business navigation, streamline approvals, 2539 02:02:58,420 --> 02:03:01,790 and annual economic outcomes reporting. 2540 02:03:01,790 --> 02:03:04,580 These are practical actions that can help reduce 2541 02:03:04,580 --> 02:03:06,990 vacancy, support existing businesses, 2542 02:03:06,990 --> 02:03:10,090 and attract investment, and move downtown revital 2543 02:03:10,090 --> 02:03:13,780 ization from vision to implementation. 2544 02:03:13,780 --> 02:03:15,710 We appreciate that the strategy recognizes 2545 02:03:15,710 --> 02:03:17,980 economic development is not only about attracting 2546 02:03:17,980 --> 02:03:21,400 new investment, but also about supporting the 2547 02:03:21,400 --> 02:03:24,530 businesses that are already here. 2548 02:03:24,530 --> 02:03:26,540 businesses are managing change or commuter 2549 02:03:26,540 --> 02:03:29,370 patterns, construction impacts, safety and 2550 02:03:29,370 --> 02:03:33,320 perception concerns, customer attraction, and the 2551 02:03:33,320 --> 02:03:36,050 need to navigate city processes efficiently. 2552 02:03:36,050 --> 02:03:39,610 Targeted advisory supports in a strong business 2553 02:03:39,610 --> 02:03:42,960 navigation function can help businesses access 2554 02:03:42,960 --> 02:03:46,480 the right support at the right time. We also want 2555 02:03:46,480 --> 02:03:49,150 to reinforce the importance of office retention 2556 02:03:49,150 --> 02:03:52,610 and employment growth. The strategy recognizes 2557 02:03:52,610 --> 02:03:55,070 that downtown office vacancy remains a 2558 02:03:55,070 --> 02:03:55,700 significant 2559 02:03:55,700 --> 02:03:58,540 challenge, and the reversing this trend is an 2560 02:03:58,540 --> 02:04:02,550 economic imperative. Downtown's long-term success 2561 02:04:02,550 --> 02:04:04,920 will depend not only on residential growth, 2562 02:04:04,920 --> 02:04:08,230 culture, and activation, but also on maintaining 2563 02:04:08,230 --> 02:04:10,550 and growing its role as London's primary 2564 02:04:10,550 --> 02:04:14,240 employment center. Office workers remain a 2565 02:04:14,240 --> 02:04:14,870 critical part 2566 02:04:14,870 --> 02:04:17,640 of downtown's daily rhythm. They support 2567 02:04:17,640 --> 02:04:20,670 restaurants, retailers, services, cultural venues 2568 02:04:20,670 --> 02:04:21,260 , transit 2569 02:04:21,260 --> 02:04:23,730 use, and contribute significantly to positive 2570 02:04:23,730 --> 02:04:27,350 street activity. They also contribute to business 2571 02:04:27,350 --> 02:04:30,890 confidence and perceptions of vibrancy and safety 2572 02:04:30,890 --> 02:04:34,060 . As the City advances the strategy, 2573 02:04:34,060 --> 02:04:37,390 we encourage continued focus on retaining office 2574 02:04:37,390 --> 02:04:40,600 employment downtown and attracting new office 2575 02:04:40,600 --> 02:04:41,290 users. 2576 02:04:41,290 --> 02:04:45,230 We also support the strategy's recognition of 2577 02:04:45,230 --> 02:04:47,560 culture, music, tourism, and the creative 2578 02:04:47,560 --> 02:04:48,280 industries 2579 02:04:48,280 --> 02:04:52,130 as economic drivers. Leveraging London's UNESCO 2580 02:04:52,130 --> 02:04:54,530 City of Music designation and advancing the 2581 02:04:54,530 --> 02:04:55,240 proposed 2582 02:04:55,240 --> 02:04:57,610 creative industries hub can help bring more 2583 02:04:57,610 --> 02:05:00,770 people downtown, support local businesses, 2584 02:05:00,770 --> 02:05:03,050 and strengthen London's investment and talent 2585 02:05:03,050 --> 02:05:07,090 attraction story. As implementation moves forward 2586 02:05:07,090 --> 02:05:07,190 , 2587 02:05:07,100 --> 02:05:09,900 we encourage the city to measure and report on 2588 02:05:09,900 --> 02:05:12,720 how mental health, substance use, and public 2589 02:05:12,720 --> 02:05:13,030 realm 2590 02:05:13,030 --> 02:05:15,410 conditions affect business confidence and 2591 02:05:15,410 --> 02:05:18,970 investment attraction. These issues are not 2592 02:05:18,970 --> 02:05:22,220 only social or operational concerns, they are 2593 02:05:22,220 --> 02:05:25,010 directly impacting business retention, 2594 02:05:25,010 --> 02:05:28,560 customer experience, staff well-being, visitor 2595 02:05:28,560 --> 02:05:30,730 perception, property investment, 2596 02:05:30,730 --> 02:05:34,680 and overall economic confidence. Downtown London 2597 02:05:34,680 --> 02:05:36,340 looks forward to working with the city 2598 02:05:36,340 --> 02:05:39,130 as a core implementation partner in business 2599 02:05:39,130 --> 02:05:42,270 support, vacancy reduction, investment readiness, 2600 02:05:42,270 --> 02:05:45,010 creative economy, activation, public realm 2601 02:05:45,010 --> 02:05:47,990 reporting, and ongoing business engagement. 2602 02:05:47,990 --> 02:05:51,190 We strongly support the economic development 2603 02:05:51,190 --> 02:05:53,420 strategy. It strengthens the business case for 2604 02:05:53,420 --> 02:05:55,970 for downtown revitalization and confirms 2605 02:05:55,970 --> 02:05:58,970 that a healthy, prosperous downtown is essential 2606 02:05:58,970 --> 02:06:01,120 to lend this economic future. 2607 02:06:01,120 --> 02:06:04,350 Thank you. 2608 02:06:04,350 --> 02:06:05,740 - Thank you. 2609 02:06:05,740 --> 02:06:07,490 Okay, that concludes the delegations 2610 02:06:07,490 --> 02:06:09,120 that we had on this item. 2611 02:06:09,120 --> 02:06:12,720 I'm looking for a mover and seconder on the 2612 02:06:12,720 --> 02:06:13,970 report 2613 02:06:13,970 --> 02:06:16,870 and the actions associated. 2614 02:06:16,870 --> 02:06:18,220 It's included in your package. 2615 02:06:18,220 --> 02:06:21,170 It's also loaded in as motion one. 2616 02:06:21,170 --> 02:06:22,460 Looking to see if there's someone 2617 02:06:22,460 --> 02:06:23,550 that would like to put them on the floor. 2618 02:06:23,550 --> 02:06:26,420 I have Councillor Ferrera as the mover 2619 02:06:26,420 --> 02:06:28,140 and Councillor Hopkins as a seconder. 2620 02:06:28,140 --> 02:06:34,870 Okay, looking for speakers on this item. 2621 02:06:34,870 --> 02:06:37,550 Councillor McAllister, go ahead. 2622 02:06:37,550 --> 02:06:38,890 - Thanks. 2623 02:06:38,890 --> 02:06:41,530 I'm sure there'll be a number of Councillors with 2624 02:06:41,530 --> 02:06:42,260 questions. 2625 02:06:42,260 --> 02:06:43,690 I'm just gonna start with one question 2626 02:06:43,690 --> 02:06:46,600 that kinda piqued my interest in terms of one of 2627 02:06:46,600 --> 02:06:47,500 the actions. 2628 02:06:47,500 --> 02:06:51,380 This is in regards to activating the CIP tools 2629 02:06:51,380 --> 02:06:53,990 for commercial corridor reinvestment. 2630 02:06:53,990 --> 02:06:55,540 Definitely appreciate that this item, 2631 02:06:55,540 --> 02:06:57,120 the next one we're talking about has a lot to do 2632 02:06:57,120 --> 02:06:57,840 with downtown, 2633 02:06:57,840 --> 02:07:01,970 but with my word being impacted 2634 02:07:01,970 --> 02:07:04,460 as a different commercial corridor, 2635 02:07:04,460 --> 02:07:07,360 I think also OED would qualify for this. 2636 02:07:07,360 --> 02:07:09,170 And it was mentioned in one of the delegation 2637 02:07:09,170 --> 02:07:09,630 comments 2638 02:07:09,630 --> 02:07:12,610 in terms of the leadership needed by the city. 2639 02:07:12,610 --> 02:07:13,760 I do appreciate with the action items 2640 02:07:13,760 --> 02:07:15,150 we have our partners listed, 2641 02:07:15,150 --> 02:07:16,460 and in this one in particular, 2642 02:07:16,460 --> 02:07:18,680 it has the city of London as the lead, 2643 02:07:18,680 --> 02:07:21,480 and then the BIA's in there as well. 2644 02:07:21,480 --> 02:07:23,490 And so I just think with this, 2645 02:07:23,490 --> 02:07:27,820 my concern is what is that gonna look like? 2646 02:07:27,820 --> 02:07:29,490 really do appreciate, you know, that we've 2647 02:07:29,490 --> 02:07:29,930 identified 2648 02:07:29,930 --> 02:07:33,120 those partners, but I think in terms of the 2649 02:07:33,120 --> 02:07:34,030 action, 2650 02:07:34,030 --> 02:07:36,220 and I appreciate, you know, Mr. Macaulay's team 2651 02:07:36,220 --> 02:07:39,250 does a great job, but I would like to have more 2652 02:07:39,250 --> 02:07:39,690 detail 2653 02:07:39,690 --> 02:07:41,800 in terms of what that action would look like 2654 02:07:41,800 --> 02:07:43,630 in terms of leadership from the city, 2655 02:07:43,630 --> 02:07:45,340 because I don't want this to be something that is 2656 02:07:45,340 --> 02:07:45,820 downloaded 2657 02:07:45,820 --> 02:07:51,680 to the BIA's to run on behalf of the city. 2658 02:07:51,680 --> 02:07:56,020 - Thank you, I'll go to Mr. Fowler. 2659 02:07:56,020 --> 02:07:58,600 - Thank you, Chair, and through you, 2660 02:07:58,600 --> 02:08:00,820 I know it's certainly not the intention 2661 02:08:00,820 --> 02:08:03,170 this is downloading or offloading to the BIA's. 2662 02:08:03,170 --> 02:08:05,820 In fact, this emerged through a targeted 2663 02:08:05,820 --> 02:08:06,450 conversation 2664 02:08:06,450 --> 02:08:10,500 that we had with the BIA's on the importance of 2665 02:08:10,500 --> 02:08:14,320 the CIPs and the value in sort of optimizing 2666 02:08:14,320 --> 02:08:18,900 how they work. One of the pieces that was like 2667 02:08:18,900 --> 02:08:23,130 brought up is the geographic symmetry 2668 02:08:23,130 --> 02:08:26,280 between a BIA catchment area and the CIP catch 2669 02:08:26,280 --> 02:08:29,870 ment area and where there's a potential mismatch. 2670 02:08:29,870 --> 02:08:31,740 Are we like missing opportunities 2671 02:08:31,740 --> 02:08:35,250 for more business growth in that area? 2672 02:08:35,250 --> 02:08:37,780 And so those are like conversations to have 2673 02:08:37,780 --> 02:08:39,310 and we think that it's important that the city 2674 02:08:39,310 --> 02:08:40,100 works 2675 02:08:40,100 --> 02:08:42,610 in alignment with the BIAs as economic 2676 02:08:42,610 --> 02:08:43,780 development partners 2677 02:08:43,780 --> 02:08:47,410 in what those optimizations look like. 2678 02:08:47,410 --> 02:08:48,990 - Councilor McAllister. 2679 02:08:48,990 --> 02:08:50,810 - Thank you and appreciate that. 2680 02:08:50,810 --> 02:08:52,350 And just as a follow-up, I think this kind of 2681 02:08:52,350 --> 02:08:52,900 maybe speaks 2682 02:08:52,900 --> 02:08:54,680 to the vacancy more broadly, 2683 02:08:54,680 --> 02:08:56,890 but what concrete actions are we gonna take 2684 02:08:56,890 --> 02:08:58,400 to really tackle that? 2685 02:08:58,400 --> 02:09:00,380 Just recognizing, I think we all probably have 2686 02:09:00,380 --> 02:09:00,900 some areas 2687 02:09:00,900 --> 02:09:02,170 where there's some longstanding issues 2688 02:09:02,170 --> 02:09:04,480 with addressing those vacancy rates. 2689 02:09:04,480 --> 02:09:06,340 But are we looking to kind of take direct 2690 02:09:06,340 --> 02:09:06,910 ownership? 2691 02:09:06,910 --> 02:09:08,180 Are we looking for subsidies? 2692 02:09:08,180 --> 02:09:10,160 Like what actions will we take 2693 02:09:10,160 --> 02:09:11,560 to actually address the vacancies 2694 02:09:11,560 --> 02:09:18,290 not just have them sit even longer? 2695 02:09:18,290 --> 02:09:20,110 - Mr. Fowler. 2696 02:09:20,110 --> 02:09:20,920 - Thank you, Chair. 2697 02:09:20,920 --> 02:09:24,190 And through you, I'll say that where we are 2698 02:09:24,190 --> 02:09:27,960 in the strategy process is we have a direction of 2699 02:09:27,960 --> 02:09:28,450 travel. 2700 02:09:28,450 --> 02:09:30,980 We don't have the specific tactics that we would 2701 02:09:30,980 --> 02:09:31,310 employ. 2702 02:09:31,310 --> 02:09:33,100 We've had conversations. 2703 02:09:33,100 --> 02:09:35,730 I wouldn't want to commit to anything today. 2704 02:09:35,730 --> 02:09:37,920 but those are the kinds of tools that we would be 2705 02:09:37,920 --> 02:09:38,710 looking at 2706 02:09:38,710 --> 02:09:40,980 in collaboration and conversation 2707 02:09:40,980 --> 02:09:46,550 with the Office of Partners. 2708 02:09:46,550 --> 02:09:48,340 - Thank you, Councilor McAllister. 2709 02:09:48,340 --> 02:09:49,690 - Thank you, through you. 2710 02:09:49,690 --> 02:09:50,880 This isn't a question, this is more of a, 2711 02:09:50,880 --> 02:09:52,060 just a comment for that. 2712 02:09:52,060 --> 02:09:53,690 I think that's just something in terms of the 2713 02:09:53,690 --> 02:09:54,000 feedback 2714 02:09:54,000 --> 02:09:56,060 that I often receive is we're just seeing 2715 02:09:56,060 --> 02:09:58,870 the same buildings vacant time and time again, 2716 02:09:58,870 --> 02:10:01,050 regardless of what plans or strategies are 2717 02:10:01,050 --> 02:10:02,000 brought forward. 2718 02:10:02,000 --> 02:10:04,460 So I mean, I think what I hope to get out 2719 02:10:04,460 --> 02:10:06,840 of an economic development strategy like this 2720 02:10:06,840 --> 02:10:09,250 is to actually have those concrete tools on the 2721 02:10:09,250 --> 02:10:09,780 books. 2722 02:10:09,780 --> 02:10:14,630 And even if it's like a level of escalation, 2723 02:10:14,630 --> 02:10:16,250 the way we almost deal with it through bylaw, 2724 02:10:16,250 --> 02:10:18,520 because I've reached a point with some of mine 2725 02:10:18,520 --> 02:10:20,640 where I've just had to say, we've got to knock 2726 02:10:20,640 --> 02:10:21,370 them down. 2727 02:10:21,370 --> 02:10:22,360 And I don't want to do that. 2728 02:10:22,360 --> 02:10:24,690 I think ideally, we want buildings 2729 02:10:24,690 --> 02:10:26,840 that are currently up to be used for something 2730 02:10:26,840 --> 02:10:27,440 productive 2731 02:10:27,440 --> 02:10:29,350 and contribute to the economy. 2732 02:10:29,350 --> 02:10:31,840 And so I think we need to have those tools, at 2733 02:10:31,840 --> 02:10:32,260 some point, 2734 02:10:32,260 --> 02:10:34,010 well-established. 2735 02:10:34,010 --> 02:10:35,630 And again, if those levels of escalation 2736 02:10:35,630 --> 02:10:36,960 have to be there, then that's fine. 2737 02:10:36,960 --> 02:10:40,130 but I really do want to see action on the vacancy 2738 02:10:40,130 --> 02:10:40,480 rate 2739 02:10:40,480 --> 02:10:42,830 because whether that's us converting 2740 02:10:42,830 --> 02:10:45,220 commercial to residential or I mean, 2741 02:10:45,220 --> 02:10:49,090 I have some where they have residents above 2742 02:10:49,090 --> 02:10:51,520 and shop the front below to have a strategy 2743 02:10:51,520 --> 02:10:52,760 specifically targeted to that 2744 02:10:52,760 --> 02:10:54,950 to bring back life to our main streets 2745 02:10:54,950 --> 02:10:57,770 because there's a number of them throughout the 2746 02:10:57,770 --> 02:10:58,400 city. 2747 02:10:58,400 --> 02:11:00,300 We think we'd all love to have those vibrant 2748 02:11:00,300 --> 02:11:01,170 neighborhoods. 2749 02:11:01,170 --> 02:11:02,290 The people live there, 2750 02:11:02,290 --> 02:11:03,880 but I think they want to see those main streets 2751 02:11:03,880 --> 02:11:04,720 come back alive. 2752 02:11:04,720 --> 02:11:07,710 So I just want to kind of hone in that I know 2753 02:11:07,710 --> 02:11:09,430 there is, you know, downtown element of this, 2754 02:11:09,430 --> 02:11:11,450 but there are a lot of other neighborhoods who 2755 02:11:11,450 --> 02:11:13,340 need those concrete actions on the books 2756 02:11:13,340 --> 02:11:15,870 as well to have that revitalization come back. 2757 02:11:15,870 --> 02:11:17,410 So I'll leave my comments there, save a bit of 2758 02:11:17,410 --> 02:11:18,900 time, but I'm curious what other people 2759 02:11:18,900 --> 02:11:21,070 have to say. 2760 02:11:21,070 --> 02:11:22,170 Thank you. 2761 02:11:22,170 --> 02:11:23,140 I look for other speakers. 2762 02:11:23,140 --> 02:11:24,110 Councilor Perbault. 2763 02:11:24,110 --> 02:11:25,620 Thank you. 2764 02:11:25,620 --> 02:11:27,200 And I'm just going to make a couple of comments 2765 02:11:27,200 --> 02:11:28,920 and a question, and I have more to the next 2766 02:11:28,920 --> 02:11:29,920 one. 2767 02:11:29,920 --> 02:11:33,170 But I do like both economic agidef plan as well 2768 02:11:33,170 --> 02:11:34,850 as the downtown plan. 2769 02:11:34,850 --> 02:11:37,720 I think they are both very solid plans. 2770 02:11:37,720 --> 02:11:40,980 They do include very good initiatives 2771 02:11:40,980 --> 02:11:43,570 for citywide as well as downtown. 2772 02:11:43,570 --> 02:11:47,920 When I compare them to the previous ones 2773 02:11:47,920 --> 02:11:50,440 that City of London had going back to I think 10, 2774 02:11:50,440 --> 02:11:51,780 12 years, 2775 02:11:51,780 --> 02:11:55,180 these two in my opinion are the best. 2776 02:11:55,180 --> 02:11:56,870 On the other hand, they do need to be the best 2777 02:11:56,870 --> 02:11:59,890 because we have the most challenging times. 2778 02:11:59,890 --> 02:12:01,690 There were many consultations that were done. 2779 02:12:01,690 --> 02:12:04,280 And I think when I look at the horseshoe here, 2780 02:12:04,280 --> 02:12:06,150 I think all of us were, if not all of us, 2781 02:12:06,150 --> 02:12:08,460 most of us were involved in the consultations, 2782 02:12:08,460 --> 02:12:11,570 which is, I think, great that we did have this 2783 02:12:11,570 --> 02:12:13,560 overall feedback. 2784 02:12:13,560 --> 02:12:16,010 My concern, which I'm going to talk about it in 2785 02:12:16,010 --> 02:12:16,950 the next one, 2786 02:12:16,950 --> 02:12:19,370 is the delivery, the responsibility, the 2787 02:12:19,370 --> 02:12:20,060 accountability, 2788 02:12:20,060 --> 02:12:21,900 and actually the framework. 2789 02:12:21,900 --> 02:12:24,850 And as actually, as was stated before, 2790 02:12:24,850 --> 02:12:28,040 I don't want these two great reports to do these 2791 02:12:28,040 --> 02:12:29,070 two great 2792 02:12:29,070 --> 02:12:31,380 plans to be sitting on the desk and catching the 2793 02:12:31,380 --> 02:12:31,760 desk 2794 02:12:31,760 --> 02:12:33,260 for months and years. 2795 02:12:33,260 --> 02:12:35,090 But with this one, I have a specific one 2796 02:12:35,090 --> 02:12:38,590 just for that government's model, the 173. 2797 02:12:38,590 --> 02:12:40,750 And one actually I'm gonna ask now, 2798 02:12:40,750 --> 02:12:41,970 where would be in this, 2799 02:12:41,970 --> 02:12:43,570 because there was a question actually from the 2800 02:12:43,570 --> 02:12:44,220 gallery 2801 02:12:44,220 --> 02:12:48,440 in this model, where would be the BIA's 2802 02:12:48,440 --> 02:12:53,330 and how much they would be involved in this part? 2803 02:12:53,330 --> 02:12:56,720 - Thank you, Governor, Mr. Fatt. 2804 02:12:56,720 --> 02:12:59,120 - Thank you, Chair, and for you. 2805 02:12:59,120 --> 02:13:00,860 In terms of the governance model, 2806 02:13:00,860 --> 02:13:03,760 I can say with certainty that the BIA's are part 2807 02:13:03,760 --> 02:13:05,900 of the broader ecosystem, 2808 02:13:05,900 --> 02:13:07,720 but I would also characterize based on the 2809 02:13:07,720 --> 02:13:08,470 expected role 2810 02:13:08,470 --> 02:13:13,520 that they could play as delivery partners, 2811 02:13:13,520 --> 02:13:17,140 that we could conceive of them there too. 2812 02:13:17,140 --> 02:13:21,810 It's a function of what specific roles they would 2813 02:13:21,810 --> 02:13:22,120 play 2814 02:13:22,120 --> 02:13:25,430 both broadly in the work that they do as a BIA. 2815 02:13:25,430 --> 02:13:27,260 And also anything specific that they would be 2816 02:13:27,260 --> 02:13:27,700 doing 2817 02:13:27,700 --> 02:13:30,650 in terms of the delivery of this plan. 2818 02:13:30,650 --> 02:13:34,030 And so we have the BIA's as partners on, 2819 02:13:34,030 --> 02:13:36,700 I wanna say at least two actions in this plan. 2820 02:13:36,700 --> 02:13:39,240 And so in that context, 2821 02:13:39,240 --> 02:13:41,350 they are delivery partners working with the city 2822 02:13:41,350 --> 02:13:43,730 to meet those outcomes. 2823 02:13:43,730 --> 02:13:45,680 And so they will be a part of the governance 2824 02:13:45,680 --> 02:13:47,870 from that perspective. 2825 02:13:47,870 --> 02:13:49,770 And of course, in the work that they do day in 2826 02:13:49,770 --> 02:13:51,520 and day out, they're a fundamental part 2827 02:13:51,520 --> 02:13:53,960 of the city's broader economic development 2828 02:13:53,960 --> 02:13:56,130 ecosystem. 2829 02:13:56,130 --> 02:13:57,080 - Councilor Perbal. 2830 02:13:57,080 --> 02:13:58,130 - Okay, thank you for that. 2831 02:13:58,130 --> 02:14:01,260 I do have a full up, I'm going back to this model 2832 02:14:01,260 --> 02:14:01,710 . 2833 02:14:01,710 --> 02:14:03,500 I do think it's a really good model. 2834 02:14:03,500 --> 02:14:05,190 I do think that there needs to be certain 2835 02:14:05,190 --> 02:14:05,720 additions, 2836 02:14:05,720 --> 02:14:08,690 which again, it's a final report, 2837 02:14:08,690 --> 02:14:10,990 but again, within our building here, 2838 02:14:10,990 --> 02:14:13,050 it's a work in progress. 2839 02:14:13,050 --> 02:14:14,600 But when I look at the model, 2840 02:14:14,600 --> 02:14:17,800 the crucial points are the dotted line, 2841 02:14:17,800 --> 02:14:20,180 they're actually the everyday work, 2842 02:14:20,180 --> 02:14:22,870 how it's gonna be done, driven, 2843 02:14:22,870 --> 02:14:24,020 and not just led, 2844 02:14:24,020 --> 02:14:26,510 which I'm gonna talk to in the next one more. 2845 02:14:26,510 --> 02:14:27,890 But can you clarify this? 2846 02:14:27,890 --> 02:14:32,030 How is this gonna be now developed into everyday 2847 02:14:32,030 --> 02:14:32,480 work 2848 02:14:32,480 --> 02:14:34,280 and not just becoming a theory, 2849 02:14:34,280 --> 02:14:38,440 actually planned that will take the action. 2850 02:14:38,440 --> 02:14:40,880 - Mr. Fowler. 2851 02:14:40,880 --> 02:14:43,060 - Thank you, Chair, and through you. 2852 02:14:43,060 --> 02:14:45,270 So thank you for calling attention to the dotted 2853 02:14:45,270 --> 02:14:45,550 lines. 2854 02:14:45,550 --> 02:14:47,960 That is in terms of the legend, 2855 02:14:47,960 --> 02:14:51,670 that is a characterization of a certain kind 2856 02:14:51,670 --> 02:14:52,940 of relationship that is collaborative, 2857 02:14:52,940 --> 02:14:54,290 but it's easy to write this down, right? 2858 02:14:54,290 --> 02:14:56,040 To the point earlier, we can create plans 2859 02:14:56,040 --> 02:14:57,230 so we can write things down. 2860 02:14:57,230 --> 02:15:00,730 What matters is what we do in practice. 2861 02:15:00,730 --> 02:15:03,530 In terms of actually operationalizing this, 2862 02:15:03,530 --> 02:15:06,590 our next step contingent on endorsement by 2863 02:15:06,590 --> 02:15:07,100 council 2864 02:15:07,100 --> 02:15:11,700 is to begin developing the terms of reference in 2865 02:15:11,700 --> 02:15:14,630 more detail. 2866 02:15:14,630 --> 02:15:17,170 That will take some time, but then it's about 2867 02:15:17,170 --> 02:15:17,370 actually 2868 02:15:17,370 --> 02:15:20,290 populating the economic partnership table. 2869 02:15:20,290 --> 02:15:22,300 And it's the partnership table that we really 2870 02:15:22,300 --> 02:15:25,750 see as a fundamental implementation action that 2871 02:15:25,750 --> 02:15:27,780 engages the keeps the great conversations 2872 02:15:27,780 --> 02:15:30,200 we've had through the development process 2873 02:15:30,200 --> 02:15:31,750 going with business leaders. 2874 02:15:31,750 --> 02:15:33,930 It's also the process that keeps us accountable 2875 02:15:33,930 --> 02:15:34,530 and honest 2876 02:15:34,530 --> 02:15:38,100 and responsive because our intention is to vest 2877 02:15:38,100 --> 02:15:44,840 that group with ongoing advice and adaptation 2878 02:15:44,840 --> 02:15:47,650 with respect to how this strategy evolves over 2879 02:15:47,650 --> 02:15:50,130 time, not just the content but the delivery. 2880 02:15:50,130 --> 02:15:52,480 And so what we're looking for is a group of 2881 02:15:52,480 --> 02:15:55,260 business leaders who want to work together, 2882 02:15:55,260 --> 02:15:57,450 who want great things for this city and are 2883 02:15:57,450 --> 02:15:59,810 willing to tell us what's not working so that 2884 02:15:59,810 --> 02:16:03,510 we can stay responsive and active. 2885 02:16:03,510 --> 02:16:07,640 approval. Okay and the last one as I stated we 2886 02:16:07,640 --> 02:16:09,600 had these plans before and there were some 2887 02:16:09,600 --> 02:16:11,960 really good initiatives, some actions that 2888 02:16:11,960 --> 02:16:16,260 actually the whoever they were never even taken 2889 02:16:16,260 --> 02:16:16,810 up and 2890 02:16:16,810 --> 02:16:20,550 never delivered, never done. I have a question 2891 02:16:20,550 --> 02:16:23,620 now what are we going to do differently this time 2892 02:16:23,620 --> 02:16:26,480 and don't don't don't tell me to read through the 2893 02:16:26,480 --> 02:16:30,220 300 pages or whatever which I did but in the 2894 02:16:30,220 --> 02:16:33,090 the bullet points, how are we gonna attack it 2895 02:16:33,090 --> 02:16:35,630 to make sure that these things are truly 2896 02:16:35,630 --> 02:16:36,140 delivered? 2897 02:16:36,140 --> 02:16:37,760 And I totally understand that there is to be 2898 02:16:37,760 --> 02:16:39,020 funding as well. 2899 02:16:39,020 --> 02:16:42,570 But if the funding at the council commits, 2900 02:16:42,570 --> 02:16:46,170 how do we make sure we deliver? 2901 02:16:46,170 --> 02:16:47,590 - Mr. Fowler. 2902 02:16:47,590 --> 02:16:49,300 - Thank you, Chair, and through you. 2903 02:16:49,300 --> 02:16:51,980 I think in a few ways. 2904 02:16:51,980 --> 02:16:54,060 One thing is the way that we've designed this 2905 02:16:54,060 --> 02:16:54,650 plan, 2906 02:16:54,650 --> 02:16:57,690 we've tried to pay close attention to the 2907 02:16:57,690 --> 02:16:58,400 feasible roles 2908 02:16:58,400 --> 02:17:01,180 that the city as an organization can play 2909 02:17:01,180 --> 02:17:03,570 as one actor in the ecosystem. 2910 02:17:03,570 --> 02:17:06,390 So we have ambition, but it's a function of also 2911 02:17:06,390 --> 02:17:09,250 what tools we can employ as the city to make 2912 02:17:09,250 --> 02:17:10,480 change happen. 2913 02:17:10,480 --> 02:17:16,060 One of, through the ecosystem review 2914 02:17:16,060 --> 02:17:18,870 that Deloitte undertook, one of their key 2915 02:17:18,870 --> 02:17:19,600 insights 2916 02:17:19,600 --> 02:17:22,510 was the London has great raw assets, 2917 02:17:22,510 --> 02:17:23,720 but we need to knit them together, 2918 02:17:23,720 --> 02:17:27,910 and we need to be like, optimizing how we the 2919 02:17:27,910 --> 02:17:28,530 work. 2920 02:17:28,530 --> 02:17:32,850 And so for us, the pillar five on system 2921 02:17:32,850 --> 02:17:33,520 optimization 2922 02:17:33,520 --> 02:17:36,410 is really where we see a lot of foundational work 2923 02:17:36,410 --> 02:17:37,590 happening. 2924 02:17:37,590 --> 02:17:39,900 That's less what we deliver and more how we 2925 02:17:39,900 --> 02:17:40,420 deliver. 2926 02:17:40,420 --> 02:17:44,450 And so in there is where we're making commitments 2927 02:17:44,450 --> 02:17:46,640 to developing the partnership table, 2928 02:17:46,640 --> 02:17:49,190 to committing to the outcomes report, 2929 02:17:49,190 --> 02:17:52,760 to a structured business review and adaptation 2930 02:17:52,760 --> 02:17:53,100 cycle 2931 02:17:53,100 --> 02:17:57,030 so that the strategy stays like responsive over 2932 02:17:57,030 --> 02:17:57,530 time. 2933 02:17:57,530 --> 02:17:59,030 There are things that we're going to learn in 2934 02:17:59,030 --> 02:17:59,480 three months 2935 02:17:59,480 --> 02:18:01,260 and six months that are important that we don't 2936 02:18:01,260 --> 02:18:02,400 know today. 2937 02:18:02,400 --> 02:18:04,860 And we want to make sure we have a concrete 2938 02:18:04,860 --> 02:18:05,390 mechanism 2939 02:18:05,390 --> 02:18:08,720 that not only says this is a living document, 2940 02:18:08,720 --> 02:18:13,200 but explicitly obligates staff to pull on the 2941 02:18:13,200 --> 02:18:13,730 data 2942 02:18:13,730 --> 02:18:16,890 to get feedback from the business community 2943 02:18:16,890 --> 02:18:18,760 who is impacted by what we're doing 2944 02:18:18,760 --> 02:18:21,560 and recommend changes to counsel for how we can 2945 02:18:21,560 --> 02:18:21,930 make sure 2946 02:18:21,930 --> 02:18:24,700 that this is a continual living document 2947 02:18:24,700 --> 02:18:26,980 that actually gets used. 2948 02:18:26,980 --> 02:18:30,580 - I guess finally, Ms. Parsons and I have spent 2949 02:18:30,580 --> 02:18:33,030 the better part of last year and a half working 2950 02:18:33,030 --> 02:18:33,790 on this, 2951 02:18:33,790 --> 02:18:35,480 and we really want to see it work, we want to do 2952 02:18:35,480 --> 02:18:35,690 it. 2953 02:18:35,690 --> 02:18:39,460 We are really energized to move to implementation 2954 02:18:39,460 --> 02:18:41,760 . 2955 02:18:41,760 --> 02:18:43,230 - Councillor Perbeau. 2956 02:18:43,230 --> 02:18:44,370 - Thank you for the answers. 2957 02:18:44,370 --> 02:18:46,410 Thank you for, and I will have more detailed ones 2958 02:18:46,410 --> 02:18:48,080 on the next one, but thank you very much for all 2959 02:18:48,080 --> 02:18:49,650 the work. 2960 02:18:49,650 --> 02:18:56,880 - Thank you, Deputy Mayor Lewis, next. 2961 02:18:56,880 --> 02:18:58,720 - Thank you, Madam Chair. 2962 02:18:58,720 --> 02:19:02,590 I just want to take a minute to, sorry, am I l 2963 02:19:02,590 --> 02:19:04,120 agging? 2964 02:19:04,120 --> 02:19:06,040 - You are, yes. 2965 02:19:06,040 --> 02:19:07,510 - Okay. 2966 02:19:07,510 --> 02:19:08,700 Do you want to go to the next speaker? 2967 02:19:08,700 --> 02:19:11,230 and I'm gonna disconnect and reconnect. 2968 02:19:11,230 --> 02:19:12,690 I'm having an issue with like a theater 2969 02:19:12,690 --> 02:19:14,110 'cause I've had some moments 2970 02:19:14,110 --> 02:19:16,550 where you guys have been lying too. 2971 02:19:16,550 --> 02:19:19,110 - Thank you, sounds good. 2972 02:19:19,110 --> 02:19:21,790 Looking for other speakers, 2973 02:19:21,790 --> 02:19:25,980 we have Councillor Trossa next. 2974 02:19:25,980 --> 02:19:27,740 - Thank you very much. 2975 02:19:27,740 --> 02:19:30,730 I've read these two reports very carefully 2976 02:19:30,730 --> 02:19:36,660 and I have to say I'm not gonna vote against them 2977 02:19:36,660 --> 02:19:36,760 . 2978 02:19:36,660 --> 02:19:38,420 This is what it's going to be. 2979 02:19:38,420 --> 02:19:39,910 We're gonna pass these. 2980 02:19:39,910 --> 02:19:44,880 I'm very worried that we're going to pass these. 2981 02:19:44,880 --> 02:19:46,900 I really agree with what Mr. Wallace said. 2982 02:19:46,900 --> 02:19:50,150 I just have to call you out on this one this time 2983 02:19:50,150 --> 02:19:50,490 . 2984 02:19:50,490 --> 02:19:53,550 I'm very worried about the implementation, 2985 02:19:53,550 --> 02:19:59,180 'cause I think we put so much energy into this, 2986 02:19:59,180 --> 02:20:03,360 I am not satisfied based on what I have in front 2987 02:20:03,360 --> 02:20:04,430 of me, 2988 02:20:04,430 --> 02:20:09,190 that there's going to be any kind of departure 2989 02:20:09,190 --> 02:20:11,890 from business as usual. 2990 02:20:11,890 --> 02:20:13,070 And I'm really worried about that, 2991 02:20:13,070 --> 02:20:14,920 and I'm more worried about that with the second 2992 02:20:14,920 --> 02:20:15,080 one, 2993 02:20:15,080 --> 02:20:16,460 and I'll come back to it. 2994 02:20:16,460 --> 02:20:20,380 But there are two things that are very much 2995 02:20:20,380 --> 02:20:21,620 bothering me. 2996 02:20:21,620 --> 02:20:25,860 And I want to ask how this city's approach 2997 02:20:25,860 --> 02:20:30,350 under this plan is going to change the status quo 2998 02:20:30,350 --> 02:20:32,070 in terms of how we deal with these issues. 2999 02:20:32,070 --> 02:20:36,600 And the first one is this broader question 3000 02:20:36,600 --> 02:20:41,700 of the perception of downtown as being unsafe, 3001 02:20:41,700 --> 02:20:45,990 as being a function of stagnant economic 3002 02:20:45,990 --> 02:20:47,270 development, 3003 02:20:47,930 --> 02:20:50,890 poverty, homelessness, I hear a lot about 3004 02:20:50,890 --> 02:20:51,490 businesses, 3005 02:20:51,490 --> 02:20:53,280 and of course business has to drive this 3006 02:20:53,280 --> 02:20:56,070 'cause it's the economic development plan. 3007 02:20:56,070 --> 02:20:59,450 But how are workers, how are consumers? 3008 02:20:59,450 --> 02:21:03,030 How are people who are not directly involved 3009 02:21:03,030 --> 02:21:07,340 in the business community going to help drive 3010 02:21:07,340 --> 02:21:07,990 this? 3011 02:21:07,990 --> 02:21:11,250 But even more specifically, the second one, 3012 02:21:11,250 --> 02:21:16,420 and I've spoken to this before, we have a crisis 3013 02:21:16,420 --> 02:21:22,750 in terms of office vacancy and storefront vacancy 3014 02:21:22,750 --> 02:21:22,850 . 3015 02:21:22,750 --> 02:21:25,510 And what's missing from this, 3016 02:21:25,510 --> 02:21:28,340 and I think it's more blatantly missing 3017 02:21:28,340 --> 02:21:30,620 from the next one that we're gonna discuss, 3018 02:21:30,620 --> 02:21:33,510 but like what is gonna be different 3019 02:21:33,510 --> 02:21:36,980 about how we deal with the plague 3020 02:21:36,980 --> 02:21:42,190 of the high vacancy rate 3021 02:21:42,190 --> 02:21:45,270 and what tools are we going to be using here 3022 02:21:45,270 --> 02:21:46,840 that we haven't thought of using it? 3023 02:21:46,840 --> 02:21:49,410 'Cause I don't see anything in this report 3024 02:21:49,410 --> 02:21:55,870 that addresses my feeling that we need to also be 3025 02:21:55,870 --> 02:21:58,860 looking at the regulatory tools 3026 02:21:58,860 --> 02:22:01,920 that the city has at its disposal. 3027 02:22:01,920 --> 02:22:03,650 I know a lot of people like to talk about 3028 02:22:03,650 --> 02:22:06,610 that they can see tax and I know we can't do that 3029 02:22:06,610 --> 02:22:06,710 . 3030 02:22:06,610 --> 02:22:09,890 But the other tools that the city has at its 3031 02:22:09,890 --> 02:22:10,580 disposal 3032 02:22:10,580 --> 02:22:15,240 in terms of vacant building, registries, code 3033 02:22:15,240 --> 02:22:15,510 enforcement, 3034 02:22:15,510 --> 02:22:19,910 and maybe this is too operational 3035 02:22:19,910 --> 02:22:21,530 to discuss at this high level, 3036 02:22:21,530 --> 02:22:28,800 but what's gonna be different about a Mr. Fowler? 3037 02:22:28,800 --> 02:22:30,940 - Thank you, Chair, and through you, 3038 02:22:30,940 --> 02:22:33,750 I just wanna start by thanking the Councilor 3039 02:22:33,750 --> 02:22:35,810 for the attention on this piece. 3040 02:22:35,810 --> 02:22:37,520 I can give you what's in there, 3041 02:22:37,520 --> 02:22:38,910 but based on how you characterize it, 3042 02:22:38,910 --> 02:22:42,080 I'm not sure it'll satisfy the size of the task 3043 02:22:42,080 --> 02:22:44,800 for what is in the economic development plan. 3044 02:22:44,800 --> 02:22:47,780 But the piece that I would point to specifically 3045 02:22:47,780 --> 02:22:49,320 is the Downtown Advisory Service. 3046 02:22:49,320 --> 02:22:51,930 That is in Pillar 1, 3047 02:22:51,930 --> 02:22:53,600 and it does focus on like downtown, 3048 02:22:53,600 --> 02:22:56,860 but there was a conscious choice in terms of this 3049 02:22:56,860 --> 02:22:57,390 action 3050 02:22:57,390 --> 02:23:00,960 to focus on street level retail or street level 3051 02:23:00,960 --> 02:23:02,090 businesses 3052 02:23:02,090 --> 02:23:03,490 that sort of street level vacancy, right? 3053 02:23:03,490 --> 02:23:05,440 We know there's also office vacancy 3054 02:23:05,440 --> 02:23:07,760 that can occupy these upper floors, 3055 02:23:07,760 --> 02:23:11,940 but to really look at the perceptions 3056 02:23:11,940 --> 02:23:15,620 of street safety or the like the reality of that 3057 02:23:15,620 --> 02:23:16,570 safety 3058 02:23:16,570 --> 02:23:18,640 and business confidence and like resident 3059 02:23:18,640 --> 02:23:19,000 comments 3060 02:23:19,000 --> 02:23:24,020 and consumer confidence, the focus of that piece 3061 02:23:24,020 --> 02:23:28,870 is on storefront, ground level, street level. 3062 02:23:28,870 --> 02:23:30,300 It's designed to work in concert 3063 02:23:30,300 --> 02:23:33,010 with some of the actions in the downtown plan. 3064 02:23:33,010 --> 02:23:36,790 So the downtown plan has occupancy strategies. 3065 02:23:36,790 --> 02:23:38,820 What this action does in the ACTEP strategy 3066 02:23:38,820 --> 02:23:42,240 is try to overlay the business advisory support 3067 02:23:42,240 --> 02:23:44,590 so that the folks who are occupying those spaces 3068 02:23:44,590 --> 02:23:48,210 are hopefully better set up to like succeed 3069 02:23:48,210 --> 02:23:51,500 in the downtown operating environment. 3070 02:23:51,500 --> 02:23:53,310 That is specific to the downtown. 3071 02:23:53,310 --> 02:23:56,910 It doesn't preclude us from looking elsewhere. 3072 02:23:56,910 --> 02:23:57,730 - Councillor Trossa. 3073 02:23:57,730 --> 02:24:00,530 - Yeah, to follow it up, thank you through the 3074 02:24:00,530 --> 02:24:01,120 chair. 3075 02:24:01,120 --> 02:24:05,470 But if the underlying business purpose 3076 02:24:05,470 --> 02:24:07,920 of a holding company, and I won't say which 3077 02:24:07,920 --> 02:24:08,400 company, 3078 02:24:08,400 --> 02:24:09,700 but I will say a holding company, 3079 02:24:09,700 --> 02:24:12,540 which is very different from a retail 3080 02:24:12,540 --> 02:24:13,230 establishment 3081 02:24:13,230 --> 02:24:14,880 or an operating company. 3082 02:24:14,880 --> 02:24:16,940 If the purpose of a holding company 3083 02:24:16,940 --> 02:24:21,340 is to acquire properties, manage them for other 3084 02:24:21,340 --> 02:24:21,930 people, 3085 02:24:21,930 --> 02:24:25,700 and not necessarily put them into productive use. 3086 02:24:25,700 --> 02:24:28,380 Why would the city not be looking 3087 02:24:28,380 --> 02:24:31,060 at additional regulatory tools 3088 02:24:31,060 --> 02:24:35,800 that could be used to disincentivize and 3089 02:24:35,800 --> 02:24:36,640 discourage 3090 02:24:36,640 --> 02:24:41,220 that kind of behavior if our overall goal here 3091 02:24:41,220 --> 02:24:42,910 is economic development? 3092 02:24:42,910 --> 02:24:44,600 And I think it's just something 3093 02:24:44,600 --> 02:24:46,370 that's missing from this plan. 3094 02:24:46,370 --> 02:24:50,460 And I need to be assured that in supporting this 3095 02:24:50,460 --> 02:24:51,670 plan 3096 02:24:51,670 --> 02:24:54,140 and having this plan go through, 3097 02:24:54,140 --> 02:24:57,080 that discussion is not being cut off 3098 02:24:57,080 --> 02:24:59,870 from a future time. 3099 02:24:59,870 --> 02:25:02,140 I don't wanna be in a situation where I come back 3100 02:25:02,140 --> 02:25:05,560 in a few months or another year 3101 02:25:05,560 --> 02:25:07,980 and say I would really like to talk about 3102 02:25:07,980 --> 02:25:10,690 some more regulatory tools that we could use 3103 02:25:10,690 --> 02:25:13,620 and be told, well, the time to talk about that 3104 02:25:13,620 --> 02:25:17,600 would have been in formulating this plan. 3105 02:25:17,600 --> 02:25:20,840 I need to have some assurance 3106 02:25:20,840 --> 02:25:23,440 that in putting this through the way it is 3107 02:25:23,440 --> 02:25:25,020 without that information in it, 3108 02:25:25,020 --> 02:25:27,830 without that consideration in it, 3109 02:25:27,830 --> 02:25:31,640 that it's just something that we can still get to 3110 02:25:31,640 --> 02:25:31,740 . 3111 02:25:31,670 --> 02:25:33,880 But it does not take away from my disappointment 3112 02:25:33,880 --> 02:25:35,300 that we haven't addressed that. 3113 02:25:35,300 --> 02:25:43,390 But if you could address that, I'd appreciate it. 3114 02:25:43,390 --> 02:25:45,310 - I'll go to Mr. Fowler and anyone else. 3115 02:25:45,310 --> 02:25:46,310 - Thank you, Chair. 3116 02:25:46,310 --> 02:25:49,790 - And through you, thank you for those comments 3117 02:25:49,790 --> 02:25:52,150 and that additional context. 3118 02:25:52,150 --> 02:25:55,760 I think they're great thoughts today. 3119 02:25:55,760 --> 02:25:57,770 I will say from an engagement standpoint 3120 02:25:57,770 --> 02:26:00,230 and from the recommendations and the evidence 3121 02:26:00,230 --> 02:26:00,650 base, 3122 02:26:00,650 --> 02:26:03,240 that didn't come up as a strong piece, 3123 02:26:03,240 --> 02:26:05,450 which is why you don't see it here. 3124 02:26:05,450 --> 02:26:08,190 What I will say is this strategy was built to 3125 02:26:08,190 --> 02:26:09,270 adapt. 3126 02:26:09,270 --> 02:26:12,400 It was built to allow for it to really require 3127 02:26:12,400 --> 02:26:13,540 ongoing input 3128 02:26:13,540 --> 02:26:17,010 and refinement as we go. 3129 02:26:17,010 --> 02:26:20,950 And so that conversation isn't going to be lost 3130 02:26:20,950 --> 02:26:24,470 by an endorsement today because we have built 3131 02:26:24,470 --> 02:26:26,950 in mechanisms mostly in pillar five to continue 3132 02:26:26,950 --> 02:26:27,370 updating 3133 02:26:27,370 --> 02:26:29,120 this and to continue to look at some of those new 3134 02:26:29,120 --> 02:26:29,790 tools 3135 02:26:29,790 --> 02:26:32,600 or different tools that we hadn't either thought 3136 02:26:32,600 --> 02:26:33,760 to include 3137 02:26:33,760 --> 02:26:38,950 or chose not to, that is still there. 3138 02:26:38,950 --> 02:26:39,790 - Cancer trust. 3139 02:26:39,790 --> 02:26:42,330 - Last question, does that need to be written 3140 02:26:42,330 --> 02:26:45,200 into the motion or is it just understood 3141 02:26:45,200 --> 02:26:48,100 that by passing this we're not necessarily 3142 02:26:48,100 --> 02:26:53,070 precluding other approaches and other regulatory, 3143 02:26:53,070 --> 02:26:56,600 adopting other regulatory tools later. 3144 02:26:56,600 --> 02:26:59,110 Because if it doesn't need to be-- 3145 02:26:59,110 --> 02:27:01,090 - Thank you, that's your time. 3146 02:27:01,090 --> 02:27:02,830 - Yeah, well that's my question, yeah, I'd like 3147 02:27:02,830 --> 02:27:03,250 that. 3148 02:27:03,250 --> 02:27:04,740 - Thank you, so your question was, 3149 02:27:04,740 --> 02:27:07,070 does it need to be explicitly written in 3150 02:27:07,070 --> 02:27:12,900 or is it understood that the plan is evolving? 3151 02:27:12,900 --> 02:27:15,090 - Through the, pardon me, through the chair, 3152 02:27:15,090 --> 02:27:17,240 we certainly do understand that, Councillor. 3153 02:27:20,130 --> 02:27:23,740 If we, if council chooses to endorse this, 3154 02:27:23,740 --> 02:27:25,650 the mechanisms are in the like strategy. 3155 02:27:25,650 --> 02:27:27,040 They are like concrete commitments. 3156 02:27:27,040 --> 02:27:30,410 We are coming back every year and add a, 3157 02:27:30,410 --> 02:27:32,700 I should say add a minimum and we're open 3158 02:27:32,700 --> 02:27:35,730 and happy to have conversation about this 3159 02:27:35,730 --> 02:27:37,640 to continue the ongoing development 3160 02:27:37,640 --> 02:27:40,650 and refinement of the strategy. 3161 02:27:40,650 --> 02:27:42,480 - Okay, I'll just say thank you since my time is 3162 02:27:42,480 --> 02:27:42,760 up. 3163 02:27:42,760 --> 02:27:43,580 - Thank you. 3164 02:27:43,580 --> 02:27:46,010 I have councilor Ferreira next. 3165 02:27:46,010 --> 02:27:47,430 - Thank you chair through you. 3166 02:27:47,430 --> 02:27:51,890 Interesting where the conversation's going. 3167 02:27:51,890 --> 02:27:56,900 I guess I'm gonna start with this economic 3168 02:27:56,900 --> 02:27:57,040 development strategy 3169 02:27:57,040 --> 02:27:59,140 in the downtown plan coming next. 3170 02:27:59,140 --> 02:28:02,120 These are the two items that I've been probably 3171 02:28:02,120 --> 02:28:04,340 the most thoroughly engaged with staff 3172 02:28:04,340 --> 02:28:07,000 on throughout the last little while. 3173 02:28:07,000 --> 02:28:10,800 I do appreciate Ms. Parsons and Mr. Fowler 3174 02:28:10,800 --> 02:28:12,450 on the monthly meetings that we're having 3175 02:28:12,450 --> 02:28:15,660 and just kind of seeing all the considerations 3176 02:28:15,660 --> 02:28:17,880 that were brought into the plan like you. 3177 02:28:17,880 --> 02:28:19,480 I do understand that if we're talking 3178 02:28:19,480 --> 02:28:21,710 about the economic development of the city as a 3179 02:28:21,710 --> 02:28:22,020 whole, 3180 02:28:22,020 --> 02:28:24,230 that's a big that's a big thing and it has a lot 3181 02:28:24,230 --> 02:28:25,450 of moving parts and then has 3182 02:28:25,450 --> 02:28:27,430 parts within those parts that are moving as well 3183 02:28:27,430 --> 02:28:28,630 and just making sure how that 3184 02:28:28,630 --> 02:28:30,860 all fits. You can know that but when you actually 3185 02:28:30,860 --> 02:28:32,490 get into the discussion and 3186 02:28:32,490 --> 02:28:34,450 you actually get into the considerations you 3187 02:28:34,450 --> 02:28:36,390 really start seeing the gravity of 3188 02:28:36,390 --> 02:28:39,740 it all. So I appreciate the plan. How is it how 3189 02:28:39,740 --> 02:28:42,900 it's come back? With respect to 3190 02:28:42,900 --> 02:28:44,760 like you know how does this change the status quo 3191 02:28:44,760 --> 02:28:46,000 ? Like my answer to that would 3192 02:28:46,000 --> 02:28:48,630 be the follow-through. If council follows through 3193 02:28:48,630 --> 02:28:51,090 . If council ensures that we have 3194 02:28:51,090 --> 02:28:53,440 our hands on and we ensure that this follow- 3195 02:28:53,440 --> 02:28:55,460 through goes to where we would 3196 02:28:55,460 --> 02:28:58,840 like to go. It's up to us if we want to make sure 3197 02:28:58,840 --> 02:29:03,030 that the ideas and policies 3198 02:29:03,030 --> 02:29:06,210 and what can be created from these themes that we 3199 02:29:06,210 --> 02:29:09,310 see goes forward. So 3200 02:29:09,310 --> 02:29:11,210 that's what I would say to that. With the 3201 02:29:11,210 --> 02:29:13,290 integration and the alignment with the 3202 02:29:13,290 --> 02:29:15,390 downtown plan, I really appreciate that. That was 3203 02:29:15,390 --> 02:29:17,020 obviously a big item that I 3204 02:29:17,020 --> 02:29:19,780 would continually talk with with you and with Mr. 3205 02:29:19,780 --> 02:29:21,560 McCauley. So I appreciate how 3206 02:29:21,560 --> 02:29:23,190 how we're kind of highlighting that. 3207 02:29:23,190 --> 02:29:25,620 And I do, I guess, have one, maybe two questions, 3208 02:29:25,620 --> 02:29:27,950 but one question in particular would be 3209 02:29:27,950 --> 02:29:30,620 about the downtown investment portfolio. 3210 02:29:30,620 --> 02:29:32,090 And I wanted to just kind of ask, 3211 02:29:32,090 --> 02:29:34,750 like I do see that this potentially could be 3212 02:29:34,750 --> 02:29:39,060 one of the most useful tools in the strategy, 3213 02:29:39,060 --> 02:29:42,780 but only if it becomes an active investment tool 3214 02:29:42,780 --> 02:29:45,900 rather than like an internal list. 3215 02:29:45,900 --> 02:29:47,610 So I wanted to know, 3216 02:29:47,610 --> 02:29:51,030 will the downtown investment portfolio package 3217 02:29:51,030 --> 02:29:53,690 like properties for investors with details 3218 02:29:53,690 --> 02:29:56,960 like ownership and zoning or incentive 3219 02:29:56,960 --> 02:29:58,030 eligibility 3220 02:29:58,030 --> 02:29:59,730 and redevelopment potential. 3221 02:29:59,730 --> 02:30:01,680 Like, could you just give me an understanding 3222 02:30:01,680 --> 02:30:05,190 of how that will look when we actually see that 3223 02:30:05,190 --> 02:30:05,740 portion 3224 02:30:05,740 --> 02:30:09,620 of this strategy come about? 3225 02:30:09,620 --> 02:30:11,350 - Mr. Fowler. 3226 02:30:11,350 --> 02:30:12,190 - Thank you, Chair. 3227 02:30:12,190 --> 02:30:14,830 And through you, you've actually described it 3228 02:30:14,830 --> 02:30:16,540 very well, Councillor. 3229 02:30:16,540 --> 02:30:19,570 It takes some of the data work that is happening 3230 02:30:19,570 --> 02:30:21,010 coming out of the downtown plan 3231 02:30:21,010 --> 02:30:23,000 and looks at how that can be packaged 3232 02:30:23,000 --> 02:30:26,430 into materials that would be meaningful for 3233 02:30:26,430 --> 02:30:26,950 investors 3234 02:30:26,950 --> 02:30:29,780 and folks looking to potentially acquire 3235 02:30:29,780 --> 02:30:30,420 properties 3236 02:30:30,420 --> 02:30:33,060 downtown, and so we'd be working with partners 3237 02:30:33,060 --> 02:30:35,520 on what are those dimensions, and what are the 3238 02:30:35,520 --> 02:30:36,250 features 3239 02:30:36,250 --> 02:30:39,080 that a potential investor is looking for 3240 02:30:39,080 --> 02:30:41,510 when they are considering a downtown property, 3241 02:30:41,510 --> 02:30:43,310 I'll point on some of the information found 3242 02:30:43,310 --> 02:30:45,320 in the downtown plan, but those pieces around 3243 02:30:45,320 --> 02:30:45,620 zoning 3244 02:30:45,620 --> 02:30:47,550 that you mentioned are exactly the kinds of 3245 02:30:47,550 --> 02:30:47,820 things 3246 02:30:47,820 --> 02:30:50,210 that we're thinking about. 3247 02:30:50,210 --> 02:30:51,440 - Councillor Ferrer. 3248 02:30:51,440 --> 02:30:52,940 - Okay, thank you for that. 3249 02:30:52,940 --> 02:30:55,180 I do want to, I guess, speak to, 3250 02:30:55,180 --> 02:30:58,030 'cause the vacancy is a big issue that we have in 3251 02:30:58,030 --> 02:30:59,350 the core. 3252 02:30:59,350 --> 02:31:02,920 And some of the tools that I have discussed with 3253 02:31:02,920 --> 02:31:03,140 staff 3254 02:31:03,140 --> 02:31:04,890 and with colleagues, and I know Councillor Trus 3255 02:31:04,890 --> 02:31:05,090 sell 3256 02:31:05,090 --> 02:31:07,910 and I had a long conversation about this last 3257 02:31:07,910 --> 02:31:08,040 week, 3258 02:31:08,040 --> 02:31:10,240 but some of the tools that exist, 3259 02:31:10,240 --> 02:31:12,750 and this goes back to, I guess, that conversation 3260 02:31:12,750 --> 02:31:14,850 we had a couple years ago about the carrot or the 3261 02:31:14,850 --> 02:31:15,180 stick, 3262 02:31:15,180 --> 02:31:17,050 the carrot and the stick, and which one do we use 3263 02:31:17,050 --> 02:31:17,170 , 3264 02:31:17,170 --> 02:31:18,010 which one's appropriate? 3265 02:31:18,010 --> 02:31:21,640 I think a combination of both is appropriate. 3266 02:31:21,640 --> 02:31:23,930 And some of the tools that we have that we've 3267 02:31:23,930 --> 02:31:24,330 seen 3268 02:31:24,330 --> 02:31:26,560 have worked would be our incentive programs. 3269 02:31:26,560 --> 02:31:29,060 That has been very useful. 3270 02:31:29,060 --> 02:31:30,680 But some other tools that we don't necessarily 3271 02:31:30,680 --> 02:31:30,880 have 3272 02:31:30,880 --> 02:31:32,930 is that vacant commercial property tax. 3273 02:31:32,930 --> 02:31:34,870 So how do we bring something like that? 3274 02:31:34,870 --> 02:31:37,850 About, you know, we would advocate to the 3275 02:31:37,850 --> 02:31:38,270 province 3276 02:31:38,270 --> 02:31:40,990 to see if we can get something along those lines 3277 02:31:40,990 --> 02:31:41,360 as well. 3278 02:31:41,360 --> 02:31:43,670 But other tools that we have would also be 3279 02:31:43,670 --> 02:31:46,130 the property standards and how we kind of enforce 3280 02:31:46,130 --> 02:31:46,330 that 3281 02:31:46,330 --> 02:31:47,400 and how we move forward a matter, 3282 02:31:47,400 --> 02:31:49,730 how we have a vacant property registry 3283 02:31:49,730 --> 02:31:54,390 how we ensure the payment of that comes through. 3284 02:31:54,390 --> 02:31:57,750 But I guess the way I see it is, it's like when I 3285 02:31:57,750 --> 02:32:00,800 was reading the downtown plan, and 3286 02:32:00,800 --> 02:32:03,610 I know there's some overlap, so hopefully this is 3287 02:32:03,610 --> 02:32:05,490 fair game right now to speak to this. 3288 02:32:05,490 --> 02:32:08,310 But there's also the potential of acquiring or 3289 02:32:08,310 --> 02:32:10,660 renting out some properties and converting 3290 02:32:10,660 --> 02:32:12,730 that ourselves or having our hands more directly 3291 02:32:12,730 --> 02:32:15,280 onto that, and I see it that through the downtown 3292 02:32:15,280 --> 02:32:19,150 this kind of how I read the downtown plan portion 3293 02:32:19,150 --> 02:32:22,750 on that so I just wanted to know if we can speak 3294 02:32:22,750 --> 02:32:25,280 to that here about the downtown revitalization 3295 02:32:25,280 --> 02:32:28,470 authority, what will that look like when it comes 3296 02:32:28,470 --> 02:32:31,240 to vacant properties, how would that be a direct 3297 02:32:31,240 --> 02:32:33,670 application and I understand the terms of 3298 02:32:33,670 --> 02:32:34,280 reference 3299 02:32:34,280 --> 02:32:36,100 probably still need to be created around that but 3300 02:32:36,100 --> 02:32:37,640 how would that look when it comes to vacant 3301 02:32:37,640 --> 02:32:42,000 properties. 3302 02:32:42,000 --> 02:32:45,540 Thank you and through the chair, I might have you 3303 02:32:45,540 --> 02:32:47,030 ask that question again once we have 3304 02:32:47,030 --> 02:32:49,010 our consultants standing up here at the podium 3305 02:32:49,010 --> 02:32:51,450 and we get on to the downtown plan project. 3306 02:32:51,450 --> 02:32:53,660 However, the action that exists within the 3307 02:32:53,660 --> 02:32:55,790 downtown plan that's before committee is 3308 02:32:55,790 --> 02:33:00,690 to explore different vehicles that the city could 3309 02:33:00,690 --> 02:33:04,440 use as a way to obtain and manage land 3310 02:33:04,440 --> 02:33:07,480 in the downtown area. 3311 02:33:07,480 --> 02:33:09,480 The action that is specifically in the plan is to 3312 02:33:09,480 --> 02:33:11,460 test feasibility and obviously we report 3313 02:33:11,460 --> 02:33:13,130 back to council with different options. 3314 02:33:13,130 --> 02:33:15,160 So I wouldn't get so stuck on the downtown 3315 02:33:15,160 --> 02:33:15,990 revitalization 3316 02:33:15,990 --> 02:33:18,020 authority as the solution, because it 3317 02:33:18,020 --> 02:33:20,450 is a sequenced action that comes later on 3318 02:33:20,450 --> 02:33:24,130 in the phasing of the downtown plan. 3319 02:33:24,130 --> 02:33:27,150 What we potentially-- what you described, yes, 3320 02:33:27,150 --> 02:33:28,300 that could be a function. 3321 02:33:28,300 --> 02:33:30,020 One civic administration determines 3322 02:33:30,020 --> 02:33:32,840 what the mandate and the role of this new entity 3323 02:33:32,840 --> 02:33:33,560 is. 3324 02:33:33,560 --> 02:33:37,130 It could be a function to lease out vacant spaces 3325 02:33:37,130 --> 02:33:37,390 . 3326 02:33:37,390 --> 02:33:39,580 It could be a function to purchase vacant 3327 02:33:39,580 --> 02:33:40,180 buildings 3328 02:33:40,180 --> 02:33:43,250 and then lease those out and put some sort of use 3329 02:33:43,250 --> 02:33:44,560 in there. 3330 02:33:44,560 --> 02:33:47,270 That is certainly a functional role 3331 02:33:47,270 --> 02:33:49,500 that some sort of entity or authority 3332 02:33:49,500 --> 02:33:53,880 such as the downtown authority could do. 3333 02:33:53,880 --> 02:33:55,200 - Councilor Ferrera. 3334 02:33:55,200 --> 02:33:56,020 - Okay, thank you for that. 3335 02:33:56,020 --> 02:33:58,060 I might come back to that on the next item then. 3336 02:33:58,060 --> 02:34:01,170 Anyways, I do appreciate the work that's gone 3337 02:34:01,170 --> 02:34:01,580 into this. 3338 02:34:01,580 --> 02:34:05,230 Like I said, like I've watched it get developed 3339 02:34:05,230 --> 02:34:06,990 probably from the beginning, I think. 3340 02:34:06,990 --> 02:34:09,030 It's been a while. 3341 02:34:09,030 --> 02:34:11,580 So I understand kind of the themes 3342 02:34:11,580 --> 02:34:12,530 that we're bringing forward. 3343 02:34:12,530 --> 02:34:15,680 I really appreciate how it is aligned with the 3344 02:34:15,680 --> 02:34:16,380 downtown plan 3345 02:34:16,380 --> 02:34:19,840 because as the downtown BIA clearly stated, 3346 02:34:19,840 --> 02:34:21,190 and I agree and I've said this before, 3347 02:34:21,190 --> 02:34:23,890 downtown is an economic driver of the city. 3348 02:34:23,890 --> 02:34:26,240 It has benefits to the city and it has-- 3349 02:34:26,240 --> 02:34:27,070 - 30 seconds. 3350 02:34:27,070 --> 02:34:28,780 - And what has been clearly articulated 3351 02:34:28,780 --> 02:34:30,300 when it comes to the economic component 3352 02:34:30,300 --> 02:34:32,690 is downtown is healthy one. 3353 02:34:32,690 --> 02:34:35,460 It just as it's state is now, 3354 02:34:35,460 --> 02:34:37,480 but a very healthy one does have the ability 3355 02:34:37,480 --> 02:34:39,660 to broaden the tax base and does have the ability 3356 02:34:39,660 --> 02:34:43,160 to reduce the property tax payments 3357 02:34:43,160 --> 02:34:44,700 by every single Londoner 3358 02:34:44,700 --> 02:34:46,790 while still getting the same services or even 3359 02:34:46,790 --> 02:34:47,110 more. 3360 02:34:47,110 --> 02:34:49,930 So the more we invest in our downtown, 3361 02:34:49,930 --> 02:34:53,220 the better we are all are off when it comes 3362 02:34:53,220 --> 02:34:55,910 to the financial side of the city. 3363 02:34:55,910 --> 02:34:57,170 So those are my statements. 3364 02:34:57,170 --> 02:34:58,520 Thank you for letting me go on a little bit more. 3365 02:34:58,520 --> 02:34:59,830 I'm done. 3366 02:34:59,830 --> 02:35:00,660 - Okay, thank you. 3367 02:35:00,660 --> 02:35:01,520 I have quite a speaker's list. 3368 02:35:01,520 --> 02:35:02,940 I will go to Councillor Hopkins, 3369 02:35:02,940 --> 02:35:04,320 then back to Deputy Mayor Lewis 3370 02:35:04,320 --> 02:35:07,530 and then to Councillor Stevenson. 3371 02:35:07,530 --> 02:35:08,680 - Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. 3372 02:35:08,680 --> 02:35:09,510 And first of all, 3373 02:35:09,510 --> 02:35:11,980 I'd like to start off thanking staff and the 3374 02:35:11,980 --> 02:35:12,910 consultant. 3375 02:35:12,910 --> 02:35:15,760 A lot of work went into this, a lot of months, 3376 02:35:15,760 --> 02:35:18,850 and we've got a plan now. 3377 02:35:18,850 --> 02:35:22,510 I really want to thank everyone for their 3378 02:35:22,510 --> 02:35:24,470 dedication and work. 3379 02:35:24,470 --> 02:35:28,050 I appreciate what Mr. Wallace said as well about 3380 02:35:28,050 --> 02:35:29,110 it being 3381 02:35:29,110 --> 02:35:33,520 a sales job with this plan. 3382 02:35:33,520 --> 02:35:37,490 And it made me think it may be a sales 3383 02:35:37,490 --> 02:35:39,140 opportunity 3384 02:35:39,140 --> 02:35:45,100 plan gives us also an opportunity to acknowledge 3385 02:35:45,100 --> 02:35:48,230 that we can do this. We can maybe change the 3386 02:35:48,230 --> 02:35:52,020 direction, change the course. To me it's a 3387 02:35:52,020 --> 02:35:55,560 positive outlook on where we go. I don't want 3388 02:35:55,560 --> 02:35:57,680 to get too much into the weeds here asking 3389 02:35:57,680 --> 02:36:00,210 questions. I think there's a lot of work still 3390 02:36:00,210 --> 02:36:03,170 to be done. This is the framework, the governance 3391 02:36:03,170 --> 02:36:06,170 framework, I think which will be important. 3392 02:36:06,170 --> 02:36:11,310 But I just want to acknowledge the attitude that 3393 02:36:11,310 --> 02:36:13,920 this plan can give us everyone in the 3394 02:36:13,920 --> 02:36:18,540 leadership and the salesmanship of promoting our 3395 02:36:18,540 --> 02:36:19,320 city. 3396 02:36:19,320 --> 02:36:22,550 I appreciate the five pillars. 3397 02:36:22,550 --> 02:36:25,770 I started to pull apart the pillars in thinking 3398 02:36:25,770 --> 02:36:28,910 which is the most important one that I want 3399 02:36:28,910 --> 02:36:29,900 to speak to. 3400 02:36:29,900 --> 02:36:30,900 They're all important. 3401 02:36:30,900 --> 02:36:34,640 So I just want to acknowledge that. 3402 02:36:34,640 --> 02:36:38,420 As well as the indigenous embedding a 3403 02:36:38,420 --> 02:36:41,970 reconciliation plan into our strategy, I think 3404 02:36:41,970 --> 02:36:42,990 that is very 3405 02:36:42,990 --> 02:36:44,540 important for me. 3406 02:36:44,540 --> 02:36:48,520 It is creating that lens that makes the plan a 3407 02:36:48,520 --> 02:36:50,000 better plan. 3408 02:36:50,000 --> 02:36:52,810 And as we align it with the downtown plan, I 3409 02:36:52,810 --> 02:36:55,760 think that is important how we can complement 3410 02:36:55,760 --> 02:36:56,760 these two plans. 3411 02:36:56,760 --> 02:37:00,130 I think I want to just stay up here, keep that 3412 02:37:00,130 --> 02:37:02,920 focus and see how things unfold. 3413 02:37:02,920 --> 02:37:06,860 many things for presenting it to us today, thank 3414 02:37:06,860 --> 02:37:08,790 you. 3415 02:37:08,790 --> 02:37:14,030 - Thank you, I, Deputy Mayor Lewis, next. 3416 02:37:14,030 --> 02:37:17,820 - Thank you, Madam Chair, and through you, 3417 02:37:17,820 --> 02:37:19,600 I think maybe the first thing I'll do 3418 02:37:19,600 --> 02:37:24,150 is use part of my time to ask through you to 3419 02:37:24,150 --> 02:37:24,760 staff, 3420 02:37:24,760 --> 02:37:27,800 'cause it was stated that a healthy downtown 3421 02:37:27,800 --> 02:37:29,370 will lower property taxes, 3422 02:37:29,370 --> 02:37:31,970 but would it not be more accurate to say 3423 02:37:31,970 --> 02:37:34,270 that a healthy and full downtown might ease 3424 02:37:34,270 --> 02:37:36,540 future increases? 3425 02:37:36,540 --> 02:37:37,850 Because I don't want people to think 3426 02:37:37,850 --> 02:37:40,710 that they're going to suddenly get their property 3427 02:37:40,710 --> 02:37:41,010 taxes 3428 02:37:41,010 --> 02:37:44,310 cut by 5% if this plan gets endorsed and moves 3429 02:37:44,310 --> 02:37:44,930 forward. 3430 02:37:44,930 --> 02:37:47,850 So just for you to staff, if they could comment 3431 02:37:47,850 --> 02:37:53,520 briefly. 3432 02:37:53,520 --> 02:37:56,610 - I'll go to Ms. Barbell. 3433 02:37:56,610 --> 02:37:57,800 - Thank you through the chairs. 3434 02:37:57,800 --> 02:38:00,950 So as our assessment growth increases, 3435 02:38:00,950 --> 02:38:03,510 obviously that is beneficial for the growth of 3436 02:38:03,510 --> 02:38:04,110 the city 3437 02:38:04,110 --> 02:38:07,900 and notwithstanding tax increases from year to 3438 02:38:07,900 --> 02:38:08,380 year. 3439 02:38:08,380 --> 02:38:10,250 That assessment growth is utilized 3440 02:38:10,250 --> 02:38:12,760 to support additional services 3441 02:38:12,760 --> 02:38:14,920 that support the growth of the city overall. 3442 02:38:14,920 --> 02:38:17,010 So any assessment growth that occurs, 3443 02:38:17,010 --> 02:38:19,210 whether it be in the downtown or throughout the 3444 02:38:19,210 --> 02:38:19,470 city, 3445 02:38:19,470 --> 02:38:21,100 is beneficial to the city of London 3446 02:38:21,100 --> 02:38:24,790 and ultimately does support how we deliver the 3447 02:38:24,790 --> 02:38:25,490 services 3448 02:38:25,490 --> 02:38:27,450 to the new households in the city of London. 3449 02:38:27,450 --> 02:38:30,240 So it is a positive incremental outcome, 3450 02:38:30,240 --> 02:38:33,470 but may not necessarily reduce taxes overall, 3451 02:38:33,470 --> 02:38:36,900 but would mitigate additional costs in the future 3452 02:38:36,900 --> 02:38:38,540 . 3453 02:38:38,540 --> 02:38:43,250 - Thank you, go ahead, Deputy Mayor Lewis. 3454 02:38:43,250 --> 02:38:44,860 - Thank you, and I just thought it was important 3455 02:38:44,860 --> 02:38:46,950 ask that question because I don't want to start 3456 02:38:46,950 --> 02:38:49,500 creating false expectations for people. And I 3457 02:38:49,500 --> 02:38:49,730 also 3458 02:38:49,730 --> 02:38:52,480 think that I will say more assessment growth is 3459 02:38:52,480 --> 02:38:55,410 certainly welcome. I'm sure Councillor Frank 3460 02:38:55,410 --> 02:38:55,510 would 3461 02:38:55,480 --> 02:38:57,890 agree that London Transit would happily take some 3462 02:38:57,890 --> 02:38:59,980 more assessment growth in the future. So 3463 02:38:59,980 --> 02:39:03,260 that would be a positive, but I don't think that 3464 02:39:03,260 --> 02:39:06,060 we should be saying it's going to lower property 3465 02:39:06,060 --> 02:39:09,020 taxes. I also want to through you go to staff, 3466 02:39:09,020 --> 02:39:11,190 and I'm sorry if this was asked while I was 3467 02:39:11,190 --> 02:39:11,740 offline, 3468 02:39:12,530 --> 02:39:15,110 but I don't want to be redundant, but I did miss 3469 02:39:15,110 --> 02:39:18,110 some speakers. 3470 02:39:18,110 --> 02:39:22,440 Through you to our staff, this is a plan for 3471 02:39:22,440 --> 02:39:24,430 endorsements. 3472 02:39:24,430 --> 02:39:27,500 Then in terms of reference, work will be 3473 02:39:27,500 --> 02:39:28,940 undertaken. 3474 02:39:28,940 --> 02:39:30,480 But I wonder if they could just speak briefly 3475 02:39:30,480 --> 02:39:35,020 to the reality of through the council's strategic 3476 02:39:35,020 --> 02:39:35,450 plan 3477 02:39:35,450 --> 02:39:38,390 in the next term of council, through the next MYB 3478 02:39:38,390 --> 02:39:38,510 , 3479 02:39:38,510 --> 02:39:40,480 the multi-year budget process. 3480 02:39:40,480 --> 02:39:42,590 Not all of these things are necessarily 3481 02:39:42,590 --> 02:39:47,840 going to be priorities or function that they just 3482 02:39:47,840 --> 02:39:49,610 may not be identified. They might not be 3483 02:39:49,610 --> 02:39:51,890 fiscally viable. So I just want to stop and 3484 02:39:51,890 --> 02:39:56,670 comment on how this plan they see it evolving 3485 02:39:56,670 --> 02:39:59,120 over time and be updated as things as decision 3486 02:39:59,120 --> 02:40:00,440 points are reached. 3487 02:40:00,440 --> 02:40:03,150 Thank you. Okay, Mr. Fowler. 3488 02:40:03,150 --> 02:40:07,410 Thank you, Chair. And through you, great 3489 02:40:07,410 --> 02:40:11,630 considerations. The timing of this is interesting 3490 02:40:11,630 --> 02:40:12,260 given the 3491 02:40:12,260 --> 02:40:15,900 in pending multi-year budget. I will say first of 3492 02:40:15,900 --> 02:40:18,040 all in terms of the actions that we that we 3493 02:40:18,040 --> 02:40:20,770 scoped out and attached initial cost to those 3494 02:40:20,770 --> 02:40:23,180 aren't intended to be cost to the city they're 3495 02:40:23,180 --> 02:40:26,380 intended to be cost to the estimates for delivery 3496 02:40:26,380 --> 02:40:30,020 . It's our intention and our commitment to to 3497 02:40:30,020 --> 02:40:32,840 identify the best funding options including 3498 02:40:32,840 --> 02:40:35,990 external funding, partnership opportunities, 3499 02:40:35,990 --> 02:40:38,490 alternative resourceing methods to mitigate any 3500 02:40:38,490 --> 02:40:41,470 cost any potential cost to to the city and city 3501 02:40:41,470 --> 02:40:48,260 tax payers. In terms of the actions themselves, 3502 02:40:48,260 --> 02:40:50,060 many of those can be delivered without 3503 02:40:50,060 --> 02:40:50,400 incremental 3504 02:40:50,400 --> 02:40:52,380 cost. And so those are pieces that we're excited 3505 02:40:52,380 --> 02:40:54,690 about. They tend to be more like process-based 3506 02:40:54,690 --> 02:40:57,540 and more system and process optimization. But 3507 02:40:57,540 --> 02:41:00,240 those are things that we believe will have 3508 02:41:00,240 --> 02:41:02,660 broad benefits to the economic development 3509 02:41:02,660 --> 02:41:06,300 strategy. In terms of how it stays responsive, 3510 02:41:06,300 --> 02:41:09,560 again, I'd go back to what's in Pillar 5. We have 3511 02:41:09,560 --> 02:41:12,050 a partnership table. We have an outcomes 3512 02:41:12,050 --> 02:41:14,390 report, and we have a structured feedback and 3513 02:41:14,390 --> 02:41:15,960 adaptation cycle. 3514 02:41:15,960 --> 02:41:20,570 Those three actions work in concert for us to 3515 02:41:20,570 --> 02:41:24,170 take a hard and honest look at what's working, 3516 02:41:24,170 --> 02:41:27,340 what's not, what we thought was a priority on 3517 02:41:27,340 --> 02:41:29,490 June 16th, 2026. 3518 02:41:29,490 --> 02:41:33,710 That isn't a priority 6 to 12 to 18 months from 3519 02:41:33,710 --> 02:41:34,380 now. 3520 02:41:34,380 --> 02:41:37,120 The intention isn't to throw things out every six 3521 02:41:37,120 --> 02:41:40,430 months, but to continually look at what 3522 02:41:40,430 --> 02:41:44,420 It is the best use of our resources to affect 3523 02:41:44,420 --> 02:41:48,580 change in the ecosystem based on the performance 3524 02:41:48,580 --> 02:41:51,500 of our actions based on the macroeconomic context 3525 02:41:51,500 --> 02:41:53,550 , based on where the province and the 3526 02:41:53,550 --> 02:41:55,810 feds are going with their different funding 3527 02:41:55,810 --> 02:41:56,650 priorities. 3528 02:41:56,650 --> 02:41:58,980 And so we want to stay tuned into like all of 3529 02:41:58,980 --> 02:42:01,520 that and we believe fundamental to that 3530 02:42:01,520 --> 02:42:04,280 is working in partnership with the experts in 3531 02:42:04,280 --> 02:42:08,220 this community. 3532 02:42:08,220 --> 02:42:10,030 Deputy Mayor Lewis. 3533 02:42:10,030 --> 02:42:11,000 Thank you. 3534 02:42:11,000 --> 02:42:14,440 important to highlights that not everything in 3535 02:42:14,440 --> 02:42:17,760 this plan may work and that we will have to adopt 3536 02:42:17,760 --> 02:42:20,620 adapt along the way as well as the fact that this 3537 02:42:20,620 --> 02:42:24,090 requires private sector investment in our 3538 02:42:24,090 --> 02:42:27,000 community. This is not all city funded and city 3539 02:42:27,000 --> 02:42:30,030 led. This is how we work in partnership with the 3540 02:42:30,030 --> 02:42:34,880 private sector moving forward and I heard this 3541 02:42:34,880 --> 02:42:38,640 raised already once with respect to the private 3542 02:42:38,640 --> 02:42:40,720 sector and how we tax them. So again, I want to 3543 02:42:40,720 --> 02:42:44,250 go through you to our staff and I believe 3544 02:42:44,250 --> 02:42:47,240 probably to miss Barbone. Under the Ontario 3545 02:42:47,240 --> 02:42:50,340 Municipal Act, municipalities are not allowed 3546 02:42:50,340 --> 02:42:54,830 to charge a vacant commercial penalty tax. Is 3547 02:42:54,830 --> 02:42:59,150 that correct? 3548 02:42:59,150 --> 02:43:01,410 Thank you. I will go to miss Barbone. But before 3549 02:43:01,410 --> 02:43:05,460 I do that, I'd like to have Mayor Morgan take 3550 02:43:05,460 --> 02:43:08,260 the chair from it for a moment, please. Thank you 3551 02:43:08,260 --> 02:43:09,460 . I'm to make a phone call. 3552 02:43:09,460 --> 02:43:14,650 go ahead and answer. Thank you through the chair. 3553 02:43:14,650 --> 02:43:17,040 So Deputy Mayor is correct. The 3554 02:43:17,040 --> 02:43:19,870 municipal act only allows various options to 3555 02:43:19,870 --> 02:43:22,920 reduce through some subclasses with vacancy reb 3556 02:43:22,920 --> 02:43:23,430 ates. 3557 02:43:23,430 --> 02:43:27,190 If the did exist here in London once upon a time, 3558 02:43:27,190 --> 02:43:29,010 there is no authority through the municipal act 3559 02:43:29,010 --> 02:43:31,940 to add additional levies for vacancy with respect 3560 02:43:31,940 --> 02:43:35,150 to commercial properties. So it is allowed for 3561 02:43:35,150 --> 02:43:38,280 residential and that has occurred throughout 3562 02:43:38,280 --> 02:43:41,770 Canada and various places. However, with respect 3563 02:43:41,770 --> 02:43:44,720 to commercial. There is no ability to provide 3564 02:43:44,720 --> 02:43:46,800 additional taxation as a result. 3565 02:43:46,800 --> 02:43:52,120 Go ahead Deputy Mayor. Thank you and I appreciate 3566 02:43:52,120 --> 02:43:57,070 our city treasurer also referencing the fact that 3567 02:43:57,070 --> 02:44:00,640 there used to actually be a rebate for vacancies. 3568 02:44:00,640 --> 02:44:04,280 And in January of 2019, the final 3569 02:44:04,280 --> 02:44:08,670 nail was put in that coffin as it were by the 3570 02:44:08,670 --> 02:44:11,970 older council and those discounts are no longer 3571 02:44:11,970 --> 02:44:15,070 available. So vacant properties pay the same 3572 02:44:15,070 --> 02:44:17,600 property tax as full properties. And I think that 3573 02:44:17,600 --> 02:44:21,450 But we all, as a council, need to recognize that 3574 02:44:21,450 --> 02:44:22,610 the current provincial government is 3575 02:44:22,610 --> 02:44:25,110 not going to start allowing us to charge extra 3576 02:44:25,110 --> 02:44:26,960 taxes on commercial properties. 3577 02:44:26,960 --> 02:44:29,040 So when we talk about that, and there's not just 3578 02:44:29,040 --> 02:44:30,570 commercial properties to speak into 3579 02:44:30,570 --> 02:44:32,930 the downtown, I should say there's commercial 3580 02:44:32,930 --> 02:44:35,360 vacancies in wards right across the city. 3581 02:44:35,360 --> 02:44:38,360 There's some industrial vacancies out in my ward, 3582 02:44:38,360 --> 02:44:40,430 but I would, I hope this plan might 3583 02:44:40,430 --> 02:44:43,530 help attract some investors to look at coming to. 3584 02:44:43,530 --> 02:44:45,760 But I think that we have to be really clear and 3585 02:44:45,760 --> 02:44:47,660 practical about that again and not set 3586 02:44:47,660 --> 02:44:50,440 some false expectations. Overall, I'm very happy 3587 02:44:50,440 --> 02:44:53,040 with this plan. I'm prepared to support 3588 02:44:53,040 --> 02:44:56,010 it today. I know that staff wants to start 3589 02:44:56,010 --> 02:44:57,820 working forward on the terms of reference 3590 02:44:57,820 --> 02:45:02,850 on that. So I think today is the time to do that. 3591 02:45:02,850 --> 02:45:05,110 Every pillar, as Councillor Hopkins said, has a 3592 02:45:05,110 --> 02:45:07,780 role to play. They're all important. 3593 02:45:07,780 --> 02:45:10,670 It's not one above the other. And it does dove 3594 02:45:10,670 --> 02:45:12,950 tail nicely with the next item on the 3595 02:45:12,950 --> 02:45:16,450 schedule with the downtown master plan report. 3596 02:45:16,450 --> 02:45:20,160 So I just want to say to Mr. Fowler and Ms. 3597 02:45:20,160 --> 02:45:21,180 Parsons, 3598 02:45:21,180 --> 02:45:23,550 and I know that others have been involved as well 3599 02:45:23,550 --> 02:45:23,650 , 3600 02:45:23,550 --> 02:45:25,800 Ms. Dater's Bear in particular, 3601 02:45:25,800 --> 02:45:28,310 that the work that's gone into this is 3602 02:45:28,310 --> 02:45:30,320 appreciated. 3603 02:45:30,320 --> 02:45:33,140 And certainly I know that the work is not 3604 02:45:33,140 --> 02:45:34,860 finished. 3605 02:45:34,860 --> 02:45:36,990 I also want to say to, 3606 02:45:36,990 --> 02:45:38,720 and I heard from our delegations 3607 02:45:38,720 --> 02:45:40,330 before I got kicked offline. 3608 02:45:40,330 --> 02:45:44,300 I do agree with some of the things Mr. Wallace 3609 02:45:44,300 --> 02:45:44,660 was saying, 3610 02:45:44,660 --> 02:45:46,470 we do have to have the right opportunity to spend 3611 02:45:46,470 --> 02:45:47,100 time. 3612 02:45:47,100 --> 02:45:48,470 We have to go hunting. 3613 02:45:48,470 --> 02:45:51,300 So I think this plan gives us some blueprint 3614 02:45:51,300 --> 02:45:54,340 to try and hunt some of those key investors 3615 02:45:54,340 --> 02:45:58,670 that we wanna see come to our city. 3616 02:45:58,670 --> 02:46:03,780 - Okay, next I have Councillor Stevenson. 3617 02:46:03,780 --> 02:46:05,480 - Thank you. 3618 02:46:05,480 --> 02:46:08,590 I do have several questions about this. 3619 02:46:08,590 --> 02:46:13,230 When we're looking at possibly approving business 3620 02:46:13,230 --> 02:46:13,870 cases 3621 02:46:13,870 --> 02:46:16,080 to come forward through the multi-year budget, 3622 02:46:16,080 --> 02:46:18,870 is there an approximate amount that we're looking 3623 02:46:18,870 --> 02:46:19,080 at 3624 02:46:19,080 --> 02:46:23,240 for this plan? 3625 02:46:23,240 --> 02:46:26,090 - Mr. Fowler. 3626 02:46:26,090 --> 02:46:30,370 - Thank you, presiding officer, excellent. 3627 02:46:30,370 --> 02:46:35,310 And through you, the overall, 3628 02:46:35,310 --> 02:46:38,990 based on the initial estimates to implement 3629 02:46:38,990 --> 02:46:41,020 the entire plan, it's approximately 4.5 million 3630 02:46:41,020 --> 02:46:46,100 over five years, and there's also an ask attached 3631 02:46:46,100 --> 02:46:47,600 to this cover report too, which would be a 3632 02:46:47,600 --> 02:46:49,530 portion of that. 3633 02:46:49,530 --> 02:46:52,580 I had made a point earlier that that is not 3634 02:46:52,580 --> 02:46:52,940 necessarily 3635 02:46:52,940 --> 02:46:55,390 a cost to the city. 3636 02:46:55,390 --> 02:46:57,940 That's the cost for implementation. 3637 02:46:57,940 --> 02:47:00,650 We have some runway between now and the next MYB 3638 02:47:00,650 --> 02:47:03,510 to look at alternative resourcing options, 3639 02:47:03,510 --> 02:47:07,250 and that's part of the work that staff want to do 3640 02:47:07,250 --> 02:47:10,240 to give each of these actions the maximum chance 3641 02:47:10,240 --> 02:47:15,280 for success and minimize any potential 3642 02:47:15,280 --> 02:47:15,380 incremental tax burden 3643 02:47:15,280 --> 02:47:20,340 on like when in taxpayers. 3644 02:47:20,340 --> 02:47:21,800 Go ahead. 3645 02:47:21,800 --> 02:47:22,630 - Thank you. 3646 02:47:22,630 --> 02:47:25,230 And is there any projected ROI 3647 02:47:25,230 --> 02:47:31,730 on the investment in this plan? 3648 02:47:31,730 --> 02:47:32,570 - Thank you, Chair. 3649 02:47:32,570 --> 02:47:35,370 And thank you for inviting an officer and through 3650 02:47:35,370 --> 02:47:35,860 you. 3651 02:47:35,860 --> 02:47:38,670 Not a formal ROI, I would love that. 3652 02:47:38,670 --> 02:47:41,920 It's work I'd love to undertake 3653 02:47:41,920 --> 02:47:45,440 and would look forward to opportunities to scope 3654 02:47:45,440 --> 02:47:45,950 that in 3655 02:47:45,950 --> 02:47:47,840 before we get too far down the path, 3656 02:47:47,840 --> 02:47:49,410 in particular on some of these bigger ticket 3657 02:47:49,410 --> 02:47:52,570 items. 3658 02:47:52,570 --> 02:47:53,880 - Thank you, I'd like that too. 3659 02:47:53,880 --> 02:47:56,100 Especially when we're talking about an economic 3660 02:47:56,100 --> 02:47:56,920 strategy. 3661 02:47:56,920 --> 02:47:59,450 Hopefully we're looking at an economic return. 3662 02:47:59,450 --> 02:48:05,540 So if there's no ROI, do we have KPIs 3663 02:48:05,540 --> 02:48:08,040 that are gonna measure things like number of jobs 3664 02:48:08,040 --> 02:48:08,140 , 3665 02:48:08,060 --> 02:48:15,310 increased assessment, those kind of measurables? 3666 02:48:15,310 --> 02:48:18,380 - I think it's an officer and through you, 3667 02:48:18,380 --> 02:48:19,940 each of the actions has what we're calling 3668 02:48:19,940 --> 02:48:21,410 a headline KPI. 3669 02:48:21,410 --> 02:48:23,000 We don't have a full project planned about 3670 02:48:23,000 --> 02:48:24,200 for any of these yet. 3671 02:48:24,200 --> 02:48:26,360 We want endorsement first before we proceed with 3672 02:48:26,360 --> 02:48:26,670 that. 3673 02:48:26,670 --> 02:48:28,860 We would expect the KPI's for each of the actions 3674 02:48:28,860 --> 02:48:30,090 to be built out. 3675 02:48:30,090 --> 02:48:31,530 There's also toward the end, 3676 02:48:31,530 --> 02:48:35,550 there's a broader community outcomes piece 3677 02:48:35,550 --> 02:48:36,870 where we're looking at the big things 3678 02:48:36,870 --> 02:48:38,980 that we think most folks really care about, 3679 02:48:38,980 --> 02:48:42,920 which is job creation, business creation, 3680 02:48:42,920 --> 02:48:44,000 business retention. 3681 02:48:44,000 --> 02:48:47,980 And we want to be tracking those at the city wide 3682 02:48:47,980 --> 02:48:48,930 level. 3683 02:48:48,930 --> 02:48:51,100 We'll have to do some thinking about how we can 3684 02:48:51,100 --> 02:48:51,850 associate 3685 02:48:51,850 --> 02:48:53,200 the interventions of this strategy 3686 02:48:53,200 --> 02:48:54,140 with those broader outcomes, 3687 02:48:54,140 --> 02:48:56,700 because things are pretty complex in that 3688 02:48:56,700 --> 02:48:57,730 measurement space. 3689 02:48:57,730 --> 02:49:01,450 But that would all form part of the outcomes 3690 02:49:01,450 --> 02:49:01,760 report 3691 02:49:01,760 --> 02:49:04,130 that we want to deliver to council and community 3692 02:49:04,130 --> 02:49:08,300 each year. 3693 02:49:08,300 --> 02:49:09,130 - Okay, thank you. 3694 02:49:09,130 --> 02:49:11,990 'Cause when I look at a lot of the KPIs, 3695 02:49:11,990 --> 02:49:16,590 To me, again, they're not economic outcomes 3696 02:49:16,590 --> 02:49:18,740 that, you know, Londoners are looking for, 3697 02:49:18,740 --> 02:49:21,270 like increased jobs, increased assessment 3698 02:49:21,270 --> 02:49:23,050 that would help us with their tax base, 3699 02:49:23,050 --> 02:49:24,120 that kind of thing. 3700 02:49:24,120 --> 02:49:27,230 It feels like there's other plans coming through 3701 02:49:27,230 --> 02:49:27,500 here 3702 02:49:27,500 --> 02:49:30,630 that are maybe meeting metrics for other things. 3703 02:49:30,630 --> 02:49:33,400 And I think if it's gonna be an economic strategy 3704 02:49:33,400 --> 02:49:33,500 , 3705 02:49:33,400 --> 02:49:37,140 we should focus on economic KPIs wherever we can. 3706 02:49:39,100 --> 02:49:45,080 I'm also wondering about the investment portfolio 3707 02:49:45,080 --> 02:49:45,600 . 3708 02:49:45,600 --> 02:49:50,270 Are we looking at buying properties 3709 02:49:50,270 --> 02:49:56,350 or is it just inventorying them? 3710 02:49:56,350 --> 02:49:59,130 - I think I'm sorry, an officer and through you, 3711 02:49:59,130 --> 02:50:00,560 it wouldn't preclude buying properties. 3712 02:50:00,560 --> 02:50:01,590 That's not the intention. 3713 02:50:01,590 --> 02:50:03,690 The intention is for anyone who's interested 3714 02:50:03,690 --> 02:50:06,110 in investing in the downtown, 3715 02:50:06,110 --> 02:50:08,570 that they had easy access to information data 3716 02:50:08,570 --> 02:50:11,130 to help them make that decision. 3717 02:50:11,130 --> 02:50:13,250 If that happened to be the city as an institution 3718 02:50:13,250 --> 02:50:13,350 , 3719 02:50:13,250 --> 02:50:19,350 would work too. Thank you and maybe through the 3720 02:50:19,350 --> 02:50:24,140 presiding officer to staff the we have you know 3721 02:50:24,140 --> 02:50:26,310 we talk about hunters and and I agree this is a 3722 02:50:26,310 --> 02:50:28,300 sales job from council but we also have 3723 02:50:28,300 --> 02:50:31,120 people who are hunters out there right now they 3724 02:50:31,120 --> 02:50:33,340 're we got real estate agents and property owners 3725 02:50:33,340 --> 02:50:35,290 and they're working at all the time trying to 3726 02:50:35,290 --> 02:50:37,230 lease those buildings trying to sell those 3727 02:50:37,230 --> 02:50:37,620 buildings 3728 02:50:37,620 --> 02:50:41,730 trying to bring things in so what is maybe the 3729 02:50:41,730 --> 02:50:45,220 city manager or others hearing from those 3730 02:50:46,650 --> 02:50:48,850 people who are out there doing it all the time. 3731 02:50:48,850 --> 02:50:52,410 What is the problem that they're having that 3732 02:50:52,410 --> 02:50:55,340 when we start to do it somehow we're going to be 3733 02:50:55,340 --> 02:51:02,760 able to do it better? Whoever wants to 3734 02:51:02,760 --> 02:51:10,300 start with that, Ms. Stater's Bear. There we go. 3735 02:51:10,300 --> 02:51:11,950 Thank you. Through the presiding officer, 3736 02:51:11,950 --> 02:51:15,460 thank you for the question. I think I think we're 3737 02:51:15,460 --> 02:51:17,670 hearing many different things from 3738 02:51:17,670 --> 02:51:20,680 community members about the ways that we can work 3739 02:51:20,680 --> 02:51:25,490 together in partnership to address vacancies, 3740 02:51:25,490 --> 02:51:28,820 to inspire companies to come, whether it's to our 3741 02:51:28,820 --> 02:51:29,240 core, 3742 02:51:29,240 --> 02:51:30,640 as some council members have said, 3743 02:51:30,640 --> 02:51:33,510 to any other location in the city as well. 3744 02:51:33,510 --> 02:51:35,070 We have had many discussions. 3745 02:51:35,070 --> 02:51:36,660 I know personally I've had many discussions 3746 02:51:36,660 --> 02:51:40,010 with committee members who have many good ideas. 3747 02:51:40,010 --> 02:51:42,550 You see many of those ideas reflected in this 3748 02:51:42,550 --> 02:51:42,810 work 3749 02:51:42,810 --> 02:51:43,840 that's in front of you today. 3750 02:51:43,840 --> 02:51:46,200 So I think we continue to build on this. 3751 02:51:46,200 --> 02:51:47,790 We have an opportunity also to get advice 3752 02:51:47,790 --> 02:51:49,590 from this council on any future council 3753 02:51:49,590 --> 02:51:51,920 about where they want us to target moving forward 3754 02:51:51,920 --> 02:51:52,140 . 3755 02:51:52,140 --> 02:51:54,860 We've been clear about the kind of information 3756 02:51:54,860 --> 02:51:58,140 get from representatives will come back to you on 3757 02:51:58,140 --> 02:51:59,990 an annual or more than annual update 3758 02:51:59,990 --> 02:52:02,360 and so we'll be feeding that information to you. 3759 02:52:02,360 --> 02:52:04,270 At this point in time, I think it's probably fair 3760 02:52:04,270 --> 02:52:05,700 to say that we continue to be a city 3761 02:52:05,700 --> 02:52:08,520 of growth and we continue to embrace that and we 3762 02:52:08,520 --> 02:52:11,020 hear that through this strategy and also 3763 02:52:11,020 --> 02:52:12,950 the work that we're doing in other work with the 3764 02:52:12,950 --> 02:52:14,740 provincial government and the federal 3765 02:52:14,740 --> 02:52:15,740 government. 3766 02:52:15,740 --> 02:52:17,250 We're looking for additional investments for 3767 02:52:17,250 --> 02:52:20,390 housing and other infrastructure. 3768 02:52:20,390 --> 02:52:22,350 Go ahead. 3769 02:52:22,350 --> 02:52:25,450 Thank you for that because I hear a lot about 3770 02:52:25,450 --> 02:52:27,590 people who are frustrated, right? 3771 02:52:27,590 --> 02:52:29,930 they want to do things in our city and they feel 3772 02:52:29,930 --> 02:52:33,550 that the answer is no, the pathway is difficult 3773 02:52:33,550 --> 02:52:34,380 to navigate, 3774 02:52:34,380 --> 02:52:36,880 it's expensive, some of them survive it, some of 3775 02:52:36,880 --> 02:52:37,670 them don't. 3776 02:52:37,670 --> 02:52:42,260 And I'm just concerned that we've come up with 3777 02:52:42,260 --> 02:52:43,600 this plan 3778 02:52:43,600 --> 02:52:47,240 to get involved in an area that, 3779 02:52:47,240 --> 02:52:49,430 and not be doing what we need to do. 3780 02:52:49,430 --> 02:52:52,240 Like to me, we should be making the city 3781 02:52:52,240 --> 02:52:52,730 attractive 3782 02:52:52,730 --> 02:52:55,350 to investment and easy to invest in, 3783 02:52:55,350 --> 02:52:59,610 and supported in that, this, what I see anyway, 3784 02:52:59,610 --> 02:53:01,800 when I look through it, is a lot of us getting in 3785 02:53:01,800 --> 02:53:02,150 there 3786 02:53:02,150 --> 02:53:03,390 and us doing it. 3787 02:53:03,390 --> 02:53:04,840 And we're gonna create a creative hub 3788 02:53:04,840 --> 02:53:06,840 and we're gonna do all of this kind of thing. 3789 02:53:06,840 --> 02:53:09,420 And we're not the, like, you know, 3790 02:53:09,420 --> 02:53:13,950 when we talk about letting the experts do it, 3791 02:53:13,950 --> 02:53:19,970 I feel as though this is an expensive endeavors 3792 02:53:19,970 --> 02:53:21,870 where we're saying we don't know, 3793 02:53:21,870 --> 02:53:23,170 we're gonna try things out, 3794 02:53:23,170 --> 02:53:25,270 we're gonna test them out and see if they work. 3795 02:53:25,270 --> 02:53:28,310 and taxpayers have been pretty clear that like we 3796 02:53:28,310 --> 02:53:31,530 don't have any more money and so I appreciate 3797 02:53:31,530 --> 02:53:33,500 you saying you're looking for other avenues for 3798 02:53:33,500 --> 02:53:35,550 funding because that's good and there's only one 3799 02:53:35,550 --> 02:53:40,200 taxpayer so is this an area that the city of l 3800 02:53:40,200 --> 02:53:44,030 ondon and londoners want us to do like that's 3801 02:53:44,030 --> 02:53:46,500 what I want to know is the people who are 3802 02:53:46,500 --> 02:53:49,720 frustrated with investment in investing in our 3803 02:53:49,720 --> 02:53:50,340 city and 3804 02:53:50,340 --> 02:53:52,850 londoners who want to see us grow is this the 3805 02:53:52,850 --> 02:53:56,000 missing piece or people going to be happy with it 3806 02:53:56,000 --> 02:53:59,160 because I'm not seeing that when I look at it. 3807 02:53:59,160 --> 02:54:03,970 I'm open to being sold, happy to be sold on it. 3808 02:54:03,970 --> 02:54:07,950 But as much as I appreciate the work of staff on 3809 02:54:07,950 --> 02:54:08,670 this, 3810 02:54:08,670 --> 02:54:12,810 I feel like we didn't maybe know what we wanted 3811 02:54:12,810 --> 02:54:13,640 in the meantime. 3812 02:54:13,640 --> 02:54:16,170 We have LEDC, we had an economic development 3813 02:54:16,170 --> 02:54:17,020 department. 3814 02:54:17,020 --> 02:54:19,170 There's lots of things I hear that we could 3815 02:54:19,170 --> 02:54:20,010 improve upon, 3816 02:54:20,010 --> 02:54:22,360 that we could do better, that didn't need us 3817 02:54:22,360 --> 02:54:23,910 to start all these new things. 3818 02:54:23,910 --> 02:54:25,580 This is like a strap plan again. 3819 02:54:25,580 --> 02:54:28,170 All kinds of activities, all kinds of measuring, 3820 02:54:28,170 --> 02:54:29,480 all kinds of bureaucracy. 3821 02:54:29,480 --> 02:54:31,510 And at the end of the day, we're like, 3822 02:54:31,510 --> 02:54:32,880 where is this even taking us? 3823 02:54:32,880 --> 02:54:33,980 What's it going to create? 3824 02:54:33,980 --> 02:54:37,130 How is it going to benefit Londoners? 3825 02:54:37,130 --> 02:54:39,760 It gets lost sometimes in all these weeds. 3826 02:54:39,760 --> 02:54:44,370 And as much as sometimes we like to count the 3827 02:54:44,370 --> 02:54:44,930 beans, 3828 02:54:44,930 --> 02:54:46,950 and I tend to like to do that, we 3829 02:54:46,950 --> 02:54:49,690 need to keep the big picture in mind and wonder, 3830 02:54:49,690 --> 02:54:51,920 is this something that Londoners want us to do? 3831 02:54:51,920 --> 02:54:55,170 because I'm gonna be voting no for today 3832 02:54:55,170 --> 02:54:57,740 at least consistent with I didn't think 3833 02:54:57,740 --> 02:54:59,820 that we should spend the money doing it. 3834 02:54:59,820 --> 02:55:01,850 We got a lot of problems to fix. 3835 02:55:01,850 --> 02:55:04,110 I also wanted to ask on page 197, 3836 02:55:04,110 --> 02:55:06,650 there's a land acknowledgement on the center 3837 02:55:06,650 --> 02:55:08,320 of opportunity, the second one. 3838 02:55:08,320 --> 02:55:10,210 It looks like it's the one that came from the 3839 02:55:10,210 --> 02:55:11,100 consultant, 3840 02:55:11,100 --> 02:55:14,090 but there's three asterisks and then it says, 3841 02:55:14,090 --> 02:55:16,390 this strategy commits the city of London 3842 02:55:16,390 --> 02:55:18,730 to economic reconciliation through long-term 3843 02:55:18,730 --> 02:55:20,520 indigenous led partnerships. 3844 02:55:20,520 --> 02:55:22,380 So I'm wondering why that's stuck in a land 3845 02:55:22,380 --> 02:55:23,160 acknowledgement 3846 02:55:23,160 --> 02:55:24,580 in a second report. 3847 02:55:24,580 --> 02:55:25,910 - Councillor, I think the mayor's just trying to 3848 02:55:25,910 --> 02:55:28,960 -- 3849 02:55:28,960 --> 02:55:30,180 - Just letting you know your time's up, 3850 02:55:30,180 --> 02:55:37,740 but we'll get the answer to your question. 3851 02:55:37,740 --> 02:55:39,870 - Thank you, through the presiding officer. 3852 02:55:39,870 --> 02:55:45,200 It's certainly appreciate the desire to, 3853 02:55:45,200 --> 02:55:46,560 I think you said count the beans. 3854 02:55:46,560 --> 02:55:47,830 I think that's our job too, 3855 02:55:47,830 --> 02:55:52,340 is to ensure that policies are the activities 3856 02:55:52,340 --> 02:55:54,420 that we bring forward for councils endorsements, 3857 02:55:54,420 --> 02:55:56,650 reflect both the desire and the passion 3858 02:55:56,650 --> 02:55:58,370 that you as council members and our city 3859 02:55:58,370 --> 02:56:00,040 has toward the growth in the city, 3860 02:56:00,040 --> 02:56:01,720 but it was also fiscally prudent. 3861 02:56:01,720 --> 02:56:04,310 So I think it's important for us to say to you 3862 02:56:04,310 --> 02:56:06,750 that we give this to you for your endorsement. 3863 02:56:06,750 --> 02:56:08,810 The endorsement is intended to be part of the 3864 02:56:08,810 --> 02:56:09,020 work 3865 02:56:09,020 --> 02:56:11,840 that we do moving our organization in the city 3866 02:56:11,840 --> 02:56:12,470 forward 3867 02:56:12,470 --> 02:56:14,250 towards economic development. 3868 02:56:14,250 --> 02:56:15,880 We heard from people today talking about 3869 02:56:15,880 --> 02:56:17,640 taking the leadership and taking the action. 3870 02:56:17,640 --> 02:56:19,430 We see council doing that, 3871 02:56:19,430 --> 02:56:21,630 and we look to support council in moving that 3872 02:56:21,630 --> 02:56:22,430 forward. 3873 02:56:22,430 --> 02:56:25,950 I think I will turn to Mr Fowler 3874 02:56:25,950 --> 02:56:28,320 around the indigenous reconciliation piece 3875 02:56:28,320 --> 02:56:34,880 that the Councilor has spoken to as well. 3876 02:56:34,880 --> 02:56:36,640 - Thank you Mr. President and Officer and through 3877 02:56:36,640 --> 02:56:36,810 you. 3878 02:56:36,810 --> 02:56:39,450 So this was here, so we delayed acknowledgments 3879 02:56:39,450 --> 02:56:42,740 at the beginning of many of our documents. 3880 02:56:42,740 --> 02:56:48,150 And when we were thinking about the role of this 3881 02:56:48,150 --> 02:56:48,250 plan 3882 02:56:48,150 --> 02:56:51,040 and how it fits into our constellation of plans 3883 02:56:51,040 --> 02:56:53,330 at the city including the Reconciliation Action 3884 02:56:53,330 --> 02:56:53,610 Plan, 3885 02:56:53,610 --> 02:56:57,210 we wanted to make sure that we were not just 3886 02:56:57,210 --> 02:56:57,430 putting 3887 02:56:57,430 --> 02:56:59,120 the acknowledgement in but thinking about what it 3888 02:56:59,120 --> 02:56:59,420 meant 3889 02:56:59,420 --> 02:57:01,130 in the context of this plan. 3890 02:57:01,130 --> 02:57:04,690 And so what we wanted to do as a supplement to do 3891 02:57:04,690 --> 02:57:04,990 that, 3892 02:57:04,990 --> 02:57:09,150 and not to sort of change what the core land 3893 02:57:09,150 --> 02:57:10,460 acknowledgement is, 3894 02:57:10,460 --> 02:57:15,360 we talk about when we think about the sort of 3895 02:57:15,360 --> 02:57:16,350 indigenous 3896 02:57:16,350 --> 02:57:17,880 like relationships in history here, 3897 02:57:17,880 --> 02:57:20,250 and the opportunities and the goals of the Reconc 3898 02:57:20,250 --> 02:57:20,750 iliac action 3899 02:57:20,750 --> 02:57:23,970 plan, what does it mean for this strategy? 3900 02:57:23,970 --> 02:57:26,660 And so we looked at-- and that, of course, 3901 02:57:26,660 --> 02:57:29,440 comes out more tactically in strategy 3.2. 3902 02:57:29,440 --> 02:57:33,030 But we thought it was helpful to make a statement 3903 02:57:33,030 --> 02:57:34,580 at the beginning to like say like you know, 3904 02:57:34,580 --> 02:57:36,800 this isn't sort of boilerplate. 3905 02:57:36,800 --> 02:57:38,790 It's something that we've thought through 3906 02:57:38,790 --> 02:57:42,130 and tried to make sure was meaningfully threaded 3907 02:57:42,130 --> 02:57:46,600 throughout the strategy. 3908 02:57:46,600 --> 02:57:49,630 - I'm gonna return the chair to Council Raman. 3909 02:57:49,630 --> 02:57:50,720 And I don't know. 3910 02:57:50,720 --> 02:57:52,180 I don't have any bells additional in the speakers 3911 02:57:52,180 --> 02:57:52,410 list, 3912 02:57:52,410 --> 02:57:54,100 but I'll go to you. 3913 02:57:54,100 --> 02:57:55,070 - Thank you. 3914 02:57:55,070 --> 02:58:01,300 I will look for other speakers on this item. 3915 02:58:01,300 --> 02:58:04,260 - Okay, I will go to Mayor Morgan, go ahead. 3916 02:58:04,260 --> 02:58:05,680 - Well, I didn't want to put myself on the list. 3917 02:58:05,680 --> 02:58:09,380 That seemed like I could wait for you. 3918 02:58:09,380 --> 02:58:12,420 So I appreciate the dialogue that my colleagues 3919 02:58:12,420 --> 02:58:12,800 have made. 3920 02:58:12,800 --> 02:58:15,630 And also the delegations that were presented 3921 02:58:15,630 --> 02:58:15,900 today. 3922 02:58:15,900 --> 02:58:18,120 I know that the delegates have been involved 3923 02:58:18,120 --> 02:58:20,230 in the process at various points as well. 3924 02:58:20,230 --> 02:58:24,480 I wanted to comment on a couple of pieces 3925 02:58:24,480 --> 02:58:27,440 related to some of their comments. 3926 02:58:27,440 --> 02:58:30,750 First, like I totally agree with what Mr. Wallace 3927 02:58:30,750 --> 02:58:31,010 said 3928 02:58:31,010 --> 02:58:33,270 about the city providing leadership 3929 02:58:33,270 --> 02:58:34,700 to the economic development strategy. 3930 02:58:34,700 --> 02:58:36,840 And I think if you look at section five, 3931 02:58:36,840 --> 02:58:40,560 although it's not overt in on page six, 3932 02:58:40,560 --> 02:58:43,410 every major piece in section five, 3933 02:58:43,410 --> 02:58:46,110 the city is the lead or the economic partnership 3934 02:58:46,110 --> 02:58:46,380 table 3935 02:58:46,380 --> 02:58:49,630 that the city is developing is essentially the 3936 02:58:49,630 --> 02:58:49,930 lead 3937 02:58:49,930 --> 02:58:52,690 for those components and pieces. 3938 02:58:52,690 --> 02:58:54,890 And the governance model meant 3939 02:58:54,890 --> 02:58:57,400 for the overarching piece of the strategy 3940 02:58:57,400 --> 02:58:58,760 puts the mayor and council at top. 3941 02:58:58,760 --> 02:59:00,310 and you're absolutely right. 3942 02:59:00,310 --> 02:59:03,130 You know, the job of the mayor and the mayor's 3943 02:59:03,130 --> 02:59:03,300 office 3944 02:59:03,300 --> 02:59:04,900 is to work with all of our partners 3945 02:59:04,900 --> 02:59:06,330 to go out and sell the city. 3946 02:59:06,330 --> 02:59:10,040 I mean, I have a major VP of a global company 3947 02:59:10,040 --> 02:59:11,360 I'm meeting with this Thursday 3948 02:59:11,360 --> 02:59:12,910 who's looking to invest in our city, 3949 02:59:12,910 --> 02:59:14,230 and those are the types of conversations 3950 02:59:14,230 --> 02:59:16,060 that happen on a regular basis, 3951 02:59:16,060 --> 02:59:19,010 and I'm looking forward to that conversation 3952 02:59:19,010 --> 02:59:21,320 as I have the ones in the past. 3953 02:59:21,320 --> 02:59:23,360 I think what the strategy is trying to do 3954 02:59:23,360 --> 02:59:26,360 is be much more clear about the governance model 3955 02:59:26,360 --> 02:59:29,690 because although you and I, of course, through 3956 02:59:29,690 --> 02:59:29,940 the chair, 3957 02:59:29,940 --> 02:59:32,180 both know that this is how it should and does 3958 02:59:32,180 --> 02:59:32,810 work 3959 02:59:32,810 --> 02:59:36,170 in many different ways, I think trying to provide 3960 02:59:36,170 --> 02:59:38,510 some clarity to that within the strategy, 3961 02:59:38,510 --> 02:59:39,740 I think it helps. 3962 02:59:39,740 --> 02:59:42,630 I mean, the piece that refers to the mayor says, 3963 02:59:42,630 --> 02:59:44,740 London's visible champion opening doors, 3964 02:59:44,740 --> 02:59:46,860 making London's case across governments and 3965 02:59:46,860 --> 02:59:47,730 business. 3966 02:59:47,730 --> 02:59:48,810 And we do do that. 3967 02:59:48,810 --> 02:59:51,900 And I've actually heard fairly positive things 3968 02:59:51,900 --> 02:59:53,340 about engaging with the city on housing 3969 02:59:53,340 --> 02:59:54,510 development, 3970 02:59:54,510 --> 02:59:55,460 engaging here. 3971 02:59:55,460 --> 02:59:57,510 I mean, when Fitzrovia first came to build 3972 02:59:57,510 --> 03:00:01,920 their first 35-story building here in our city, 3973 03:00:01,920 --> 03:00:06,210 I was at a speaking engagement with them in 3974 03:00:06,210 --> 03:00:06,530 Toronto 3975 03:00:06,530 --> 03:00:07,680 where they were speaking to their peers. 3976 03:00:07,680 --> 03:00:09,380 They said, "You got to come and invest in London 3977 03:00:09,380 --> 03:00:09,600 ." 3978 03:00:09,600 --> 03:00:12,550 We needed an allowance under a sidewalk. 3979 03:00:12,550 --> 03:00:14,830 It took a conversation with staff and we got it. 3980 03:00:14,830 --> 03:00:16,420 In the city of Toronto, we'd never get that. 3981 03:00:16,420 --> 03:00:18,660 It'd take us six months and seven committees. 3982 03:00:18,660 --> 03:00:20,530 Like, we are trying to clear barriers. 3983 03:00:20,530 --> 03:00:22,250 We are actually creating pathways to people 3984 03:00:22,250 --> 03:00:22,850 investing here. 3985 03:00:22,850 --> 03:00:24,560 And those who have come for the first time to 3986 03:00:24,560 --> 03:00:24,920 invest 3987 03:00:24,920 --> 03:00:26,440 go back to other jurisdictions who are more 3988 03:00:26,440 --> 03:00:26,720 difficult 3989 03:00:26,720 --> 03:00:28,910 and say, we had a great experience. 3990 03:00:28,910 --> 03:00:30,870 Now, there are always bumps along the way. 3991 03:00:30,870 --> 03:00:33,220 There are always people who get stuck in a system 3992 03:00:33,220 --> 03:00:35,780 or are snagged in some way or a miscommunication 3993 03:00:35,780 --> 03:00:38,290 between who's passing what back and forth, 3994 03:00:38,290 --> 03:00:39,690 but we're here to clear up those things, 3995 03:00:39,690 --> 03:00:41,190 and I think our staff have done a good job of 3996 03:00:41,190 --> 03:00:41,520 doing that 3997 03:00:41,520 --> 03:00:43,000 when they're aware that there's a challenge 3998 03:00:43,000 --> 03:00:45,000 and they've continued to improve. 3999 03:00:45,000 --> 03:00:52,250 On the strategy, I think that it's structured in 4000 03:00:52,250 --> 03:00:52,350 a way 4001 03:00:52,250 --> 03:00:54,600 that allows us to build on it, right? 4002 03:00:54,600 --> 03:00:56,000 And I don't think anybody who's talking 4003 03:00:56,000 --> 03:00:59,340 economic development shouldn't expect that 4004 03:00:59,340 --> 03:01:01,670 strategies have to evolve over time. 4005 03:01:01,670 --> 03:01:04,140 Economics conditions change dramatically from 4006 03:01:04,140 --> 03:01:06,160 month to month, especially in the global 4007 03:01:06,160 --> 03:01:06,590 environment 4008 03:01:06,590 --> 03:01:08,150 that we operate within. 4009 03:01:08,150 --> 03:01:10,370 And the strategies have to have a good base core 4010 03:01:10,370 --> 03:01:12,930 of structural responsibility, coordination, 4011 03:01:12,930 --> 03:01:15,250 who's responsible for what, what we're working 4012 03:01:15,250 --> 03:01:17,520 towards, what the metrics are, but also a 4013 03:01:17,520 --> 03:01:18,090 flexibility 4014 03:01:18,090 --> 03:01:20,940 built within it to say we're going to respond to 4015 03:01:20,940 --> 03:01:23,140 things that change over time. 4016 03:01:23,140 --> 03:01:24,700 What I like about the strategy, too, 4017 03:01:24,700 --> 03:01:27,090 is that it recognizes some of our competitive 4018 03:01:27,090 --> 03:01:27,640 advantages 4019 03:01:27,640 --> 03:01:28,640 that we do have. 4020 03:01:28,640 --> 03:01:30,990 We do have established organizations and partners 4021 03:01:30,990 --> 03:01:31,090 , 4022 03:01:30,990 --> 03:01:34,890 and we've got opportunities and life sciences. 4023 03:01:34,890 --> 03:01:37,760 We've got strategic asset in the airport. 4024 03:01:37,760 --> 03:01:39,990 We know that we are well-positioned 4025 03:01:39,990 --> 03:01:41,110 within the agri-food sector. 4026 03:01:41,110 --> 03:01:42,700 We actually know that we have a lot of 4027 03:01:42,700 --> 03:01:43,700 competitive advantages 4028 03:01:43,700 --> 03:01:45,710 within just simply where we're placed 4029 03:01:45,710 --> 03:01:46,770 geographically. 4030 03:01:46,770 --> 03:01:48,460 And we're in competition with others, 4031 03:01:48,460 --> 03:01:50,150 so we have to leverage our advantages, 4032 03:01:50,150 --> 03:01:53,100 carve out new spaces that we want to be in. 4033 03:01:53,100 --> 03:01:54,590 But one of the most important pieces in the 4034 03:01:54,590 --> 03:01:54,940 strategy, 4035 03:01:54,940 --> 03:01:57,210 I think, that's there, aside from the downtown 4036 03:01:57,210 --> 03:01:57,410 piece, 4037 03:01:57,410 --> 03:01:59,540 of course, which I know we have some friends in 4038 03:01:59,540 --> 03:01:59,940 the audience 4039 03:01:59,940 --> 03:02:02,690 here to talk about, is the regional collaboration 4040 03:02:02,690 --> 03:02:04,800 piece. 4041 03:02:04,800 --> 03:02:09,600 We do not operate as a separate economic entity 4042 03:02:09,600 --> 03:02:10,600 within the city of London. 4043 03:02:10,600 --> 03:02:14,060 The economy and the success of the region 4044 03:02:14,060 --> 03:02:15,770 is not dictated solely by us. 4045 03:02:15,770 --> 03:02:18,590 It's dictated by the partners reaching and 4046 03:02:18,590 --> 03:02:19,590 working together, 4047 03:02:19,590 --> 03:02:21,540 reaching out and advocating together, 4048 03:02:21,540 --> 03:02:23,610 and pitching companies together. 4049 03:02:23,610 --> 03:02:25,400 If we land a big company, 4050 03:02:25,400 --> 03:02:27,030 we know that there's been not benefits for the 4051 03:02:27,030 --> 03:02:27,390 region. 4052 03:02:27,390 --> 03:02:29,820 We know that people with us in St. Thomas, for 4053 03:02:29,820 --> 03:02:30,100 example, 4054 03:02:30,100 --> 03:02:33,250 people move back and forth for jobs all the time. 4055 03:02:33,250 --> 03:02:35,380 Taking a regional economic approach means 4056 03:02:35,380 --> 03:02:36,290 including 4057 03:02:36,290 --> 03:02:38,690 some of the indigenous communities in the area 4058 03:02:38,690 --> 03:02:40,160 who have tremendous opportunity 4059 03:02:40,160 --> 03:02:42,480 with the resources that they have access to 4060 03:02:42,480 --> 03:02:44,870 to be incredible economic partners. 4061 03:02:44,870 --> 03:02:47,620 Other municipalities, regional partners, 4062 03:02:47,620 --> 03:02:49,530 indigenous communities and the city of London, 4063 03:02:49,530 --> 03:02:50,730 if we work together as a region, 4064 03:02:50,730 --> 03:02:52,760 we're going to be much more successful 4065 03:02:52,760 --> 03:02:54,300 for everybody in our area. 4066 03:02:54,300 --> 03:02:56,650 Because we may have these arbitrary city borders, 4067 03:02:56,650 --> 03:02:58,130 but that's not the way the economy works. 4068 03:02:58,130 --> 03:03:00,280 So I'm supportive of the strategy. 4069 03:03:00,280 --> 03:03:01,710 I think there's lots more we can talk about, 4070 03:03:01,710 --> 03:03:02,810 and it will evolve over time, 4071 03:03:02,810 --> 03:03:04,650 but I appreciate the work our staff have done on 4072 03:03:04,650 --> 03:03:08,360 it. 4073 03:03:08,360 --> 03:03:09,690 - Thank you. 4074 03:03:09,690 --> 03:03:11,090 I'm wondering if you could take the chair, 4075 03:03:11,090 --> 03:03:13,030 so I may make some comments. 4076 03:03:13,030 --> 03:03:15,980 - Yeah, go ahead, Councillor Roman. 4077 03:03:15,980 --> 03:03:17,340 - Thank you very much. 4078 03:03:17,340 --> 03:03:19,860 I wanted to start by saying thank you to our 4079 03:03:19,860 --> 03:03:20,440 staff 4080 03:03:20,440 --> 03:03:22,630 and the consultants for the report. 4081 03:03:22,630 --> 03:03:24,300 I know it's been a lot of work. 4082 03:03:24,300 --> 03:03:26,770 I'd like to also thank all of the organizations 4083 03:03:26,770 --> 03:03:30,670 that participated and contributed to this. 4084 03:03:30,670 --> 03:03:33,020 What I like about the report, 4085 03:03:33,020 --> 03:03:37,050 I like that I can see kind of those lines of 4086 03:03:37,050 --> 03:03:37,890 integration 4087 03:03:37,890 --> 03:03:40,560 where we've got really good flow going 4088 03:03:40,560 --> 03:03:42,460 between different groups 4089 03:03:42,460 --> 03:03:45,800 and where things seem to be working well. 4090 03:03:45,800 --> 03:03:50,430 What I find challenging in the report in the same 4091 03:03:50,430 --> 03:03:50,730 vein 4092 03:03:50,730 --> 03:03:55,160 is that I feel like some of the elephants in the 4093 03:03:55,160 --> 03:03:55,470 room 4094 03:03:55,470 --> 03:03:57,960 when we talk about economic development to still 4095 03:03:57,960 --> 03:03:58,970 remain 4096 03:03:58,970 --> 03:04:03,610 not spoken or not out there as clearly and as 4097 03:04:03,610 --> 03:04:03,940 well defined. 4098 03:04:03,940 --> 03:04:10,580 And what I see from that is I see some of the 4099 03:04:10,580 --> 03:04:11,630 same challenges 4100 03:04:11,630 --> 03:04:15,580 and problems we've had for decades that persist 4101 03:04:15,580 --> 03:04:18,020 because I feel like we're not naming them 4102 03:04:18,020 --> 03:04:19,000 completely. 4103 03:04:19,000 --> 03:04:21,420 And again, around this table, I heard 4104 03:04:21,420 --> 03:04:25,120 some of those things come up already. 4105 03:04:25,120 --> 03:04:28,670 But I want to talk a little bit about the system 4106 03:04:28,670 --> 03:04:29,320 integration 4107 03:04:29,320 --> 03:04:35,090 piece, and specifically around 2.1b. 4108 03:04:35,090 --> 03:04:37,320 I want to understand a little bit more 4109 03:04:37,320 --> 03:04:40,730 about what we anticipate receiving 4110 03:04:40,730 --> 03:04:45,170 with this new platform being engaged in this 4111 03:04:45,170 --> 03:04:45,980 space quite 4112 03:04:45,980 --> 03:04:49,300 a bit and understanding some of the tools that 4113 03:04:49,300 --> 03:04:50,130 exist. 4114 03:04:50,130 --> 03:04:52,640 I see that we've pointed to the fact 4115 03:04:52,640 --> 03:04:59,820 that there's a need to get this entire system 4116 03:04:59,820 --> 03:05:00,670 working together 4117 03:05:00,670 --> 03:05:02,200 better. 4118 03:05:02,200 --> 03:05:06,530 We are also talking about a technological piece 4119 03:05:06,530 --> 03:05:09,480 and working through some existing technologies 4120 03:05:09,480 --> 03:05:10,940 that exist. 4121 03:05:10,940 --> 03:05:13,700 In this space, I want to know what's 4122 03:05:13,700 --> 03:05:17,440 going to be better for the end user in a system 4123 03:05:17,440 --> 03:05:17,990 who 4124 03:05:17,990 --> 03:05:21,690 is looking for a job, is frustrated, needs 4125 03:05:21,690 --> 03:05:22,800 opportunity, 4126 03:05:22,800 --> 03:05:28,990 And they're meeting roadblocks in our systems. 4127 03:05:28,990 --> 03:05:30,410 Yes, go ahead. 4128 03:05:30,410 --> 03:05:33,620 Through you presiding officer, thanks for this 4129 03:05:33,620 --> 03:05:34,570 question. 4130 03:05:34,570 --> 03:05:36,680 So this emerged, of course, from the research 4131 03:05:36,680 --> 03:05:38,980 that Deloitte had done in the engagement in the 4132 03:05:38,980 --> 03:05:39,220 system 4133 03:05:39,220 --> 03:05:40,520 review. 4134 03:05:40,520 --> 03:05:42,430 In the system review, when they looked 4135 03:05:42,430 --> 03:05:44,920 at different functions of economic development 4136 03:05:44,920 --> 03:05:48,610 in this city, workforce in particular 4137 03:05:48,610 --> 03:05:51,920 was one was highly populated with organizations 4138 03:05:51,920 --> 03:05:54,700 working in this space, whether it was job search 4139 03:05:54,700 --> 03:05:57,480 job supports or training and upskilling those 4140 03:05:57,480 --> 03:05:59,220 kinds of things. 4141 03:05:59,220 --> 03:06:03,810 And the feedback that they received through the 4142 03:06:03,810 --> 03:06:07,840 engagement was that that element of London's 4143 03:06:07,840 --> 03:06:13,220 economic development system is fragmented and is 4144 03:06:13,220 --> 03:06:17,880 challenging for job seekers to navigate. 4145 03:06:17,880 --> 03:06:20,610 where there are multiple points of entry and 4146 03:06:20,610 --> 03:06:25,560 there are actually multiple existing strategies 4147 03:06:25,560 --> 03:06:29,160 and initiatives that are designed to bring the 4148 03:06:29,160 --> 03:06:30,840 system together. 4149 03:06:30,840 --> 03:06:32,660 But there are just so many actors in that system 4150 03:06:32,660 --> 03:06:34,140 that it's still a challenge based on 4151 03:06:34,140 --> 03:06:39,200 the data that we've been provided for workers and 4152 03:06:39,200 --> 03:06:42,850 job seekers to easily navigate all of 4153 03:06:42,850 --> 03:06:46,410 those options and opportunities and so this is 4154 03:06:46,410 --> 03:06:49,060 really an action designed to 4155 03:06:49,060 --> 03:06:51,010 mediate that with the understanding that we 4156 03:06:51,010 --> 03:06:52,560 probably aren't going to get to a 4157 03:06:52,560 --> 03:06:56,270 stage list anytime soon where everyone across 4158 03:06:56,270 --> 03:06:57,920 this city zeros in on like one 4159 03:06:57,920 --> 03:07:01,950 single a single platform in in that time and in 4160 03:07:01,950 --> 03:07:03,730 that in that space we want to 4161 03:07:03,730 --> 03:07:08,020 work with like partners to make the Londoners who 4162 03:07:08,020 --> 03:07:10,850 are who are in search of 4163 03:07:10,850 --> 03:07:13,340 like job or like looking to like retrain upscale 4164 03:07:13,340 --> 03:07:17,460 etc. make their ability to access that a bit 4165 03:07:17,460 --> 03:07:17,990 easier. 4166 03:07:17,990 --> 03:07:21,190 The specific tool or platform or technology isn't 4167 03:07:21,190 --> 03:07:23,540 sculpted in at this point. That's something that 4168 03:07:23,540 --> 03:07:25,390 would happen through the detailed documentation 4169 03:07:25,390 --> 03:07:27,100 planning and contention on endorsement of the 4170 03:07:27,100 --> 03:07:32,530 strategy. Go ahead Kelsey. Thank you. I 4171 03:07:32,530 --> 03:07:37,590 appreciate that. I will say that where there is a 4172 03:07:37,590 --> 03:07:38,720 redundancy 4173 03:07:38,720 --> 03:07:43,000 in some of this work. I don't particularly see 4174 03:07:43,000 --> 03:07:44,820 value in adding new money when there's a 4175 03:07:44,820 --> 03:07:45,450 redundancy. 4176 03:07:45,450 --> 03:07:47,490 I think we can address the redundancy without 4177 03:07:47,490 --> 03:07:51,000 adding new money. That's just one point. I also 4178 03:07:51,000 --> 03:07:54,370 think that I know we didn't name it, but the 4179 03:07:54,370 --> 03:07:58,120 naming of the local employment board in this 4180 03:07:58,120 --> 03:07:58,670 report, 4181 03:07:58,670 --> 03:08:03,640 in our community, it's confusing to people in the 4182 03:08:03,640 --> 03:08:06,790 sector. We're a single to your government, 4183 03:08:06,790 --> 03:08:10,460 why we're lumped in with Middlesex, another story 4184 03:08:10,460 --> 03:08:10,560 . 4185 03:08:10,490 --> 03:08:12,440 But again, when we're showing leadership 4186 03:08:12,440 --> 03:08:16,310 on some of these pieces, I'm trying 4187 03:08:16,310 --> 03:08:19,130 to understand where that leadership would be. 4188 03:08:19,130 --> 03:08:22,600 Is it that a new entity would be formed 4189 03:08:22,600 --> 03:08:25,500 to house all of that or these partners 4190 03:08:25,500 --> 03:08:29,220 and lead this lead partner would be in charge 4191 03:08:29,220 --> 03:08:31,650 of this part of the plan? 4192 03:08:31,650 --> 03:08:36,450 - But, I mean, I think it was an officer 4193 03:08:36,450 --> 03:08:39,580 and through you, it is the latter. 4194 03:08:39,580 --> 03:08:42,520 It's really about these partners working together 4195 03:08:42,520 --> 03:08:45,850 under the leadership of the identified lead 4196 03:08:45,850 --> 03:08:50,690 on that tool or on that platform. 4197 03:08:50,690 --> 03:08:51,530 - Go ahead. 4198 03:08:51,530 --> 03:08:52,730 - Thank you and I've shared my comments on this 4199 03:08:52,730 --> 03:08:53,110 offline 4200 03:08:53,110 --> 03:08:55,030 as well, so I'll just move on to the leadership 4201 03:08:55,030 --> 03:08:55,490 component. 4202 03:08:55,490 --> 03:08:56,680 I agree with Mr. Wallace. 4203 03:08:56,680 --> 03:08:59,510 I would say that when we talk about leadership in 4204 03:08:59,510 --> 03:09:00,250 the plan, 4205 03:09:00,250 --> 03:09:03,900 there's a defined piece around the mayor. 4206 03:09:03,900 --> 03:09:05,980 I understand that to mean the mayor and council, 4207 03:09:05,980 --> 03:09:07,860 but I do think that is a piece of work 4208 03:09:07,860 --> 03:09:10,130 that we as a council need to define 4209 03:09:10,130 --> 03:09:12,770 and leadership roles need to evolve 4210 03:09:12,770 --> 03:09:15,730 within our council planning, how we 4211 03:09:15,730 --> 03:09:18,600 and the agencies, boards and commissions, 4212 03:09:18,600 --> 03:09:20,400 for instance, that we sit on 4213 03:09:20,400 --> 03:09:22,720 so that we have more of a front-facing role 4214 03:09:22,720 --> 03:09:25,540 when it comes to some of the economic activity in 4215 03:09:25,540 --> 03:09:26,630 the city. 4216 03:09:26,630 --> 03:09:28,270 I think it's very much needed. 4217 03:09:28,270 --> 03:09:30,230 I think it's missing from the conversation 4218 03:09:30,230 --> 03:09:32,580 and even though there are opportunities 4219 03:09:32,580 --> 03:09:34,540 for maybe the mayor's office to engage, 4220 03:09:34,540 --> 03:09:35,820 which I think is great, 4221 03:09:35,820 --> 03:09:37,700 I think there needs to be more opportunities 4222 03:09:37,700 --> 03:09:40,710 for everyone to play a larger role in that. 4223 03:09:40,710 --> 03:09:42,530 So I think that that's definitely a separate 4224 03:09:42,530 --> 03:09:43,310 conversation. 4225 03:09:43,310 --> 03:09:46,510 But I'm not sure how receiving a report, 4226 03:09:46,510 --> 03:09:49,020 as an annual report in the future, 4227 03:09:49,020 --> 03:09:52,740 will allow that input to be entered into the 4228 03:09:52,740 --> 03:09:54,020 discussion. 4229 03:09:54,020 --> 03:09:58,490 So I wonder about referring some of these items 4230 03:09:58,490 --> 03:10:00,850 to other committees and other works. 4231 03:10:00,850 --> 03:10:02,760 So for instance, if we're talking about 4232 03:10:02,760 --> 03:10:03,600 leadership, 4233 03:10:03,600 --> 03:10:05,920 should we be referring that to governance, 4234 03:10:05,920 --> 03:10:09,890 working group, sorry, for instance, to talk about 4235 03:10:09,890 --> 03:10:12,550 the agency's boards and commissions piece 4236 03:10:12,550 --> 03:10:14,520 of this and whether or not there's something on 4237 03:10:14,520 --> 03:10:16,110 the structure side that we need to look 4238 03:10:16,110 --> 03:10:17,270 at. 4239 03:10:17,270 --> 03:10:18,430 Just an example. 4240 03:10:18,430 --> 03:10:20,210 I'm just wondering how we do that effectively. 4241 03:10:20,210 --> 03:10:22,740 You got 30 seconds left. 4242 03:10:22,740 --> 03:10:28,410 Go ahead. 4243 03:10:28,410 --> 03:10:29,410 Pardon me. 4244 03:10:29,410 --> 03:10:32,260 Thank you, President, and through you, those are 4245 03:10:32,260 --> 03:10:33,410 great suggestions. 4246 03:10:33,410 --> 03:10:36,220 I think to your point around the annual update 4247 03:10:36,220 --> 03:10:39,560 and whether or not that facilitates opportunities 4248 03:10:39,560 --> 03:10:43,600 for input, what we envisioned was that the update 4249 03:10:43,600 --> 03:10:46,490 would come to council as a collection 4250 03:10:46,490 --> 03:10:51,600 of macroeconomic data, strategy performance, and 4251 03:10:51,600 --> 03:10:56,800 recommendations from the partnership table, 4252 03:10:56,800 --> 03:10:59,280 and also structured feedback from the business 4253 03:10:59,280 --> 03:11:01,990 community, all those pieces coming together, 4254 03:11:01,990 --> 03:11:04,380 and using that to inform a conversation and 4255 03:11:04,380 --> 03:11:07,150 discussion on recommendations for potential 4256 03:11:07,150 --> 03:11:10,950 changes to how the strategy looks and how the 4257 03:11:10,950 --> 03:11:11,910 actions roll out. 4258 03:11:11,910 --> 03:11:14,490 If I'm hearing correctly, we're thinking about 4259 03:11:14,490 --> 03:11:17,040 our role for council outside of that, a more 4260 03:11:17,040 --> 03:11:20,030 defined and explicit role for council outside 4261 03:11:20,030 --> 03:11:22,610 that using mechanisms that we may already 4262 03:11:22,610 --> 03:11:25,630 have within our organization as appropriate. 4263 03:11:25,630 --> 03:11:28,330 I'd say that staff is very open to that 4264 03:11:28,330 --> 03:11:29,540 conversation. 4265 03:11:29,540 --> 03:11:32,780 Of course, our goal is to be effective, and if we 4266 03:11:32,780 --> 03:11:36,150 can make those opportunities happen, 4267 03:11:36,150 --> 03:11:39,140 we can, it's not scoped in explicitly here as an 4268 03:11:39,140 --> 03:11:39,470 action, 4269 03:11:39,470 --> 03:11:42,260 but we can find those opportunities to make that 4270 03:11:42,260 --> 03:11:45,090 happen. 4271 03:11:45,090 --> 03:11:46,730 - Go ahead. 4272 03:11:46,730 --> 03:11:49,580 - Quickly on the commercial corridor reinvestment 4273 03:11:49,580 --> 03:11:49,680 , 4274 03:11:49,580 --> 03:11:52,910 I'm wondering what kind of observable differences 4275 03:11:52,910 --> 03:11:54,850 we'll see at West Mount Mall, Hyde Park, 4276 03:11:54,850 --> 03:12:09,280 other parts of the city. 4277 03:12:09,280 --> 03:12:12,300 - So thank you, I'm sorry, an officer and through 4278 03:12:12,300 --> 03:12:12,750 you. 4279 03:12:12,750 --> 03:12:16,240 So we were looking at the corridor piece. 4280 03:12:16,240 --> 03:12:18,760 We were looking specifically at the CIPs 4281 03:12:18,760 --> 03:12:20,860 and working with the BIAs on what that would look 4282 03:12:20,860 --> 03:12:21,110 like. 4283 03:12:21,110 --> 03:12:24,740 And so that be the specifics of what those 4284 03:12:24,740 --> 03:12:25,400 changes will be 4285 03:12:25,400 --> 03:12:27,290 are in implementation consideration. 4286 03:12:27,290 --> 03:12:29,820 I can say that, especially, you know, 4287 03:12:29,820 --> 03:12:32,070 listening to the conversation today, 4288 03:12:32,070 --> 03:12:35,040 I think that the vacancy challenge 4289 03:12:35,040 --> 03:12:38,600 has emerged as something of significant interest, 4290 03:12:38,600 --> 03:12:39,710 not just in downtown, 4291 03:12:39,710 --> 03:12:42,510 but in various commercial corridors across the 4292 03:12:42,510 --> 03:12:42,910 city. 4293 03:12:42,910 --> 03:12:44,540 So at a minimum, I would expect 4294 03:12:44,540 --> 03:12:47,470 that one of our metrics to target would be that 4295 03:12:47,470 --> 03:12:50,860 challenge. 4296 03:12:51,670 --> 03:12:54,040 - May I ask for two more minutes? 4297 03:12:54,040 --> 03:12:55,160 - Sorry. 4298 03:12:55,160 --> 03:12:59,050 - I'm asking for two more minutes, please. 4299 03:12:59,050 --> 03:13:00,720 - All right, Councilor Romans looking for two 4300 03:13:00,720 --> 03:13:01,210 more minutes. 4301 03:13:01,210 --> 03:13:02,500 Councilor Tross has willing to move. 4302 03:13:02,500 --> 03:13:05,900 Is there a seconder that I see Councilor McAll 4303 03:13:05,900 --> 03:13:07,090 ister? 4304 03:13:07,090 --> 03:13:09,800 All right, well, we will open that, 4305 03:13:09,800 --> 03:13:10,600 we'll do that in the system 4306 03:13:10,600 --> 03:13:38,780 and we'll open it and Susan's ready. 4307 03:13:38,780 --> 03:13:45,690 - Deputy Mayor Lewis, second call for Deputy 4308 03:13:45,690 --> 03:13:49,670 Mayor Lewis. 4309 03:13:49,670 --> 03:13:53,550 Parking Deputy Mayor Lewis absent. 4310 03:13:53,550 --> 03:13:57,010 Closing the vote, motion carries 14 to zero. 4311 03:13:57,010 --> 03:14:00,350 - Okay, you got two minutes and nine seconds. 4312 03:14:00,350 --> 03:14:03,520 - Thank you on the redevelopment opportunities. 4313 03:14:03,520 --> 03:14:05,470 I would say the only problem is we're talking 4314 03:14:05,470 --> 03:14:05,940 about areas 4315 03:14:05,940 --> 03:14:07,870 that don't have access to CIPs, 4316 03:14:07,870 --> 03:14:09,620 and that's what I'm wondering if you could 4317 03:14:09,620 --> 03:14:12,690 address. 4318 03:14:12,690 --> 03:14:23,830 - Go ahead, Mr. Fowler. 4319 03:14:23,830 --> 03:14:25,370 - Can clarify, unless they're citywide, 4320 03:14:25,370 --> 03:14:28,100 those two areas wouldn't have access to CIPs 4321 03:14:28,100 --> 03:14:30,290 that would be as specific for those type of 4322 03:14:30,290 --> 03:14:34,860 investment. 4323 03:14:34,860 --> 03:14:37,210 - Sorry, through the representing officer, 4324 03:14:37,210 --> 03:14:38,720 if you could repeat the question one more time 4325 03:14:38,720 --> 03:14:39,090 for me. 4326 03:14:39,090 --> 03:14:41,960 Thank you. 4327 03:14:41,960 --> 03:14:42,800 - Thank you. 4328 03:14:42,800 --> 03:14:43,930 So my question is about commercial corridor 4329 03:14:43,930 --> 03:14:44,260 investment, 4330 03:14:44,260 --> 03:14:47,220 especially on page 224. 4331 03:14:47,220 --> 03:14:48,980 It talks about place-based development. 4332 03:14:48,980 --> 03:14:50,450 So I'm wondering what happens 4333 03:14:50,450 --> 03:14:51,800 if an area doesn't have a CIP, 4334 03:14:51,800 --> 03:14:53,410 what kind of place-based investment can we 4335 03:14:53,410 --> 03:15:01,950 imagine? 4336 03:15:01,950 --> 03:15:03,390 - Good question, when you have like six people 4337 03:15:03,390 --> 03:15:04,290 nodding at it. 4338 03:15:04,290 --> 03:15:06,180 So we'll just give you a minute. 4339 03:15:06,180 --> 03:15:20,980 Well, you guys coordinate Mr. Mathers. 4340 03:15:20,980 --> 03:15:22,280 - Through the presiding officer. 4341 03:15:22,280 --> 03:15:26,440 So the focus of this item is specifically on CIP. 4342 03:15:26,440 --> 03:15:29,580 So if that's something that would want, 4343 03:15:29,580 --> 03:15:31,610 that council and committee would want to consider 4344 03:15:31,610 --> 03:15:34,520 in the future, there is a five-year CIP review 4345 03:15:34,520 --> 03:15:35,100 process 4346 03:15:35,100 --> 03:15:36,970 that will be undertaken in the next couple of 4347 03:15:36,970 --> 03:15:37,290 years. 4348 03:15:37,290 --> 03:15:39,710 So that'd be the opportunity to generate CIPs 4349 03:15:39,710 --> 03:15:46,330 for that type of purpose. 4350 03:15:46,330 --> 03:15:51,620 - Anything to add to Raman? 4351 03:15:51,620 --> 03:15:53,010 - Thank you, I'll move on from that point. 4352 03:15:53,010 --> 03:15:55,400 I'll revisit that with staff separately. 4353 03:15:55,400 --> 03:15:57,390 I wanna talk a little bit about childcare. 4354 03:15:57,390 --> 03:15:59,310 I do think we're missing an opportunity 4355 03:15:59,310 --> 03:16:02,740 to talk about another big consideration for 4356 03:16:02,740 --> 03:16:03,170 people, 4357 03:16:03,170 --> 03:16:05,280 not being in the workforce here in our community, 4358 03:16:05,280 --> 03:16:06,630 and that is childcare. 4359 03:16:06,630 --> 03:16:09,020 However, we do that, whether it's on the advocacy 4360 03:16:09,020 --> 03:16:09,380 side, 4361 03:16:09,380 --> 03:16:11,810 it needs to be highlighted, I think more, 4362 03:16:11,810 --> 03:16:15,750 as we move forward, thank you. 4363 03:16:15,750 --> 03:16:17,000 - Okay, good. 4364 03:16:17,000 --> 03:16:18,370 I will return the chair to you. 4365 03:16:18,370 --> 03:16:21,170 I don't have anybody further on the list. 4366 03:16:21,170 --> 03:16:29,360 - Thank you, looking for other speakers. 4367 03:16:29,360 --> 03:16:31,860 Okay, I have none online and I have none in 4368 03:16:31,860 --> 03:16:32,740 chambers, 4369 03:16:32,740 --> 03:16:51,490 so we will open the vote on this item. 4370 03:16:51,490 --> 03:16:57,430 - Opposing the vote, motion carries, 14 to 1. 4371 03:16:57,430 --> 03:16:58,270 - Okay, thank you. 4372 03:16:58,270 --> 03:17:00,650 We are at four o'clock. 4373 03:17:00,650 --> 03:17:03,430 I'm just looking to everyone in the room. 4374 03:17:03,430 --> 03:17:04,910 We have a three delegations. 4375 03:17:04,910 --> 03:17:06,690 We have a 10-minute presentation 4376 03:17:06,690 --> 03:17:08,440 and we have a very important topic. 4377 03:17:08,440 --> 03:17:11,420 So I'd like to get a sense of, 4378 03:17:11,420 --> 03:17:13,340 okay, Councillor Stevenson, go ahead. 4379 03:17:13,340 --> 03:17:15,480 - I'd like to move a 10-minute break, please. 4380 03:17:15,480 --> 03:17:17,150 - Thank you, I'll look for a seconder on a 10- 4381 03:17:17,150 --> 03:17:17,790 minute break. 4382 03:17:17,790 --> 03:17:20,080 I have Councillor Van Meerberg in, 4383 03:17:20,080 --> 03:17:28,490 just a moment, everyone. 4384 03:17:28,490 --> 03:17:30,760 Okay, we have a 10-minute break moved and second 4385 03:17:30,760 --> 03:17:30,990 ed. 4386 03:17:30,990 --> 03:17:46,720 We'll open that in the system. 4387 03:17:46,720 --> 03:17:53,910 - Councillor McAllister, closing the vote. 4388 03:17:53,910 --> 03:17:56,220 Motion carries, 15-0. 4389 03:17:56,220 --> 03:24:18,330 - Thank you, we will resume at 4-12. 4390 03:30:41,820 --> 03:30:44,600 - Okay, I'll ask council just start moving 4391 03:30:44,600 --> 03:30:45,000 towards 4392 03:30:45,000 --> 03:30:55,150 their seats, please. 4393 03:30:55,150 --> 03:31:07,100 Thank you. 4394 03:31:07,100 --> 03:31:10,540 Wonderful, we do have quorum. 4395 03:31:10,540 --> 03:31:13,180 So we are onto item 4.2, 4396 03:31:13,180 --> 03:31:15,730 which is the downtown reimagined city 4397 03:31:15,730 --> 03:31:18,190 of London downtown plan. 4398 03:31:18,190 --> 03:31:21,520 We have a presentation to begin from Mary Rowe, 4399 03:31:21,520 --> 03:31:23,970 the president and CEO and Jennifer Barrett, 4400 03:31:23,970 --> 03:31:27,640 managing director of the Canadian Urban Institute 4401 03:31:27,640 --> 03:31:27,920 . 4402 03:31:31,900 --> 03:31:34,960 They have 10 minutes for their presentation 4403 03:31:34,960 --> 03:31:35,730 together 4404 03:31:35,730 --> 03:31:38,840 and we're just getting you set up with IT 4405 03:31:38,840 --> 03:31:52,220 and then we will begin. 4406 03:31:52,220 --> 03:31:54,540 I'm sorry, I was supposed to go to Mr. McCauley 4407 03:31:54,540 --> 03:31:57,320 to do a better job at introducing this topic. 4408 03:31:57,320 --> 03:31:59,760 Go ahead, please. 4409 03:31:59,760 --> 03:32:02,210 - Thank you and through the chair, 4410 03:32:02,210 --> 03:32:04,720 we are very proud of civic administration 4411 03:32:04,720 --> 03:32:07,060 to be here today to present downtown reimagined 4412 03:32:07,060 --> 03:32:09,410 the city of London downtown plan. 4413 03:32:09,410 --> 03:32:11,120 Before I turn it over to our consultant team, 4414 03:32:11,120 --> 03:32:13,460 I wanna recognize the significant amount of work, 4415 03:32:13,460 --> 03:32:15,690 expertise and collaboration that went into 4416 03:32:15,690 --> 03:32:18,630 developing this plan, both from city staff and 4417 03:32:18,630 --> 03:32:19,250 the consultant. 4418 03:32:19,250 --> 03:32:22,100 London was fortunate to have the Canadian Urban 4419 03:32:22,100 --> 03:32:24,750 Institute lead this work to deliver a plan of 4420 03:32:24,750 --> 03:32:26,510 this scale and complexity. 4421 03:32:26,510 --> 03:32:29,990 CUI assembled a team of specialists with multidis 4422 03:32:29,990 --> 03:32:30,360 ciplinary 4423 03:32:30,360 --> 03:32:34,050 expertise in key areas including land economics, 4424 03:32:34,050 --> 03:32:35,240 main street revitalization, 4425 03:32:35,240 --> 03:32:37,140 placemaking, 4426 03:32:37,140 --> 03:32:40,290 transportation and public engagement. The 4427 03:32:40,290 --> 03:32:43,420 Canadian Urban Institute provided overall project 4428 03:32:43,420 --> 03:32:44,380 leadership and downtown 4429 03:32:44,400 --> 03:32:46,070 revitalization expertise. 4430 03:32:46,070 --> 03:32:48,510 Republic urbanism brought extensive planning, 4431 03:32:48,510 --> 03:32:50,840 urban design, and local knowledge to help connect 4432 03:32:50,840 --> 03:32:53,270 the vision of the downtown plan to on-the-ground 4433 03:32:53,270 --> 03:32:54,020 realities. 4434 03:32:54,020 --> 03:32:56,760 Tate economic research and Houston Bond strategy 4435 03:32:56,760 --> 03:32:59,530 provided a critical market analysis, economic 4436 03:32:59,530 --> 03:33:01,910 development expertise, and investment attraction 4437 03:33:01,910 --> 03:33:04,150 perspectives to ensure recommendations were 4438 03:33:04,150 --> 03:33:04,770 grounded 4439 03:33:04,770 --> 03:33:06,520 in economic realities. 4440 03:33:06,520 --> 03:33:09,410 Belver placemaking contributed internationally 4441 03:33:09,410 --> 03:33:11,990 recognized expertise in creating vibrant 4442 03:33:11,990 --> 03:33:14,800 public spaces and activating downtowns through 4443 03:33:14,800 --> 03:33:17,250 programming and place making initiatives. 4444 03:33:17,250 --> 03:33:20,180 ARIP provided transportation and infrastructure 4445 03:33:20,180 --> 03:33:24,200 expertise and diversity's advocacy or advisory 4446 03:33:24,200 --> 03:33:26,230 helped ensure the plan reflected diverse 4447 03:33:26,230 --> 03:33:28,620 perspectives through inclusive and equitable 4448 03:33:28,620 --> 03:33:29,940 engagement. 4449 03:33:29,940 --> 03:33:31,900 Collectively, this team brought together a 4450 03:33:31,900 --> 03:33:33,880 breadth of experience from leading downtown 4451 03:33:33,880 --> 03:33:36,690 revitalization, recovery, transformation 4452 03:33:36,690 --> 03:33:39,010 initiatives across Canada, including the 4453 03:33:39,010 --> 03:33:39,990 development of 4454 03:33:39,990 --> 03:33:42,480 Ottawa's downtown action agenda and other 4455 03:33:42,480 --> 03:33:45,410 nationally recognized city building projects. 4456 03:33:45,410 --> 03:33:47,990 Their collective experience and their teams 4457 03:33:47,990 --> 03:33:50,910 enable extensive research, data analysis, 4458 03:33:50,910 --> 03:33:53,430 market feasibility assessments, policy review, 4459 03:33:53,430 --> 03:33:56,030 public engagement resulting in practical, 4460 03:33:56,030 --> 03:33:58,560 evidence-based recommendations that are both 4461 03:33:58,560 --> 03:34:01,050 actionable and tailored to London's unique 4462 03:34:01,050 --> 03:34:04,430 opportunities and challenges. Downtowns where 4463 03:34:04,430 --> 03:34:06,960 transportation, housing, business, 4464 03:34:06,960 --> 03:34:10,960 culture, public space, and people all intersect, 4465 03:34:10,960 --> 03:34:12,770 are wonderfully complicated 4466 03:34:12,770 --> 03:34:16,020 places. Developing a plan to guide the next 4467 03:34:16,020 --> 03:34:19,340 decade required a team which with equally broad 4468 03:34:19,340 --> 03:34:22,730 expertise and diverse perspectives. And I'll now 4469 03:34:22,730 --> 03:34:24,690 turn it over to Mary. 4470 03:34:24,690 --> 03:34:35,890 Sorry, can we just make sure you're with the 4471 03:34:35,890 --> 03:34:39,680 microphones? I'll try. Thank you, Madam. 4472 03:34:39,680 --> 03:34:43,380 I'll say what I said just a minute ago. I love 4473 03:34:43,380 --> 03:34:45,700 local democracy because you need stamina. 4474 03:34:45,700 --> 03:34:47,610 So thank you all of you that are still here 4475 03:34:47,610 --> 03:34:48,980 and all the council members that are still here 4476 03:34:48,980 --> 03:34:50,090 and all the staff. 4477 03:34:50,090 --> 03:34:51,110 I'm Mary Rowe. 4478 03:34:51,110 --> 03:34:54,320 What's important for me to remind you of 4479 03:34:54,320 --> 03:34:56,950 is that I am a London girl 4480 03:34:56,950 --> 03:34:59,260 and I am very, very pleased to have had a chance 4481 03:34:59,260 --> 03:35:01,930 to work on this project because London matters, 4482 03:35:01,930 --> 03:35:05,380 not just to London, but London matters to the 4483 03:35:05,380 --> 03:35:05,900 country. 4484 03:35:05,900 --> 03:35:08,250 CUI, just so Mr. London can't get his story right 4485 03:35:08,250 --> 03:35:08,350 . 4486 03:35:08,250 --> 03:35:10,310 CUI is not a consulting company. 4487 03:35:10,310 --> 03:35:13,220 CUI is Canada's national charity, 36 years old 4488 03:35:13,220 --> 03:35:14,100 and counting. 4489 03:35:14,100 --> 03:35:16,450 I've not been running it for 36, thank God. 4490 03:35:16,450 --> 03:35:20,930 for six. We are the national charity to focus on 4491 03:35:20,930 --> 03:35:22,980 the quality of our urban spaces, what drives 4492 03:35:22,980 --> 03:35:25,790 the Canadian economy, what drives places that you 4493 03:35:25,790 --> 03:35:27,280 enjoy. And that's why this is so important 4494 03:35:27,280 --> 03:35:30,440 to us because we have 75 downtowns across this 4495 03:35:30,440 --> 03:35:34,220 country that are challenged, 75 of them. And 4496 03:35:34,220 --> 03:35:36,940 London is the gateway to southern Ontario. It is 4497 03:35:36,940 --> 03:35:39,580 a mid-sized city. It has enormous extraordinary 4498 03:35:39,580 --> 03:35:42,380 assets which the work that the consulting team 4499 03:35:42,380 --> 03:35:44,880 highlights. And so much opportunity, so much 4500 03:35:44,880 --> 03:35:47,250 opportunities. I'm here to encourage you to seize 4501 03:35:47,250 --> 03:35:49,030 the day, look at the moments that 4502 03:35:49,030 --> 03:35:51,350 we're in, because we are in a national moment. We 4503 03:35:51,350 --> 03:35:52,530 're in a national inflection 4504 03:35:52,530 --> 03:35:54,930 point where the economy is under siege at every 4505 03:35:54,930 --> 03:35:56,600 scale. And if we want to have an 4506 03:35:56,600 --> 03:35:58,590 impact on people's lives, we've got to focus on 4507 03:35:58,590 --> 03:35:59,830 the places in which they live 4508 03:35:59,830 --> 03:36:01,900 and work. And look at the assets you've got. I 4509 03:36:01,900 --> 03:36:03,090 sit to the clerk when I walked in. 4510 03:36:03,090 --> 03:36:05,910 What a great day to be in London. You've got 4511 03:36:05,910 --> 03:36:07,520 students graduating out here on the 4512 03:36:07,520 --> 03:36:11,150 Victoria Park. I went and had lunch at the market 4513 03:36:11,150 --> 03:36:12,820 . I saw all the dynamism there. 4514 03:36:12,820 --> 03:36:15,210 You've got so much to work with and so many 4515 03:36:15,210 --> 03:36:18,000 downtowns don't have that, but you have it now 4516 03:36:18,000 --> 03:36:19,490 I appreciate one of the counselors asked me right 4517 03:36:19,490 --> 03:36:19,880 off the bat 4518 03:36:19,880 --> 03:36:22,810 We've had a lot of studies here. We've done a lot 4519 03:36:22,810 --> 03:36:23,770 of the studying part 4520 03:36:23,770 --> 03:36:24,440 I agree with you 4521 03:36:24,440 --> 03:36:26,440 I understand that I understand the frustration 4522 03:36:26,440 --> 03:36:28,380 that happens when you say what another study 4523 03:36:28,380 --> 03:36:30,270 But the staff that we've been working with and 4524 03:36:30,270 --> 03:36:32,130 all the folks that we've heard from hundreds and 4525 03:36:32,130 --> 03:36:33,190 hundreds and hundreds of people 4526 03:36:33,190 --> 03:36:35,570 Appreciate that you've got a moment a moment 4527 03:36:35,570 --> 03:36:37,820 where you can align a moment where you can be 4528 03:36:37,820 --> 03:36:38,000 really 4529 03:36:38,000 --> 03:36:40,800 aspiring about what the future needs to be here 4530 03:36:40,800 --> 03:36:43,020 So I'm going to run you through briefly what we 4531 03:36:43,020 --> 03:36:44,330 've come up with and then I'm looking forward 4532 03:36:44,330 --> 03:36:45,870 to the conversation, having just listened to the 4533 03:36:45,870 --> 03:36:47,990 last couple of hours and I know how engaged 4534 03:36:47,990 --> 03:36:48,980 you are. 4535 03:36:48,980 --> 03:36:49,970 So let's have at it. 4536 03:36:49,970 --> 03:36:51,660 Let's talk about what the challenges are and what 4537 03:36:51,660 --> 03:36:52,810 the opportunities are. 4538 03:36:52,810 --> 03:36:56,440 So thanks, Mike, for the introduction. 4539 03:36:56,440 --> 03:36:58,410 Really great team that assembled under Jen's 4540 03:36:58,410 --> 03:37:00,760 leadership, she'll speak to you in a minute. 4541 03:37:00,760 --> 03:37:03,050 We called this downtown reimagined look for this 4542 03:37:03,050 --> 03:37:05,630 photo is taken. 4543 03:37:05,630 --> 03:37:08,060 It's taken from your balcony, your rooftop, and 4544 03:37:08,060 --> 03:37:10,760 you're looking at the downtown. 4545 03:37:10,760 --> 03:37:14,350 I need you to look in the downtown out. 4546 03:37:14,350 --> 03:37:16,770 And the reason that we say that is because this 4547 03:37:16,770 --> 03:37:19,600 is why downtowns matter, because an Apple 4548 03:37:19,600 --> 03:37:21,080 rots from the core. 4549 03:37:21,080 --> 03:37:22,810 The first mayor of Chicago, the first mayor daily 4550 03:37:22,810 --> 03:37:24,310 of Chicago was asked, "Why do you spend 4551 03:37:24,310 --> 03:37:25,870 so much time in investment in downtown?" 4552 03:37:25,870 --> 03:37:28,840 And his response was because an Apple rots from 4553 03:37:28,840 --> 03:37:29,650 the core. 4554 03:37:29,650 --> 03:37:31,480 So this isn't either or this is not, "Oh, gee, 4555 03:37:31,480 --> 03:37:32,930 what happens to downtown east? 4556 03:37:32,930 --> 03:37:33,920 What happens to Wartley Road? 4557 03:37:33,920 --> 03:37:34,920 What happens to Byron?" 4558 03:37:34,920 --> 03:37:35,920 No, no, no. 4559 03:37:35,920 --> 03:37:38,740 This is about how you build on the key assets you 4560 03:37:38,740 --> 03:37:40,940 have in your downtown to build the tax 4561 03:37:40,940 --> 03:37:43,290 revenue, to build the economic future, not just 4562 03:37:43,290 --> 03:37:44,730 of London, but the region. 4563 03:37:44,730 --> 03:37:47,240 And that's a principle that we can really, I hope 4564 03:37:47,240 --> 03:37:49,160 you will endorse with us, that we talk 4565 03:37:49,160 --> 03:37:50,850 about this across the country, that we're 4566 03:37:50,850 --> 03:37:52,750 building communities from the ground up, that 4567 03:37:52,750 --> 03:37:54,720 urbanism happens from the ground up, and that 4568 03:37:54,720 --> 03:37:56,000 that's what you have. 4569 03:37:56,000 --> 03:37:58,900 You have remarkable roots, remarkable assets that 4570 03:37:58,900 --> 03:38:00,140 you can build from. 4571 03:38:00,140 --> 03:38:02,650 So when you look at why downtowns matter, there's 4572 03:38:02,650 --> 03:38:03,910 just a long list of them. 4573 03:38:03,910 --> 03:38:05,910 I don't think I probably have to tell you, you 4574 03:38:05,910 --> 03:38:07,660 live in it, you're in it every day. 4575 03:38:07,660 --> 03:38:09,950 You know that you attract private investment. 4576 03:38:09,950 --> 03:38:12,380 People don't, people who are looking at investing 4577 03:38:12,380 --> 03:38:14,470 , this is true of Canada, people who are looking 4578 03:38:14,470 --> 03:38:18,740 of investing, look at the broad investment 4579 03:38:18,740 --> 03:38:21,970 prospects and say what's investable, and 4580 03:38:21,970 --> 03:38:22,480 inevitably 4581 03:38:22,480 --> 03:38:24,510 they look at what's happening in a core area. 4582 03:38:24,510 --> 03:38:26,060 They look at what's happening in a downtown, 4583 03:38:26,060 --> 03:38:27,660 they look at how connected it is, they look at 4584 03:38:27,660 --> 03:38:29,170 how the land use is being invested in, 4585 03:38:29,170 --> 03:38:31,180 they look at all the institutional capacity. Look 4586 03:38:31,180 --> 03:38:32,510 who you have in the gallery, you've got 4587 03:38:32,510 --> 03:38:34,290 the London Community Foundation here, you've got 4588 03:38:34,290 --> 03:38:35,690 the London Development Corporation here, 4589 03:38:35,690 --> 03:38:37,900 you have tremendous civil society advocates, you 4590 03:38:37,900 --> 03:38:40,150 've got the chamber, you've got everything you 4591 03:38:40,150 --> 03:38:40,630 need. 4592 03:38:40,630 --> 03:38:43,710 The question is, can you align them? Can you 4593 03:38:43,710 --> 03:38:46,590 rally them? Can you be that leader? All the 4594 03:38:46,590 --> 03:38:47,220 things 4595 03:38:47,220 --> 03:38:50,010 that we list here are all the things that exist 4596 03:38:50,010 --> 03:38:53,800 uniquely in a downtown. Yes, there are aspects 4597 03:38:53,800 --> 03:38:55,880 outside of downtowns that exist, but you need 4598 03:38:55,880 --> 03:38:58,790 that unifying thread that has to be here. So, 4599 03:38:58,790 --> 03:39:00,700 you don't, I don't think you need to be told why, 4600 03:39:00,700 --> 03:39:02,280 sorry, I don't think you need to be told why 4601 03:39:02,280 --> 03:39:04,300 there's urgency. You have the highest vacancy 4602 03:39:04,300 --> 03:39:06,860 rate in the country. Now, I want to say you're 4603 03:39:06,860 --> 03:39:07,940 not alone, 4604 03:39:07,940 --> 03:39:09,920 you're not alone. This is a challenge post-pand 4605 03:39:09,920 --> 03:39:11,900 emic. It was a challenge pre-pandemic. It's been 4606 03:39:11,900 --> 03:39:12,130 made 4607 03:39:12,130 --> 03:39:15,080 worse. You have lots of people moving into the 4608 03:39:15,080 --> 03:39:16,690 downtown, more people moving into downtown 4609 03:39:16,690 --> 03:39:19,330 than anywhere else, but still not enough when in 4610 03:39:19,330 --> 03:39:21,420 doubt at people. You have retail vacancy. 4611 03:39:21,420 --> 03:39:24,210 We had heard that discussion a minute ago about 4612 03:39:24,210 --> 03:39:26,090 what do you do with vacancies. But you 4613 03:39:26,090 --> 03:39:29,060 have all the potential to move more people into 4614 03:39:29,060 --> 03:39:32,090 downtown because you actually have assets. 4615 03:39:32,090 --> 03:39:35,510 You're not dealing with an empty landscape. You 4616 03:39:35,510 --> 03:39:36,570 're dealing with landscape with a lot of 4617 03:39:36,570 --> 03:39:38,560 built form assets that could be redeveloped and 4618 03:39:38,560 --> 03:39:40,290 imagined in different ways. So we talked 4619 03:39:40,290 --> 03:39:43,580 hundreds and hundreds of people, as you know. 4620 03:39:43,580 --> 03:39:44,730 Lots of engagement still to go. 4621 03:39:44,730 --> 03:39:46,190 One of the things that I will always want to say 4622 03:39:46,190 --> 03:39:46,990 is, you know, these conversations 4623 03:39:46,990 --> 03:39:49,930 are not the end. They are the beginning, the 4624 03:39:49,930 --> 03:39:51,700 beginning of a process that you have 4625 03:39:51,700 --> 03:39:53,860 to be committed to. And that's what I'm hoping we 4626 03:39:53,860 --> 03:39:54,790 're going to encourage you to be. 4627 03:39:54,790 --> 03:39:57,590 And that's what we think this document is it's a 4628 03:39:57,590 --> 03:39:59,330 10-year roadmap for you, and 4629 03:39:59,330 --> 03:40:02,480 it's not just you. It's all the partners that you 4630 03:40:02,480 --> 03:40:04,540 would recruit with you to achieve 4631 03:40:04,540 --> 03:40:07,350 all these things. Safety, vibrancy, all the key 4632 03:40:07,350 --> 03:40:08,430 things. You'll see it in our 4633 03:40:08,430 --> 03:40:11,230 goals. The framework that we created has four 4634 03:40:11,230 --> 03:40:14,690 goals, 58 actions, beautiful Saturday night 4635 03:40:14,690 --> 03:40:15,800 reading. 4636 03:40:15,800 --> 03:40:17,580 Lots of things that you don't have to do them all 4637 03:40:17,580 --> 03:40:19,160 . You know that, what's that story? Had you 4638 03:40:19,160 --> 03:40:22,660 any elephant one bite at a time? You just got to 4639 03:40:22,660 --> 03:40:25,400 start biting. And then all these, what we're 4640 03:40:25,400 --> 03:40:26,880 suggesting need to be your big move. So we'll 4641 03:40:26,880 --> 03:40:28,250 talk about that in a second. But if you look at 4642 03:40:28,250 --> 03:40:30,370 these goals, I think these are rallyable for all 4643 03:40:30,370 --> 03:40:33,380 Londoners. I think they're rallyably for all 4644 03:40:33,380 --> 03:40:35,570 Southern Ontario's. You want to live a build 4645 03:40:35,570 --> 03:40:37,470 downtown. You want to be able to place where 4646 03:40:37,470 --> 03:40:39,060 people will move. You want to be able to have 4647 03:40:39,060 --> 03:40:40,640 more and more mixed use there. You want to 4648 03:40:40,640 --> 03:40:43,460 a grocery store there. You win all the amenities 4649 03:40:43,460 --> 03:40:44,920 that make it a livable place. The second thing 4650 03:40:44,920 --> 03:40:46,830 you want is your public spaces of which you have 4651 03:40:46,830 --> 03:40:49,670 so many. Lots and lots of communities would be so 4652 03:40:49,670 --> 03:40:51,280 in because of what London has. How do you 4653 03:40:51,280 --> 03:40:53,520 actually program them? You've started to do all 4654 03:40:53,520 --> 03:40:53,910 the right 4655 03:40:53,910 --> 03:40:56,250 things. Flex Street, Victoria Park, all the 4656 03:40:56,250 --> 03:40:59,870 different festivals you do. How do you make the 4657 03:40:59,870 --> 03:41:00,340 downtown 4658 03:41:00,340 --> 03:41:02,120 more creative and innovative? How do you actually 4659 03:41:02,120 --> 03:41:04,450 invest in it to make it something special? You 4660 03:41:04,450 --> 03:41:07,490 know, I call this the Patula Factor. When you're 4661 03:41:07,490 --> 03:41:09,480 alone and life is making you lonely, you can 4662 03:41:09,480 --> 03:41:09,780 always 4663 03:41:09,780 --> 03:41:12,700 go downtown. You have to be a certain age to know 4664 03:41:12,700 --> 03:41:14,960 Petula Clark, you and me. And the 4665 03:41:14,960 --> 03:41:16,470 fourth thing is you wanted to be well-managed. 4666 03:41:16,470 --> 03:41:17,470 And I appreciate that there 4667 03:41:17,470 --> 03:41:19,960 is lots of frustration and anxiety in London 4668 03:41:19,960 --> 03:41:21,960 about things that are manifesting. 4669 03:41:21,960 --> 03:41:24,920 But let's be clear these are not unsolvable. They 4670 03:41:24,920 --> 03:41:25,980 can be invested in and 4671 03:41:25,980 --> 03:41:28,330 addressed in really imaginative creative ways. 4672 03:41:28,330 --> 03:41:31,380 Whoops. So the four big moves that 4673 03:41:31,380 --> 03:41:33,670 we're suggesting, we had you see it, we've got 4674 03:41:33,670 --> 03:41:36,430 these actions, and then they sort of 4675 03:41:36,430 --> 03:41:38,530 ladder up to these four big moves. And they're 4676 03:41:38,530 --> 03:41:39,960 all focused on the priorities. And 4677 03:41:39,960 --> 03:41:41,620 And actually, I feel we're very in alignment 4678 03:41:41,620 --> 03:41:43,050 with the Deloitte study. 4679 03:41:43,050 --> 03:41:44,160 I was thinking about that. 4680 03:41:44,160 --> 03:41:46,640 We used to say downtowns in urban life was agord 4681 03:41:46,640 --> 03:41:47,910 ia not. 4682 03:41:47,910 --> 03:41:49,990 But I actually think it's like the Russian dolls, 4683 03:41:49,990 --> 03:41:51,700 those nesting dolls. 4684 03:41:51,700 --> 03:41:53,760 And downtown has so many of the interesting 4685 03:41:53,760 --> 03:41:54,450 characteristics 4686 03:41:54,450 --> 03:41:56,520 and challenges that we see across the region. 4687 03:41:56,520 --> 03:41:58,480 But you will not solve them in the region 4688 03:41:58,480 --> 03:42:00,310 if you don't start in downtown. 4689 03:42:00,310 --> 03:42:02,260 So all these things, housing, population, growth, 4690 03:42:02,260 --> 03:42:04,560 vibrancy, connectivity, mobility, economic 4691 03:42:04,560 --> 03:42:05,330 revitalization, 4692 03:42:05,330 --> 03:42:08,560 jobs, what Councillor Stevenson is focused on. 4693 03:42:08,560 --> 03:42:10,750 You will not have economic productivity 4694 03:42:10,750 --> 03:42:12,470 if you don't invest in your downtown. 4695 03:42:12,470 --> 03:42:13,700 And then governance and leadership, 4696 03:42:13,700 --> 03:42:15,830 which I know everyone is concerned about. 4697 03:42:15,830 --> 03:42:18,670 So four big moves that I'm hoping you can get 4698 03:42:18,670 --> 03:42:20,730 behind. 4699 03:42:20,730 --> 03:42:22,490 You elevate your public spaces, which are unique 4700 03:42:22,490 --> 03:42:24,390 to London. 4701 03:42:24,390 --> 03:42:26,330 You embrace that river. 4702 03:42:26,330 --> 03:42:29,660 There are 29 riparian communities in Canada 4703 03:42:29,660 --> 03:42:31,300 that are actually on a lake or a river. 4704 03:42:31,300 --> 03:42:33,090 Probably a handful more, but 29 that really 4705 03:42:33,090 --> 03:42:33,560 matter. 4706 03:42:33,560 --> 03:42:35,720 You have one of the most beautiful. 4707 03:42:35,720 --> 03:42:36,870 How do you actually embrace that? 4708 03:42:36,870 --> 03:42:38,380 How do you leverage that? 4709 03:42:38,380 --> 03:42:39,920 You already are UNESCO music site. 4710 03:42:39,920 --> 03:42:40,980 How do you double down on that? 4711 03:42:40,980 --> 03:42:43,770 and then this notion of nimble downtown 4712 03:42:43,770 --> 03:42:45,250 governance. 4713 03:42:45,250 --> 03:42:47,010 You have to, the points that were being raised 4714 03:42:47,010 --> 03:42:47,990 in the earlier discussion of, well, 4715 03:42:47,990 --> 03:42:48,810 how can we do this? 4716 03:42:48,810 --> 03:42:49,840 How can we do that? 4717 03:42:49,840 --> 03:42:52,380 You need some kind of entity that's gonna give 4718 03:42:52,380 --> 03:42:52,500 you 4719 03:42:52,500 --> 03:42:55,660 the kind of flexibility and the imagination 4720 03:42:55,660 --> 03:42:57,980 because it's not just your money that you need to 4721 03:42:57,980 --> 03:42:58,510 invest. 4722 03:42:58,510 --> 03:43:01,830 You need to attract all sorts of other money. 4723 03:43:01,830 --> 03:43:02,790 The mayor and I were just talking. 4724 03:43:02,790 --> 03:43:06,300 There's 51 billion. 4725 03:43:06,300 --> 03:43:09,260 Wanna make sure the minutes record that consonant 4726 03:43:09,260 --> 03:43:11,230 in the bill came already strengthened. 4727 03:43:11,230 --> 03:43:12,260 The federal government understands 4728 03:43:12,260 --> 03:43:14,270 It has to invest in places. 4729 03:43:14,270 --> 03:43:16,630 You have to have a vehicle to be able to leverage 4730 03:43:16,630 --> 03:43:18,300 getting that piece of the $51 billion. 4731 03:43:18,300 --> 03:43:19,910 Hats off to your mayor, through the big city of 4732 03:43:19,910 --> 03:43:20,120 Mayors 4733 03:43:20,120 --> 03:43:22,930 caucus, who's drawn this attention across the 4734 03:43:22,930 --> 03:43:23,060 country 4735 03:43:23,060 --> 03:43:25,160 that we need a downtown revitalization fund 4736 03:43:25,160 --> 03:43:26,990 in dozens and dozens of communities, 4737 03:43:26,990 --> 03:43:29,680 and you could lead that way. 4738 03:43:29,680 --> 03:43:32,700 So the outcomes that we're suggesting 10 years 4739 03:43:32,700 --> 03:43:34,390 with your leadership, with many, many, many 4740 03:43:34,390 --> 03:43:34,860 partners, 4741 03:43:34,860 --> 03:43:36,770 who are sitting behind me and others, 4742 03:43:36,770 --> 03:43:38,240 you need to have more people living downtown, 4743 03:43:38,240 --> 03:43:39,780 you need better amenities and services, 4744 03:43:39,780 --> 03:43:41,730 you need more people, traffic, you need people to 4745 03:43:41,730 --> 03:43:42,590 hang out, 4746 03:43:42,590 --> 03:43:44,700 You need more people, foot traffic, visitors, 4747 03:43:44,700 --> 03:43:46,200 sticky. 4748 03:43:46,200 --> 03:43:47,550 It's going to boost your property tax, 4749 03:43:47,550 --> 03:43:49,540 but it's also going to boost job creation, 4750 03:43:49,540 --> 03:43:52,000 investment income, investing in opportunity, 4751 03:43:52,000 --> 03:43:53,900 business growth, newcomers being able to find 4752 03:43:53,900 --> 03:43:54,220 jobs 4753 03:43:54,220 --> 03:43:55,050 and start businesses. 4754 03:43:55,050 --> 03:43:56,730 And then you're going to build on the cultural 4755 03:43:56,730 --> 03:43:57,000 assets 4756 03:43:57,000 --> 03:43:59,080 that you already have that I remember as a kid. 4757 03:43:59,080 --> 03:44:00,570 You know, I'm a Marion bad person. 4758 03:44:00,570 --> 03:44:02,340 My parents took me to Marion bad when I was a kid 4759 03:44:02,340 --> 03:44:02,530 . 4760 03:44:02,530 --> 03:44:04,200 I went to the London Cafe. 4761 03:44:04,200 --> 03:44:05,520 I played in Victoria Park. 4762 03:44:05,520 --> 03:44:06,920 I played in Lebak Park. 4763 03:44:06,920 --> 03:44:09,230 It says my childhood here, 4764 03:44:09,230 --> 03:44:10,980 and I know what the future can be, 4765 03:44:10,980 --> 03:44:13,450 but it's going to take you and all the partners 4766 03:44:13,450 --> 03:44:15,430 that you need to recruit to be behind you. 4767 03:44:15,430 --> 03:44:17,890 So the ROA, everybody should be concerned about 4768 03:44:17,890 --> 03:44:18,050 this. 4769 03:44:18,050 --> 03:44:21,010 You do not want to put public money and not see 4770 03:44:21,010 --> 03:44:21,550 an ROI, 4771 03:44:21,550 --> 03:44:23,260 but the point that I'm making is it's not just 4772 03:44:23,260 --> 03:44:24,070 your money, 4773 03:44:24,070 --> 03:44:25,970 it's everybody else's money, I know I'm at a time 4774 03:44:25,970 --> 03:44:26,070 . 4775 03:44:25,970 --> 03:44:28,660 So I think you're gonna see private investment 4776 03:44:28,660 --> 03:44:30,800 and visitors spend go up, you'll see taxes go up, 4777 03:44:30,800 --> 03:44:33,100 and tax growth go up, you'll collect more taxes, 4778 03:44:33,100 --> 03:44:35,320 you'll have more people and people will want to 4779 03:44:35,320 --> 03:44:35,560 be 4780 03:44:35,560 --> 03:44:38,890 in your downtown, don't miss this chance, that's 4781 03:44:38,890 --> 03:44:40,290 it. 4782 03:44:40,290 --> 03:44:43,020 and may want to add some substantive things, 4783 03:44:43,020 --> 03:44:44,470 questions. 4784 03:44:44,470 --> 03:44:46,940 - Okay, thank you for the presentation. 4785 03:44:46,940 --> 03:44:48,640 We have three delegations. 4786 03:44:48,640 --> 03:44:51,500 So what I'd like to do is I would like to look 4787 03:44:51,500 --> 03:44:51,940 for a mover 4788 03:44:51,940 --> 03:44:53,250 and seconder for the delegations. 4789 03:44:53,250 --> 03:44:55,480 I have Councillor Hopkins, Councillor van Mirberg 4790 03:44:55,480 --> 03:44:56,430 en. 4791 03:44:56,430 --> 03:44:58,760 We'll deal with all three at the same time. 4792 03:44:58,760 --> 03:45:04,590 And those are opening in the system momentarily. 4793 03:45:04,590 --> 03:45:20,090 It's open. 4794 03:45:20,090 --> 03:45:28,030 - Councillor Feink, closing the vote. 4795 03:45:28,030 --> 03:45:30,540 Motion carries, 15 to zero. 4796 03:45:30,540 --> 03:45:31,380 - Thank you. 4797 03:45:31,380 --> 03:45:33,400 I have Mr. Wallace, first Executive Director, 4798 03:45:33,400 --> 03:45:35,710 London Development Institute, please go ahead. 4799 03:45:35,710 --> 03:45:37,420 - Thank you, Madam Chair, 4800 03:45:37,420 --> 03:45:39,840 and thank you for allowing the delegations on 4801 03:45:39,840 --> 03:45:41,000 this item. 4802 03:45:41,000 --> 03:45:42,620 And again, I will speak a little bit 4803 03:45:42,620 --> 03:45:44,280 from the ICE perspective, 4804 03:45:44,280 --> 03:45:46,370 and then maybe a little bit of my gloss 4805 03:45:46,370 --> 03:45:47,390 on the top of that. 4806 03:45:47,390 --> 03:45:51,350 So we are very much in support of the plan 4807 03:45:51,350 --> 03:45:54,600 that is in front of you for the downtown revital 4808 03:45:54,600 --> 03:45:55,160 ization 4809 03:45:55,160 --> 03:45:57,980 downtown reimagined. 4810 03:45:57,980 --> 03:46:02,030 In particular, we, and we've been advocating 4811 03:46:02,030 --> 03:46:04,360 the councilor and through the city manager's 4812 03:46:04,360 --> 03:46:09,140 office that there needs to be a downtown office 4813 03:46:09,140 --> 03:46:13,230 that is at a high level in the city hall that can 4814 03:46:13,230 --> 03:46:17,270 help us get through the process of making sure 4815 03:46:17,270 --> 03:46:20,650 that we can do things downtown. We as an 4816 03:46:20,650 --> 03:46:24,440 organization have been clear that we are very 4817 03:46:24,440 --> 03:46:25,300 supportive of 4818 03:46:25,300 --> 03:46:28,210 downtown Lenna and think and believe that it has 4819 03:46:28,210 --> 03:46:31,920 a tremendous amount of potential. I do want to 4820 03:46:31,920 --> 03:46:35,530 make one point that was made a little bit earlier 4821 03:46:35,530 --> 03:46:39,860 . The last purposely built office building in 4822 03:46:39,860 --> 03:46:44,720 downtown London was by Siften, first London place 4823 03:46:44,720 --> 03:46:51,040 , whatever it's called. That was in 1992. It 4824 03:46:51,040 --> 03:46:51,330 opened 4825 03:46:51,330 --> 03:46:59,320 in April of '97. Our people do not believe that 4826 03:46:59,320 --> 03:47:05,400 we believe in mixed use downtown. Purposely built 4827 03:47:05,400 --> 03:47:08,810 Office buildings I think is not going to happen 4828 03:47:08,810 --> 03:47:11,690 in the future based on the people who I represent 4829 03:47:11,690 --> 03:47:12,820 who are like although 4830 03:47:12,820 --> 03:47:17,960 Blue stone shift in Auburn drew low like those 4831 03:47:17,960 --> 03:47:21,020 people are the builders of that 4832 03:47:21,020 --> 03:47:23,800 Product and they're telling me that it isn't 4833 03:47:23,800 --> 03:47:24,220 happening 4834 03:47:24,220 --> 03:47:26,260 So I just want to make that make that point when 4835 03:47:26,260 --> 03:47:28,860 you're going forward and thinking about what the 4836 03:47:28,860 --> 03:47:30,780 future is we believe 4837 03:47:31,420 --> 03:47:35,790 I believe that downtown London belongs to every 4838 03:47:35,790 --> 03:47:37,520 Londoner, 4839 03:47:37,520 --> 03:47:42,070 and it's the cultural heartbeat of the city, 4840 03:47:42,070 --> 03:47:46,930 and that Londoners need to be proud of downtown 4841 03:47:46,930 --> 03:47:47,710 London. 4842 03:47:47,710 --> 03:47:50,580 And you will come downtown, London. 4843 03:47:50,580 --> 03:47:53,570 We moved from a city that we were very proud 4844 03:47:53,570 --> 03:47:54,400 of our downtown. 4845 03:47:54,400 --> 03:47:56,050 In fact, if we ever to leave London, 4846 03:47:56,050 --> 03:47:57,280 that's where we're moving back. 4847 03:47:57,280 --> 03:48:00,890 There's the only one spot that we would go. 4848 03:48:00,890 --> 03:48:03,210 That's not happening in the near future, by the 4849 03:48:03,210 --> 03:48:03,760 way. 4850 03:48:03,760 --> 03:48:06,710 I've been looking at what's happening downtown, 4851 03:48:06,710 --> 03:48:08,030 and I keep track of buildings 4852 03:48:08,030 --> 03:48:10,980 and trying to give us more wife to move downtown 4853 03:48:10,980 --> 03:48:11,080 and so on. 4854 03:48:11,060 --> 03:48:13,360 When we moved here seven years ago, we looked 4855 03:48:13,360 --> 03:48:13,780 downtown 4856 03:48:13,780 --> 03:48:18,030 and we knew it wasn't where we wanted to be, 4857 03:48:18,030 --> 03:48:20,450 but I think it definitely has the potential to be 4858 03:48:20,450 --> 03:48:20,910 there. 4859 03:48:20,910 --> 03:48:22,690 Look, we're here, we live in Byron. 4860 03:48:22,690 --> 03:48:24,820 We're downtown all the time. 4861 03:48:24,820 --> 03:48:27,510 Wife's downtown this weekend, this past weekend. 4862 03:48:27,510 --> 03:48:30,500 Couple, not that long ago, last month, two months 4863 03:48:30,500 --> 03:48:31,180 ago, 4864 03:48:31,180 --> 03:48:33,300 we were at Centennial Hall on Thursday. 4865 03:48:33,300 --> 03:48:36,320 We were at the rink for hockey game on Friday. 4866 03:48:36,320 --> 03:48:38,400 We were back at the music hall on Saturday for 4867 03:48:38,400 --> 03:48:39,420 another event. 4868 03:48:39,420 --> 03:48:42,920 Downtown has a tremendous amount of advantages 4869 03:48:42,920 --> 03:48:47,050 that need to be taken, that need to be embraced. 4870 03:48:47,050 --> 03:48:48,780 And what I think this report 4871 03:48:48,780 --> 03:48:51,610 that you're in the season front of you has to do. 4872 03:48:51,610 --> 03:48:55,030 It does require in some investment from the city. 4873 03:48:55,030 --> 03:48:58,090 Even simple things, for your festivals, 4874 03:48:58,090 --> 03:49:01,990 for them to grow and mature and be bigger, 4875 03:49:01,990 --> 03:49:05,570 things like infrastructure in the park, 4876 03:49:05,570 --> 03:49:08,720 electricity everywhere, water everywhere. 4877 03:49:08,720 --> 03:49:12,750 So, you need that infrastructure 4878 03:49:12,750 --> 03:49:14,920 for festivals to take place 4879 03:49:14,920 --> 03:49:17,470 and you need to make that investment. 4880 03:49:17,470 --> 03:49:20,260 When I was a counselor many moons ago, 4881 03:49:20,260 --> 03:49:22,140 you could shoot a cannon down Burlington, 4882 03:49:22,140 --> 03:49:24,120 downtown, downtown. 4883 03:49:24,120 --> 03:49:25,890 Everything was closed, 4884 03:49:25,890 --> 03:49:27,630 had boards on window on, 4885 03:49:27,630 --> 03:49:30,320 it was nothing was happening there. 4886 03:49:30,320 --> 03:49:33,090 I encourage you as counselors to get in a car. 4887 03:49:33,090 --> 03:49:35,500 Clark's gonna be furious with me at this. 4888 03:49:35,500 --> 03:49:37,600 Get in a car, go to communities 4889 03:49:37,600 --> 03:49:40,580 that are working, that their towns are, 4890 03:49:40,580 --> 03:49:41,950 see what's happening there. 4891 03:49:41,950 --> 03:49:44,510 We went to Chicago, and you don't have to go to 4892 03:49:44,510 --> 03:49:44,940 Chicago. 4893 03:49:44,940 --> 03:49:46,180 We went to Chicago. 4894 03:49:46,180 --> 03:49:48,370 We talked to the second mayor daily. 4895 03:49:48,370 --> 03:49:52,950 We had me, we looked around. 4896 03:49:52,950 --> 03:49:55,230 What was happening, they had a really active 4897 03:49:55,230 --> 03:49:56,060 waterfront, 4898 03:49:56,060 --> 03:49:57,550 including a pier. 4899 03:49:57,550 --> 03:49:59,450 What does Burlington have now? 4900 03:49:59,450 --> 03:50:00,580 Active pier. 4901 03:50:00,580 --> 03:50:03,880 Now it's not like the Chicago pier, but we have 4902 03:50:03,880 --> 03:50:05,010 one. 4903 03:50:05,010 --> 03:50:07,240 There are ideas and things that are working 4904 03:50:07,240 --> 03:50:10,670 in other communities that you bring to London. 4905 03:50:10,670 --> 03:50:15,110 I encourage you to embrace this report, 4906 03:50:15,110 --> 03:50:17,820 take leadership on making things happen, 4907 03:50:17,820 --> 03:50:20,940 spend money on downtown, and make it the great 4908 03:50:20,940 --> 03:50:21,820 heartbeat 4909 03:50:21,820 --> 03:50:24,160 of this London, of the Cultural Center 4910 03:50:24,160 --> 03:50:27,040 for this community and region that I know it can 4911 03:50:27,040 --> 03:50:27,500 be. 4912 03:50:27,500 --> 03:50:30,380 Thank you. 4913 03:50:30,380 --> 03:50:31,200 - Thank you. 4914 03:50:31,200 --> 03:50:34,210 I have Mr. Morrison next, Executive Director, 4915 03:50:34,210 --> 03:50:38,270 Old East Village BIA. 4916 03:50:38,270 --> 03:50:40,980 - Thank you, and with only five minutes to speak, 4917 03:50:40,980 --> 03:50:42,440 I'm not going to read the document 4918 03:50:42,440 --> 03:50:45,560 that I submitted prior to today's meeting. 4919 03:50:45,560 --> 03:50:49,060 I do think the counselors that have reached out 4920 03:50:49,060 --> 03:50:51,770 and asked questions about that document. 4921 03:50:51,770 --> 03:50:53,610 But what I would like to focus on is what I 4922 03:50:53,610 --> 03:50:53,960 believe 4923 03:50:53,960 --> 03:50:56,790 are important takeaways from the report. 4924 03:50:56,790 --> 03:50:59,570 And let me begin by saying that I do support 4925 03:50:59,570 --> 03:51:01,010 this plan in principle. 4926 03:51:01,010 --> 03:51:03,000 It's an excellent report and it's a great start. 4927 03:51:03,000 --> 03:51:04,750 It's ambitious, it's thoughtful, 4928 03:51:04,750 --> 03:51:07,570 and it recognizes that London must continue to 4929 03:51:07,570 --> 03:51:08,680 evolve. 4930 03:51:08,680 --> 03:51:12,390 The consultants focused on the area that was 4931 03:51:12,390 --> 03:51:12,780 directed 4932 03:51:12,780 --> 03:51:17,390 to them by council being downtown London. 4933 03:51:17,390 --> 03:51:19,820 Reviewing the document, the question I ask 4934 03:51:19,820 --> 03:51:23,360 and I guess the concern I have is downtown London 4935 03:51:23,360 --> 03:51:25,830 is a district of the core area. 4936 03:51:25,830 --> 03:51:27,580 And Mary and her presentation did mention 4937 03:51:27,580 --> 03:51:30,110 a couple of times about the core, not just 4938 03:51:30,110 --> 03:51:30,930 downtown. 4939 03:51:30,930 --> 03:51:33,120 And are we planning for only downtown London? 4940 03:51:33,120 --> 03:51:34,910 Are we going to actually think bigger 4941 03:51:34,910 --> 03:51:39,810 and begin to plan for the entire core area? 4942 03:51:39,810 --> 03:51:42,380 We see a lot of investment being taking place 4943 03:51:42,380 --> 03:51:44,870 in a number of districts here in the city. 4944 03:51:44,870 --> 03:51:48,160 specifically, when you take a look at East London 4945 03:51:48,160 --> 03:51:52,180 , I focus on, you know, 100 4946 03:51:52,180 --> 03:51:55,120 Kellogg Lane. We've got the Western Fair District 4947 03:51:55,120 --> 03:51:55,840 . And there's also other 4948 03:51:55,840 --> 03:51:58,950 emerging neighborhoods and districts, Hamilton 4949 03:51:58,950 --> 03:52:00,770 Road. We have downtown, of 4950 03:52:00,770 --> 03:52:04,330 course, we have Soho, and we have Wortley Village 4951 03:52:04,330 --> 03:52:06,300 as well. And each has its own 4952 03:52:06,300 --> 03:52:09,250 identity, and each has its own strengths, and 4953 03:52:09,250 --> 03:52:11,950 each has its own opportunities. And I 4954 03:52:11,950 --> 03:52:14,300 And I think this is an opportunity for you as 4955 03:52:14,300 --> 03:52:17,990 elected officials to think bigger and start 4956 03:52:17,990 --> 03:52:20,790 with that downtown but also include what we can 4957 03:52:20,790 --> 03:52:23,020 do combined with the other districts that 4958 03:52:23,020 --> 03:52:27,510 are in the core area because the other districts 4959 03:52:27,510 --> 03:52:31,080 are increasingly becoming connected. 4960 03:52:31,080 --> 03:52:33,820 And together they form something that's much 4961 03:52:33,820 --> 03:52:34,980 larger. 4962 03:52:34,980 --> 03:52:37,100 They form London's urban core. 4963 03:52:37,100 --> 03:52:39,240 I believe the plan represents an opportunity to 4964 03:52:39,240 --> 03:52:41,130 start thinking differently and not district 4965 03:52:41,130 --> 03:52:42,730 by district. 4966 03:52:42,730 --> 03:52:45,040 I think that for years, London has planned 4967 03:52:45,040 --> 03:52:45,810 neighborhood 4968 03:52:45,810 --> 03:52:48,660 by neighborhood, project by project and study by 4969 03:52:48,660 --> 03:52:49,380 study. 4970 03:52:49,380 --> 03:52:51,230 And I think it's time to move forward 4971 03:52:51,230 --> 03:52:53,110 with something different. 4972 03:52:53,110 --> 03:52:57,150 Perhaps the next step is a broader vision 4973 03:52:57,150 --> 03:52:59,770 that considers alongside what we talked about 4974 03:52:59,770 --> 03:53:02,040 with economic development plan. 4975 03:53:02,040 --> 03:53:03,800 And I must say how impressed I was 4976 03:53:03,800 --> 03:53:05,950 with the questions and the conversations there. 4977 03:53:05,950 --> 03:53:08,450 And it's encouraging that you folks are grasping 4978 03:53:08,450 --> 03:53:10,400 what really needs to be done. 4979 03:53:10,400 --> 03:53:12,830 But also include the tourism, the transportation, 4980 03:53:12,830 --> 03:53:15,650 housing, the public spaces, and investment 4981 03:53:15,650 --> 03:53:16,060 attraction 4982 03:53:16,060 --> 03:53:18,450 across the entire urban core. 4983 03:53:18,450 --> 03:53:20,430 A vision that asks not only for what's best for 4984 03:53:20,430 --> 03:53:20,950 downtown, 4985 03:53:20,950 --> 03:53:23,970 but what's best for London as a whole? 4986 03:53:23,970 --> 03:53:25,740 I was really excited and intrigued 4987 03:53:25,740 --> 03:53:29,010 by the concept of a downtown office. 4988 03:53:29,010 --> 03:53:31,560 But again, I take a look if we could expand it 4989 03:53:31,560 --> 03:53:34,360 a little bit more to be a core area concierge 4990 03:53:34,360 --> 03:53:35,200 office 4991 03:53:35,200 --> 03:53:37,990 to assist those that are interested in downtown 4992 03:53:37,990 --> 03:53:39,600 and area. 4993 03:53:39,600 --> 03:53:42,780 And again, I believe that business improvement 4994 03:53:42,780 --> 03:53:43,130 areas 4995 03:53:43,130 --> 03:53:45,390 need to be at the table. 4996 03:53:45,390 --> 03:53:47,190 BIA's represent hundreds of businesses and 4997 03:53:47,190 --> 03:53:48,190 property owners 4998 03:53:48,190 --> 03:53:50,700 across the city, and we understand our districts, 4999 03:53:50,700 --> 03:53:52,630 we understand the opportunities, 5000 03:53:52,630 --> 03:53:54,400 and we understand the challenges 5001 03:53:54,400 --> 03:53:56,490 that our businesses are facing. 5002 03:53:56,490 --> 03:54:01,040 We're not simply stakeholders, we're partners. 5003 03:54:01,040 --> 03:54:04,530 This is a really important step forward, 5004 03:54:04,530 --> 03:54:07,360 but perhaps the greatest contribution 5005 03:54:07,360 --> 03:54:09,240 is a larger conversation that can inspire 5006 03:54:09,240 --> 03:54:13,100 how we connect our districts, 5007 03:54:13,100 --> 03:54:15,890 how do we strengthen our urban core, 5008 03:54:15,890 --> 03:54:17,670 and how do we build a city that is greater 5009 03:54:17,670 --> 03:54:19,300 than one neighborhood. 5010 03:54:19,300 --> 03:54:20,970 I'm really looking forward to the questions 5011 03:54:20,970 --> 03:54:23,110 and the comments that you have and the discussion 5012 03:54:23,110 --> 03:54:23,210 . 5013 03:54:23,110 --> 03:54:26,750 So thank you for your time, Adam Chair. 5014 03:54:26,750 --> 03:54:27,570 - Thank you. 5015 03:54:27,570 --> 03:54:29,030 I will go next to Vicky Smith, 5016 03:54:29,030 --> 03:54:31,550 the Interim Executive Director of Downtown London 5017 03:54:31,550 --> 03:54:31,740 . 5018 03:54:31,740 --> 03:54:34,250 You have five minutes. 5019 03:54:34,250 --> 03:54:36,400 - Thank you again for the opportunity to speak 5020 03:54:36,400 --> 03:54:38,860 in support of the Downtown Plan. 5021 03:54:38,860 --> 03:54:40,740 We would like to thank Council for continuing 5022 03:54:40,740 --> 03:54:43,510 to recognize the importance of downtown revital 5023 03:54:43,510 --> 03:54:44,450 ization. 5024 03:54:44,450 --> 03:54:47,260 Downtown is London's cultural, civic and economic 5025 03:54:47,260 --> 03:54:47,660 heart. 5026 03:54:47,660 --> 03:54:50,040 It's where people come to work, visit, invest, 5027 03:54:50,040 --> 03:54:53,150 access services, experience arts and culture, 5028 03:54:53,150 --> 03:54:55,480 and connect with the broader city. 5029 03:54:55,480 --> 03:54:57,420 Downtown is also one of the city's strongest 5030 03:54:57,420 --> 03:54:59,110 economic assets. 5031 03:54:59,110 --> 03:55:02,870 It currently generates approximately 7.2 times 5032 03:55:02,870 --> 03:55:06,190 more property tax revenue per square kilometer 5033 03:55:06,190 --> 03:55:08,390 than other areas of the city. 5034 03:55:08,390 --> 03:55:10,890 That's an important reminder that investment in 5035 03:55:10,890 --> 03:55:11,720 downtown 5036 03:55:11,720 --> 03:55:13,230 is not about one neighborhood. 5037 03:55:13,230 --> 03:55:16,000 It's about strengthening a highly productive part 5038 03:55:16,000 --> 03:55:16,600 of London 5039 03:55:16,600 --> 03:55:19,110 that supports services, infrastructure, 5040 03:55:19,110 --> 03:55:22,360 quality of life across the entire city. With 5041 03:55:22,360 --> 03:55:24,420 continued focus, that return can grow even 5042 03:55:24,420 --> 03:55:24,950 further. 5043 03:55:24,950 --> 03:55:28,270 The plan itself estimates that implementation 5044 03:55:28,270 --> 03:55:31,460 could generate nearly $100 million in new 5045 03:55:31,460 --> 03:55:31,860 property 5046 03:55:31,860 --> 03:55:34,740 tax revenue over and above what is already 5047 03:55:34,740 --> 03:55:37,200 collected downtown. More than double the 5048 03:55:37,200 --> 03:55:37,640 estimated 5049 03:55:37,640 --> 03:55:40,970 implementation cost. A healthy downtown benefits 5050 03:55:40,970 --> 03:55:43,750 all of London. We are encouraged that the 5051 03:55:43,750 --> 03:55:44,310 downtown 5052 03:55:44,310 --> 03:55:47,280 plan moves beyond broad vision and provides clear 5053 03:55:47,280 --> 03:55:50,250 actions, timelines, partners, performance 5054 03:55:50,250 --> 03:55:53,770 measures, and implementation tools. Downtown 5055 03:55:53,770 --> 03:55:56,110 revitalization requires coordination, 5056 03:55:56,110 --> 03:55:56,930 accountability, 5057 03:55:56,930 --> 03:55:59,600 and follow-through. And this plan provides an 5058 03:55:59,600 --> 03:56:02,880 important foundation for that work. We strongly 5059 03:56:02,880 --> 03:56:05,180 support the proposed downtown office and the 5060 03:56:05,180 --> 03:56:08,440 focus on stronger governance. Downtown London 5061 03:56:08,440 --> 03:56:10,340 works every day with partners committed to 5062 03:56:10,340 --> 03:56:13,280 improving and promoting the core. A dedicated 5063 03:56:13,280 --> 03:56:15,740 downtown office can help align those efforts, 5064 03:56:15,740 --> 03:56:18,090 clarify accountability, and support more 5065 03:56:18,090 --> 03:56:18,720 coordinated 5066 03:56:18,720 --> 03:56:22,070 implementation. It can also help reduce the red 5067 03:56:22,070 --> 03:56:23,870 tape and frustration that many 5068 03:56:23,870 --> 03:56:25,960 businesses, property owners, and investors 5069 03:56:25,960 --> 03:56:27,270 experience when navigating 5070 03:56:27,270 --> 03:56:30,410 City Hall. A one-stop shop for downtown 5071 03:56:30,410 --> 03:56:33,590 assistance would help people find the 5072 03:56:33,590 --> 03:56:36,460 right supports more quickly, reduce delays, and 5073 03:56:36,460 --> 03:56:37,950 direct issues to the proper 5074 03:56:37,950 --> 03:56:40,670 area the first time. This would improve the 5075 03:56:40,670 --> 03:56:42,400 experience for businesses while 5076 03:56:42,400 --> 03:56:45,190 also reducing pressure on city staff and partner 5077 03:56:45,190 --> 03:56:46,550 organizations through a more 5078 03:56:46,550 --> 03:56:49,610 coordinated and efficient process. We're also 5079 03:56:49,610 --> 03:56:51,210 pleased that the plan recognizes 5080 03:56:51,210 --> 03:56:55,360 vacancy as a central revitalization issue. Office 5081 03:56:55,360 --> 03:56:56,800 vacancies, storefront vacancy, 5082 03:56:56,800 --> 03:56:59,320 underused buildings, and business retention 5083 03:56:59,320 --> 03:57:00,990 directly affect downtown's 5084 03:57:00,990 --> 03:57:04,820 economic health and public perception. The plan's 5085 03:57:04,820 --> 03:57:06,140 leasing and occupancy work, 5086 03:57:06,140 --> 03:57:08,940 office attraction strategies, FITOUT grants, and 5087 03:57:08,940 --> 03:57:10,540 concierge-like service are 5088 03:57:10,540 --> 03:57:13,340 practical actions that can support business 5089 03:57:13,340 --> 03:57:15,910 growth and investment. As 5090 03:57:15,910 --> 03:57:18,710 implementation moves forward, office retention, 5091 03:57:18,710 --> 03:57:20,020 employment growth, business 5092 03:57:20,020 --> 03:57:22,950 attraction and investment attraction must remain 5093 03:57:22,950 --> 03:57:25,700 front and center. Residential growth 5094 03:57:25,700 --> 03:57:28,610 and activations are important, but downtown's 5095 03:57:28,610 --> 03:57:31,420 long-term success also depends on maintaining 5096 03:57:31,420 --> 03:57:33,650 and growing its role as a primary employment 5097 03:57:33,650 --> 03:57:36,570 center. Only a select number of buildings can 5098 03:57:36,570 --> 03:57:39,390 be realistically converted to residential use. 5099 03:57:39,390 --> 03:57:42,320 Many office buildings will need to be modernized 5100 03:57:42,320 --> 03:57:45,690 and actively marketed for other uses. Workers 5101 03:57:45,690 --> 03:57:48,200 continue to support downtown businesses, cultural 5102 03:57:48,200 --> 03:57:51,350 venues, transit use, and everyday street activity 5103 03:57:51,350 --> 03:57:55,030 . We appreciate that the plan focuses on everyday 5104 03:57:55,030 --> 03:57:57,870 vibrancy. While there are no major transform 5105 03:57:57,870 --> 03:58:00,880 ational projects included, downtown also has a 5106 03:58:00,880 --> 03:58:01,520 significant 5107 03:58:01,520 --> 03:58:04,320 wealth of assets, including heritage buildings, 5108 03:58:04,320 --> 03:58:07,470 cultural institutions, public spaces, businesses, 5109 03:58:07,470 --> 03:58:11,070 and civic infrastructure. The opportunity now is 5110 03:58:11,070 --> 03:58:13,660 to better connect, coordinate, and strengthen 5111 03:58:13,660 --> 03:58:16,500 those assets so people have more regular reasons 5112 03:58:16,500 --> 03:58:19,680 to come downtown, stay longer, and return often. 5113 03:58:19,680 --> 03:58:22,620 We're also encouraged by actions related to 5114 03:58:22,620 --> 03:58:25,410 public amenities. These visible improvements 5115 03:58:25,410 --> 03:58:27,830 shape how people experience downtown every day. 5116 03:58:27,830 --> 03:58:31,210 At the same time, we recognize that safety, 5117 03:58:31,210 --> 03:58:34,010 security, mental health, homelessness, and street 5118 03:58:34,010 --> 03:58:36,590 level disorder continue to have real impact 5119 03:58:36,590 --> 03:58:40,170 on downtown businesses. These concerns are not 5120 03:58:40,170 --> 03:58:42,990 only about perception. They influence leasing, 5121 03:58:42,990 --> 03:58:45,800 retention, investment, customer behavior, 5122 03:58:45,800 --> 03:58:47,990 employee confidence, and the day-to-day 5123 03:58:47,990 --> 03:58:48,860 experience 5124 03:58:48,860 --> 03:58:52,400 of operating a business downtown. We encourage 5125 03:58:52,400 --> 03:58:54,340 the city to continue addressing the operational 5126 03:58:54,340 --> 03:58:57,120 priorities that affect perceptions of safety and 5127 03:58:57,120 --> 03:58:59,880 care. Downtown London will collaborate 5128 03:58:59,880 --> 03:59:02,740 with the city to support clear service standards 5129 03:59:02,740 --> 03:59:04,650 to find rules and regular reporting so 5130 03:59:04,650 --> 03:59:05,130 improvements 5131 03:59:05,130 --> 03:59:07,640 are visible, measurable and coordinated. And we 5132 03:59:07,640 --> 03:59:10,140 welcome the opportunity to partner with the city 5133 03:59:10,140 --> 03:59:13,390 on funding advocacy aligned with downtown revital 5134 03:59:13,390 --> 03:59:16,300 ization. Overall, Downtown London strongly 5135 03:59:16,300 --> 03:59:18,680 supports the direction of the downtown plan. It 5136 03:59:18,680 --> 03:59:20,510 recognizes that revitalization requires 5137 03:59:20,510 --> 03:59:21,140 coordinated 5138 03:59:21,140 --> 03:59:24,000 action, long-term investment visible improvements 5139 03:59:24,000 --> 03:59:26,310 , and strong partnerships. It's a strong 5140 03:59:26,310 --> 03:59:27,100 foundation, 5141 03:59:27,100 --> 03:59:29,950 and now the focus must be implementation. That 5142 03:59:29,950 --> 03:59:32,270 implementation should recognize downtown's 5143 03:59:32,270 --> 03:59:35,060 citywide economic value, address real safety and 5144 03:59:35,060 --> 03:59:37,690 street-level challenges, protect and grow 5145 03:59:37,690 --> 03:59:39,730 downtown's employment role. Thank you. That's 5146 03:59:39,730 --> 03:59:47,430 your time. Thank you. Okay. I am looking for a 5147 03:59:47,430 --> 03:59:47,910 motion 5148 03:59:47,910 --> 03:59:50,710 on the floor with this item. I have Councillor 5149 03:59:50,710 --> 03:59:52,990 Ferreira to move that motion looking for a 5150 03:59:52,990 --> 03:59:55,920 seconder. Councillor McAllister, thank you. I did 5151 03:59:55,920 --> 04:00:00,590 have a request to speak first and I 5152 04:00:00,590 --> 04:00:04,910 understand we also have our any questions that we 5153 04:00:04,910 --> 04:00:08,300 want to address to the Urban Institute 5154 04:00:08,300 --> 04:00:11,450 as well as to our staff. So I'll start with Coun 5155 04:00:11,450 --> 04:00:14,130 cillor Pribble first. Go ahead. 5156 04:00:14,130 --> 04:00:15,820 Thank you very much as I have to leave actually 5157 04:00:15,820 --> 04:00:19,350 in seven minutes, so it's perfect. 5158 04:00:19,350 --> 04:00:23,040 Just going back to it, and I want to thank CUI 5159 04:00:23,040 --> 04:00:26,540 for all the involvement that the sessions 5160 04:00:26,540 --> 04:00:29,490 you have organized here in the city. 5161 04:00:29,490 --> 04:00:31,590 We had honestly all of us, businesses, 5162 04:00:31,590 --> 04:00:34,120 individuals, they had an opportunity to give 5163 04:00:34,120 --> 04:00:35,370 their feedback. 5164 04:00:35,370 --> 04:00:37,320 So it was really extensive. 5165 04:00:37,320 --> 04:00:39,490 All the initiatives that are there, I do believe 5166 04:00:39,490 --> 04:00:41,500 they are very meaningful and they can make 5167 04:00:41,500 --> 04:00:42,690 a difference. 5168 04:00:42,690 --> 04:00:46,830 What I said before, my concern is to deliver an 5169 04:00:46,830 --> 04:00:47,900 implementation plan. 5170 04:00:47,900 --> 04:00:49,800 I have, by the way, thank you for staff for 5171 04:00:49,800 --> 04:00:52,590 answering my questions in five pages within 5172 04:00:52,590 --> 04:00:53,580 hours. 5173 04:00:53,580 --> 04:00:54,580 I greatly appreciate it. 5174 04:00:54,580 --> 04:00:57,040 But going back to it, I want your perspective. 5175 04:00:57,040 --> 04:00:58,670 And there are a few things that you have 5176 04:00:58,670 --> 04:00:59,920 mentioned. 5177 04:00:59,920 --> 04:01:01,880 And it's actually has to do with both plans 5178 04:01:01,880 --> 04:01:04,080 because both plans, they do have advisory 5179 04:01:04,080 --> 04:01:07,520 table in your words and includes actions that 5180 04:01:07,520 --> 04:01:10,780 support a downtown champions table to support 5181 04:01:10,780 --> 04:01:11,770 implementation. 5182 04:01:11,770 --> 04:01:14,530 How will this table actually support the 5183 04:01:14,530 --> 04:01:18,540 implementation and aspects of the action tactics, 5184 04:01:18,540 --> 04:01:21,470 timelines and accountability and the reason what 5185 04:01:21,470 --> 04:01:23,770 I'm trying to figure out again so we don't drop a 5186 04:01:23,770 --> 04:01:27,380 ball we have two great plans again funding is 5187 04:01:27,380 --> 04:01:28,380 going to be second second. 5188 04:01:28,380 --> 04:01:32,110 But how do we stay on track. I totally agree we 5189 04:01:32,110 --> 04:01:34,430 need to change status quo. I totally disagree we 5190 04:01:34,430 --> 04:01:37,330 need to be hands on. No we cannot be hands on. 5191 04:01:37,330 --> 04:01:39,580 Can you please go ahead. 5192 04:01:39,580 --> 04:01:47,930 - Thank you, I will go to Ms. Rowe. 5193 04:01:47,930 --> 04:01:48,770 - Oh, there we go. 5194 04:01:48,770 --> 04:01:50,880 Thank you, Madam Chair. 5195 04:01:50,880 --> 04:01:52,830 You know, these exist across the country, Coun 5196 04:01:52,830 --> 04:01:53,100 cillor, 5197 04:01:53,100 --> 04:01:54,830 and that we're just seeing it across North 5198 04:01:54,830 --> 04:01:55,390 America. 5199 04:01:55,390 --> 04:01:57,800 You need these kinds of broad tables 5200 04:01:57,800 --> 04:02:00,400 and that everyone has their lane 5201 04:02:00,400 --> 04:02:01,780 where they have agency. 5202 04:02:01,780 --> 04:02:04,230 I think the dilemma is when you labor it 5203 04:02:04,230 --> 04:02:06,430 into one sector alone, you know, 5204 04:02:06,430 --> 04:02:07,950 we see this in almost all our issues. 5205 04:02:07,950 --> 04:02:10,760 If we only look to the province to fix healthcare 5206 04:02:10,760 --> 04:02:10,860 , 5207 04:02:10,760 --> 04:02:13,000 we'd be sicker, you know. 5208 04:02:13,000 --> 04:02:16,080 we have to have some kind of collaborative 5209 04:02:16,080 --> 04:02:16,940 mechanisms, 5210 04:02:16,940 --> 04:02:18,130 and that's what we're proposing here 5211 04:02:18,130 --> 04:02:19,770 is that a downtown office or a redevelopment 5212 04:02:19,770 --> 04:02:20,190 corporation, 5213 04:02:20,190 --> 04:02:21,380 whatever you decide to do, 5214 04:02:21,380 --> 04:02:23,870 that you need entities that are nimble enough 5215 04:02:23,870 --> 04:02:27,500 so that where the investor's skill is, for 5216 04:02:27,500 --> 04:02:28,030 instance, 5217 04:02:28,030 --> 04:02:29,190 where the accountability is, 5218 04:02:29,190 --> 04:02:30,350 where the public services are, 5219 04:02:30,350 --> 04:02:33,090 where the analysis of what your fellow counselors 5220 04:02:33,090 --> 04:02:34,970 concerned about regulatory reform, 5221 04:02:34,970 --> 04:02:36,880 each of the sectors is gonna bring a different 5222 04:02:36,880 --> 04:02:37,000 set 5223 04:02:37,000 --> 04:02:38,190 of expertise and knowledge, 5224 04:02:38,190 --> 04:02:40,060 and you don't want to operate without any of it, 5225 04:02:40,060 --> 04:02:41,780 you wanna operate with all of it. 5226 04:02:41,780 --> 04:02:43,370 In terms of accountability, 5227 04:02:43,370 --> 04:02:44,800 I think it's important for you as counselors 5228 04:02:44,800 --> 04:02:46,680 to really charge your staff, 5229 04:02:46,680 --> 04:02:48,470 to have a sense of the vision that you wanna have 5230 04:02:48,470 --> 04:02:48,910 accomplished, 5231 04:02:48,910 --> 04:02:51,770 and then cut them some slack to be creative 5232 04:02:51,770 --> 04:02:53,080 about how they can get there, 5233 04:02:53,080 --> 04:02:56,850 which is why I was reacting to just off the top, 5234 04:02:56,850 --> 04:02:58,830 running municipalities off the property tax 5235 04:02:58,830 --> 04:03:00,610 in Canada is crazy. 5236 04:03:00,610 --> 04:03:02,480 There's no one who will tell you, that's a good 5237 04:03:02,480 --> 04:03:02,840 idea. 5238 04:03:02,840 --> 04:03:05,330 So we are constantly looking for workarounds in 5239 04:03:05,330 --> 04:03:05,870 Canada 5240 04:03:05,870 --> 04:03:07,550 about finding other ways to get provincial 5241 04:03:07,550 --> 04:03:09,140 and federal resources and other investment 5242 04:03:09,140 --> 04:03:09,740 capital 5243 04:03:09,740 --> 04:03:10,730 into communities. 5244 04:03:10,730 --> 04:03:13,280 So this kind of entity, 5245 04:03:13,280 --> 04:03:15,710 you have to hold your staff accountable. 5246 04:03:15,710 --> 04:03:17,640 The civil society needs to hold itself 5247 04:03:17,640 --> 04:03:18,540 accountable. 5248 04:03:18,540 --> 04:03:20,530 You need the university, you need the college, 5249 04:03:20,530 --> 04:03:22,120 you need all the different business partners, 5250 04:03:22,120 --> 04:03:24,870 you need the chamber, you need Mike's people, 5251 04:03:24,870 --> 04:03:27,180 all have to hold themselves mutually accountable. 5252 04:03:27,180 --> 04:03:28,610 And that's the trick, I think. 5253 04:03:28,610 --> 04:03:32,100 But you are a particularly important player 5254 04:03:32,100 --> 04:03:33,680 in enforcing that accountability 5255 04:03:33,680 --> 04:03:35,850 and seeing what you have capacity to do. 5256 04:03:35,850 --> 04:03:37,510 But the province can be your partner 5257 04:03:37,510 --> 04:03:39,210 and I'm quite convinced the federal government 5258 04:03:39,210 --> 04:03:41,740 will be your partner. 5259 04:03:41,740 --> 04:03:50,340 Councilor Perbal. 5260 04:03:50,340 --> 04:03:52,450 - Thank you again, totally with your comments. 5261 04:03:52,450 --> 04:03:54,030 And I do think when I say hands on, 5262 04:03:54,030 --> 04:03:55,820 we cannot be on the daily, we will be just st 5263 04:03:55,820 --> 04:03:56,250 alling it. 5264 04:03:56,250 --> 04:03:59,260 It needs to be driven by the staff. 5265 04:03:59,260 --> 04:04:01,880 Some of your comments mentioned. 5266 04:04:01,880 --> 04:04:02,750 How it comes together, 5267 04:04:02,750 --> 04:04:04,790 I just said some of those points I've mentioned, 5268 04:04:04,790 --> 04:04:07,510 but it is missing a very crucial part. 5269 04:04:07,510 --> 04:04:10,390 It states, established city of London downtown, 5270 04:04:10,390 --> 04:04:13,670 lead roles, responsibilities, timelines. 5271 04:04:13,670 --> 04:04:15,320 That's from your text. 5272 04:04:15,320 --> 04:04:17,550 Who is gonna decide? 5273 04:04:17,550 --> 04:04:20,020 who actually does these great actions, 5274 04:04:20,020 --> 04:04:24,910 these great works, who delivers on these? 5275 04:04:24,910 --> 04:04:28,350 - Thank you, I'll go to see you like, go ahead. 5276 04:04:28,350 --> 04:04:30,740 - Thank you, Councillor, through the chair. 5277 04:04:30,740 --> 04:04:33,480 So the implementation in the back of the plan 5278 04:04:33,480 --> 04:04:35,390 lays out many of the things you've discussed. 5279 04:04:35,390 --> 04:04:38,410 So it lays out the actions, a lead, 5280 04:04:38,410 --> 04:04:40,320 and any partners that would be involved. 5281 04:04:40,320 --> 04:04:42,190 It lays out a timeframe over 10 years. 5282 04:04:42,190 --> 04:04:44,420 So we have some quick-start actions, 5283 04:04:44,420 --> 04:04:46,820 short, medium, and long-term. 5284 04:04:46,820 --> 04:04:50,170 There's a scale of the cost of our estimates, 5285 04:04:50,170 --> 04:04:52,200 And there was a longer working document that 5286 04:04:52,200 --> 04:04:52,620 staff have 5287 04:04:52,620 --> 04:04:55,510 in their hands that creates a lot of the key 5288 04:04:55,510 --> 04:04:56,310 considerations 5289 04:04:56,310 --> 04:04:57,990 that we heard throughout our process of 5290 04:04:57,990 --> 04:04:58,530 engagement, 5291 04:04:58,530 --> 04:05:00,870 both internal to the city and external, 5292 04:05:00,870 --> 04:05:02,060 that need to be kept in mind 5293 04:05:02,060 --> 04:05:05,680 and that hate helped to shape those actions. 5294 04:05:05,680 --> 04:05:06,520 - Thank you, Ms. Ferrell. 5295 04:05:06,520 --> 04:05:07,360 I'll go back to Council for a roll. 5296 04:05:07,360 --> 04:05:08,560 - Thank you for that follow-up. 5297 04:05:08,560 --> 04:05:10,270 And I did see that lead, 5298 04:05:10,270 --> 04:05:12,670 but again, lead doesn't have to be always 5299 04:05:12,670 --> 04:05:14,150 accountable or responsible. 5300 04:05:14,150 --> 04:05:17,220 And I certainly hope that our staff is gonna 5301 04:05:17,220 --> 04:05:17,860 clarify. 5302 04:05:17,860 --> 04:05:18,700 In addition to that, 5303 04:05:18,700 --> 04:05:20,730 it was actually a question from last time. 5304 04:05:20,730 --> 04:05:22,970 I totally understand there are no goals, targets, 5305 04:05:22,970 --> 04:05:24,880 KPIs right now. 5306 04:05:24,880 --> 04:05:26,700 Because we don't know the actual amount, we don't 5307 04:05:26,700 --> 04:05:28,040 know if it's going to be funded. 5308 04:05:28,040 --> 04:05:29,680 And of course, it's totally different if it's 5309 04:05:29,680 --> 04:05:31,310 approved now in six months, 12 months. 5310 04:05:31,310 --> 04:05:33,110 The world is changing very quickly. 5311 04:05:33,110 --> 04:05:36,280 But having said that, once the council approves 5312 04:05:36,280 --> 04:05:38,450 this, I would certainly would expect that 5313 04:05:38,450 --> 04:05:40,670 there will be KPIs, there will be goals, there 5314 04:05:40,670 --> 04:05:41,610 will be targets. 5315 04:05:41,610 --> 04:05:44,430 Because if we are spending $10, we need to know 5316 04:05:44,430 --> 04:05:45,800 what the expectation is. 5317 04:05:45,800 --> 04:05:47,350 If we don't deliver, we got to go back and 5318 04:05:47,350 --> 04:05:49,670 evaluate it, why it was not reached. 5319 04:05:49,670 --> 04:05:52,310 I just want to address this with the KPIs. 5320 04:05:52,310 --> 04:05:53,940 There are two points you are mentioning, 5321 04:05:53,940 --> 04:05:55,660 evaluation of governance, 5322 04:05:55,660 --> 04:05:58,920 and then there's the Revitalization Authority. 5323 04:05:58,920 --> 04:06:00,350 But there are two points, 5324 04:06:00,350 --> 04:06:04,880 and you are saying to wait for the office, 5325 04:06:04,880 --> 04:06:07,820 for the Revitalization Authority. 5326 04:06:07,820 --> 04:06:10,750 Why couldn't we start within our city hall, 5327 04:06:10,750 --> 04:06:11,570 within our stop? 5328 04:06:11,570 --> 04:06:12,480 Why do we have to wait? 5329 04:06:12,480 --> 04:06:15,960 Why can we attack it right away? 5330 04:06:15,960 --> 04:06:18,600 - Yes, Rob. 5331 04:06:18,600 --> 04:06:20,960 - Yes, you're right. 5332 04:06:20,960 --> 04:06:21,900 Why wait? 5333 04:06:21,900 --> 04:06:22,710 I agree with you. 5334 04:06:22,710 --> 04:06:25,140 You know, here's the caution I would ask all of 5335 04:06:25,140 --> 04:06:25,260 you 5336 04:06:25,260 --> 04:06:26,590 to think about in your roles as stewards, 5337 04:06:26,590 --> 04:06:27,850 your stewards of your city, 5338 04:06:27,850 --> 04:06:29,810 not just your city for now, but city for the 5339 04:06:29,810 --> 04:06:30,480 future. 5340 04:06:30,480 --> 04:06:33,660 The expectation of accountability, 5341 04:06:33,660 --> 04:06:35,430 hugely important in municipal governance. 5342 04:06:35,430 --> 04:06:37,050 Here's my concern. 5343 04:06:37,050 --> 04:06:41,230 When it basically justifies risk perversion, 5344 04:06:41,230 --> 04:06:43,850 then you get immobilized. 5345 04:06:43,850 --> 04:06:46,080 So I'm trying to find the right way for you, 5346 04:06:46,080 --> 04:06:46,400 counselor, 5347 04:06:46,400 --> 04:06:47,910 to feel that you're holding your staff 5348 04:06:47,910 --> 04:06:48,400 accountable. 5349 04:06:48,400 --> 04:06:50,100 But at the same time, that you have an 5350 04:06:50,100 --> 04:06:50,630 expectation 5351 04:06:50,630 --> 04:06:52,860 that they are going to try some stuff. 5352 04:06:52,860 --> 04:06:54,690 They are, and that means creating some kind of 5353 04:06:54,690 --> 04:06:56,680 parallel organization or talking with the 5354 04:06:56,680 --> 04:06:58,420 province and the federal government about other 5355 04:06:58,420 --> 04:06:59,110 kinds of tools. 5356 04:06:59,110 --> 04:07:01,980 You don't want to get to a place where you're so 5357 04:07:01,980 --> 04:07:03,770 cautious and holding people accountable 5358 04:07:03,770 --> 04:07:05,920 to specifics that you missed the opportunity to 5359 04:07:05,920 --> 04:07:07,440 be imaginative and creative. 5360 04:07:07,440 --> 04:07:11,530 And I think now we have AI leaping at us. 5361 04:07:11,530 --> 04:07:14,290 We've got to be really fast and nimble. 5362 04:07:14,290 --> 04:07:15,700 No time to stall. 5363 04:07:15,700 --> 04:07:17,910 And that's going to be the fine point, but I 5364 04:07:17,910 --> 04:07:19,410 totally agree with you. 5365 04:07:19,410 --> 04:07:22,200 your staff to be their best selves and to be as 5366 04:07:22,200 --> 04:07:23,680 imaginative and creative as they can and give 5367 04:07:23,680 --> 04:07:23,780 them 5368 04:07:23,750 --> 04:07:25,690 permission to take some risks and come back and 5369 04:07:25,690 --> 04:07:33,430 report to you. Councilor Provost, fast, nimble, 5370 04:07:33,430 --> 04:07:35,860 and effective. Thank you very much. I really 5371 04:07:35,860 --> 04:07:38,110 think I very much like what we have here for all 5372 04:07:38,110 --> 04:07:38,740 of us. 5373 04:07:38,740 --> 04:07:40,700 We just have to stay on track and deliver for 5374 04:07:40,700 --> 04:07:43,530 half a million of Londoners. Thank you. No more 5375 04:07:43,530 --> 04:07:46,480 questions. Thank you. I wanted to go back to Coun 5376 04:07:46,480 --> 04:07:48,910 cillor Ferrer. He was the mover in the motion. 5377 04:07:48,910 --> 04:07:51,090 I just wanted to make sure I gave you a chance to 5378 04:07:51,090 --> 04:07:53,120 add yourself to the speaker's list. Councilor 5379 04:07:53,120 --> 04:07:55,110 Mr. Perbal had to leave and ask me to move him up 5380 04:07:55,110 --> 04:07:55,710 first. 5381 04:07:55,710 --> 04:07:57,020 That's why I did that. 5382 04:07:57,020 --> 04:07:59,000 But did you want to go now or later on? 5383 04:07:59,000 --> 04:08:00,600 I'm happy. 5384 04:08:00,600 --> 04:08:02,320 Okay, then I'll go to Councilor McAllister 5385 04:08:02,320 --> 04:08:06,530 and then I have Councilor Van Meerbergen. 5386 04:08:06,530 --> 04:08:08,160 - Thank you through the chair. 5387 04:08:08,160 --> 04:08:09,940 Let me just start off by saying, 5388 04:08:09,940 --> 04:08:12,960 Mary, I love the energy as I needed that 5389 04:08:12,960 --> 04:08:15,570 'cause of this long meeting and if tourism London 5390 04:08:15,570 --> 04:08:19,350 hasn't offered you a job, they absolutely should. 5391 04:08:19,350 --> 04:08:21,620 So yeah, I also just want to start my comments 5392 04:08:21,620 --> 04:08:22,170 with saying 5393 04:08:22,170 --> 04:08:26,190 and I hear what was said in terms of 5394 04:08:26,190 --> 04:08:29,510 the core areas, that's not where we're here today 5395 04:08:29,510 --> 04:08:29,610 . 5396 04:08:29,550 --> 04:08:30,660 This is now a town plan, 5397 04:08:30,660 --> 04:08:32,730 and I'm gonna really try to stick to that. 5398 04:08:32,730 --> 04:08:34,170 I think there's a time and a place 5399 04:08:34,170 --> 04:08:37,120 to talk to the arterial areas, the feet into 5400 04:08:37,120 --> 04:08:37,990 downtown, 5401 04:08:37,990 --> 04:08:39,990 and I'm more than happy at any time 5402 04:08:39,990 --> 04:08:42,040 people wanna have that conversation. 5403 04:08:42,040 --> 04:08:44,510 But I'm here today, we're all here today 5404 04:08:44,510 --> 04:08:46,220 to talk about the downtown plan. 5405 04:08:46,220 --> 04:08:48,290 And I'm kind of excited, like I'll be honest, 5406 04:08:48,290 --> 04:08:49,880 I appreciate it again, the energy, 5407 04:08:49,880 --> 04:08:53,430 because I've lived in London most of my life. 5408 04:08:53,430 --> 04:08:55,850 I think there's so much potential in downtown, 5409 04:08:55,850 --> 04:08:57,530 There's a lot of great things 5410 04:08:57,530 --> 04:08:59,120 that we're down here for all the time. 5411 04:08:59,120 --> 04:09:02,310 We have amazing festivals, some great sites. 5412 04:09:02,310 --> 04:09:03,760 And so when I read this report, 5413 04:09:03,760 --> 04:09:05,290 there were things in there that were called out 5414 04:09:05,290 --> 04:09:06,210 that I was excited about. 5415 04:09:06,210 --> 04:09:07,800 And I kind of wanted to take this opportunity 5416 04:09:07,800 --> 04:09:09,310 to maybe ask a bit more about it. 5417 04:09:09,310 --> 04:09:10,800 And one of the things that really piqued my 5418 04:09:10,800 --> 04:09:11,380 interest 5419 04:09:11,380 --> 04:09:14,560 was having kind of that river district 5420 04:09:14,560 --> 04:09:16,270 or really capitalizing on that. 5421 04:09:16,270 --> 04:09:18,260 I've gone to a number of cities in Canada. 5422 04:09:18,260 --> 04:09:20,600 They've done great jobs with the river. 5423 04:09:20,600 --> 04:09:22,600 And I'm just wondering in terms of how we 5424 04:09:22,600 --> 04:09:24,570 operationalize that, 5425 04:09:24,570 --> 04:09:27,160 I feel like we've had attempts in the past, 5426 04:09:27,160 --> 04:09:29,310 a few false starts. 5427 04:09:29,310 --> 04:09:32,500 I think we do try to bring people to the river. 5428 04:09:32,500 --> 04:09:34,180 I mean, Harris Park's a great example. 5429 04:09:34,180 --> 04:09:37,000 I think when it doesn't flood, it's a great 5430 04:09:37,000 --> 04:09:38,480 opportunity. 5431 04:09:38,480 --> 04:09:40,000 And so that's kind of where I struggle 5432 04:09:40,000 --> 04:09:42,310 is I think there are areas of the river that 5433 04:09:42,310 --> 04:09:43,270 would be great, 5434 04:09:43,270 --> 04:09:45,460 but do we have to have like an elevated district? 5435 04:09:45,460 --> 04:09:48,530 Like, what does that look like in the real world? 5436 04:09:48,530 --> 04:09:50,710 'Cause I think we all have concepts of what that 5437 04:09:50,710 --> 04:09:51,560 looks like. 5438 04:09:51,560 --> 04:09:54,560 I'm just wondering what is envisioned in this 5439 04:09:54,560 --> 04:09:54,870 plan 5440 04:09:54,870 --> 04:09:58,080 as to what that could look like. 5441 04:09:58,080 --> 04:10:07,270 - Ms. Barrett, thank you through the chair. 5442 04:10:07,270 --> 04:10:08,260 Yeah, it's a great question. 5443 04:10:08,260 --> 04:10:10,600 I think something that is reflected in the river 5444 04:10:10,600 --> 04:10:10,970 district 5445 04:10:10,970 --> 04:10:12,850 but throughout the plan is our desire 5446 04:10:12,850 --> 04:10:15,280 to build on the assets that already exist 5447 04:10:15,280 --> 04:10:17,750 but to really weave a story that helps to build 5448 04:10:17,750 --> 04:10:19,450 in the kind of partnerships that Mary's been 5449 04:10:19,450 --> 04:10:20,020 talking about. 5450 04:10:20,020 --> 04:10:21,980 So we see private development happening along the 5451 04:10:21,980 --> 04:10:22,450 waterfront. 5452 04:10:22,450 --> 04:10:24,840 We wanna make sure that that private development 5453 04:10:24,840 --> 04:10:26,590 speaks to the waterfront and creates 5454 04:10:26,590 --> 04:10:28,580 the kind of private public amenity space 5455 04:10:28,580 --> 04:10:30,790 that helps to enhance the waterfront. 5456 04:10:30,790 --> 04:10:32,190 So that's one piece of it. 5457 04:10:32,190 --> 04:10:34,380 We started this plan initially just by looking 5458 04:10:34,380 --> 04:10:36,330 at the Forks and Ivy Park and seeing 5459 04:10:36,330 --> 04:10:38,040 the great opportunities there. 5460 04:10:38,040 --> 04:10:39,400 You have heritage buildings. 5461 04:10:39,400 --> 04:10:41,630 You already have a playground for families. 5462 04:10:41,630 --> 04:10:42,910 You have spaces where you could have 5463 04:10:42,910 --> 04:10:43,620 entertainment. 5464 04:10:43,620 --> 04:10:46,410 You've got the Thames Valley Parkway. 5465 04:10:46,410 --> 04:10:47,930 You've got programming that's happening. 5466 04:10:47,930 --> 04:10:49,600 You've got all of the infrastructure investments 5467 04:10:49,600 --> 04:10:50,800 that have happened in Harris Park. 5468 04:10:50,800 --> 04:10:53,190 So how do you continue to build on that 5469 04:10:53,190 --> 04:10:55,140 and to stitch this together so that it feels like 5470 04:10:55,140 --> 04:10:58,100 more of a place that comes together? 5471 04:10:58,100 --> 04:10:59,790 And I think some of it is through small 5472 04:10:59,790 --> 04:11:00,610 incremental pieces 5473 04:11:00,610 --> 04:11:02,990 like enabling concessions to happen. 5474 04:11:02,990 --> 04:11:04,740 You know, so that people can come, they can stay, 5475 04:11:04,740 --> 04:11:06,380 they can have a meal, they can have a glass of 5476 04:11:06,380 --> 04:11:06,730 wine, 5477 04:11:06,730 --> 04:11:08,530 they can sit and listen to jazz music in the 5478 04:11:08,530 --> 04:11:08,910 evenings 5479 04:11:08,910 --> 04:11:11,700 and making it one of those everyday places. 5480 04:11:11,700 --> 04:11:13,450 And by that, you're creating a real anchor 5481 04:11:13,450 --> 04:11:14,640 that's part of the downtown, 5482 04:11:14,640 --> 04:11:16,820 but also feeds off of the energy of downtown. 5483 04:11:16,820 --> 04:11:18,600 So it's not an either or. 5484 04:11:18,600 --> 04:11:20,580 And so that was the goal with that big move 5485 04:11:20,580 --> 04:11:23,690 is to really bring forward the incremental moves 5486 04:11:23,690 --> 04:11:25,690 that have happened, but to really elevate them 5487 04:11:25,690 --> 04:11:28,750 to a greater extent. 5488 04:11:28,750 --> 04:11:30,680 - Councilor McAllister. 5489 04:11:30,680 --> 04:11:32,650 - Thank you and through the chair, appreciate 5490 04:11:32,650 --> 04:11:33,170 that. 5491 04:11:33,170 --> 04:11:34,710 I guess another thing that also comes to mind 5492 04:11:34,710 --> 04:11:36,410 when I look at this is I like the idea of 5493 04:11:36,410 --> 04:11:37,280 downtown office, 5494 04:11:37,280 --> 04:11:40,570 but I'm just wondering, do we consolidate, do we 5495 04:11:40,570 --> 04:11:41,260 coordinate? 5496 04:11:41,260 --> 04:11:43,200 Like there's a lot of C words I can throw in 5497 04:11:43,200 --> 04:11:43,420 there, 5498 04:11:43,420 --> 04:11:46,760 but like it's just, I'm wondering what that looks 5499 04:11:46,760 --> 04:11:46,890 like 5500 04:11:46,890 --> 04:11:48,570 because we just have a lot of cooks in the 5501 04:11:48,570 --> 04:11:48,990 kitchen 5502 04:11:48,990 --> 04:11:51,280 and we need an executive chef to run this show 5503 04:11:51,280 --> 04:11:53,860 or like how do we make that work differently 5504 04:11:53,860 --> 04:11:59,520 than we've tried in the past? 5505 04:11:59,520 --> 04:12:01,290 - I'll go to Mr. McCauley. 5506 04:12:01,290 --> 04:12:02,590 - Thank you and through the chair. 5507 04:12:02,590 --> 04:12:04,380 So yes, one of the big recommendations 5508 04:12:04,380 --> 04:12:06,220 that's coming out of this plan is 5509 04:12:06,220 --> 04:12:08,530 to explore the opportunity of having 5510 04:12:08,530 --> 04:12:11,350 a centralized service area within the city of 5511 04:12:11,350 --> 04:12:11,640 London. 5512 04:12:11,640 --> 04:12:14,890 That is responsible for the downtown area. 5513 04:12:14,890 --> 04:12:17,580 As to the role mandates for responsibilities 5514 04:12:17,580 --> 04:12:19,350 and scope of that office, that would be a 5515 04:12:19,350 --> 04:12:19,780 decision 5516 04:12:19,780 --> 04:12:22,690 that Council and civic and senior leadership 5517 04:12:22,690 --> 04:12:24,240 would have to make. 5518 04:12:24,240 --> 04:12:26,080 There certainly would be budget considerations 5519 04:12:26,080 --> 04:12:27,670 with that action, so it is one of the ones 5520 04:12:27,670 --> 04:12:29,310 that we are referring to the multi-year budget 5521 04:12:29,310 --> 04:12:30,560 process 5522 04:12:30,560 --> 04:12:32,180 in order to have those conversations. 5523 04:12:32,180 --> 04:12:35,550 And I'm assuming that once that process unfolds, 5524 04:12:35,550 --> 04:12:37,090 there would probably be a follow-up report 5525 04:12:37,090 --> 04:12:39,940 to determine, again, the scope mandate roles 5526 04:12:39,940 --> 04:12:41,150 and responsibilities. 5527 04:12:41,150 --> 04:12:43,370 There are some services that make sense to 5528 04:12:43,370 --> 04:12:44,210 consolidate. 5529 04:12:44,210 --> 04:12:46,200 There are some services that do not make sense 5530 04:12:46,200 --> 04:12:49,110 to consolidate, or for several reasons, 5531 04:12:49,110 --> 04:12:50,620 that could be budgetary reasons, 5532 04:12:50,620 --> 04:12:52,090 that could be historical use, 5533 04:12:52,090 --> 04:12:54,240 that could be collective bargaining agreements, 5534 04:12:54,240 --> 04:12:55,080 that sort of thing. 5535 04:12:55,080 --> 04:12:57,320 So that is an opportunity for civic 5536 04:12:57,320 --> 04:12:58,070 administration 5537 04:12:58,070 --> 04:13:00,380 to explore this further and see, 5538 04:13:00,380 --> 04:13:01,730 with the creation of a downtown office, 5539 04:13:01,730 --> 04:13:03,670 what that looks like, what its role is, 5540 04:13:03,670 --> 04:13:05,060 what its responsibility is, 5541 04:13:05,060 --> 04:13:07,880 and how it integrates with all the existing 5542 04:13:07,880 --> 04:13:08,290 outside, 5543 04:13:08,290 --> 04:13:09,530 external partners that we have. 5544 04:13:09,530 --> 04:13:12,270 So we have the Downtown London BIA, we have LEDC, 5545 04:13:12,270 --> 04:13:14,420 we have several organizations that operate 5546 04:13:14,420 --> 04:13:15,820 within the Downtown area. 5547 04:13:15,820 --> 04:13:17,770 We don't want to be duplicating those resources 5548 04:13:17,770 --> 04:13:20,320 or the responsibilities within house either. 5549 04:13:20,320 --> 04:13:22,890 So we also need to look at the larger ecosystem 5550 04:13:22,890 --> 04:13:27,230 as we develop and determine what that looks like. 5551 04:13:27,230 --> 04:13:28,970 - Councilor McAllister. 5552 04:13:28,970 --> 04:13:29,840 - Oh, go ahead, Mary, yeah. 5553 04:13:29,840 --> 04:13:32,020 - Sorry, go ahead, Ms. Row. 5554 04:13:32,020 --> 04:13:34,400 And, you know, ask your treasure, she'll tell you 5555 04:13:34,400 --> 04:13:38,140 investors want easy, they want easy. 5556 04:13:38,140 --> 04:13:39,990 So you can see it federally and you can see it 5557 04:13:39,990 --> 04:13:40,810 provincially. 5558 04:13:40,810 --> 04:13:42,930 They're organizing themselves so that there's a 5559 04:13:42,930 --> 04:13:44,830 direct, easy way to get investment and get 5560 04:13:44,830 --> 04:13:45,820 decisions made. 5561 04:13:45,820 --> 04:13:46,820 So that's what you need to think about it. 5562 04:13:46,820 --> 04:13:48,730 And that's what Mike is talking about. 5563 04:13:48,730 --> 04:13:50,350 You want to create a mechanism that's going to 5564 04:13:50,350 --> 04:13:52,250 make this easier so that it's not so labyrinthian 5565 04:13:52,250 --> 04:13:54,360 and so complicated and people can't just continue 5566 04:13:54,360 --> 04:13:56,420 to blame one another about why it isn't happening 5567 04:13:56,420 --> 04:13:56,520 . 5568 04:13:56,490 --> 04:13:58,450 You want easy accountability back to what Coun 5569 04:13:58,450 --> 04:14:01,030 cillor Pribbles concerned about, easy, easy, easy. 5570 04:14:01,030 --> 04:14:02,730 The second thing is just in terms of timing, I'll 5571 04:14:02,730 --> 04:14:04,240 just want to add this. 5572 04:14:04,240 --> 04:14:07,350 You have an unusual moment here, I would say, an 5573 04:14:07,350 --> 04:14:09,320 alignment, I mean we have all the issues 5574 04:14:09,320 --> 04:14:11,030 we've been chatting about that are across the 5575 04:14:11,030 --> 04:14:11,530 country. 5576 04:14:11,530 --> 04:14:14,320 You have a federal minister who's sitting on $51 5577 04:14:14,320 --> 04:14:17,150 billion, who's a former mayor. 5578 04:14:17,150 --> 04:14:21,540 You have a provincial minister who's 800 meters 5579 04:14:21,540 --> 04:14:23,090 from here. 5580 04:14:23,090 --> 04:14:24,850 When else do we have that in London? 5581 04:14:24,850 --> 04:14:27,550 A federal minister and a provincial minister both 5582 04:14:27,550 --> 04:14:29,290 kindly disposed to urban life and to 5583 04:14:29,290 --> 04:14:30,840 urban vibrancy and understand the value 5584 04:14:30,840 --> 04:14:32,350 proposition that we're getting at. 5585 04:14:32,350 --> 04:14:37,320 So alignment and ease, investor ease. 5586 04:14:37,320 --> 04:14:38,680 Councillor? 5587 04:14:38,680 --> 04:14:40,990 - Thank you and through you, appreciate that. 5588 04:14:40,990 --> 04:14:42,940 And yeah, to that point as well, 5589 04:14:42,940 --> 04:14:45,370 like I think, you know, a few years ago 5590 04:14:45,370 --> 04:14:47,160 we had that generational opportunity 5591 04:14:47,160 --> 04:14:49,750 for mass transit in London as well. 5592 04:14:49,750 --> 04:14:51,470 You know, we ended up with a different system. 5593 04:14:51,470 --> 04:14:53,140 I think then it was originally envisioned, 5594 04:14:53,140 --> 04:14:56,210 but I think with this plan we do have to be bold. 5595 04:14:56,210 --> 04:14:58,800 And so I guess my question to this, 5596 04:14:58,800 --> 04:15:01,580 the broader impact of this is, 5597 04:15:01,580 --> 04:15:03,840 what are those generational investments 5598 04:15:03,840 --> 04:15:06,690 that we need to make, like what's missing? 5599 04:15:06,690 --> 04:15:07,920 I think one of the things downtown, 5600 04:15:07,920 --> 04:15:09,780 which I think a lot of us have pointed to in the 5601 04:15:09,780 --> 04:15:10,490 past is, 5602 04:15:10,490 --> 04:15:13,640 you know, it was the JLC, then Butt and Gardens, 5603 04:15:13,640 --> 04:15:14,750 now it's kind of life place, 5604 04:15:14,750 --> 04:15:17,900 but having that arena downtown was a huge asset 5605 04:15:17,900 --> 04:15:19,450 for the downtown in terms of a draw 5606 04:15:19,450 --> 04:15:21,400 to bring people to the core. 5607 04:15:21,400 --> 04:15:23,390 I know one of the things that's a longstanding 5608 04:15:23,390 --> 04:15:23,550 thing 5609 04:15:23,550 --> 04:15:26,060 that's identified is a grocery store, 5610 04:15:26,060 --> 04:15:30,520 but what are those bigger assets that, as a city, 5611 04:15:30,520 --> 04:15:32,870 we can drive forward, that we have an opportunity 5612 04:15:32,870 --> 04:15:37,080 to champion now and ask for those dollars for. 5613 04:15:37,080 --> 04:15:38,140 I know housing is one of them, 5614 04:15:38,140 --> 04:15:41,820 but if there's any others that you can think of. 5615 04:15:41,820 --> 04:15:45,600 - So through the chair, 5616 04:15:45,600 --> 04:15:50,160 who implied about elephants in the room. 5617 04:15:50,160 --> 04:15:53,900 So you have one dominant landlord in London. 5618 04:15:53,900 --> 04:15:55,630 And honestly, if we had a dime 5619 04:15:55,630 --> 04:15:57,650 for how many times that was raised with us, 5620 04:15:57,650 --> 04:15:59,110 this is the impediment, this is the impediment, 5621 04:15:59,110 --> 04:16:00,220 this is the impediment of my God, 5622 04:16:00,220 --> 04:16:01,370 and we're only here for a year and a half. 5623 04:16:01,370 --> 04:16:02,400 You people must be full of it. 5624 04:16:02,400 --> 04:16:05,380 But listen, this is an asset. 5625 04:16:05,380 --> 04:16:06,960 You actually know who that investor is. 5626 04:16:06,960 --> 04:16:08,060 You know who that landlord is. 5627 04:16:08,060 --> 04:16:09,480 There are many, many cities around the world 5628 04:16:09,480 --> 04:16:10,980 that have a dominant investor and don't know 5629 04:16:10,980 --> 04:16:12,130 where they are. 5630 04:16:12,130 --> 04:16:12,990 You do. 5631 04:16:12,990 --> 04:16:14,790 And you have these extraordinary assets built 5632 04:16:14,790 --> 04:16:15,140 forms. 5633 04:16:15,140 --> 04:16:16,780 Buildings are already built. 5634 04:16:16,780 --> 04:16:18,870 Existing assets that can be renovated or altered 5635 04:16:18,870 --> 04:16:21,100 or reconditioned in certain kinds of ways. 5636 04:16:21,100 --> 04:16:24,360 You need to find a way to invest in imaginative 5637 04:16:24,360 --> 04:16:24,720 ways. 5638 04:16:24,720 --> 04:16:27,190 This is happening in downtowns around the world. 5639 04:16:27,190 --> 04:16:28,900 It's not just a place where you work. 5640 04:16:28,900 --> 04:16:29,980 It's a place where you live. 5641 04:16:29,980 --> 04:16:31,060 It's a place where you learn. 5642 04:16:31,060 --> 04:16:32,210 It's a place where you experiment. 5643 04:16:32,210 --> 04:16:33,530 It's a place where you have experience. 5644 04:16:33,530 --> 04:16:34,520 Look at the assets you have. 5645 04:16:34,520 --> 04:16:35,990 you've gotta be really imaginative 5646 04:16:35,990 --> 04:16:37,750 about how you get capital in there 5647 04:16:37,750 --> 04:16:40,220 and work with the configuration of who you're 5648 04:16:40,220 --> 04:16:41,250 working with 5649 04:16:41,250 --> 04:16:44,390 and turn it into an opportunity, an opportunity. 5650 04:16:44,390 --> 04:16:46,000 You have so much here to work with, 5651 04:16:46,000 --> 04:16:48,140 so many assets to work with in the management of 5652 04:16:48,140 --> 04:16:50,400 new ways. 5653 04:16:50,400 --> 04:16:52,070 - Councilor McAllister. 5654 04:16:52,070 --> 04:16:53,290 - Thank you, and I appreciate that. 5655 04:16:53,290 --> 04:16:56,730 'Cause I mean, one of the things I don't think, 5656 04:16:56,730 --> 04:16:58,660 and yes, that is the elephant in the room, 100%. 5657 04:16:58,660 --> 04:17:01,450 And I mean, when you look at the build Canada 5658 04:17:01,450 --> 04:17:01,740 homes, 5659 04:17:01,740 --> 04:17:05,160 maybe we have to buy some buildings as a city. 5660 04:17:05,160 --> 04:17:06,930 And I know nobody wants to talk about that, 5661 04:17:06,930 --> 04:17:09,490 but I think one of the things with the plan, 5662 04:17:09,490 --> 04:17:10,580 which I think would be important 5663 04:17:10,580 --> 04:17:12,380 and maybe the downtown office could deal with 5664 04:17:12,380 --> 04:17:12,770 this, 5665 04:17:12,770 --> 04:17:14,880 but purchasing, repurposing, 5666 04:17:14,880 --> 04:17:16,900 we've done office to residential conversions, 5667 04:17:16,900 --> 04:17:19,340 but I think the city does need to take more of a 5668 04:17:19,340 --> 04:17:19,590 role 5669 04:17:19,590 --> 04:17:21,570 in terms of acquisition of properties 5670 04:17:21,570 --> 04:17:24,690 to direct what we do with our downtown. 5671 04:17:24,690 --> 04:17:26,590 And yeah, go ahead. 5672 04:17:26,590 --> 04:17:28,900 - Mr. Rob, go ahead. 5673 04:17:28,900 --> 04:17:30,610 - Madam presiding officer, may I? 5674 04:17:30,610 --> 04:17:34,840 - 30 years ago, Kitchener spent $100 million 5675 04:17:34,840 --> 04:17:35,930 bought buildings. 5676 04:17:35,930 --> 04:17:37,010 Look at what Kitchener looks like. 5677 04:17:37,010 --> 04:17:38,010 Kitchener's not that far. 5678 04:17:38,010 --> 04:17:39,500 if you're gone to Kitchener, like we can take a 5679 04:17:39,500 --> 04:17:39,620 bus 5680 04:17:39,620 --> 04:17:40,840 and get you there. 5681 04:17:40,840 --> 04:17:43,660 There are examples exactly of what you're talking 5682 04:17:43,660 --> 04:17:43,830 about. 5683 04:17:43,830 --> 04:17:46,020 Catholic investments, and as I suggested, 5684 04:17:46,020 --> 04:17:47,700 you've got partners at the provincial and federal 5685 04:17:47,700 --> 04:17:47,930 level 5686 04:17:47,930 --> 04:17:49,680 who will be amenable to you talking about this. 5687 04:17:49,680 --> 04:17:51,390 It's not only on your own dime. 5688 04:17:51,390 --> 04:17:52,700 You can invest, and you can get all sorts 5689 04:17:52,700 --> 04:17:53,820 of private sector investors. 5690 04:17:53,820 --> 04:17:55,450 And the philanthropy is in the room. 5691 04:17:55,450 --> 04:17:57,080 You've got lots and lots of possibilities, 5692 04:17:57,080 --> 04:17:57,920 so I'm agreeing with you. 5693 04:17:57,920 --> 04:17:59,750 Invest in the assets you've got, don't be deter 5694 04:17:59,750 --> 04:18:00,370 red. 5695 04:18:00,370 --> 04:18:01,600 Don't be defeated by this. 5696 04:18:01,600 --> 04:18:05,560 Use the assets you've got, buy some buildings. 5697 04:18:05,560 --> 04:18:06,690 - Councillor. 5698 04:18:06,690 --> 04:18:07,510 - Thank you, and through you. 5699 04:18:07,510 --> 04:18:08,490 I'll just leave my comments here, 5700 04:18:08,490 --> 04:18:12,630 but I appreciate that 'cause I just think with 5701 04:18:12,630 --> 04:18:13,000 this, 5702 04:18:13,000 --> 04:18:15,130 this is again, that generational opportunity 5703 04:18:15,130 --> 04:18:16,750 and I think we need to seize the day. 5704 04:18:16,750 --> 04:18:19,270 We need to do things differently with the 5705 04:18:19,270 --> 04:18:20,160 downtown. 5706 04:18:20,160 --> 04:18:22,140 This is a longstanding issue. 5707 04:18:22,140 --> 04:18:25,370 People have grown up in the city for years and 5708 04:18:25,370 --> 04:18:25,580 said, 5709 04:18:25,580 --> 04:18:26,650 we gotta do something about downtown. 5710 04:18:26,650 --> 04:18:28,920 We've tried things, but I mean now, 5711 04:18:28,920 --> 04:18:32,170 I think this offers us a vision and some options 5712 04:18:32,170 --> 04:18:33,480 in terms of doing things differently 5713 04:18:33,480 --> 04:18:35,670 and I really do hope we capitalize on it. 5714 04:18:35,670 --> 04:18:37,590 So I mean, I will support this, 5715 04:18:37,590 --> 04:18:39,220 but I really do hope that there are some. 5716 04:18:39,220 --> 04:18:41,440 - Okay, well, yeah, I'll be out of time, 5717 04:18:41,440 --> 04:18:44,100 but I just wanna say, like, let's be bold 5718 04:18:44,100 --> 04:18:46,280 and really do something different with downtown, 5719 04:18:46,280 --> 04:18:47,760 'cause I do think that there are a lot of 5720 04:18:47,760 --> 04:18:48,380 opportunities 5721 04:18:48,380 --> 04:18:51,650 and we should definitely seize on them. 5722 04:18:51,650 --> 04:18:52,460 - Thank you. 5723 04:18:52,460 --> 04:18:55,990 I have Councillor van Mirberg in next. 5724 04:18:55,990 --> 04:18:58,070 - Thanks, Chair, and thank you for the 5725 04:18:58,070 --> 04:18:59,200 presentation. 5726 04:18:59,200 --> 04:19:03,930 As we know, we've had other reports. 5727 04:19:03,930 --> 04:19:09,580 We've had similar dialogue in the past, 5728 04:19:09,580 --> 04:19:13,220 and we have over the course of, 5729 04:19:13,220 --> 04:19:16,070 at least two or three decades spent millions upon 5730 04:19:16,070 --> 04:19:18,690 millions into the downtown core. We've 5731 04:19:18,690 --> 04:19:22,220 built all sorts of facilities, Covent Garden 5732 04:19:22,220 --> 04:19:26,150 Market, Canada Life Place, the new, or the 5733 04:19:26,150 --> 04:19:29,810 new were downtown library. I mean, the list goes 5734 04:19:29,810 --> 04:19:32,310 on. The different projects go on. But 5735 04:19:32,310 --> 04:19:36,450 the fact of the matter is that until we come to 5736 04:19:36,450 --> 04:19:39,730 terms with what's the reality of what's 5737 04:19:39,730 --> 04:19:43,060 taking place downtown. We will not grow the 5738 04:19:43,060 --> 04:19:48,040 downtown or develop it into its potential unless 5739 04:19:48,040 --> 04:19:51,260 we come to terms with public defecation, public 5740 04:19:51,260 --> 04:19:56,090 urination, the homelessness, the illegal drug use 5741 04:19:56,090 --> 04:19:56,190 , 5742 04:19:56,090 --> 04:20:03,630 the violence. And this is the concept, the idea 5743 04:20:03,630 --> 04:20:07,780 that Londoners have in their own downtown. They 5744 04:20:07,780 --> 04:20:10,400 They certainly don't want to go there, 5745 04:20:10,400 --> 04:20:12,540 certainly not after dark. 5746 04:20:12,540 --> 04:20:17,350 And during the day, they think twice. 5747 04:20:17,350 --> 04:20:21,660 So until these things are cleaned up 5748 04:20:21,660 --> 04:20:25,760 and at least improved substantially, 5749 04:20:25,760 --> 04:20:28,200 perhaps not totally resolved, but improved 5750 04:20:28,200 --> 04:20:29,660 substantially, 5751 04:20:29,660 --> 04:20:35,710 it's fine to have lofty goals, lofty ambitions, 5752 04:20:35,710 --> 04:20:40,750 lofty words, but until the reality changes, 5753 04:20:40,750 --> 04:20:44,920 there's not going to be a lot of progress. 5754 04:20:44,920 --> 04:20:47,010 It's a real barrier. 5755 04:20:47,010 --> 04:20:50,530 And we really have to come to terms with it. 5756 04:20:50,530 --> 04:20:53,600 I look at a city like Detroit. 5757 04:20:53,600 --> 04:20:57,070 They have improved so much. 5758 04:20:57,070 --> 04:21:01,340 The visits I've had there in the last year or so. 5759 04:21:01,340 --> 04:21:03,850 Truly amazing in terms of what they've done. 5760 04:21:03,850 --> 04:21:06,850 And I would suggest they came from a worse place. 5761 04:21:06,850 --> 04:21:09,700 And it's cleaned up. 5762 04:21:09,700 --> 04:21:14,760 You don't see homelessness encampments in the 5763 04:21:14,760 --> 04:21:15,210 core 5764 04:21:15,210 --> 04:21:18,980 or the entertainment areas where the stadiums are 5765 04:21:18,980 --> 04:21:19,080 . 5766 04:21:18,980 --> 04:21:19,950 Far different. 5767 04:21:19,950 --> 04:21:24,490 I would suggest it may be to our real benefit as 5768 04:21:24,490 --> 04:21:25,470 London 5769 04:21:25,470 --> 04:21:30,630 to consult them, visit with them, see for 5770 04:21:30,630 --> 04:21:31,170 ourselves. 5771 04:21:31,170 --> 04:21:35,380 What did they do that perhaps we can do 5772 04:21:35,380 --> 04:21:37,410 without having to reinvent the wheel? 5773 04:21:37,410 --> 04:21:38,520 How did that happen? 5774 04:21:38,520 --> 04:21:42,800 How do people feel safe again in downtown Detroit 5775 04:21:42,800 --> 04:21:43,070 ? 5776 04:21:43,070 --> 04:21:48,070 So again, unless we come to terms with this, 5777 04:21:48,070 --> 04:21:51,790 having all these nice plans and spending all this 5778 04:21:51,790 --> 04:21:52,620 money 5779 04:21:52,620 --> 04:21:57,470 isn't gonna do it, thanks. 5780 04:21:57,470 --> 04:21:58,270 - Thank you. 5781 04:21:58,270 --> 04:21:59,860 - Was there a question there, Councillor? 5782 04:21:59,860 --> 04:22:02,180 No? 5783 04:22:02,180 --> 04:22:04,040 - You do have a response, but there wasn't a 5784 04:22:04,040 --> 04:22:05,330 question yet. 5785 04:22:05,330 --> 04:22:06,310 - No, but I have a sense of it. 5786 04:22:06,310 --> 04:22:08,330 I guess the question is, can we learn from others 5787 04:22:08,330 --> 04:22:08,630 ? 5788 04:22:08,630 --> 04:22:10,230 If the question is, can we learn from others? 5789 04:22:10,230 --> 04:22:12,990 I've talked to the downtown Detroit guy. 5790 04:22:12,990 --> 04:22:14,900 He's fantastic and he's old enough to remember 5791 04:22:14,900 --> 04:22:15,810 when Detroit wasn't that. 5792 04:22:15,810 --> 04:22:17,000 So am I. 5793 04:22:17,000 --> 04:22:18,910 I'm a London girl that would take field trips 5794 04:22:18,910 --> 04:22:19,110 down 5795 04:22:19,110 --> 04:22:20,930 to Detroit where it was very rough. 5796 04:22:20,930 --> 04:22:22,160 But when you were speaking, 5797 04:22:22,160 --> 04:22:23,990 I was supposed to call you Senator Councillor, 5798 04:22:23,990 --> 04:22:26,960 when you were speaking, I was thinking about New 5799 04:22:26,960 --> 04:22:28,600 York City. 5800 04:22:28,600 --> 04:22:29,820 There was a period of time when they were going 5801 04:22:29,820 --> 04:22:31,310 to count New York City out. 5802 04:22:31,310 --> 04:22:35,360 And the way that these communities come back is 5803 04:22:35,360 --> 04:22:37,600 block by block by block. 5804 04:22:37,600 --> 04:22:39,350 They coordinate investment. 5805 04:22:39,350 --> 04:22:41,200 They figure out where they can get some early 5806 04:22:41,200 --> 04:22:44,690 wins and they start to show what is possible. 5807 04:22:44,690 --> 04:22:46,320 And you have some of that already. 5808 04:22:46,320 --> 04:22:48,440 The question is whether the narrative can be 5809 04:22:48,440 --> 04:22:49,310 constructed. 5810 04:22:49,310 --> 04:22:51,150 I also think you're taking all sorts or I said 5811 04:22:51,150 --> 04:22:52,690 when I first came to London a couple 5812 04:22:52,690 --> 04:22:54,260 of years ago, I was in New York and I think 5813 04:22:54,260 --> 04:22:55,720 somebody invited me up to speak. 5814 04:22:55,720 --> 04:22:57,330 I looked at all the things you were doing, so 5815 04:22:57,330 --> 04:22:59,730 many of the right things, you have a bunch 5816 04:22:59,730 --> 04:23:01,380 of factors over which you have very little 5817 04:23:01,380 --> 04:23:03,960 control, the pandemic, other things like that, 5818 04:23:03,960 --> 04:23:06,370 online shopping, all that kind of stuff. You're 5819 04:23:06,370 --> 04:23:08,030 not the only ones dealing with it. But how do we 5820 04:23:08,030 --> 04:23:10,070 correct it? We correct it by intentional 5821 04:23:10,070 --> 04:23:12,820 coordination of activities, which you're doing 5822 04:23:12,820 --> 04:23:15,070 around your housing initiative, your building 5823 04:23:15,070 --> 04:23:17,690 housing downtown. You have cooperation with 5824 04:23:17,690 --> 04:23:20,130 the police. I've talked to the chief with the 5825 04:23:20,130 --> 04:23:22,560 different medical officer people that are trying 5826 04:23:22,560 --> 04:23:25,350 to look at integrated approaches in Ottawa where 5827 04:23:25,350 --> 04:23:26,950 we did the downtown strategy. They had very 5828 04:23:26,950 --> 04:23:27,270 similar 5829 04:23:27,270 --> 04:23:29,440 elements to you and what we're seeing across the 5830 04:23:29,440 --> 04:23:31,810 country that works in downtowns are the kind of 5831 04:23:31,810 --> 04:23:34,880 coordinated actions that you're initiating here. 5832 04:23:34,880 --> 04:23:37,060 So you as a steward have to be hopeful, 5833 04:23:37,060 --> 04:23:37,480 optimistic 5834 04:23:37,480 --> 04:23:40,930 but also as you say practical block by block by 5835 04:23:40,930 --> 04:23:43,960 block you have lots to work with and it will 5836 04:23:43,960 --> 04:23:46,760 over time improve. I'm here you heard it here 20 5837 04:23:46,760 --> 04:23:49,510 26 it will improve. We just have to be diligent. 5838 04:23:49,510 --> 04:23:55,370 Councillor and thank you for that. I think the 5839 04:23:55,370 --> 04:23:57,720 first step is we really when we do a plan like 5840 04:23:57,720 --> 04:24:01,830 this acknowledge the problem the let's call the 5841 04:24:01,830 --> 04:24:04,720 elephant in the room whatever term you want to 5842 04:24:04,720 --> 04:24:08,220 use so acknowledging is the first step and then 5843 04:24:08,220 --> 04:24:11,780 we have to now of course we have taken steps 5844 04:24:11,780 --> 04:24:18,210 there are some positive things but we have not 5845 04:24:18,210 --> 04:24:21,730 seen resolution or anywhere near resolution. 5846 04:24:21,730 --> 04:24:23,830 let's start with improvement continuing to 5847 04:24:23,830 --> 04:24:25,290 improve so we get a significant 5848 04:24:25,290 --> 04:24:27,970 improvement so people feel comfortable and 5849 04:24:27,970 --> 04:24:29,540 confident again to come down to the 5850 04:24:29,540 --> 04:24:32,820 downtown core so anyway but thank you I really do 5851 04:24:32,820 --> 04:24:33,680 appreciate 5852 04:24:33,680 --> 04:24:36,830 I mean we do need to set these kinds of goals 5853 04:24:36,830 --> 04:24:39,900 and ambitions but at the same time we have to 5854 04:24:39,900 --> 04:24:40,640 counterbalance 5855 04:24:40,640 --> 04:24:42,750 of what's going out there what's going on out 5856 04:24:42,750 --> 04:24:44,060 there on the streets 5857 04:24:44,060 --> 04:24:48,630 thanks again okay thank you I have Councillor 5858 04:24:48,630 --> 04:24:49,690 Stevenson next followed by 5859 04:24:49,690 --> 04:24:53,690 Councillor Trossa thank you yes I'm enjoying the 5860 04:24:53,690 --> 04:24:54,090 energy 5861 04:24:54,090 --> 04:24:56,430 that you're bringing to this as well and keeping 5862 04:24:56,430 --> 04:24:59,030 us seeing that, you know, it is possible. 5863 04:24:59,030 --> 04:25:02,040 And I agree with that completely, but to follow 5864 04:25:02,040 --> 04:25:04,350 up on Councillor van Mirbergen, it used the 5865 04:25:04,350 --> 04:25:07,860 example of the apple. If the addiction mental 5866 04:25:07,860 --> 04:25:10,310 health crisis is the rot that's already in 5867 04:25:10,310 --> 04:25:12,600 the core of our apple, and if parking is the 5868 04:25:12,600 --> 04:25:15,240 stick and we don't have one, we're talking 5869 04:25:15,240 --> 04:25:17,410 about wrapping it in caramel and what we're going 5870 04:25:17,410 --> 04:25:19,210 to put around the outside, which, you 5871 04:25:19,210 --> 04:25:24,210 You know, look, I want to do that, but it's not 5872 04:25:24,210 --> 04:25:26,710 going to work if we're not addressing 5873 04:25:26,710 --> 04:25:28,790 the things that need to be done. 5874 04:25:28,790 --> 04:25:31,990 And we have repeatedly supported what we don't 5875 04:25:31,990 --> 04:25:34,770 want in the downtown core, right? 5876 04:25:34,770 --> 04:25:36,870 So we can talk about the addiction crisis and it 5877 04:25:36,870 --> 04:25:38,740 being a problem, but we are repeatedly 5878 04:25:38,740 --> 04:25:41,550 funding more services in those areas where we 5879 04:25:41,550 --> 04:25:44,300 stay, we're committed to business growth. 5880 04:25:44,300 --> 04:25:48,220 We continue to do outreach and hand out drug 5881 04:25:48,220 --> 04:25:51,210 equipment in the very area that we say we're 5882 04:25:51,210 --> 04:25:53,070 committed to something different. 5883 04:25:53,070 --> 04:25:56,530 So we are responsible for this and to just then 5884 04:25:56,530 --> 04:25:59,440 fund everything and it's working across 5885 04:25:59,440 --> 04:26:04,650 purposes and our taxpayers don't have any money. 5886 04:26:04,650 --> 04:26:07,170 So you know, this is $48 million and hey, great, 5887 04:26:07,170 --> 04:26:09,120 maybe we'll get it from someplace else 5888 04:26:09,120 --> 04:26:11,910 and all that kind of thing, but we aren't talking 5889 04:26:11,910 --> 04:26:15,350 about prior to spending $400,000 on 5890 04:26:15,350 --> 04:26:20,950 report. Almost everybody would say it's a 5891 04:26:20,950 --> 04:26:23,130 homeless addiction mental health crisis in the 5892 04:26:23,130 --> 04:26:23,680 downtown 5893 04:26:23,680 --> 04:26:29,020 and it's parking. This just says keep going with 5894 04:26:29,020 --> 04:26:31,270 the whole community response which is still 5895 04:26:31,270 --> 04:26:31,900 predicting 5896 04:26:31,900 --> 04:26:35,390 worsening outcomes and I don't see anything about 5897 04:26:35,390 --> 04:26:38,260 parking garages that a study we paid for 10 5898 04:26:38,260 --> 04:26:41,800 years ago said we should have had three by now 5899 04:26:41,800 --> 04:26:44,530 and again this is my concern about getting these 5900 04:26:44,530 --> 04:26:47,780 massive documents where we have a week to look at 5901 04:26:47,780 --> 04:26:51,480 them and we say yes and we've said yes to all 5902 04:26:51,480 --> 04:26:53,760 kinds of things that we haven't like gone through 5903 04:26:53,760 --> 04:26:57,070 little by little. And then they're 5904 04:26:57,070 --> 04:27:00,440 having impacts. So some of our master mobility 5905 04:27:00,440 --> 04:27:03,280 stuff is having us not widen roads and not 5906 04:27:03,280 --> 04:27:05,110 do things because we hope that people are going 5907 04:27:05,110 --> 04:27:06,820 to choose another form of transportation 5908 04:27:06,820 --> 04:27:09,890 later. But then we wonder why we have traffic 5909 04:27:09,890 --> 04:27:12,090 congestion. Why? You know, it's because we've 5910 04:27:12,090 --> 04:27:14,350 endorsed all these things in these big long 5911 04:27:14,350 --> 04:27:16,370 documents that come to us. So I think there 5912 04:27:16,370 --> 04:27:21,930 There are some exciting things in here. 5913 04:27:21,930 --> 04:27:24,850 I struggle though with putting the cart before 5914 04:27:24,850 --> 04:27:28,530 the horse and not saying if we can't do the 5915 04:27:28,530 --> 04:27:31,470 basics right, then how do we sell Londoners on $ 5916 04:27:31,470 --> 04:27:34,050 48 million on this when we can't even 5917 04:27:34,050 --> 04:27:37,120 make it safe for a teenager to walk to high 5918 04:27:37,120 --> 04:27:41,210 school, you know, it's pretty bad. 5919 04:27:41,210 --> 04:27:44,300 So your thoughts on that, I'd be curious about 5920 04:27:44,300 --> 04:27:47,470 the parking and the minimal role that I see 5921 04:27:47,470 --> 04:27:50,760 of addressing the addiction crisis in here. 5922 04:27:50,760 --> 04:27:52,050 - Thank you. 5923 04:27:52,050 --> 04:27:53,660 Go ahead on the parking. 5924 04:27:53,660 --> 04:27:55,600 - I'm gonna suggest Councilor, 5925 04:27:55,600 --> 04:27:57,130 we not conflate the two if we can't. 5926 04:27:57,130 --> 04:27:58,390 So let's deal with parking first. 5927 04:27:58,390 --> 04:27:59,290 I love parking. 5928 04:27:59,290 --> 04:28:03,030 Parking is a huge asset. 5929 04:28:03,030 --> 04:28:04,430 You have companies in this city 5930 04:28:04,430 --> 04:28:06,570 that wanna locate downtown that need more parking 5931 04:28:06,570 --> 04:28:06,740 . 5932 04:28:06,740 --> 04:28:09,990 It's often quoted to us when we encourage one of 5933 04:28:09,990 --> 04:28:10,240 the things 5934 04:28:10,240 --> 04:28:11,560 that I would say back to you, 5935 04:28:11,560 --> 04:28:12,750 Councilor, around what can you do? 5936 04:28:12,750 --> 04:28:14,070 One of the things you can do is put more of your 5937 04:28:14,070 --> 04:28:14,550 own workers 5938 04:28:14,550 --> 04:28:16,580 downtown and move them back. 5939 04:28:16,580 --> 04:28:18,490 That's when I said on the front of the report, 5940 04:28:18,490 --> 04:28:20,720 I want you to be looking out from downtown, not 5941 04:28:20,720 --> 04:28:22,770 looking at downtown, and so put more of 5942 04:28:22,770 --> 04:28:23,770 your workers downtown. 5943 04:28:23,770 --> 04:28:24,980 And then one of the impediments is you don't have 5944 04:28:24,980 --> 04:28:25,560 enough parking. 5945 04:28:25,560 --> 04:28:27,430 Well, you do have parking. 5946 04:28:27,430 --> 04:28:29,690 You do have access to parking and you have lots 5947 04:28:29,690 --> 04:28:31,550 that could be adapted to parking. 5948 04:28:31,550 --> 04:28:33,770 And in fact, parking could be a revenue source 5949 04:28:33,770 --> 04:28:35,080 for the municipality. 5950 04:28:35,080 --> 04:28:37,620 You should charge staff to start figuring that 5951 04:28:37,620 --> 04:28:38,310 out. 5952 04:28:38,310 --> 04:28:39,510 Lots of municipalities have done this. 5953 04:28:39,510 --> 04:28:41,620 They get into the parking business. 5954 04:28:41,620 --> 04:28:42,620 They figure out how to do it. 5955 04:28:42,620 --> 04:28:45,430 It doesn't actually displace other land uses, but 5956 04:28:45,430 --> 04:28:47,810 they integrate parking into developments. 5957 04:28:47,810 --> 04:28:50,000 of course there will be people that say no no we 5958 04:28:50,000 --> 04:28:51,080 don't want more parking 5959 04:28:51,080 --> 04:28:53,040 there will be the anti-car people but I'm not 5960 04:28:53,040 --> 04:28:54,710 that person I'm the person who's a 5961 04:28:54,710 --> 04:28:57,030 realist about people like having access to 5962 04:28:57,030 --> 04:28:59,160 mobility personal mobility so I would 5963 04:28:59,160 --> 04:29:01,510 say turn parking into an asset and figure that 5964 04:29:01,510 --> 04:29:02,570 out and turn it into 5965 04:29:02,570 --> 04:29:04,380 economic asset and I think you've got the 5966 04:29:04,380 --> 04:29:06,520 opportunity of many lots that are 5967 04:29:06,520 --> 04:29:07,880 sitting there that could be developed that you 5968 04:29:07,880 --> 04:29:08,750 could purchase back to this 5969 04:29:08,750 --> 04:29:10,650 counselor the cows are saying maybe you buy some 5970 04:29:10,650 --> 04:29:12,140 parking lots so that would be 5971 04:29:12,140 --> 04:29:14,540 I wouldn't shy away from that for a nanosecond 5972 04:29:14,540 --> 04:29:16,370 buy some parking now on the 5973 04:29:16,370 --> 04:29:17,470 mental health piece. 5974 04:29:17,470 --> 04:29:20,620 So, I'm appreciative your stewards, your 5975 04:29:20,620 --> 04:29:21,040 counselors, 5976 04:29:21,040 --> 04:29:22,600 you're not gonna wanna be seen as not 5977 04:29:22,600 --> 04:29:23,570 compassionate. 5978 04:29:23,570 --> 04:29:26,170 Obviously, we want a London that is ministering 5979 04:29:26,170 --> 04:29:27,920 and available to all sorts of people. 5980 04:29:27,920 --> 04:29:29,790 And so, the question continues to be, 5981 04:29:29,790 --> 04:29:31,830 how do you coordinate best with the province? 5982 04:29:31,830 --> 04:29:34,060 How do you coordinate with your own mental health 5983 04:29:34,060 --> 04:29:34,380 folks 5984 04:29:34,380 --> 04:29:36,250 to figure out what the best way is to support 5985 04:29:36,250 --> 04:29:36,530 people 5986 04:29:36,530 --> 04:29:38,500 that are vulnerable and need that kind of support 5987 04:29:38,500 --> 04:29:38,650 ? 5988 04:29:38,650 --> 04:29:40,120 We sat through an hour and a half 5989 04:29:40,120 --> 04:29:41,910 of talking about community housing. 5990 04:29:41,910 --> 04:29:43,590 Your questions were all fabulous 5991 04:29:43,590 --> 04:29:45,500 about holding that entity accountable. 5992 04:29:45,500 --> 04:29:48,330 you're doing the right things, more housing, 5993 04:29:48,330 --> 04:29:49,930 more supportive housing. 5994 04:29:49,930 --> 04:29:52,400 We will always have, I'm sure, I'm old here, 5995 04:29:52,400 --> 04:29:54,440 I'm just looking to see, I might be the oldest. 5996 04:29:54,440 --> 04:29:56,160 We will always have people that have mental 5997 04:29:56,160 --> 04:29:56,630 health needs 5998 04:29:56,630 --> 04:29:58,100 and they will always be in our communities 5999 04:29:58,100 --> 04:29:59,850 and we wanna find ways to distribute those 6000 04:29:59,850 --> 04:30:00,290 services. 6001 04:30:00,290 --> 04:30:02,240 And I think part of what you're asking is, 6002 04:30:02,240 --> 04:30:04,880 is the concentration of services downtown 6003 04:30:04,880 --> 04:30:07,170 maybe not the best stewarding, is am I right? 6004 04:30:07,170 --> 04:30:08,480 Are you wondering whether we need to have 6005 04:30:08,480 --> 04:30:08,840 services 6006 04:30:08,840 --> 04:30:12,770 distributed in other parts of the city as well? 6007 04:30:12,770 --> 04:30:16,360 Yeah, so I think that's the question, 6008 04:30:16,360 --> 04:30:18,160 is how do we maintain a balance. 6009 04:30:18,160 --> 04:30:20,520 I do know that when in doubt, 6010 04:30:20,520 --> 04:30:22,500 if you wanna maximize the value of a place, 6011 04:30:22,500 --> 04:30:25,310 you increase more people. 6012 04:30:25,310 --> 04:30:26,830 You increase more people. 6013 04:30:26,830 --> 04:30:28,400 And that means more services too, 6014 04:30:28,400 --> 04:30:30,050 but a more of a diversity of people. 6015 04:30:30,050 --> 04:30:33,200 Go back to New York in the 70s, more diverse 6016 04:30:33,200 --> 04:30:33,560 people. 6017 04:30:33,560 --> 04:30:35,550 And that's part of what Detroit has done. 6018 04:30:35,550 --> 04:30:36,830 And I think that works. 6019 04:30:36,830 --> 04:30:39,240 Not necessarily stigmatizing one group, 6020 04:30:39,240 --> 04:30:41,050 but actually introducing a more of a cross 6021 04:30:41,050 --> 04:30:41,600 section 6022 04:30:41,600 --> 04:30:43,390 of different kinds of services and people and 6023 04:30:43,390 --> 04:30:44,840 uses. 6024 04:30:44,840 --> 04:30:46,900 - Councillor Stevenson. 6025 04:30:46,900 --> 04:30:47,740 - Yeah, thank you. 6026 04:30:47,740 --> 04:30:49,840 Again, I appreciate the dialogue. 6027 04:30:49,840 --> 04:30:52,930 here. I guess, and I do think it's a separate 6028 04:30:52,930 --> 04:30:55,630 issue from this. I do agree, but I think just 6029 04:30:55,630 --> 04:30:59,050 identifying that it needs to be addressed. And 6030 04:30:59,050 --> 04:31:00,580 there's nothing compassionate about what 6031 04:31:00,580 --> 04:31:03,610 we're seeing on our streets right now. So, and 6032 04:31:03,610 --> 04:31:06,670 there's always been homeless people downtown. 6033 04:31:06,670 --> 04:31:10,640 There's always been mental health issues. There 6034 04:31:10,640 --> 04:31:13,670 hasn't been the safety issues that there 6035 04:31:13,670 --> 04:31:17,650 are right now. And so when you talk about why are 6036 04:31:17,650 --> 04:31:19,990 the buildings vacant downtown, I don't 6037 04:31:19,990 --> 04:31:21,870 think it's because people want vacant buildings. 6038 04:31:21,870 --> 04:31:23,250 I think it's because they can't get people 6039 04:31:23,250 --> 04:31:26,230 to lease the buildings and people are leaving the 6040 04:31:26,230 --> 04:31:28,720 buildings and we know because employees 6041 04:31:28,720 --> 04:31:31,100 have been attacked, they've been hurt, their cars 6042 04:31:31,100 --> 04:31:33,090 have been damaged, things have happened 6043 04:31:33,090 --> 04:31:36,130 and you're not going to have, you know, our small 6044 04:31:36,130 --> 04:31:38,550 businesses worry all the time. They 6045 04:31:38,550 --> 04:31:40,210 worry about their employees, they worry about 6046 04:31:40,210 --> 04:31:42,250 their customers, they worry about their property, 6047 04:31:42,250 --> 04:31:45,270 their financial future. We've got large, large 6048 04:31:45,270 --> 04:31:48,520 corporations that have to put their safety 6049 04:31:48,520 --> 04:31:54,190 of their employees first and customers and so I 6050 04:31:54,190 --> 04:31:55,800 guess what I was hoping to see in this 6051 04:31:55,800 --> 04:31:58,280 was a directive, a small line that says you must 6052 04:31:58,280 --> 04:32:00,390 address this, you know what I mean? 6053 04:32:00,390 --> 04:32:02,200 If what you're doing isn't working, you need to 6054 04:32:02,200 --> 04:32:03,750 do something that's going to work and 6055 04:32:03,750 --> 04:32:07,350 then we can do all the rest of the stuff. 6056 04:32:07,350 --> 04:32:09,440 And I'll just make one other comment on the 6057 04:32:09,440 --> 04:32:10,540 downtown office. 6058 04:32:10,540 --> 04:32:14,920 I think it's leadership that is needed, right? 6059 04:32:14,920 --> 04:32:16,780 If leaders say we're going to make down your town 6060 04:32:16,780 --> 04:32:18,660 that priority, we're going to say yes, 6061 04:32:18,660 --> 04:32:20,050 we're going to make this happen. 6062 04:32:20,050 --> 04:32:21,590 the direction that goes through, we don't need to 6063 04:32:21,590 --> 04:32:23,710 create an office, create a department. 6064 04:32:23,710 --> 04:32:26,580 You set the expectations, you make a commitment, 6065 04:32:26,580 --> 04:32:29,200 and then you, you know, race and celebrate 6066 04:32:29,200 --> 04:32:31,030 when you hit the milestones. 6067 04:32:31,030 --> 04:32:35,380 So I'll just leave it there. 6068 04:32:35,380 --> 04:32:36,320 Thank you. 6069 04:32:36,320 --> 04:32:38,890 Councillor Chaso, next. 6070 04:32:38,890 --> 04:32:41,460 I'm going to thank you for the chair. 6071 04:32:41,460 --> 04:32:42,930 I'm going to breeze through these. 6072 04:32:42,930 --> 04:32:44,550 I've got five points I'd like to make. 6073 04:32:44,550 --> 04:32:46,660 I'm just going to briefly say the five and 6074 04:32:46,660 --> 04:32:49,690 hopefully I can come back and talk about each 6075 04:32:49,690 --> 04:32:51,230 one a little bit. 6076 04:32:51,230 --> 04:32:52,590 Number one. 6077 04:32:52,590 --> 04:32:55,430 to incorporate more about indigenous engagement. 6078 04:32:55,430 --> 04:32:58,570 The report says development of a framework. 6079 04:32:58,570 --> 04:33:00,460 More of that framework should have been in this 6080 04:33:00,460 --> 04:33:01,240 report. 6081 04:33:01,240 --> 04:33:02,560 And I don't think it's adequate to say 6082 04:33:02,560 --> 04:33:05,190 develop more of a framework. 6083 04:33:05,190 --> 04:33:09,550 Two, the failure to utilize, incorporate, 6084 04:33:09,550 --> 04:33:13,680 or really even acknowledge key institutions 6085 04:33:13,680 --> 04:33:15,740 that are already functioning downtown, 6086 04:33:15,740 --> 04:33:18,080 doing many of the things that we wanna do. 6087 04:33:18,080 --> 04:33:20,180 And I'll just say Museum London, 6088 04:33:20,180 --> 04:33:21,370 the London Public Library, 6089 04:33:21,370 --> 04:33:23,680 which aren't really acknowledged 6090 04:33:23,680 --> 04:33:26,530 much less dealt with in this report. 6091 04:33:26,530 --> 04:33:29,190 It's a flaw. 6092 04:33:29,190 --> 04:33:35,600 The MAP1 391 doesn't even have them on it. 6093 04:33:35,600 --> 04:33:40,060 Number three, a long talk about the vacancy issue 6094 04:33:40,060 --> 04:33:40,160 . 6095 04:33:40,060 --> 04:33:42,050 I'm gonna repeat some of the things I said before 6096 04:33:42,050 --> 04:33:42,150 , 6097 04:33:42,050 --> 04:33:44,590 so I'm just gonna leave that there right now. 6098 04:33:44,590 --> 04:33:46,580 I understand that we can't have a tax, 6099 04:33:46,580 --> 04:33:49,560 but we do have a number of regulatory tools 6100 04:33:49,560 --> 04:33:51,590 at our disposal that I think have to be 6101 04:33:51,590 --> 04:33:53,940 incorporated in here. 6102 04:33:53,940 --> 04:33:57,330 Number four, I think that the points about OEV, 6103 04:33:57,330 --> 04:34:00,390 Midtown, SOHO, there's some legitimate 6104 04:34:00,390 --> 04:34:03,450 concerns there, and I'm wondering if we are going 6105 04:34:03,450 --> 04:34:05,920 to set up an office structure to govern 6106 04:34:05,920 --> 04:34:08,140 whether they could be at least involved in that 6107 04:34:08,140 --> 04:34:10,140 without blowing this whole thing up and 6108 04:34:10,140 --> 04:34:12,370 starting over again. 6109 04:34:12,370 --> 04:34:18,590 Number five, we got this Wednesday, if a group 6110 04:34:18,590 --> 04:34:21,860 wanted to submit, they would have had to have 6111 04:34:21,860 --> 04:34:24,080 had something in Monday morning. 6112 04:34:24,080 --> 04:34:27,340 I want to give our stakeholders another, I don't 6113 04:34:27,340 --> 04:34:29,850 want to put this off for a long time, 6114 04:34:29,850 --> 04:34:33,900 but I wanted to defer this to the next SPPP cycle 6115 04:34:33,900 --> 04:34:37,820 , I don't know how to do that procedurally, 6116 04:34:37,820 --> 04:34:40,200 but there wasn't enough time. 6117 04:34:40,200 --> 04:34:42,860 And I agree with let's be bold. 6118 04:34:42,860 --> 04:34:45,650 But when I see this report and I hear about talk 6119 04:34:45,650 --> 04:34:48,310 of the riverfront and don't even see 6120 04:34:48,310 --> 04:34:51,030 anything about museum London that is constantly 6121 04:34:51,030 --> 04:34:53,060 having programs down there utilizing that 6122 04:34:53,060 --> 04:34:56,960 riverfront, it really bothers me. 6123 04:34:56,960 --> 04:35:00,950 And I guess how much time do I have left? 6124 04:35:00,950 --> 04:35:02,780 About two minutes and 30 seconds. 6125 04:35:02,780 --> 04:35:03,770 Okay. 6126 04:35:03,770 --> 04:35:06,190 So let me go back to the first one in terms of 6127 04:35:06,190 --> 04:35:08,680 maybe better integrating a more fulsome 6128 04:35:08,680 --> 04:35:12,630 plan about indigenous participation in framework. 6129 04:35:12,630 --> 04:35:15,450 - Thank you, Councillor, before I go to the 6130 04:35:15,450 --> 04:35:16,210 consultants, 6131 04:35:16,210 --> 04:35:18,650 I just wanna quickly ask you, asked about a 6132 04:35:18,650 --> 04:35:19,600 referral, 6133 04:35:19,600 --> 04:35:21,030 you can make a referral. 6134 04:35:21,030 --> 04:35:22,740 You were asking that question. 6135 04:35:22,740 --> 04:35:25,210 I just wanna make sure that I answer it for you. 6136 04:35:25,210 --> 04:35:26,920 If you wanna preserve time to do so, 6137 04:35:26,920 --> 04:35:29,790 I'm just making a point for you of that. 6138 04:35:29,790 --> 04:35:35,550 Okay, I will go to Ms. Barron. 6139 04:35:35,550 --> 04:35:37,540 - Yeah, thank you, Councillor, through the chair. 6140 04:35:37,540 --> 04:35:39,480 I can speak to the indigenous engagement 6141 04:35:39,480 --> 04:35:41,430 that was done both in phase one and phase two of 6142 04:35:41,430 --> 04:35:41,900 the project, 6143 04:35:41,900 --> 04:35:43,800 and then I'll turn it over to city administration 6144 04:35:43,800 --> 04:35:46,110 to talk about how they've continued those 6145 04:35:46,110 --> 04:35:47,310 conversations. 6146 04:35:47,310 --> 04:35:49,590 As many of us will know who have done 6147 04:35:49,590 --> 04:35:51,620 this kind of work and digital engagement takes 6148 04:35:51,620 --> 04:35:51,870 time 6149 04:35:51,870 --> 04:35:53,740 and we wanna make sure that that time 6150 04:35:53,740 --> 04:35:55,580 is allowed for those conversations. 6151 04:35:55,580 --> 04:35:57,650 So we began Indigenous engagement 6152 04:35:57,650 --> 04:35:59,970 through the community connectors at the city 6153 04:35:59,970 --> 04:36:01,730 and contacted a number of nations. 6154 04:36:01,730 --> 04:36:03,720 Through that, they were invited to several events 6155 04:36:03,720 --> 04:36:04,040 we did 6156 04:36:04,040 --> 04:36:07,640 and we had quite a good response on the survey 6157 04:36:07,640 --> 04:36:08,950 that we sent out. 6158 04:36:08,950 --> 04:36:10,230 In phase two of the project, 6159 04:36:10,230 --> 04:36:12,280 we did engage with some Indigenous members of the 6160 04:36:12,280 --> 04:36:12,750 chamber 6161 04:36:12,750 --> 04:36:15,700 and we also did some engagement through our youth 6162 04:36:15,700 --> 04:36:17,900 and university engagement. 6163 04:36:17,900 --> 04:36:20,210 Subsequent to that, I know the city team, 6164 04:36:20,210 --> 04:36:23,790 both Trevor Fowler's team and Scott and Mike McC 6165 04:36:23,790 --> 04:36:24,040 auley 6166 04:36:24,040 --> 04:36:27,120 have done some additional indigenous engagement 6167 04:36:27,120 --> 04:36:27,960 since then, 6168 04:36:27,960 --> 04:36:29,550 but the ideas that the conversation 6169 04:36:29,550 --> 04:36:31,630 absolutely needs to consider. 6170 04:36:31,630 --> 04:36:34,060 Indigenous throughout, and there are 10 specific 6171 04:36:34,060 --> 04:36:34,540 actions 6172 04:36:34,540 --> 04:36:36,660 in there through which indigenous have been 6173 04:36:36,660 --> 04:36:37,300 identified 6174 04:36:37,300 --> 04:36:42,170 as being partners in the delivery of the plan. 6175 04:36:42,170 --> 04:36:45,580 My second point is the failure to utilize, 6176 04:36:45,580 --> 04:36:47,250 acknowledge key institutions. 6177 04:36:47,250 --> 04:36:49,560 I'll mention the London Public Library Museum 6178 04:36:49,560 --> 04:36:54,800 London and the Grand Theatre just as three. 6179 04:36:54,800 --> 04:36:57,130 And if I refer this back, I would want them dealt 6180 04:36:57,130 --> 04:36:58,440 with. 6181 04:36:58,440 --> 04:36:59,390 Thank you. 6182 04:36:59,390 --> 04:37:00,410 I go to Ms. Rowe. 6183 04:37:00,410 --> 04:37:01,380 To the chair. 6184 04:37:01,380 --> 04:37:02,350 I can speak to that. 6185 04:37:02,350 --> 04:37:05,610 I just want to just flag that Julie Bevin is one 6186 04:37:05,610 --> 04:37:08,710 of the best museum curators in the country. 6187 04:37:08,710 --> 04:37:10,510 You are so lucky to have her. 6188 04:37:10,510 --> 04:37:12,190 I met with them extensively. 6189 04:37:12,190 --> 04:37:14,660 already, as you suggest, open out into the river. 6190 04:37:14,660 --> 04:37:16,340 It's a beautiful aspect. I know how 6191 04:37:16,340 --> 04:37:18,880 that was created. I remember when it was amalgam 6192 04:37:18,880 --> 04:37:20,690 ated. It's a tremendous asset. If it's missing 6193 04:37:20,690 --> 04:37:22,750 from a map counselor, we'll fix it. Nobody is 6194 04:37:22,750 --> 04:37:24,680 underestimating how critical the museum 6195 04:37:24,680 --> 04:37:26,350 is to the strategy. Absolutely. And I would say 6196 04:37:26,350 --> 04:37:28,040 the same about the library. I often talk 6197 04:37:28,040 --> 04:37:29,790 about that. You were one of the first to put a 6198 04:37:29,790 --> 04:37:31,470 library in a downtown core. I know Mike 6199 04:37:31,470 --> 04:37:32,990 Well, because he sits on the Canadian Urban 6200 04:37:32,990 --> 04:37:34,550 Library Council, where we did a big report 6201 04:37:34,550 --> 04:37:36,700 called Overdo, why libraries need different kinds 6202 04:37:36,700 --> 04:37:38,260 of investment in this country. And you 6203 04:37:38,260 --> 04:37:41,190 put it on Dundas Street and I am very aware of 6204 04:37:41,190 --> 04:37:42,490 the challenges they've experienced. We had 6205 04:37:42,490 --> 04:37:45,670 consultation sessions there. We've witnessed it. 6206 04:37:45,670 --> 04:37:48,240 It's a perfect microcosm of what Councillor 6207 04:37:48,240 --> 04:37:50,380 Stevenson is concerned about, about how the 6208 04:37:50,380 --> 04:37:52,870 actual delivery of services is impeded by 6209 04:37:52,870 --> 04:37:55,090 competing uses. So Councillor Wilfix, if you don 6210 04:37:55,090 --> 04:37:56,940 't feel those institutions are appropriately 6211 04:37:56,940 --> 04:37:59,120 acknowledged, we will fix that. But I can assure 6212 04:37:59,120 --> 04:38:01,020 you, they are central to the success and it's 6213 04:38:01,020 --> 04:38:04,930 one of your great assets. Councillor Chassa. Yes, 6214 04:38:04,930 --> 04:38:06,890 I think they need to be fixed and thank 6215 04:38:06,890 --> 04:38:08,650 Thank you for acknowledging that. 6216 04:38:08,650 --> 04:38:11,830 I wanna, is there a way to address some of the 6217 04:38:11,830 --> 04:38:12,330 concerns 6218 04:38:12,330 --> 04:38:14,390 raised by OEV Midtown? 6219 04:38:14,390 --> 04:38:17,200 So how, at least in being part of the governance? 6220 04:38:17,200 --> 04:38:19,520 And I'm not saying we should start over again, 6221 04:38:19,520 --> 04:38:21,290 but is there some way to incorporate 6222 04:38:21,290 --> 04:38:23,820 some of those concerns? 6223 04:38:23,820 --> 04:38:26,120 - Thank you, I'll go to Mr. McCauley. 6224 04:38:26,120 --> 04:38:27,640 - Thank you and through the chair. 6225 04:38:27,640 --> 04:38:29,980 So with, throughout the plan, there's several 6226 04:38:29,980 --> 04:38:30,340 actions 6227 04:38:30,340 --> 04:38:32,880 that are immediately dealing with the downtown. 6228 04:38:32,880 --> 04:38:35,750 And I think as we see successes through those 6229 04:38:35,750 --> 04:38:36,170 actions, 6230 04:38:36,170 --> 04:38:39,230 there's certainly an element that we can scale 6231 04:38:39,230 --> 04:38:39,530 them 6232 04:38:39,530 --> 04:38:41,280 or perhaps they might work in these other 6233 04:38:41,280 --> 04:38:41,960 neighborhoods. 6234 04:38:41,960 --> 04:38:43,620 So that's an opportunity, I think, 6235 04:38:43,620 --> 04:38:45,130 that we can present to Council 6236 04:38:45,130 --> 04:38:47,160 once we move through this plan. 6237 04:38:47,160 --> 04:38:49,420 And then I'll turn it over to Mr. Mathers 6238 04:38:49,420 --> 04:38:52,760 to answer the second part there. 6239 04:38:52,760 --> 04:38:54,040 - Mr. Mathers, go ahead. 6240 04:38:54,040 --> 04:38:55,350 - Through the chair and then absolutely 6241 04:38:55,350 --> 04:38:57,770 is moving through to the implementation stage. 6242 04:38:57,770 --> 04:38:59,550 There'll be opportunities for Council 6243 04:38:59,550 --> 04:39:01,920 to provide that direction of where you want us 6244 04:39:01,920 --> 04:39:03,630 to take this office. 6245 04:39:03,630 --> 04:39:06,830 Of course, we don't want this to become so dilute 6246 04:39:06,830 --> 04:39:08,450 that we get back to the model that we are 6247 04:39:08,450 --> 04:39:09,540 currently using, 6248 04:39:09,540 --> 04:39:11,890 but I think there's definitely some flexibility 6249 04:39:11,890 --> 04:39:12,920 in how we set it up. 6250 04:39:12,920 --> 04:39:15,110 And as long as you are very clear 6251 04:39:15,110 --> 04:39:17,070 and being able to drive those goals 6252 04:39:17,070 --> 04:39:18,290 and as us as leaders as well, 6253 04:39:18,290 --> 04:39:20,520 being able to ensure that people know what their 6254 04:39:20,520 --> 04:39:20,830 mandate, 6255 04:39:20,830 --> 04:39:24,560 then I think it'll be successful. 6256 04:39:24,560 --> 04:39:25,910 - Thank you. - Thank you. 6257 04:39:25,910 --> 04:39:28,280 - I made comments before about the vacancies. 6258 04:39:28,280 --> 04:39:29,110 - I'll just go to Ms. Roach. 6259 04:39:29,110 --> 04:39:29,950 - Before I run out of time, 6260 04:39:29,950 --> 04:39:31,410 I would like to put a motion to-- 6261 04:39:31,410 --> 04:39:32,720 - Councillor, I'll just go to Ms. Roach 6262 04:39:32,720 --> 04:39:35,550 for a moment she had her hand up. 6263 04:39:35,550 --> 04:39:37,830 - Pardon? 6264 04:39:37,830 --> 04:39:40,360 - I'm just going to Ms. Roach to follow up. 6265 04:39:40,360 --> 04:39:42,680 on old East and the other parts. 6266 04:39:42,680 --> 04:39:44,190 You know, as the mayor said in the previous 6267 04:39:44,190 --> 04:39:45,030 discussion, 6268 04:39:45,030 --> 04:39:46,840 you know, the economy doesn't actually pay much 6269 04:39:46,840 --> 04:39:47,220 attention 6270 04:39:47,220 --> 04:39:49,370 to these arbitrary boundaries. 6271 04:39:49,370 --> 04:39:52,000 We all know that our quality of life is actually, 6272 04:39:52,000 --> 04:39:52,100 you know, 6273 04:39:52,000 --> 04:39:55,060 spreads regardless of any particular definition. 6274 04:39:55,060 --> 04:39:57,850 So any kind of, but the dilemma is you want to 6275 04:39:57,850 --> 04:39:58,290 have a focus 6276 04:39:58,290 --> 04:39:59,410 back to my earlier comment. 6277 04:39:59,410 --> 04:40:01,520 You want to focus investment as much as you can. 6278 04:40:01,520 --> 04:40:03,510 You want problem solving to be as place specific 6279 04:40:03,510 --> 04:40:04,510 as you can. 6280 04:40:04,510 --> 04:40:07,440 The benefits will bleed and you want to have a 6281 04:40:07,440 --> 04:40:07,570 governance 6282 04:40:07,570 --> 04:40:08,990 structure, I agree with you completely, 6283 04:40:08,990 --> 04:40:11,110 that make sure that you have input for all the 6284 04:40:11,110 --> 04:40:11,640 districts. 6285 04:40:11,640 --> 04:40:15,300 We're trying to eliminate this either or us 6286 04:40:15,300 --> 04:40:16,230 against anybody. 6287 04:40:16,230 --> 04:40:19,030 We're all in this together, in this urban fabric. 6288 04:40:19,030 --> 04:40:20,130 It's all an interconnection, 6289 04:40:20,130 --> 04:40:21,630 so I agree with you about how do we find it 6290 04:40:21,630 --> 04:40:23,380 better integrated. 6291 04:40:23,380 --> 04:40:25,340 - I'd like to make a motion to refer this 6292 04:40:25,340 --> 04:40:28,440 to the next SPPC for action. 6293 04:40:28,440 --> 04:40:30,790 I wanna finish the discussion we're having today 6294 04:40:30,790 --> 04:40:33,100 and I want you to take back what you're hearing 6295 04:40:33,100 --> 04:40:36,320 and incorporate it into the next iteration, 6296 04:40:36,320 --> 04:40:38,270 which should be the final iteration. 6297 04:40:38,270 --> 04:40:40,500 We're very close, but I do think that there are 6298 04:40:40,500 --> 04:40:41,560 some points 6299 04:40:41,560 --> 04:40:44,270 that need to be made. 6300 04:40:44,270 --> 04:40:45,150 I've got my-- 6301 04:40:45,150 --> 04:40:46,200 - Councilor, just a moment. 6302 04:40:46,200 --> 04:40:47,150 So you're moving our referral. 6303 04:40:47,150 --> 04:40:56,180 Let me see if you have a seconder. 6304 04:40:56,180 --> 04:40:57,240 - The referral would be for-- 6305 04:40:57,240 --> 04:41:03,600 - Just one moment. 6306 04:41:03,600 --> 04:41:08,500 Okay, so I have a referral move to on the floor 6307 04:41:08,500 --> 04:41:08,620 right now 6308 04:41:08,620 --> 04:41:11,230 if you're willing to second. 6309 04:41:11,230 --> 04:41:16,330 And the referral is to come back with more pieces 6310 04:41:17,890 --> 04:41:21,600 of the report for the next meeting. 6311 04:41:21,600 --> 04:41:23,950 That was the way that the counselor articulated 6312 04:41:23,950 --> 04:41:24,150 it, 6313 04:41:24,150 --> 04:41:27,140 but now that it's moved and seconded, 6314 04:41:27,140 --> 04:41:29,550 I could go to Councilor Trossa to speak to it. 6315 04:41:29,550 --> 04:41:31,850 - Yes, and what I was also going to say, 6316 04:41:31,850 --> 04:41:34,270 I've got my four that I put on the table here. 6317 04:41:34,270 --> 04:41:37,890 Other counselors might wanna add other ones. 6318 04:41:37,890 --> 04:41:39,660 And I think that this is urgent that we do this 6319 04:41:39,660 --> 04:41:40,150 quickly. 6320 04:41:40,150 --> 04:41:42,100 I don't wanna put this off for a long time. 6321 04:41:42,100 --> 04:41:44,610 We're thinking about it, but I want more time 6322 04:41:44,610 --> 04:41:47,390 and I want other stakeholders to be able to come 6323 04:41:47,390 --> 04:41:47,590 in here 6324 04:41:47,590 --> 04:41:51,760 and do delegations and had an agenda items for us 6325 04:41:51,760 --> 04:41:51,860 . 6326 04:41:51,760 --> 04:41:53,320 So that's my motion. 6327 04:41:53,320 --> 04:41:57,900 And I think it'll improve the report. 6328 04:41:57,900 --> 04:41:59,750 - Okay, so we're on the referral now. 6329 04:41:59,750 --> 04:42:01,520 I have it moved and seconded. 6330 04:42:01,520 --> 04:42:03,410 I have Deputy Mayor Lewis, do you have your hand 6331 04:42:03,410 --> 04:42:08,120 up? 6332 04:42:08,120 --> 04:42:10,000 - Yes, I do, Madam Chair. 6333 04:42:10,000 --> 04:42:12,560 - On the referral, go ahead. 6334 04:42:12,560 --> 04:42:15,440 - Yeah, so I'm gonna be pretty straightforward 6335 04:42:15,440 --> 04:42:16,010 here. 6336 04:42:16,010 --> 04:42:18,740 I'm not supporting a referral. 6337 04:42:18,740 --> 04:42:22,640 For every report that we get, 6338 04:42:22,640 --> 04:42:25,650 the cycle is the same on every committee. 6339 04:42:25,650 --> 04:42:28,410 opportunity for stakeholders is the same on every 6340 04:42:28,410 --> 04:42:31,560 committee. Yes, this is a big 6341 04:42:31,560 --> 04:42:33,890 report. There are some pick actions here. Like, I 6342 04:42:33,890 --> 04:42:35,560 would like our staff to be able 6343 04:42:35,560 --> 04:42:38,320 to get approved at council next week and start 6344 04:42:38,320 --> 04:42:42,100 working on. And although we're 6345 04:42:42,100 --> 04:42:45,550 endorsing the plan today, this is a living plan. 6346 04:42:45,550 --> 04:42:46,930 There are going to be changes made. 6347 04:42:46,930 --> 04:42:49,750 We've heard Ms. Roa already indicate there were 6348 04:42:49,750 --> 04:42:51,680 discussions with Julie Bevin 6349 04:42:51,680 --> 04:42:53,530 at Museum London. And I'm sure there were 6350 04:42:53,530 --> 04:42:54,820 discussions with a number of other 6351 04:42:54,820 --> 04:42:56,610 stakeholders and they there has been 6352 04:42:56,610 --> 04:42:58,730 opportunities for lots of feedback. There 6353 04:42:58,730 --> 04:43:02,520 been hundreds of people engaged in this process. 6354 04:43:02,520 --> 04:43:05,180 I'm not willing to delay it. I'm ready to move 6355 04:43:05,180 --> 04:43:09,340 forward and approve this plan today. Thank you, I 6356 04:43:09,340 --> 04:43:11,110 'd Councillor Ferreira next. 6357 04:43:11,110 --> 04:43:13,450 Thanks, Chair, and through you, I also won't be 6358 04:43:13,450 --> 04:43:16,190 supporting the referral. I feel like, you know, 6359 04:43:16,190 --> 04:43:18,560 we need to be decisive. We have some big 6360 04:43:18,560 --> 04:43:21,430 directions here. We need to really move things 6361 04:43:21,430 --> 04:43:21,840 along, 6362 04:43:21,840 --> 04:43:24,380 and there's just too much risk at stake for any 6363 04:43:24,380 --> 04:43:26,930 potential referral. I agree with the deputy 6364 04:43:26,930 --> 04:43:30,520 mayor like we have a procedural bylaw I agree 6365 04:43:30,520 --> 04:43:32,920 that you know sometimes we don't 6366 04:43:32,920 --> 04:43:35,130 have too much time but that is the procedure by 6367 04:43:35,130 --> 04:43:36,800 law that is not with respect 6368 04:43:36,800 --> 04:43:40,440 to the plan itself and it is a living document 6369 04:43:40,440 --> 04:43:42,560 there are things to come when 6370 04:43:42,560 --> 04:43:44,440 it comes to the downtown office revitalization 6371 04:43:44,440 --> 04:43:45,790 authority champions table 6372 04:43:45,790 --> 04:43:48,860 which I would assume you would see some of these 6373 04:43:48,860 --> 04:43:50,920 key stakeholders on those are 6374 04:43:50,920 --> 04:43:52,950 still items that are going to be coming to 6375 04:43:52,950 --> 04:43:54,930 council those are still items that we 6376 04:43:54,930 --> 04:43:56,410 We are still going to be developing terms of 6377 04:43:56,410 --> 04:43:58,500 references for where we can have that input 6378 04:43:58,500 --> 04:44:01,900 before we even implement those areas, and then 6379 04:44:01,900 --> 04:44:05,090 once we have those areas established. 6380 04:44:05,090 --> 04:44:08,170 So I do understand we're also having a report 6381 04:44:08,170 --> 04:44:11,990 back in Q4 on this, and like that just speaks 6382 04:44:11,990 --> 04:44:14,550 to how this is a living, breathing document. 6383 04:44:14,550 --> 04:44:18,020 This is not something that is set in stone right 6384 04:44:18,020 --> 04:44:18,580 now. 6385 04:44:18,580 --> 04:44:22,710 These are the themes that are coming out, and 6386 04:44:22,710 --> 04:44:25,660 again, we have a lot on the table here 6387 04:44:25,660 --> 04:44:27,760 and some very good work and very good items. 6388 04:44:27,760 --> 04:44:29,580 And I know we had a lot of engagement moving 6389 04:44:29,580 --> 04:44:29,940 forward, 6390 04:44:29,940 --> 04:44:32,910 but this is not the final decision. 6391 04:44:32,910 --> 04:44:35,970 This is just an endorsement for the framework 6392 04:44:35,970 --> 04:44:38,380 and the themes that we are supporting. 6393 04:44:38,380 --> 04:44:41,170 So I'm not gonna be supporting the referral 6394 04:44:41,170 --> 04:44:41,420 either. 6395 04:44:41,420 --> 04:44:44,150 So I'll leave my comments there. 6396 04:44:44,150 --> 04:44:47,400 - Thank you, Councillor McAllister next. 6397 04:44:47,400 --> 04:44:48,210 - Thank you and through you. 6398 04:44:48,210 --> 04:44:51,430 Yeah, it will likewise not be supporting referral 6399 04:44:51,430 --> 04:44:51,660 . 6400 04:44:51,660 --> 04:44:53,910 I think it'd be easy for me to say, 6401 04:44:53,910 --> 04:44:56,200 we could talk about the other core areas, 6402 04:44:56,200 --> 04:44:59,930 But as I said before, this is a downtown plan. 6403 04:44:59,930 --> 04:45:01,780 I think a lot of work has gone into this 6404 04:45:01,780 --> 04:45:04,060 and we need to move forward with it. 6405 04:45:04,060 --> 04:45:05,710 I mean, at some point I would like to see 6406 04:45:05,710 --> 04:45:07,560 a decoupling of downtown from CORE. 6407 04:45:07,560 --> 04:45:10,780 I think CORE of its own host of issues. 6408 04:45:10,780 --> 04:45:12,450 There's a number of areas and neighborhoods 6409 04:45:12,450 --> 04:45:14,120 that can work together on things. 6410 04:45:14,120 --> 04:45:16,870 But what we're looking at today is downtown. 6411 04:45:16,870 --> 04:45:19,140 I think we've heard from a lot of stakeholders, 6412 04:45:19,140 --> 04:45:20,450 even within this report. 6413 04:45:20,450 --> 04:45:21,930 A lot of people have been consulted. 6414 04:45:21,930 --> 04:45:23,720 A lot of people knew this was coming. 6415 04:45:23,720 --> 04:45:24,790 And I agree. 6416 04:45:24,790 --> 04:45:26,150 I think there is some quick action. 6417 04:45:26,150 --> 04:45:30,130 items that we need to move on now. And I'd like 6418 04:45:30,130 --> 04:45:30,290 to see this move forward. 6419 04:45:30,290 --> 04:45:33,470 Thanks. Thank you. I have Councillor Stevenson 6420 04:45:33,470 --> 04:45:35,410 next. Thank you. Yeah, I just had a couple 6421 04:45:35,410 --> 04:45:38,770 of questions about B. It talks about the actions 6422 04:45:38,770 --> 04:45:41,680 identified in this plan that can be accommodated 6423 04:45:41,680 --> 04:45:44,850 with the existing approved budgets be implemented 6424 04:45:44,850 --> 04:45:46,820 . So this is what we're being asked to support 6425 04:45:46,820 --> 04:45:49,610 today. So I have two questions. What's the amount 6426 04:45:49,610 --> 04:45:51,320 of the budget that's available? And 6427 04:45:51,320 --> 04:45:54,270 Do we know what the actions are that are being 6428 04:45:54,270 --> 04:45:55,890 that we're approving here? 6429 04:45:55,890 --> 04:45:57,680 - Okay, Councilor, I just wanna draw you back 6430 04:45:57,680 --> 04:45:59,270 to the referral that we're on. 6431 04:45:59,270 --> 04:46:02,470 So you're asking on the main motion now? 6432 04:46:02,470 --> 04:46:05,130 - No, but it's, this is why I think 6433 04:46:05,130 --> 04:46:07,620 that we should refer it a month. 6434 04:46:07,620 --> 04:46:12,160 Because if we, what are we approving here? 6435 04:46:12,160 --> 04:46:14,130 How much money and on what? 6436 04:46:14,130 --> 04:46:16,340 And I think the public would like us to be clear 6437 04:46:16,340 --> 04:46:19,340 on what it is that we're approving. 6438 04:46:19,340 --> 04:46:22,060 - Okay, so I'll take that as tied to the referral 6439 04:46:22,060 --> 04:46:26,710 and I will go to staff, Mr. McCauley, go ahead. 6440 04:46:26,710 --> 04:46:28,570 - Thank you, and through the chair, 6441 04:46:28,570 --> 04:46:30,550 the recommendation be actions be identified 6442 04:46:30,550 --> 04:46:31,700 in this plan that can be accommodated 6443 04:46:31,700 --> 04:46:33,680 within existing approved budgets be implemented. 6444 04:46:33,680 --> 04:46:35,540 So that's looking at the quick start actions 6445 04:46:35,540 --> 04:46:37,720 that Council that we have brought in front of 6446 04:46:37,720 --> 04:46:38,040 Council 6447 04:46:38,040 --> 04:46:39,670 previously that can be implemented. 6448 04:46:39,670 --> 04:46:41,570 It's also looking at actions within the actual 6449 04:46:41,570 --> 04:46:43,740 downtown plan that we can accommodate 6450 04:46:43,740 --> 04:46:44,820 within existing budgets. 6451 04:46:44,820 --> 04:46:46,780 However, the approval today, 6452 04:46:46,780 --> 04:46:49,260 we are not moving into starting these things 6453 04:46:49,260 --> 04:46:49,690 right away. 6454 04:46:49,690 --> 04:46:53,080 we are going to report back Q4, 2026, 6455 04:46:53,080 --> 04:46:55,900 where we'll outline all of the short-term actions 6456 04:46:55,900 --> 04:46:56,000 . 6457 04:46:55,990 --> 04:46:58,500 We'll identify each of those short-term actions 6458 04:46:58,500 --> 04:47:00,500 as having an existing budget 6459 04:47:00,500 --> 04:47:02,690 or requiring additional investment, 6460 04:47:02,690 --> 04:47:04,200 which would then be referred to the multi-year 6461 04:47:04,200 --> 04:47:05,240 budget process. 6462 04:47:05,240 --> 04:47:08,130 And we would show all those pieces for council at 6463 04:47:08,130 --> 04:47:08,990 that time 6464 04:47:08,990 --> 04:47:13,430 and then identify our 2027 work plan. 6465 04:47:13,430 --> 04:47:15,220 - Councillor Stevenson on the referral. 6466 04:47:15,220 --> 04:47:16,250 - Yeah, so thank you. 6467 04:47:16,250 --> 04:47:18,040 So I'm not clear then if we approve 6468 04:47:18,040 --> 04:47:20,220 some of the quick start stuff already, 6469 04:47:20,220 --> 04:47:22,920 and you're gonna bring us the stuff in Q4, 2026. 6470 04:47:22,920 --> 04:47:24,950 What is it that's gonna be different 6471 04:47:24,950 --> 04:47:29,050 if we approve B here today? 6472 04:47:29,050 --> 04:47:48,740 - Mr. McCauley. 6473 04:47:48,740 --> 04:47:49,840 - Thank you and through the chair. 6474 04:47:49,840 --> 04:47:52,040 So we would be implementing the quick start 6475 04:47:52,040 --> 04:47:52,540 actions 6476 04:47:52,540 --> 04:47:54,110 as we've been doing. 6477 04:47:54,110 --> 04:47:57,470 Any of the other actions that are within the 6478 04:47:57,470 --> 04:47:58,310 downtown plan 6479 04:47:58,310 --> 04:48:00,580 staffed undertook with the consultant the costing 6480 04:48:00,580 --> 04:48:01,190 exercise, 6481 04:48:01,190 --> 04:48:02,930 we wanted to bring back to you a feasible 6482 04:48:02,930 --> 04:48:05,620 and implementable downtown plan. 6483 04:48:05,620 --> 04:48:07,980 There's several actions that we as staff have 6484 04:48:07,980 --> 04:48:08,780 identified 6485 04:48:08,780 --> 04:48:11,600 that we think can be accommodated within existing 6486 04:48:11,600 --> 04:48:11,930 budgets. 6487 04:48:11,930 --> 04:48:13,530 and we want to move forward with those 6488 04:48:13,530 --> 04:48:15,920 because we're recommending a full plan to you 6489 04:48:15,920 --> 04:48:17,650 and we're recommending all of these actions be 6490 04:48:17,650 --> 04:48:18,600 implemented. 6491 04:48:18,600 --> 04:48:20,800 So the asking in front of you today 6492 04:48:20,800 --> 04:48:23,430 is to approve the plan in theory. 6493 04:48:23,430 --> 04:48:25,830 However, anything requiring additional investment 6494 04:48:25,830 --> 04:48:25,930 , 6495 04:48:25,870 --> 04:48:28,340 anything requiring us changing budgets 6496 04:48:28,340 --> 04:48:29,740 or moving pieces around, 6497 04:48:29,740 --> 04:48:31,260 that would have to come back to council 6498 04:48:31,260 --> 04:48:32,730 for a further approval. 6499 04:48:32,730 --> 04:48:34,850 The report that we're gonna bring forward in Q4- 6500 04:48:34,850 --> 04:48:35,970 2026, 6501 04:48:35,970 --> 04:48:37,570 as I previously mentioned, 6502 04:48:37,570 --> 04:48:39,520 it's gonna outline all of the short-term actions 6503 04:48:39,520 --> 04:48:40,800 that are gonna be accomplished 6504 04:48:40,800 --> 04:48:43,140 or plan to be accomplished through years one 6505 04:48:43,140 --> 04:48:44,030 through four. 6506 04:48:44,030 --> 04:48:45,910 We will identify each of those actions 6507 04:48:45,910 --> 04:48:48,190 as being one of the actions we hope to implement 6508 04:48:48,190 --> 04:48:49,820 within an existing budget. 6509 04:48:49,820 --> 04:48:51,500 One of those or actions 6510 04:48:51,500 --> 04:48:53,300 that would require additional investment. 6511 04:48:53,300 --> 04:48:55,360 We will lay out that work plan for counseling 6512 04:48:55,360 --> 04:48:55,890 committee 6513 04:48:55,890 --> 04:48:57,770 and allow you to kind of pick and choose 6514 04:48:57,770 --> 04:48:59,810 if you wanna advance anything at that time. 6515 04:48:59,810 --> 04:49:03,210 Otherwise that report in the fall sort of serves 6516 04:49:03,210 --> 04:49:05,970 as your formal approval of giving us the go ahead 6517 04:49:05,970 --> 04:49:07,670 to kind of start actioning those. 6518 04:49:07,670 --> 04:49:09,990 That makes sense. 6519 04:49:09,990 --> 04:49:11,140 - Councillor Stevenson. 6520 04:49:11,140 --> 04:49:11,930 - Thank you. 6521 04:49:11,930 --> 04:49:20,090 So I guess my point is then this approving this 6522 04:49:20,090 --> 04:49:21,790 or not approving this state doesn't change 6523 04:49:21,790 --> 04:49:22,390 anything then. 6524 04:49:22,390 --> 04:49:24,850 You're not going to be making decisions 6525 04:49:24,850 --> 04:49:27,140 and I'm implementing things beyond the quick 6526 04:49:27,140 --> 04:49:27,460 start 6527 04:49:27,460 --> 04:49:29,330 before Q4, 2026. 6528 04:49:29,330 --> 04:49:31,280 Am I hearing that correctly? 6529 04:49:31,280 --> 04:49:32,470 - Mr. McCauley. 6530 04:49:32,470 --> 04:49:33,530 - Thank you and through the chair. 6531 04:49:33,530 --> 04:49:36,020 Yes, however staff would then take 6532 04:49:36,020 --> 04:49:39,300 some additional investigative work 6533 04:49:39,300 --> 04:49:42,330 to start moving into that feasibility point. 6534 04:49:42,330 --> 04:49:45,120 So the work we've done the last couple of years 6535 04:49:45,120 --> 04:49:46,890 has been to develop this plan 6536 04:49:46,890 --> 04:49:49,390 and get it ready for implementation. 6537 04:49:49,390 --> 04:49:51,370 There are conversations that we need to have 6538 04:49:51,370 --> 04:49:52,990 that we didn't have because we wanted 6539 04:49:52,990 --> 04:49:54,920 to get the plan in front of council first, 6540 04:49:54,920 --> 04:49:57,150 allow council to set the direction. 6541 04:49:57,150 --> 04:49:58,860 That's what the purpose of today's meeting is, 6542 04:49:58,860 --> 04:50:00,940 setting this direction for us. 6543 04:50:00,940 --> 04:50:02,310 Then over the next couple months, 6544 04:50:02,310 --> 04:50:03,820 we will have further conversations. 6545 04:50:03,820 --> 04:50:04,900 There's some fine tuning. 6546 04:50:04,900 --> 04:50:06,800 There's some further investigative work we need 6547 04:50:06,800 --> 04:50:07,160 to do. 6548 04:50:07,160 --> 04:50:09,150 There's also some refinement of costing, 6549 04:50:09,150 --> 04:50:11,330 responsibilities, leads, that sort of thing. 6550 04:50:11,330 --> 04:50:13,280 And we would bring that back for your formal 6551 04:50:13,280 --> 04:50:13,960 endorsement 6552 04:50:13,960 --> 04:50:17,500 and approval in the fall. 6553 04:50:17,500 --> 04:50:18,980 - Councillor Stephenson on the referral? 6554 04:50:18,980 --> 04:50:19,790 - Yeah, that sounds good. 6555 04:50:19,790 --> 04:50:22,950 So this was, it was this section that I felt like 6556 04:50:22,950 --> 04:50:25,460 it would be good to spend a bit more time on, 6557 04:50:25,460 --> 04:50:28,260 but I'm hearing that B shouldn't even be in this 6558 04:50:28,260 --> 04:50:28,660 motion, 6559 04:50:28,660 --> 04:50:32,580 but it's not needed and it could be removed. 6560 04:50:32,580 --> 04:50:39,130 If that's true, I may not support the referral 6561 04:50:39,130 --> 04:50:42,380 then. 6562 04:50:42,380 --> 04:50:45,380 - Mr. May, there's-- 6563 04:50:45,380 --> 04:50:46,210 - Through the chair. 6564 04:50:46,210 --> 04:50:48,960 So as long as council understands and committee, 6565 04:50:48,960 --> 04:50:52,700 your understands that we will still continue 6566 04:50:52,700 --> 04:50:55,450 the work on the quick start actions 6567 04:50:55,450 --> 04:50:57,410 that has previously been approved. 6568 04:50:57,410 --> 04:50:59,800 And as long as Council on Committee understands 6569 04:50:59,800 --> 04:51:02,190 that we'll start developing implementation 6570 04:51:02,190 --> 04:51:04,990 that will be bringing forward later this year, 6571 04:51:04,990 --> 04:51:08,880 then that item is not absolutely necessary and 6572 04:51:08,880 --> 04:51:09,420 required. 6573 04:51:09,420 --> 04:51:11,530 We just always like to have some documentation 6574 04:51:11,530 --> 04:51:13,280 that Council wants us to continue the work that 6575 04:51:13,280 --> 04:51:14,560 we're doing. 6576 04:51:14,560 --> 04:51:17,380 Noting that when we had the quick start actions 6577 04:51:17,380 --> 04:51:17,830 approved, 6578 04:51:17,830 --> 04:51:20,740 We noted that those were items that were, 6579 04:51:20,740 --> 04:51:23,140 I'm gonna bring us to the point of having 6580 04:51:23,140 --> 04:51:24,810 a master plan before you. 6581 04:51:24,810 --> 04:51:26,770 So this was just an endorsement 6582 04:51:26,770 --> 04:51:29,630 that you wanted that continued. 6583 04:51:29,630 --> 04:51:30,470 - Councilor Stevenson. 6584 04:51:30,470 --> 04:51:31,300 - Okay, thank you. 6585 04:51:31,300 --> 04:51:32,330 I have the clarity I need. 6586 04:51:32,330 --> 04:51:35,150 At least that there's not anything that I need, 6587 04:51:35,150 --> 04:51:37,260 but I'm also hearing that deferring it 6588 04:51:37,260 --> 04:51:39,160 so that a colleague can do what they want 6589 04:51:39,160 --> 04:51:41,270 isn't going to slow anything down. 6590 04:51:41,270 --> 04:51:43,930 So I'll just leave it there. 6591 04:51:43,930 --> 04:51:46,670 - Thank you, looking further speakers on the 6592 04:51:46,670 --> 04:51:51,360 referral. 6593 04:51:51,360 --> 04:51:53,700 - Okay, seeing none online, none in chambers, 6594 04:51:53,700 --> 04:52:07,190 we will open the vote on the referral. 6595 04:52:07,190 --> 04:52:11,460 - Closing the vote, motion fails, three to 11. 6596 04:52:11,460 --> 04:52:19,890 - Okay, thank you. 6597 04:52:19,890 --> 04:52:21,800 Okay, Councillor Trossa, you have a minute 6598 04:52:21,800 --> 04:52:24,710 and 40 seconds remaining. 6599 04:52:24,710 --> 04:52:26,120 - Okay, well, thank you very much. 6600 04:52:26,120 --> 04:52:28,060 Is it still possible to make some of these 6601 04:52:28,060 --> 04:52:28,440 changes 6602 04:52:28,440 --> 04:52:30,860 when you bring it to council? 6603 04:52:30,860 --> 04:52:32,420 You're shaking your head, that's not on the 6604 04:52:32,420 --> 04:52:32,720 record. 6605 04:52:32,720 --> 04:52:35,310 Could you speak? 6606 04:52:35,310 --> 04:52:38,800 - Sorry, I will go to Ms. Rowe and again, through 6607 04:52:38,800 --> 04:52:41,810 the chair. 6608 04:52:41,810 --> 04:52:44,320 - So through the chair, I just wanna very much 6609 04:52:44,320 --> 04:52:46,330 be very specific about the changes 6610 04:52:46,330 --> 04:52:48,660 so that we can work with the consultant to make 6611 04:52:48,660 --> 04:52:49,170 them. 6612 04:52:49,170 --> 04:52:53,960 So there was flagging some of the mapping items 6613 04:52:53,960 --> 04:52:55,970 that were missed, so the Museum London, for 6614 04:52:55,970 --> 04:52:56,790 example, 6615 04:52:56,790 --> 04:52:59,190 and then ensuring that we're very explicit 6616 04:52:59,190 --> 04:53:03,210 about a couple of the key as partners that we 6617 04:53:03,210 --> 04:53:04,190 engaged with, 6618 04:53:04,190 --> 04:53:07,170 including Museum London and the library 6619 04:53:07,170 --> 04:53:09,610 and specifically the downtown, are those the 6620 04:53:09,610 --> 04:53:10,080 items? 6621 04:53:10,080 --> 04:53:12,140 And then if that those are the only items, 6622 04:53:12,140 --> 04:53:14,290 then we can ensure that those are, 6623 04:53:14,290 --> 04:53:16,270 the edits are made and what's before you 6624 04:53:16,270 --> 04:53:18,660 has those items included. 6625 04:53:18,660 --> 04:53:20,350 - Councillor Trosto. 6626 04:53:20,350 --> 04:53:21,160 - Yeah, I'm sorry. 6627 04:53:21,160 --> 04:53:25,270 I mentioned for one is putting in a paragraph 6628 04:53:25,270 --> 04:53:28,450 about exploring regulatory approaches 6629 04:53:28,450 --> 04:53:30,980 to controlling vacancies without making any 6630 04:53:30,980 --> 04:53:31,510 commitment 6631 04:53:31,510 --> 04:53:33,130 to doing anything. 6632 04:53:33,130 --> 04:53:35,560 Another one was a little bit more detail 6633 04:53:35,560 --> 04:53:40,770 about the indigenous framework and the others, 6634 04:53:40,770 --> 04:53:48,730 I think you've captured. 6635 04:53:48,730 --> 04:53:49,510 - Thank you. 6636 04:53:49,510 --> 04:53:54,590 - Thank you partners, something about OO, 6637 04:53:54,590 --> 04:53:57,910 maybe something, at least explain better 6638 04:53:57,910 --> 04:54:00,280 why we can't incorporate OEV and SOO 6639 04:54:00,280 --> 04:54:03,650 in the governance structure, something. 6640 04:54:03,650 --> 04:54:06,220 I mean, I'm open to voting for this at council 6641 04:54:06,220 --> 04:54:07,800 and I'll vote for it now if I think 6642 04:54:07,800 --> 04:54:09,500 there's gonna be a change at council, 6643 04:54:09,500 --> 04:54:12,030 but I really wanna see a little bit of a movement 6644 04:54:12,030 --> 04:54:16,430 between now and council. 6645 04:54:16,430 --> 04:54:25,460 - Okay, thank you, I'll go back to Mr. Mathers. 6646 04:54:25,460 --> 04:54:27,530 - Through the chair, so there was quite a few 6647 04:54:27,530 --> 04:54:28,180 pieces there 6648 04:54:28,180 --> 04:54:31,000 to unpack, what we'll do is we'll work with the 6649 04:54:31,000 --> 04:54:31,410 consultant 6650 04:54:31,410 --> 04:54:33,370 to see what some of those tweaks, 6651 04:54:33,370 --> 04:54:35,320 that if it is more informational 6652 04:54:35,320 --> 04:54:37,080 and that we just haven't highlighted something 6653 04:54:37,080 --> 04:54:40,990 that we feel was what work that we had undertaken 6654 04:54:40,990 --> 04:54:43,980 or framed part of our recommendations, 6655 04:54:43,980 --> 04:54:46,140 then we can work with the consultant on that. 6656 04:54:46,140 --> 04:54:48,690 There's not a lot of time. 6657 04:54:48,690 --> 04:54:52,840 So what we'll do is we'll make those changes, 6658 04:54:52,840 --> 04:54:55,200 provide a memo on the council agenda 6659 04:54:55,200 --> 04:54:57,310 that just flags the changes that we've made 6660 04:54:57,310 --> 04:54:59,070 so that it's everyone's very clear 6661 04:54:59,070 --> 04:55:01,200 of what those adjustments were. 6662 04:55:01,200 --> 04:55:03,140 They would have to be fairly minor, 6663 04:55:03,140 --> 04:55:05,470 just so it doesn't impact the entire document, 6664 04:55:05,470 --> 04:55:07,250 but we also wanna make sure that it's accurate 6665 04:55:07,250 --> 04:55:11,450 and reflects the work that was completed. 6666 04:55:11,450 --> 04:55:15,270 - Councilor, you've got 30 seconds. 6667 04:55:15,270 --> 04:55:17,000 - Fair enough, I'll be looking forward to seeing 6668 04:55:17,000 --> 04:55:17,240 that. 6669 04:55:17,240 --> 04:55:19,360 And of course, I'm available to talk to you 6670 04:55:19,360 --> 04:55:23,830 to reiterate what I think I said. 6671 04:55:23,830 --> 04:55:25,650 - Okay, thank you. 6672 04:55:25,650 --> 04:55:27,770 Councilor Stevenson, go ahead. 6673 04:55:27,770 --> 04:55:29,110 - I don't know how much time I have to. 6674 04:55:29,110 --> 04:55:29,930 - 10 seconds. 6675 04:55:29,930 --> 04:55:31,550 - B is says B implemented. 6676 04:55:31,550 --> 04:55:33,670 and if we're not implementing, 6677 04:55:33,670 --> 04:55:35,620 I'd like to move an amendment that changes that 6678 04:55:35,620 --> 04:55:39,840 to what staff actually intend to do. 6679 04:55:39,840 --> 04:55:44,780 - One more. 6680 04:55:44,780 --> 04:55:48,270 Okay, so in crafting the motion, 6681 04:55:48,270 --> 04:55:52,580 you're looking to amend part B. 6682 04:55:52,580 --> 04:55:54,430 What is the word in your suggesting? 6683 04:55:54,430 --> 04:55:55,890 - Well, I'm wondering from staff, 6684 04:55:55,890 --> 04:55:57,540 I'm hearing them say they're gonna make 6685 04:55:57,540 --> 04:55:58,980 create a work plan. 6686 04:55:58,980 --> 04:56:04,260 So if that's it, then-- 6687 04:56:04,260 --> 04:56:07,440 - That's the point of order and a clarification. 6688 04:56:07,440 --> 04:56:09,050 Are we able to move an amendment 6689 04:56:09,050 --> 04:56:18,510 on the second time speaking at committee? 6690 04:56:18,510 --> 04:56:21,330 - Okay, so thank you for the reminder. 6691 04:56:21,330 --> 04:56:23,000 So you're on your second time speaking 6692 04:56:23,000 --> 04:56:26,050 on that last 10th second moment there. 6693 04:56:26,050 --> 04:56:28,950 So unfortunately you can't move an amendment 6694 04:56:28,950 --> 04:56:33,930 because you're on your second time speaking. 6695 04:56:33,930 --> 04:56:36,690 Okay, so we're back on the main motion. 6696 04:56:36,690 --> 04:56:38,040 I'm looking for speakers. 6697 04:56:38,040 --> 04:56:40,050 Before we do that, I'm gonna need a motion 6698 04:56:40,050 --> 04:56:42,210 to extend past six o'clock. 6699 04:56:42,210 --> 04:56:44,620 I have Councillor Hopkins and Councillor Frank, 6700 04:56:44,620 --> 04:56:45,160 thank you. 6701 04:56:45,160 --> 04:57:04,160 And we will get that ready and open a vote. 6702 04:57:04,160 --> 04:57:27,450 That's open for you in the system. 6703 04:57:27,450 --> 04:57:32,040 - Closing the vote, motion carries 14 to zero. 6704 04:57:32,040 --> 04:57:32,850 - Okay, thank you. 6705 04:57:32,850 --> 04:57:35,560 So now I'm looking for speakers. 6706 04:57:35,560 --> 04:57:38,580 Councillor Stevenson, we're still on the same 6707 04:57:38,580 --> 04:57:38,680 item 6708 04:57:38,660 --> 04:57:42,190 and you don't have any remaining time. 6709 04:57:42,190 --> 04:57:44,270 - I just wanna vote on B separately. 6710 04:57:44,270 --> 04:57:45,170 So I just wanna. 6711 04:57:45,170 --> 04:57:46,450 - Okay, thank you. 6712 04:57:46,450 --> 04:57:48,920 Okay, I will go to Councillor Hopkins. 6713 04:57:48,920 --> 04:57:51,570 Go ahead. 6714 04:57:51,570 --> 04:57:52,800 - Thank you Madam Chair. 6715 04:57:52,800 --> 04:57:55,580 I'm gonna take an opportunity here to speak 6716 04:57:55,580 --> 04:57:59,200 since I do think this is an important issue. 6717 04:57:59,200 --> 04:58:02,970 I've missed an event so I am gonna speak to this 6718 04:58:02,970 --> 04:58:05,700 and I will be quickly, quick as well. 6719 04:58:05,700 --> 04:58:07,580 First of all, thanks to staff, thanks to 6720 04:58:07,580 --> 04:58:08,740 consultant Mary. 6721 04:58:08,740 --> 04:58:10,440 Thank you so much for being here. 6722 04:58:10,440 --> 04:58:13,030 It really does matter, hearing your voice. 6723 04:58:13,030 --> 04:58:13,880 Thank you for that. 6724 04:58:13,880 --> 04:58:19,030 I guess I just wanna start off with 6725 04:58:19,030 --> 04:58:21,360 listening to the conversation here. 6726 04:58:21,360 --> 04:58:22,740 And I really do appreciate it. 6727 04:58:22,740 --> 04:58:25,220 I appreciate the delegates that are still here 6728 04:58:25,220 --> 04:58:25,870 with us 6729 04:58:25,870 --> 04:58:26,920 at this hour. 6730 04:58:26,920 --> 04:58:33,010 Thank you for that as well. 6731 04:58:33,010 --> 04:58:35,660 I've been around a bit on council. 6732 04:58:35,660 --> 04:58:39,660 And one of the things I have learned and what I 6733 04:58:39,660 --> 04:58:40,680 've learned, 6734 04:58:40,680 --> 04:58:45,020 what is important when we have these plans, 6735 04:58:45,020 --> 04:58:49,080 Councils come and go, we get new plans, 6736 04:58:49,080 --> 04:58:51,210 we approve them, next Council comes in, 6737 04:58:51,210 --> 04:58:54,550 we chip away, the next Council and so it goes. 6738 04:58:54,550 --> 04:58:59,340 And for me, it's a reminder of what we've done 6739 04:58:59,340 --> 04:59:00,170 in the past year. 6740 04:59:00,170 --> 04:59:03,040 We've made investments in our downtown. 6741 04:59:03,040 --> 04:59:06,410 I think the pandemic changed a number of things. 6742 04:59:06,410 --> 04:59:11,770 kind of made us go backwards a little bit. And it 6743 04:59:11,770 --> 04:59:16,780 's also opened my mind up to how we need to work 6744 04:59:16,780 --> 04:59:20,410 together. And it may not be perfect. We may not 6745 04:59:20,410 --> 04:59:23,510 get it all right. But to me, this plan is a 6746 04:59:23,510 --> 04:59:24,620 direction 6747 04:59:24,620 --> 04:59:28,280 that we are here undertaking, putting it together 6748 04:59:28,280 --> 04:59:30,960 , giving it to staff. They're going to come back 6749 04:59:30,960 --> 04:59:31,110 in 6750 04:59:31,740 --> 04:59:36,140 Q4 with these opportunities, but I think we need 6751 04:59:36,140 --> 04:59:40,370 to sort of come together. We all get the 6752 04:59:40,370 --> 04:59:40,910 importance 6753 04:59:40,910 --> 04:59:45,850 of downtown. We need to celebrate that and come 6754 04:59:45,850 --> 04:59:49,880 together. My colleague to the left here, I hear 6755 04:59:49,880 --> 04:59:52,680 his concerns about the safety. I represent a ward 6756 04:59:52,680 --> 04:59:55,330 , suburbia. I hear it all the time. I'm not 6757 04:59:55,330 --> 04:59:58,260 going to come downtown, but I do think we have to 6758 04:59:58,260 --> 05:00:01,330 change the narrative, the way we talk about our 6759 05:00:01,330 --> 05:00:05,940 downtown and understand the fear and talk about 6760 05:00:05,940 --> 05:00:07,850 that and create these safe 6761 05:00:07,850 --> 05:00:11,370 spaces. I know we can do it as a city. You said 6762 05:00:11,370 --> 05:00:13,380 it. We've got great places. We've 6763 05:00:13,380 --> 05:00:16,610 got this structure. We can do it. So I am very 6764 05:00:16,610 --> 05:00:19,070 supportive of receiving this, 6765 05:00:19,070 --> 05:00:25,170 giving the direction. I'm not too caught up on B. 6766 05:00:25,170 --> 05:00:27,240 I know we've already had the 6767 05:00:27,240 --> 05:00:30,350 a quick start conversations throughout the past 6768 05:00:30,350 --> 05:00:30,590 couple 6769 05:00:30,590 --> 05:00:33,990 years, putting out money where we need to for the 6770 05:00:33,990 --> 05:00:35,330 downtown. 6771 05:00:35,330 --> 05:00:38,230 I am interested in the report coming back. 6772 05:00:38,230 --> 05:00:40,670 I understand we're going to take a look at the 6773 05:00:40,670 --> 05:00:41,180 thirst 6774 05:00:41,180 --> 05:00:43,220 to the fourth year. 6775 05:00:43,220 --> 05:00:45,640 Getting this office going I think is very 6776 05:00:45,640 --> 05:00:46,550 important 6777 05:00:46,550 --> 05:00:49,590 and then obviously having to go through the multi 6778 05:00:49,590 --> 05:00:50,220 -year budget. 6779 05:00:50,220 --> 05:00:54,300 So thank you to everyone. 6780 05:00:54,300 --> 05:00:55,110 - Thank you. 6781 05:00:55,110 --> 05:00:57,580 Okay, Councilor Ferreira next. 6782 05:00:57,580 --> 05:00:58,850 - Thank you, Chair. 6783 05:00:58,850 --> 05:01:01,860 I guess I'll start with thank you to Marion and 6784 05:01:01,860 --> 05:01:02,160 Jen 6785 05:01:02,160 --> 05:01:03,150 for coming here today. 6786 05:01:03,150 --> 05:01:05,220 Thank you to CUI for all the work that you've 6787 05:01:05,220 --> 05:01:05,420 done 6788 05:01:05,420 --> 05:01:07,730 and all the engagement that you've done. 6789 05:01:07,730 --> 05:01:10,760 I also wanna say thank you to Mr. McCauley 6790 05:01:10,760 --> 05:01:13,010 for also meeting with me every single month 6791 05:01:13,010 --> 05:01:17,170 and ad hoc calls and meeting requests 6792 05:01:17,170 --> 05:01:19,990 just for questions and concerns and just moving 6793 05:01:19,990 --> 05:01:20,090 forward. 6794 05:01:20,080 --> 05:01:22,190 I appreciate all the work that we've done 6795 05:01:22,190 --> 05:01:24,930 and all the engagement that's been done. 6796 05:01:24,930 --> 05:01:28,390 I appreciate hearing that downtown 6797 05:01:28,390 --> 05:01:31,200 is for everyone. It's for every Londoner, and 6798 05:01:31,200 --> 05:01:35,240 that is so true. Whether you come downtown 6799 05:01:35,240 --> 05:01:37,740 or not, and I would say come downtown, but it 6800 05:01:37,740 --> 05:01:39,950 does benefit you in more ways than just 6801 05:01:39,950 --> 05:01:44,430 the financial. Now, we do have our challenges, 6802 05:01:44,430 --> 05:01:46,190 downtown, and those challenges have been 6803 05:01:46,190 --> 05:01:46,830 articulated 6804 05:01:46,830 --> 05:01:49,310 here today, and I think one that was just brought 6805 05:01:49,310 --> 05:01:51,370 up recently is another big challenge, 6806 05:01:51,370 --> 05:01:54,380 and that is, I would say, the perception, the 6807 05:01:54,380 --> 05:01:57,370 sensationalized perception of what the reality 6808 05:01:57,370 --> 05:02:01,700 is downtown because there is the reality and then 6809 05:02:01,700 --> 05:02:04,640 there is the perception and those two 6810 05:02:04,640 --> 05:02:07,640 are not aligned with each other. And coming 6811 05:02:07,640 --> 05:02:11,160 downtown, anybody who comes downtown frequently 6812 05:02:11,160 --> 05:02:13,960 or lives here, they know the truth. Like the 6813 05:02:13,960 --> 05:02:16,390 challenges are there but the perception is 6814 05:02:16,390 --> 05:02:18,650 one of those challenges and it's right at the top 6815 05:02:18,650 --> 05:02:20,980 with everything else that was spoken about here. 6816 05:02:20,980 --> 05:02:25,350 So I just, I want to say that. I also want to say 6817 05:02:25,350 --> 05:02:26,830 and I'm not going to go through all the good 6818 05:02:26,830 --> 05:02:30,080 items that were brought up in the plan, but the 6819 05:02:30,080 --> 05:02:30,960 four big moves, especially with respect 6820 05:02:30,960 --> 05:02:34,210 to the downtown office, is the one huge component 6821 05:02:34,210 --> 05:02:37,000 with the other ones, but that is really, and 6822 05:02:37,000 --> 05:02:40,010 I've been saying this, what gives us the legs and 6823 05:02:40,010 --> 05:02:42,950 the hands to do the things that we do. 6824 05:02:42,950 --> 05:02:46,340 When we originally brought the motion to council 6825 05:02:46,340 --> 05:02:50,250 to consider looking into a downtown plan, 6826 05:02:50,250 --> 05:02:52,770 that motion specifically requested a 6827 05:02:52,770 --> 05:02:56,090 comprehensive review of the other existing plans 6828 05:02:56,090 --> 05:02:56,690 because 6829 05:02:56,690 --> 05:02:59,500 it was known that some of those plans were still 6830 05:02:59,500 --> 05:03:01,180 relevant, or some of the items in those 6831 05:03:01,180 --> 05:03:03,510 plans were still relevant, and we specifically 6832 05:03:03,510 --> 05:03:05,770 asked, look at them, see which ones are not 6833 05:03:05,770 --> 05:03:08,820 relevant, see which ones are relevant, bring that 6834 05:03:08,820 --> 05:03:11,160 in, because I don't like shelved plans. 6835 05:03:11,160 --> 05:03:13,210 I don't like having taxpayer funds going into 6836 05:03:13,210 --> 05:03:15,360 plans and going on a shelf, and that did happen 6837 05:03:15,360 --> 05:03:16,920 in past councils. 6838 05:03:16,920 --> 05:03:20,210 This alignment of this plan pulls those items 6839 05:03:20,210 --> 05:03:22,730 from those other plans, which means all of 6840 05:03:22,730 --> 05:03:25,800 a sudden that wasted taxpayer funds is not wasted 6841 05:03:25,800 --> 05:03:26,770 . 6842 05:03:26,770 --> 05:03:29,020 we have utilized those plans. 6843 05:03:29,020 --> 05:03:31,620 And we've also aligned them with the times 6844 05:03:31,620 --> 05:03:34,130 that we are today because the pandemic did change 6845 05:03:34,130 --> 05:03:34,840 things. 6846 05:03:34,840 --> 05:03:37,220 And this was also spoken out committee, 6847 05:03:37,220 --> 05:03:39,920 but it was clear after the pandemic 6848 05:03:39,920 --> 05:03:44,200 that we have a diversity issue 6849 05:03:44,200 --> 05:03:46,610 when it came to how we used our downtown. 6850 05:03:46,610 --> 05:03:49,860 We have a large office space sector, 6851 05:03:49,860 --> 05:03:52,090 which was very vulnerable to the changes 6852 05:03:52,090 --> 05:03:54,670 that were revealed after the pandemic. 6853 05:03:54,670 --> 05:03:58,950 So now, moving towards that mixed use downtown 6854 05:03:58,950 --> 05:04:00,830 gives us more resilience for anything 6855 05:04:00,830 --> 05:04:02,610 that might happen in the future, 6856 05:04:02,610 --> 05:04:05,560 which is why it's so vital to move forward to 6857 05:04:05,560 --> 05:04:05,880 that. 6858 05:04:05,880 --> 05:04:09,030 The answers are there, we need the political will 6859 05:04:09,030 --> 05:04:10,150 to move there. 6860 05:04:10,150 --> 05:04:12,780 This gives us a vision, and this gives us a 6861 05:04:12,780 --> 05:04:13,420 direction, 6862 05:04:13,420 --> 05:04:16,690 a strong one, that not only lifts up downtown, 6863 05:04:16,690 --> 05:04:21,000 but also ensures that it will survive. 6864 05:04:21,000 --> 05:04:23,710 Other things that may come up that we don't see. 6865 05:04:23,710 --> 05:04:26,370 The more diversity we have in our downtown, 6866 05:04:26,370 --> 05:04:29,100 The more diverse we use it, the more resilient 6867 05:04:29,100 --> 05:04:31,530 and the stronger we are. 6868 05:04:31,530 --> 05:04:35,480 How much time do I have, Chair? 6869 05:04:35,480 --> 05:04:37,800 - About a minute and a half. 6870 05:04:37,800 --> 05:04:40,730 - I may ask for a time extension of two or three 6871 05:04:40,730 --> 05:04:41,660 minutes. 6872 05:04:41,660 --> 05:04:43,430 I'm gonna go. 6873 05:04:43,430 --> 05:04:47,820 So, I'm not gonna get into some of the big things 6874 05:04:47,820 --> 05:04:50,150 that I wanna speak about 'cause I don't have the 6875 05:04:50,150 --> 05:04:50,450 time, 6876 05:04:50,450 --> 05:04:55,480 but I wanna ask this, or I wanna say this. 6877 05:04:55,480 --> 05:04:59,140 We've spoken about financial aspects of downtown. 6878 05:04:59,140 --> 05:05:02,020 We've spoken about how it broadens the tax base. 6879 05:05:02,020 --> 05:05:04,800 We've spoken about how I think the investment is 6880 05:05:04,800 --> 05:05:06,300 around 48 million, and we're going to 6881 05:05:06,300 --> 05:05:07,720 get double in that. 6882 05:05:07,720 --> 05:05:10,720 We do see in the plan that property tax revenue 6883 05:05:10,720 --> 05:05:13,810 generates about 50 million of downtown. 6884 05:05:13,810 --> 05:05:16,690 We know that that full 50 million is not the cost 6885 05:05:16,690 --> 05:05:19,200 of the services that the city provides. 6886 05:05:19,200 --> 05:05:22,480 A lot of that 50 million does go out to the city 6887 05:05:22,480 --> 05:05:24,260 and subsidizes the rest. 6888 05:05:24,260 --> 05:05:26,250 The return on investment, and this is all in the 6889 05:05:26,250 --> 05:05:27,930 plan, the return on investment does 6890 05:05:27,930 --> 05:05:33,410 mean that you will get the services citywide. Can 6891 05:05:33,410 --> 05:05:36,100 I move to a three minute? I won't go that 6892 05:05:36,100 --> 05:05:38,680 long with three minutes. Sure. I'll look for a m 6893 05:05:38,680 --> 05:05:40,230 over and a seconder for three minutes 6894 05:05:40,230 --> 05:05:43,270 for Council Ferrera. Councillor Hopkins, seconder 6895 05:05:43,270 --> 05:05:46,240 , Councillor Frank, thank you. Just a moment 6896 05:05:46,240 --> 05:06:15,760 while we open that in the system. System. Closing 6897 05:06:15,760 --> 05:06:17,790 the vote. Motion carries 11 to 3. 6898 05:06:17,790 --> 05:06:19,720 Go ahead, Councillor Ferrera. Thank you, 6899 05:06:19,720 --> 05:06:24,380 Committee and Council. So that investment, there 6900 05:06:24,380 --> 05:06:24,480 is a 6901 05:06:24,430 --> 05:06:28,110 return on investment. The more we invest in our 6902 05:06:28,110 --> 05:06:30,120 downtown the more it will broaden our tax base, 6903 05:06:30,120 --> 05:06:33,490 the more it will help. So that was all spoken to 6904 05:06:33,490 --> 05:06:35,750 and I'm glad that that was articulated in the 6905 05:06:35,750 --> 05:06:38,900 report. Now there's one thing that I have 6906 05:06:38,900 --> 05:06:42,840 realized as I've had the meetings, as I spoke to 6907 05:06:42,840 --> 05:06:44,250 stakeholders, 6908 05:06:44,250 --> 05:06:47,190 counselors, residents, and that's something that 6909 05:06:47,190 --> 05:06:49,190 's always between the lines that we don't 6910 05:06:49,190 --> 05:06:51,970 necessarily talk about and that is about the 6911 05:06:51,970 --> 05:06:54,710 identity that downtown brings for London. 6912 05:06:54,710 --> 05:06:59,550 A stronger downtown will help us understand what 6913 05:06:59,550 --> 05:07:03,280 it feels and what it means to be a Londoner. 6914 05:07:03,280 --> 05:07:08,010 It will give us our identity because if we want 6915 05:07:08,010 --> 05:07:10,910 the pride of the city, we need to have 6916 05:07:10,910 --> 05:07:14,430 the feeling of what it means to be a Londoner. 6917 05:07:14,430 --> 05:07:18,290 And in this day and age where people seem to be 6918 05:07:18,290 --> 05:07:21,010 moving apart and not necessarily seeing each 6919 05:07:21,010 --> 05:07:24,650 other face to face, the more our identity is at 6920 05:07:24,650 --> 05:07:25,300 stake 6921 05:07:25,300 --> 05:07:29,020 and is at risk. And the thing that I've seen is 6922 05:07:29,020 --> 05:07:32,170 if we want to feel proud of this city, we need to 6923 05:07:32,170 --> 05:07:35,030 make that pride possible. And if we want people 6924 05:07:35,030 --> 05:07:38,040 to believe in London's future, we need to invest 6925 05:07:38,040 --> 05:07:41,270 in the places to go that shape that future. And 6926 05:07:41,270 --> 05:07:44,380 where is a place that everyone in London knows 6927 05:07:44,380 --> 05:07:48,670 to go? It's downtown. So if we want to reconnect 6928 05:07:48,670 --> 05:07:51,720 Londoners to one another, we need to strengthen 6929 05:07:51,720 --> 05:07:54,110 that place that belongs to all of us, which is 6930 05:07:54,110 --> 05:07:56,910 why downtown belongs to everybody, and 6931 05:07:56,910 --> 05:07:59,650 which is why this plan is not only one that will 6932 05:07:59,650 --> 05:08:01,830 provide the economic benefits, and this 6933 05:08:01,830 --> 05:08:04,150 plan is not only one that will lift downtown and 6934 05:08:04,150 --> 05:08:06,120 bring it to where it is, it's not only 6935 05:08:06,120 --> 05:08:08,910 one that will make the heartbeat of our city 6936 05:08:08,910 --> 05:08:11,540 stronger, but it's also something that will 6937 05:08:11,540 --> 05:08:14,670 ground us of what it means and what it feels to 6938 05:08:14,670 --> 05:08:17,490 be a Londoner, and it will ground us in 6939 05:08:17,490 --> 05:08:21,090 our identity and it will bring us together. So 6940 05:08:21,090 --> 05:08:24,790 the vision is something that I think this 6941 05:08:24,790 --> 05:08:28,240 council can do. We see the vision and which is 6942 05:08:28,240 --> 05:08:30,160 why we need to support this and we need 6943 05:08:30,160 --> 05:08:32,990 to fulfill it. It's something that we need to 6944 05:08:32,990 --> 05:08:36,550 follow through. Like that is the one big 6945 05:08:36,550 --> 05:08:40,040 thing that I have seen between all the lines like 6946 05:08:40,040 --> 05:08:42,230 I'm saying. It's the one thing that I 6947 05:08:42,230 --> 05:08:45,020 just wanted to bring out. Thirty seconds. And I'm 6948 05:08:45,020 --> 05:08:47,640 going to finish it up right now. But that's 6949 05:08:47,640 --> 05:08:50,000 Why this is so important and it's different 6950 05:08:50,000 --> 05:08:51,790 because we have the ability to do that. So I 6951 05:08:51,790 --> 05:08:53,170 appreciate the work 6952 05:08:53,170 --> 05:08:55,550 I really appreciate the engagement. Sorry for 6953 05:08:55,550 --> 05:08:58,000 annoying staff and see why sometimes and I 6954 05:08:58,000 --> 05:09:00,520 appreciate council's discussion and 6955 05:09:00,520 --> 05:09:04,940 Thank you, chair. Thank you. Okay. I have mayor 6956 05:09:04,940 --> 05:09:09,640 Morgan next one time myself 6957 05:09:09,640 --> 05:09:12,080 So you don't cut me off 6958 05:09:12,080 --> 05:09:14,950 So and I would say thank you to everybody, but 6959 05:09:14,950 --> 05:09:15,960 thank you 6960 05:09:15,960 --> 05:09:17,670 I don't want to waste time going through how much 6961 05:09:17,670 --> 05:09:18,990 of people because I got a lot to say 6962 05:09:19,910 --> 05:09:22,350 First off like I think this so this is a strong 6963 05:09:22,350 --> 05:09:24,960 starting point and for the road map to to 6964 05:09:24,960 --> 05:09:25,720 downtown 6965 05:09:25,720 --> 05:09:27,720 And I think it sets it like a really clear 6966 05:09:27,720 --> 05:09:31,130 direction for revitalization growth creating a 6967 05:09:31,130 --> 05:09:32,100 more vibrant downtown 6968 05:09:32,100 --> 05:09:34,460 I'm like I'm gonna talk at a very micro level and 6969 05:09:34,460 --> 05:09:37,070 then a very macro level. So like I hear what 6970 05:09:37,070 --> 05:09:38,160 people are saying on 6971 05:09:38,160 --> 05:09:41,310 some of the day-to-day issues like 6972 05:09:41,310 --> 05:09:43,870 We know that cleanliness 6973 05:09:43,870 --> 05:09:46,540 Public safety and perception of public safety 6974 05:09:47,380 --> 05:09:49,070 Parking, you know, these are all things that 6975 05:09:49,070 --> 05:09:51,270 people engage with on a daily basis and those are 6976 05:09:51,270 --> 05:09:52,960 absolutely things that we need to tackle 6977 05:09:52,960 --> 05:09:55,810 Not only as part of our downtown strategy, but 6978 05:09:55,810 --> 05:09:58,150 just as a daily provision of service to the city 6979 05:09:58,150 --> 05:10:00,010 And that's why we've made a number of the 6980 05:10:00,010 --> 05:10:01,940 investments we've made so like I want to 6981 05:10:01,940 --> 05:10:03,660 recognize that right off the top 6982 05:10:03,660 --> 05:10:05,460 It may not be explicit in the plan, but I think 6983 05:10:05,460 --> 05:10:07,250 we all know that those are really critical pieces 6984 05:10:07,250 --> 05:10:08,210 to any downtown 6985 05:10:08,210 --> 05:10:10,460 It makes people feel safe comfortable walking 6986 05:10:10,460 --> 05:10:12,600 visiting working spending time in the core 6987 05:10:13,150 --> 05:10:15,610 And ultimately, like feet on the street is 6988 05:10:15,610 --> 05:10:17,620 something that is really critical. 6989 05:10:17,620 --> 05:10:20,450 And this is the piece where I think we actually 6990 05:10:20,450 --> 05:10:22,880 have a really interesting convergence of 6991 05:10:22,880 --> 05:10:23,650 alignment. 6992 05:10:23,650 --> 05:10:27,750 So we have people building residential 6993 05:10:27,750 --> 05:10:30,370 development in our downtown core. 6994 05:10:30,370 --> 05:10:33,540 We have uptake on office residential conversion 6995 05:10:33,540 --> 05:10:36,030 with 200,000 square feet being converted into 6996 05:10:36,030 --> 05:10:36,860 homes. 6997 05:10:36,860 --> 05:10:39,170 You know, we have, when you talk about some of 6998 05:10:39,170 --> 05:10:42,280 the big moves, the river district, that's not our 6999 05:10:42,280 --> 05:10:42,860 idea. 7000 05:10:42,860 --> 05:10:44,550 That's not even the consultant's idea. 7001 05:10:44,550 --> 05:10:46,400 That's a grassroots idea that came from the 7002 05:10:46,400 --> 05:10:46,860 development 7003 05:10:46,860 --> 05:10:48,690 community and business owners getting together 7004 05:10:48,690 --> 05:10:49,290 saying, 7005 05:10:49,290 --> 05:10:51,220 we think this should be something that is a 7006 05:10:51,220 --> 05:10:51,710 district. 7007 05:10:51,710 --> 05:10:53,620 And if you get behind that, we don't even 7008 05:10:53,620 --> 05:10:55,090 have to spend a lot of our own money. 7009 05:10:55,090 --> 05:10:57,640 We're leveraging a grassroots movement 7010 05:10:57,640 --> 05:11:01,410 that says we want a brand and market ourselves 7011 05:11:01,410 --> 05:11:01,970 differently 7012 05:11:01,970 --> 05:11:04,150 and we want to attract people to this area to 7013 05:11:04,150 --> 05:11:05,170 live and work 7014 05:11:05,170 --> 05:11:06,910 and be entertained and play. 7015 05:11:06,910 --> 05:11:10,660 That's a really interesting convergence too. 7016 05:11:10,660 --> 05:11:12,640 A successful downtown plan isn't going 7017 05:11:12,640 --> 05:11:14,690 to be built by the city making this perfect and 7018 05:11:14,690 --> 05:11:16,630 we could edit it all day long and make 7019 05:11:16,630 --> 05:11:20,370 a million adjustments. It's a convergence of 7020 05:11:20,370 --> 05:11:22,740 different key partners saying we're all 7021 05:11:22,740 --> 05:11:25,450 in on this. So when you have, you know, through 7022 05:11:25,450 --> 05:11:27,820 the chair, Mike stand up there and say, our 7023 05:11:27,820 --> 05:11:30,100 guys who spend hundreds of millions of dollars in 7024 05:11:30,100 --> 05:11:31,980 the downtown are behind this plan and you 7025 05:11:31,980 --> 05:11:34,380 have the BIA say, we've got access to lots of 7026 05:11:34,380 --> 05:11:36,920 resources, lots of members, and we want, 7027 05:11:36,920 --> 05:11:39,450 you know, to get behind this plan. And you've got 7028 05:11:39,450 --> 05:11:41,120 other partners who are in the area, other 7029 05:11:41,120 --> 05:11:42,980 the people who have been consulted with said yes. 7030 05:11:42,980 --> 05:11:44,910 But what's a really interesting, I think, 7031 05:11:44,910 --> 05:11:46,170 convergence is, 7032 05:11:46,170 --> 05:11:47,680 think about all the things we've asked 7033 05:11:47,680 --> 05:11:49,810 the federal government to do over the last number 7034 05:11:49,810 --> 05:11:50,490 of years. 7035 05:11:50,490 --> 05:11:51,840 We want help with public safety. 7036 05:11:51,840 --> 05:11:52,800 We want them to change. 7037 05:11:52,800 --> 05:11:54,400 And they finally passed their bail reform 7038 05:11:54,400 --> 05:11:54,950 legislation. 7039 05:11:54,950 --> 05:11:57,300 And I think today came into effect. 7040 05:11:57,300 --> 05:11:58,810 We asked them for money on transportation. 7041 05:11:58,810 --> 05:12:01,120 They've invested with us in the downtown core. 7042 05:12:01,120 --> 05:12:03,400 We asked for support on homelessness, housing, 7043 05:12:03,400 --> 05:12:03,870 culture, 7044 05:12:03,870 --> 05:12:05,230 community infrastructure. 7045 05:12:05,230 --> 05:12:07,560 These are all things that the feds are involved 7046 05:12:07,560 --> 05:12:07,700 in. 7047 05:12:07,700 --> 05:12:11,280 And when I went to Edmonton and pitched with 7048 05:12:11,280 --> 05:12:12,040 Mayor Sutcliffe 7049 05:12:12,040 --> 05:12:15,110 to the big city mayors, we want a federal 7050 05:12:15,110 --> 05:12:16,710 intervention 7051 05:12:16,710 --> 05:12:18,780 on the downtowns across this country 7052 05:12:18,780 --> 05:12:21,060 because municipalities can't do it alone. 7053 05:12:21,060 --> 05:12:22,510 The issues are too big. 7054 05:12:22,510 --> 05:12:23,340 They're too complex. 7055 05:12:23,340 --> 05:12:26,070 They require multiple partners to come together. 7056 05:12:26,070 --> 05:12:28,390 And what happened was every single mayor 7057 05:12:28,390 --> 05:12:32,030 of every single large city of the 23 largest said 7058 05:12:32,030 --> 05:12:32,130 , 7059 05:12:32,030 --> 05:12:33,470 this is a great idea. 7060 05:12:33,470 --> 05:12:35,610 And we all have the same sort of challenges in 7061 05:12:35,610 --> 05:12:36,320 our city. 7062 05:12:36,320 --> 05:12:38,830 and you can't build ports or transportation 7063 05:12:38,830 --> 05:12:39,400 infrastructure 7064 05:12:39,400 --> 05:12:43,680 or pipelines if you ignore the core of our cities 7065 05:12:43,680 --> 05:12:43,780 , 7066 05:12:43,720 --> 05:12:44,870 the calling card to the world, 7067 05:12:44,870 --> 05:12:46,610 the places where when people come to Canada, 7068 05:12:46,610 --> 05:12:47,760 they say, "I'm going to Canada." 7069 05:12:47,760 --> 05:12:48,750 They say, "Where are you going?" 7070 05:12:48,750 --> 05:12:51,490 You list a city, usually one of those 23 cities, 7071 05:12:51,490 --> 05:12:53,680 and they usually stay in the downtown. 7072 05:12:53,680 --> 05:12:58,650 It's the economic and social calling card to the 7073 05:12:58,650 --> 05:12:59,200 world, 7074 05:12:59,200 --> 05:13:01,220 and that's why it needs to be 7075 05:13:01,220 --> 05:13:02,880 a federal nation building project. 7076 05:13:02,880 --> 05:13:06,180 That's why we have to align our downtown plan 7077 05:13:06,180 --> 05:13:08,980 with a bigger, bolder vision for the revital 7078 05:13:08,980 --> 05:13:09,190 ization 7079 05:13:09,190 --> 05:13:12,000 of major downtowns because if you go to other 7080 05:13:12,000 --> 05:13:13,120 cities, 7081 05:13:13,120 --> 05:13:14,220 the challenges aren't new. 7082 05:13:14,220 --> 05:13:15,940 In fact, there are other cities that are way 7083 05:13:15,940 --> 05:13:16,620 worse than us. 7084 05:13:16,620 --> 05:13:18,440 Like I've traveled to a few of them lately. 7085 05:13:18,440 --> 05:13:19,430 I don't wanna point them out 7086 05:13:19,430 --> 05:13:21,220 'cause my colleagues might get wind of that. 7087 05:13:21,220 --> 05:13:22,680 But there are other cities that are having 7088 05:13:22,680 --> 05:13:24,620 more significant challenges, illnesses, 7089 05:13:24,620 --> 05:13:25,500 mental health and addiction. 7090 05:13:25,500 --> 05:13:26,920 Yes, we have a big problem. 7091 05:13:26,920 --> 05:13:28,350 Yes, it's a big challenge, 7092 05:13:28,350 --> 05:13:31,260 but we're trying to build momentum. 7093 05:13:31,260 --> 05:13:33,570 And when you talk about block by block street by 7094 05:13:33,570 --> 05:13:34,110 street, 7095 05:13:34,110 --> 05:13:36,130 I hear what Councillor McAllister's saying, 7096 05:13:36,130 --> 05:13:38,650 and I hear what the other BIA's are saying. 7097 05:13:38,650 --> 05:13:40,980 But you-- 7098 05:13:40,980 --> 05:13:42,210 - 30 seconds. 7099 05:13:42,210 --> 05:13:44,710 - It is getting better 7100 05:13:44,710 --> 05:13:47,540 from the west end of downtown head to the east. 7101 05:13:47,540 --> 05:13:49,580 I had a business owner who's owned a business 7102 05:13:49,580 --> 05:13:51,820 in the downtown for 40 years and they said 7103 05:13:51,820 --> 05:13:54,910 it is a transformational change in the last few 7104 05:13:54,910 --> 05:13:55,040 years 7105 05:13:55,040 --> 05:13:55,870 that has been made. 7106 05:13:55,870 --> 05:13:56,890 It's not where it needs to be, 7107 05:13:56,890 --> 05:13:58,510 but it's got me, I'm gonna want an extension too. 7108 05:13:58,510 --> 05:14:00,370 I don't usually ask for one, can I have two 7109 05:14:00,370 --> 05:14:02,180 minutes? 7110 05:14:02,180 --> 05:14:03,910 - Thank you, I have Councillor Ferrera 7111 05:14:03,910 --> 05:14:05,920 and Councillor Hopkins moving a motion 7112 05:14:05,920 --> 05:14:26,850 for two extra minutes. 7113 05:14:26,850 --> 05:14:40,510 Hey, thank you, we will open the vote on that. 7114 05:14:40,510 --> 05:14:45,610 in the vote, motion carries 13 to 1. Go ahead. So 7115 05:14:45,610 --> 05:14:50,140 this convergence of local level support, 7116 05:14:50,140 --> 05:14:53,960 counselors interested, federal government 7117 05:14:53,960 --> 05:14:56,780 interested, an alignment of like massive amounts 7118 05:14:56,780 --> 05:14:57,490 of money 7119 05:14:57,490 --> 05:15:01,010 in all of the areas that we kind of need support 7120 05:15:01,010 --> 05:15:04,020 on, and massive interest in deploying that money 7121 05:15:04,020 --> 05:15:08,180 quickly and effectively, an alignment with other 7122 05:15:08,180 --> 05:15:11,010 key stakeholders across the country to put 7123 05:15:11,010 --> 05:15:11,560 incredible 7124 05:15:11,560 --> 05:15:14,100 leverage on others. Like this is like a rare 7125 05:15:14,100 --> 05:15:16,560 opportunity for us to not just have another plan, 7126 05:15:16,880 --> 05:15:21,230 but start the steps along the path to a larger, 7127 05:15:21,230 --> 05:15:23,630 more transformative change and I'll be clear. 7128 05:15:23,630 --> 05:15:25,530 There are a number of lenders who want the 7129 05:15:25,530 --> 05:15:27,050 downtown to go back to, 7130 05:15:27,050 --> 05:15:29,040 I like shopping at Kings Mills, it's a 7131 05:15:29,040 --> 05:15:31,760 destination play. It's not going to be the same 7132 05:15:31,760 --> 05:15:32,460 it was. 7133 05:15:32,460 --> 05:15:35,510 The plan recognizes that it is the transformation 7134 05:15:35,510 --> 05:15:39,650 to a neighborhood where people live and work 7135 05:15:39,650 --> 05:15:43,870 and be entertained and come visit. Like that is 7136 05:15:43,870 --> 05:15:45,640 the future of downtowns, 7137 05:15:45,640 --> 05:15:48,930 residential density and all of the other pieces 7138 05:15:48,930 --> 05:15:50,890 combined together. And I think we've got the 7139 05:15:50,890 --> 05:15:52,770 catalyst on all of those. We just need to pull it 7140 05:15:52,770 --> 05:15:54,930 all together and take the initial steps. Now, 7141 05:15:54,930 --> 05:15:57,230 I will say all of our plans are flexible. We make 7142 05:15:57,230 --> 05:15:59,560 adjustments to them. There's going to 7143 05:15:59,560 --> 05:16:01,160 be an election. People are going to have lots of 7144 05:16:01,160 --> 05:16:03,300 ideas. We're going to probably new counsel will 7145 05:16:03,300 --> 05:16:04,770 say that here's some adjustments we don't want to 7146 05:16:04,770 --> 05:16:06,230 make based on the feedback we've heard. There's 7147 05:16:06,230 --> 05:16:07,970 lots of chance for that. But we got to get 7148 05:16:07,970 --> 05:16:10,270 started at some point and we got to start to 7149 05:16:10,270 --> 05:16:12,900 create our signal as a council to all the other 7150 05:16:12,900 --> 05:16:15,420 players out there, whether they're the private 7151 05:16:15,420 --> 05:16:15,820 sector 7152 05:16:15,820 --> 05:16:18,030 are the public institutions or other levels of 7153 05:16:18,030 --> 05:16:21,140 government, that we're going to move now 7154 05:16:21,140 --> 05:16:22,180 on our downtown. 7155 05:16:22,180 --> 05:16:24,930 We spent two years working on this thing, and now 7156 05:16:24,930 --> 05:16:27,880 's the time to switch to implementation 7157 05:16:27,880 --> 05:16:29,520 and begin the implementation process. 7158 05:16:29,520 --> 05:16:32,040 Again, there's some council sign-offs we have to 7159 05:16:32,040 --> 05:16:34,120 do as was clearly outlined, but this is 7160 05:16:34,120 --> 05:16:36,390 the point where we can approve the plan, send the 7161 05:16:36,390 --> 05:16:38,310 signal, and start to move forward, and 7162 05:16:38,310 --> 05:16:41,330 I'm fully behind this approach. 7163 05:16:41,330 --> 05:16:42,270 Thank you. 7164 05:16:42,270 --> 05:16:44,350 Councilor Franknax. 7165 05:16:44,350 --> 05:16:45,330 Thank you. 7166 05:16:45,330 --> 05:16:46,320 I like this report, and I'll be quick. 7167 05:16:46,320 --> 05:16:48,140 really, really, really, really, really want to 7168 05:16:48,140 --> 05:16:49,250 play ground 7169 05:16:49,250 --> 05:16:51,510 somewhere near Victoria Park. 7170 05:16:51,510 --> 05:16:53,520 In Victoria Park is ideal. 7171 05:16:53,520 --> 05:16:55,420 I understand there's archaeological stuff, 7172 05:16:55,420 --> 05:16:59,060 but I just really, really want to play ground so 7173 05:16:59,060 --> 05:16:59,790 badly. 7174 05:16:59,790 --> 05:17:03,730 Thank you. 7175 05:17:03,730 --> 05:17:09,900 - Okay, other speakers? 7176 05:17:09,900 --> 05:17:14,120 Okay, Mayor Morgan, can you take the chair? 7177 05:17:14,120 --> 05:17:14,930 - Yes, I can. 7178 05:17:14,930 --> 05:17:17,180 I assume I have you on the speaker's list. 7179 05:17:17,180 --> 05:17:19,370 All right, go ahead. 7180 05:17:19,370 --> 05:17:24,560 - Thank you. 7181 05:17:24,560 --> 05:17:26,560 - Councillor ramen, you go ahead. 7182 05:17:26,560 --> 05:17:27,960 - Thank you. 7183 05:17:27,960 --> 05:17:31,660 Sorry, I will ask the playground question then, 7184 05:17:31,660 --> 05:17:33,500 just so I'll get Councillor Frank an answer, go 7185 05:17:33,500 --> 05:17:34,720 ahead. 7186 05:17:34,720 --> 05:17:36,200 - Perfect, you only used four seconds, 7187 05:17:36,200 --> 05:17:40,120 so I'll let you go ahead and answer. 7188 05:17:40,120 --> 05:17:41,860 - Yeah, I just wanna say I'm a kindred spirit 7189 05:17:41,860 --> 05:17:43,480 and it's something that I look for whenever I go 7190 05:17:43,480 --> 05:17:44,280 to downtowns 7191 05:17:44,280 --> 05:17:46,770 and so there are limitations with Victoria Park. 7192 05:17:46,770 --> 05:17:49,000 There are also, if you read the fine print, 7193 05:17:49,000 --> 05:17:52,000 other opportunities to use surrounding land 7194 05:17:52,000 --> 05:17:52,640 particularly, 7195 05:17:52,640 --> 05:17:54,290 you know, at some of the church lands to get a 7196 05:17:54,290 --> 05:17:55,010 play space 7197 05:17:55,010 --> 05:17:57,110 because I totally agree that if we want families 7198 05:17:57,110 --> 05:17:57,500 downtown, 7199 05:17:57,500 --> 05:18:01,320 we have to give them places to spare. 7200 05:18:01,320 --> 05:18:02,930 - Councillor Roman. 7201 05:18:02,930 --> 05:18:07,150 - Thank you, I will be quick as well. 7202 05:18:07,150 --> 05:18:10,280 - This plan is, and I love the conversation we've 7203 05:18:10,280 --> 05:18:12,110 had today, 7204 05:18:12,110 --> 05:18:16,660 this plan is a refreshing plan. 7205 05:18:16,660 --> 05:18:19,440 I enjoyed the fact that there's a lot of energy 7206 05:18:19,440 --> 05:18:19,730 behind it, 7207 05:18:19,730 --> 05:18:21,500 there's a lot of support behind it. 7208 05:18:21,500 --> 05:18:25,080 I do have some concerns around costing 7209 05:18:25,080 --> 05:18:26,840 implementation, 7210 05:18:26,840 --> 05:18:30,040 new councils visions and their strategic plan 7211 05:18:30,040 --> 05:18:32,060 and their multi-year budget and whether or not 7212 05:18:32,060 --> 05:18:34,990 that will continue to be a priority 7213 05:18:35,980 --> 05:18:38,160 and how that will be addressed. 7214 05:18:38,160 --> 05:18:40,310 I don't quite understand and I need more 7215 05:18:40,310 --> 05:18:41,070 clarification 7216 05:18:41,070 --> 05:18:43,450 around B because to me B doesn't speak 7217 05:18:43,450 --> 05:18:44,840 to the quick start actions. 7218 05:18:44,840 --> 05:18:47,700 B speaks to the actions identified in the plan 7219 05:18:47,700 --> 05:18:49,850 that are not the quick start actions. 7220 05:18:49,850 --> 05:18:51,960 ICC is speaking to the quick start action. 7221 05:18:51,960 --> 05:18:54,230 So I'm just wondering if we can clarify that 7222 05:18:54,230 --> 05:18:56,990 a little bit more. 7223 05:18:56,990 --> 05:19:02,910 - Yes, so I'm gonna go do whoever makes eye 7224 05:19:02,910 --> 05:19:03,260 contact 7225 05:19:03,260 --> 05:19:04,940 with me first. 7226 05:19:04,940 --> 05:19:07,310 Okay, go ahead, Mr. Macauley. 7227 05:19:07,310 --> 05:19:08,880 - Thank you and through the chair. 7228 05:19:08,880 --> 05:19:10,950 So I'll clarify what is being asked 7229 05:19:10,950 --> 05:19:13,990 and what committee is approving or endorsing 7230 05:19:13,990 --> 05:19:14,430 today. 7231 05:19:14,430 --> 05:19:17,250 So the intent of this report is to provide 7232 05:19:17,250 --> 05:19:17,740 council 7233 05:19:17,740 --> 05:19:20,450 with the downtown plan as a strategic roadmap 7234 05:19:20,450 --> 05:19:22,120 and a reference document. 7235 05:19:22,120 --> 05:19:24,390 While maintaining your ability as a council 7236 05:19:24,390 --> 05:19:26,940 to consider individual actions and investments 7237 05:19:26,940 --> 05:19:29,290 through future reports, the strategic plan 7238 05:19:29,290 --> 05:19:29,730 process 7239 05:19:29,730 --> 05:19:31,220 and the multi-year budget. 7240 05:19:31,220 --> 05:19:33,390 So this approach that we took provides council 7241 05:19:33,390 --> 05:19:35,960 with more flexibility and implementation as 7242 05:19:35,960 --> 05:19:36,430 actions 7243 05:19:36,430 --> 05:19:38,580 that can be accommodated in existing budgets will 7244 05:19:38,580 --> 05:19:39,100 proceed. 7245 05:19:39,100 --> 05:19:41,570 We support that, we support everything in the 7246 05:19:41,570 --> 05:19:41,880 plan. 7247 05:19:41,880 --> 05:19:43,760 That's our recommendation to you. 7248 05:19:43,760 --> 05:19:45,670 If you're not ready to make that recommendation, 7249 05:19:45,670 --> 05:19:48,250 then my advice to you would be to defer that 7250 05:19:48,250 --> 05:19:49,690 or to remove that. 7251 05:19:49,690 --> 05:19:52,110 But the intent behind that was that 7252 05:19:52,110 --> 05:19:54,660 we are moving towards implementation now. 7253 05:19:54,660 --> 05:19:57,130 We have developed the plan, the plan is in front 7254 05:19:57,130 --> 05:19:57,640 of you. 7255 05:19:57,640 --> 05:20:00,460 We now need to drastically switch our, switch 7256 05:20:00,460 --> 05:20:00,870 gears. 7257 05:20:00,870 --> 05:20:02,380 And we need to start looking seriously 7258 05:20:02,380 --> 05:20:05,930 at implementing these actions, the costs 7259 05:20:05,930 --> 05:20:07,600 that are gonna be associated with that. 7260 05:20:07,600 --> 05:20:09,910 Whether or not we can do any of the actions 7261 05:20:09,910 --> 05:20:11,030 within existing budgets. 7262 05:20:11,030 --> 05:20:13,060 Some of the actions in the plan are things 7263 05:20:13,060 --> 05:20:15,210 that service areas can add to their work plan 7264 05:20:15,210 --> 05:20:16,730 and we've had some initial conversations. 7265 05:20:16,730 --> 05:20:18,320 So, you know, a couple of studies. 7266 05:20:18,320 --> 05:20:22,080 Oh yeah, we can do that in our 2027 work plan. 7267 05:20:22,080 --> 05:20:23,950 Those are the things that we intend to proceed 7268 05:20:23,950 --> 05:20:24,170 with. 7269 05:20:24,170 --> 05:20:26,330 However, council, again, if council's not ready 7270 05:20:26,330 --> 05:20:28,080 to make that decision yet, 7271 05:20:28,080 --> 05:20:29,710 you can just defer it all to Q4. 7272 05:20:29,710 --> 05:20:31,450 We'll come back with all of the short-term 7273 05:20:31,450 --> 05:20:31,820 actions 7274 05:20:31,820 --> 05:20:32,730 at that time. 7275 05:20:32,730 --> 05:20:34,620 We'll identify everything that we intend to 7276 05:20:34,620 --> 05:20:35,040 complete 7277 05:20:35,040 --> 05:20:38,460 existing budgets, everything that we intend to 7278 05:20:38,460 --> 05:20:39,350 move forward with that will 7279 05:20:39,350 --> 05:20:41,160 prior additional investment and we can provide 7280 05:20:41,160 --> 05:20:42,190 that further clarity in that 7281 05:20:42,190 --> 05:20:46,630 detail to counsel at that time. That's a ramen. 7282 05:20:46,630 --> 05:20:48,400 Still need more clarification. So 7283 05:20:48,400 --> 05:20:51,490 part C says the progress update is on the quick 7284 05:20:51,490 --> 05:20:54,260 start actions. Part B to me is 7285 05:20:54,260 --> 05:20:56,570 the other parts because we already said yes to 7286 05:20:56,570 --> 05:20:59,580 the quick start actions. So part B 7287 05:20:59,580 --> 05:21:02,000 is anything that isn't a quick start action that 7288 05:21:02,000 --> 05:21:03,190 can be done in existing 7289 05:21:03,190 --> 05:21:07,540 budget be implemented. Is that correct? 7290 05:21:07,540 --> 05:21:09,220 - Thank you and through the chair, that's correct 7291 05:21:09,220 --> 05:21:09,320 . 7292 05:21:09,230 --> 05:21:12,730 And by implementation, we mean that we are going 7293 05:21:12,730 --> 05:21:14,630 to take this back to the drawing table. 7294 05:21:14,630 --> 05:21:16,720 We are going to do some more investigative work 7295 05:21:16,720 --> 05:21:18,410 and we're gonna bring that back to council 7296 05:21:18,410 --> 05:21:22,550 at the end of the year for your approval. 7297 05:21:22,550 --> 05:21:25,060 - Okay, so thank you, I appreciate that. 7298 05:21:25,060 --> 05:21:29,390 My concern would be pacing, I guess in a sense. 7299 05:21:29,390 --> 05:21:31,410 There are things that I think are not in quick 7300 05:21:31,410 --> 05:21:31,730 start, 7301 05:21:31,730 --> 05:21:33,790 but for instance, maybe in other parts of the 7302 05:21:33,790 --> 05:21:34,190 document 7303 05:21:34,190 --> 05:21:35,990 that I think should be paced ahead of other 7304 05:21:35,990 --> 05:21:36,420 things. 7305 05:21:36,420 --> 05:21:38,760 So I don't wanna pay for another plan 7306 05:21:38,760 --> 05:21:43,550 or another piece of coordinating work. 7307 05:21:43,550 --> 05:21:45,280 I wanna pay for things that have action. 7308 05:21:45,280 --> 05:21:48,500 So how do I signal that within the directions 7309 05:21:48,500 --> 05:21:51,070 that are here? 7310 05:21:51,070 --> 05:21:51,970 - Thank you and through the chair. 7311 05:21:51,970 --> 05:21:55,060 So your opportunity to do that is singing Q4. 7312 05:21:55,060 --> 05:21:57,160 When we come back, this is not going to be a, 7313 05:21:57,160 --> 05:21:59,570 we are not going to have a consultant come back 7314 05:21:59,570 --> 05:22:00,520 within a meditation plan. 7315 05:22:00,520 --> 05:22:02,540 This is staff's implementation plan 7316 05:22:02,540 --> 05:22:04,990 of the consultants plan. 7317 05:22:04,990 --> 05:22:06,890 So we will be coming back in Q4. 7318 05:22:06,890 --> 05:22:10,130 is when we will be outlining the intended 7319 05:22:10,130 --> 05:22:12,360 direction and actions that staff are taking 7320 05:22:12,360 --> 05:22:15,540 in terms of implementing this plan. There are 7321 05:22:15,540 --> 05:22:17,390 conversations, there's things that we have not 7322 05:22:17,390 --> 05:22:20,430 yet had the opportunity to have because we didn't 7323 05:22:20,430 --> 05:22:22,870 want to put the car before the horse. 7324 05:22:22,870 --> 05:22:24,600 We wanted to get this plan in front of council, 7325 05:22:24,600 --> 05:22:28,680 get your approval or have you set that direction 7326 05:22:28,680 --> 05:22:31,580 so we can come back and say, okay, you gave us 7327 05:22:31,580 --> 05:22:34,070 direction back in June. We've now done some 7328 05:22:34,070 --> 05:22:34,310 further 7329 05:22:34,310 --> 05:22:36,830 investigative work here are all the short-term 7330 05:22:36,830 --> 05:22:38,180 actions that we are moving 7331 05:22:38,180 --> 05:22:40,610 forward with. If you want to cherry pick and 7332 05:22:40,610 --> 05:22:41,970 bring some actions forward or 7333 05:22:41,970 --> 05:22:44,770 expedite that timeline, that meeting will be the 7334 05:22:44,770 --> 05:22:46,750 time to do that. Some of the 7335 05:22:46,750 --> 05:22:48,760 actions, like I said, can be done within existing 7336 05:22:48,760 --> 05:22:51,280 budgets. We will outline when 7337 05:22:51,280 --> 05:22:54,560 we intend to do those. Really, there are things 7338 05:22:54,560 --> 05:22:56,190 that will require additional 7339 05:22:56,190 --> 05:22:58,300 investment need to be referred to the multi-year 7340 05:22:58,300 --> 05:22:59,680 budget process and unless 7341 05:22:59,680 --> 05:23:01,630 Council is willing to provide specific direction 7342 05:23:01,630 --> 05:23:03,170 on what those actions are, we 7343 05:23:03,170 --> 05:23:06,940 to be deferring those until that time. That's 7344 05:23:06,940 --> 05:23:07,380 where I'm in. 7345 05:23:07,380 --> 05:23:10,180 Thank you and through you. So just so I am very, 7346 05:23:10,180 --> 05:23:12,280 very clear. So the headline is not 7347 05:23:12,280 --> 05:23:16,550 Council endorsed, endorses London's downtown plan 7348 05:23:16,550 --> 05:23:20,090 of $48 million. It's Council's endorsing 7349 05:23:20,090 --> 05:23:23,370 the plan of the downtown plan, but there's no 7350 05:23:23,370 --> 05:23:26,650 costing associated yet with the $48 million. 7351 05:23:26,650 --> 05:23:29,070 I just want the public to be very clear about 7352 05:23:29,070 --> 05:23:31,390 that because that to me is a very important 7353 05:23:31,390 --> 05:23:32,020 distinction 7354 05:23:32,020 --> 05:23:35,370 right now in the conversation. 7355 05:23:35,370 --> 05:23:36,490 - Go ahead. 7356 05:23:36,490 --> 05:23:38,850 - Thank you and to the presiding officer, correct 7357 05:23:38,850 --> 05:23:39,020 . 7358 05:23:39,020 --> 05:23:41,910 You are not approving $48 million today. 7359 05:23:41,910 --> 05:23:45,210 This will flow through the budgetary processes 7360 05:23:45,210 --> 05:23:48,010 that we have right now, so the 2028 multi-year 7361 05:23:48,010 --> 05:23:48,460 budget. 7362 05:23:48,460 --> 05:23:52,420 I also want to remind council, this is a 10-year 7363 05:23:52,420 --> 05:23:52,930 plan. 7364 05:23:52,930 --> 05:23:54,800 There's the 2028 multi-year budget, 7365 05:23:54,800 --> 05:23:56,560 there's the 2032 multi-year budget, 7366 05:23:56,560 --> 05:23:58,710 there's the 2036 multi-year budget. 7367 05:23:58,710 --> 05:24:01,890 You won't see everything come forward in 2028, 7368 05:24:01,890 --> 05:24:03,040 unless of course you'd like that, 7369 05:24:03,040 --> 05:24:04,940 and you can provide us with that direction and we 7370 05:24:04,940 --> 05:24:05,390 can do that. 7371 05:24:05,390 --> 05:24:07,980 However, there's a phased implementation approach 7372 05:24:07,980 --> 05:24:08,080 . 7373 05:24:07,980 --> 05:24:09,690 There's a lot more detail we need to provide you 7374 05:24:09,690 --> 05:24:12,020 in terms of how this is rolling out. 7375 05:24:12,020 --> 05:24:15,690 And that report in the fall will provide that 7376 05:24:15,690 --> 05:24:16,190 detail. 7377 05:24:16,190 --> 05:24:18,570 And again, the control is with council 7378 05:24:18,570 --> 05:24:20,890 so that you have the ability if you want to exped 7379 05:24:20,890 --> 05:24:21,150 ite 7380 05:24:21,150 --> 05:24:25,360 or pull things forward in terms of the phasing 7381 05:24:25,360 --> 05:24:27,240 or the secret thing that we as staff have 7382 05:24:27,240 --> 05:24:28,130 recommended to you. 7383 05:24:28,130 --> 05:24:31,020 So if there's items or specific actions, 7384 05:24:31,020 --> 05:24:33,830 then we would take direction at that time in the 7385 05:24:33,830 --> 05:24:34,320 fall, 7386 05:24:34,320 --> 05:24:36,800 expedite those, and then we'd include them 7387 05:24:36,800 --> 05:24:39,680 in either the 2027 multi-year budget process 7388 05:24:39,680 --> 05:24:43,830 or in the formal 2028, 2031 multi-year budget 7389 05:24:43,830 --> 05:24:45,640 process. 7390 05:24:45,640 --> 05:24:46,470 Councillor Roman. 7391 05:24:46,470 --> 05:24:47,300 - Thank you. 7392 05:24:47,300 --> 05:24:49,000 I'm also looking for some clarity, 7393 05:24:49,000 --> 05:24:50,540 and I don't know where I get this from. 7394 05:24:50,540 --> 05:24:53,410 Maybe it's the mayor, maybe it's staff, 7395 05:24:53,410 --> 05:24:57,150 on how this downtown plan and the advocacy 7396 05:24:57,150 --> 05:25:00,760 for what the big city mayors have put forward, 7397 05:25:00,760 --> 05:25:02,430 How do they align? 7398 05:25:02,430 --> 05:25:04,970 How does that get pulled forward 7399 05:25:04,970 --> 05:25:07,320 if we're making an advocacy ask on the funding 7400 05:25:07,320 --> 05:25:09,090 side? 7401 05:25:09,090 --> 05:25:11,570 - Yes, I'll go, you can go first and then I can 7402 05:25:11,570 --> 05:25:12,640 jump in. 7403 05:25:12,640 --> 05:25:13,940 Go ahead. 7404 05:25:13,940 --> 05:25:16,080 - Well, they totally align. 7405 05:25:16,080 --> 05:25:17,400 I mean, there are, as I say, 7406 05:25:17,400 --> 05:25:20,390 there are 60 or 65 downtowns that are in trouble. 7407 05:25:20,390 --> 05:25:22,950 We have a huge project trying to collate all the 7408 05:25:22,950 --> 05:25:23,190 data 7409 05:25:23,190 --> 05:25:25,060 about how important it is to, 7410 05:25:25,060 --> 05:25:27,260 we're trying to persuade the Prime Minister 7411 05:25:27,260 --> 05:25:29,540 that the economy lives in the cities and it lives 7412 05:25:29,540 --> 05:25:30,370 in places. 7413 05:25:30,370 --> 05:25:31,730 And as the mayor just suggested 7414 05:25:31,730 --> 05:25:33,700 that investing in downtowns is a nation building 7415 05:25:33,700 --> 05:25:34,250 project. 7416 05:25:34,250 --> 05:25:36,960 So we're building all that case and all that data 7417 05:25:36,960 --> 05:25:38,930 of which you are one of the leading mid-sized 7418 05:25:38,930 --> 05:25:39,280 cities. 7419 05:25:39,280 --> 05:25:43,550 So it's very much tied to how the federal budget 7420 05:25:43,550 --> 05:25:45,300 will be allocated in 2026, 7421 05:25:45,300 --> 05:25:47,600 how the bill community's strong 51 billion will 7422 05:25:47,600 --> 05:25:48,220 be allocated, 7423 05:25:48,220 --> 05:25:49,770 and that's why we're so supportive 7424 05:25:49,770 --> 05:25:52,090 of what the FCM and the VCMC initiated. 7425 05:25:52,090 --> 05:25:53,410 So it goes, it locks up. 7426 05:25:53,410 --> 05:25:55,360 But also, I look to your treasurer. 7427 05:25:55,360 --> 05:25:57,090 She's gonna be looking for every opportunity she 7428 05:25:57,090 --> 05:25:57,680 can get 7429 05:25:57,680 --> 05:25:59,670 for matching funds, for leveraging, 7430 05:25:59,670 --> 05:26:01,270 for finding ways to get federal investment 7431 05:26:01,270 --> 05:26:03,250 and provincial investment in to match yours 7432 05:26:03,250 --> 05:26:05,150 or to exceed yours, likely. 7433 05:26:05,150 --> 05:26:07,750 Go ahead, ma'am. 7434 05:26:07,750 --> 05:26:08,950 - Thank you. 7435 05:26:08,950 --> 05:26:10,380 I just wanna ask a follow-up. 7436 05:26:10,380 --> 05:26:12,880 So we talked about the fact that a lot of what we 7437 05:26:12,880 --> 05:26:13,170 're, 7438 05:26:13,170 --> 05:26:14,610 we're looking at is it's tenure plan, 7439 05:26:14,610 --> 05:26:17,200 it's a longer term vision, et cetera. 7440 05:26:17,200 --> 05:26:19,310 Then we talked about some of those short-term, 7441 05:26:19,310 --> 05:26:21,180 immediate things that are, 7442 05:26:21,180 --> 05:26:23,060 and Councilor Van Meer, we're gonna talk about it 7443 05:26:23,060 --> 05:26:25,540 in the concept of what's keeping people from 7444 05:26:25,540 --> 05:26:26,120 downtown. 7445 05:26:26,120 --> 05:26:28,120 So in the quick start actions, 7446 05:26:28,120 --> 05:26:30,190 do we feel like we're addressing some of those 7447 05:26:30,190 --> 05:26:30,550 things 7448 05:26:30,550 --> 05:26:35,720 that are more immediate that are in paraphrasing, 7449 05:26:35,720 --> 05:26:37,620 hearing that, so Van Mirbergen, 7450 05:26:37,620 --> 05:26:40,050 but keeping people away from downtown. 7451 05:26:40,050 --> 05:26:41,400 Do we feel like we're addressing 7452 05:26:41,400 --> 05:26:43,350 enough of those inner short-term actions, 7453 05:26:43,350 --> 05:26:46,160 or are those some of those going to be coming 7454 05:26:46,160 --> 05:26:46,610 forward 7455 05:26:46,610 --> 05:26:50,170 in part B as we look at the proposed work for 20 7456 05:26:50,170 --> 05:27:00,190 27? 7457 05:27:00,190 --> 05:27:05,720 - Go ahead. 7458 05:27:05,720 --> 05:27:07,390 - Thank you, and through the presiding officer. 7459 05:27:07,390 --> 05:27:12,340 So on page 457 and 458 and 459 and I think 460 as 7460 05:27:12,340 --> 05:27:12,440 well 7461 05:27:13,850 --> 05:27:14,900 of the agenda. 7462 05:27:14,900 --> 05:27:16,290 So those are all the quick start actions 7463 05:27:16,290 --> 05:27:19,190 that Council has previously approved. 7464 05:27:19,190 --> 05:27:21,300 Some of them have budgetary with them, 7465 05:27:21,300 --> 05:27:22,760 some of most of them were accomplished 7466 05:27:22,760 --> 05:27:24,090 within existing budgets. 7467 05:27:24,090 --> 05:27:25,810 To answer your question about are we making 7468 05:27:25,810 --> 05:27:26,330 progress 7469 05:27:26,330 --> 05:27:27,600 in terms of some of the things 7470 05:27:27,600 --> 05:27:31,370 that are keeping people from coming downtown? 7471 05:27:31,370 --> 05:27:32,430 As part of that report in the fall, 7472 05:27:32,430 --> 05:27:34,790 we will include an update on all the quick start 7473 05:27:34,790 --> 05:27:35,090 actions, 7474 05:27:35,090 --> 05:27:38,450 but I think everyone at this table can agree that 7475 05:27:38,450 --> 05:27:38,970 yes, 7476 05:27:38,970 --> 05:27:41,790 we have seen results with the quick start actions 7477 05:27:41,790 --> 05:27:41,890 . 7478 05:27:41,840 --> 05:27:43,880 We have seen additional investment by Council. 7479 05:27:43,880 --> 05:27:46,510 We continue to see additional investment 7480 05:27:46,510 --> 05:27:50,180 by our staff teams and certain new priorities 7481 05:27:50,180 --> 05:27:51,500 and things emerging as we've moved 7482 05:27:51,500 --> 05:27:52,770 through the development of this plan 7483 05:27:52,770 --> 05:27:54,450 and what's coming forward. 7484 05:27:54,450 --> 05:27:56,500 I think there is still a lot of angst in the 7485 05:27:56,500 --> 05:27:56,920 community 7486 05:27:56,920 --> 05:27:59,430 and we recognize that with this plan. 7487 05:27:59,430 --> 05:28:01,310 But through the quick start actions 7488 05:28:01,310 --> 05:28:02,860 and through some of the subsequent actions 7489 05:28:02,860 --> 05:28:05,060 in the downtown plan, working on communication, 7490 05:28:05,060 --> 05:28:07,130 working on perceptions, working to make downtown 7491 05:28:07,130 --> 05:28:08,690 a greater place is certainly something 7492 05:28:08,690 --> 05:28:10,960 that I think everyone at this table is committed 7493 05:28:10,960 --> 05:28:11,200 to 7494 05:28:11,200 --> 05:28:14,900 and we continue to do that. 7495 05:28:14,900 --> 05:28:18,610 Go ahead, yeah, if you want to add something. 7496 05:28:18,610 --> 05:28:20,050 - Thank you to the chair. 7497 05:28:20,050 --> 05:28:22,620 Your employer is doing the right thing, 7498 05:28:22,620 --> 05:28:24,000 and there are many, many employers 7499 05:28:24,000 --> 05:28:25,830 who can continue to develop down and bring in 7500 05:28:25,830 --> 05:28:26,250 workers. 7501 05:28:26,250 --> 05:28:27,440 I only just happened to know, 'cause I asked you 7502 05:28:27,440 --> 05:28:28,350 where you worked during the break, 7503 05:28:28,350 --> 05:28:31,040 and you told me you were at Fanshawe. 7504 05:28:31,040 --> 05:28:32,710 All sorts of institutional employers 7505 05:28:32,710 --> 05:28:33,700 can bring workers downtown, 7506 05:28:33,700 --> 05:28:35,020 including the one we're standing right in here, 7507 05:28:35,020 --> 05:28:35,980 the city of London. 7508 05:28:35,980 --> 05:28:38,210 So how do we consolidate more and more people 7509 05:28:38,210 --> 05:28:41,160 into the downtown, going out for lunch, 7510 05:28:41,160 --> 05:28:43,170 having dinner, staying over, staying later in the 7511 05:28:43,170 --> 05:28:43,310 day, 7512 05:28:43,310 --> 05:28:44,350 making it sticky. 7513 05:28:44,350 --> 05:28:46,380 So there's lots and lots of ways for people too, 7514 05:28:46,380 --> 05:28:49,210 not just these quick starts, but all the other 7515 05:28:49,210 --> 05:28:51,160 ways that you've got so many other partners 7516 05:28:51,160 --> 05:28:53,150 relocating themselves, committing their own 7517 05:28:53,150 --> 05:28:54,910 workers into downtown. It's going to take all of 7518 05:28:54,910 --> 05:28:55,150 us. 7519 05:28:55,150 --> 05:28:57,220 It's what the mayor was saying. It's kind of an 7520 05:28:57,220 --> 05:29:00,270 all-in moment. Go ahead, Councilor. 7521 05:29:00,270 --> 05:29:02,760 Thank you. And on the quick start actions, again, 7522 05:29:02,760 --> 05:29:05,760 how do they relate to changing the public 7523 05:29:05,760 --> 05:29:11,870 relations image of the downtown? Go ahead. 7524 05:29:11,870 --> 05:29:18,110 Through the through the presiding officer, 7525 05:29:18,110 --> 05:29:21,100 I think the ones that most closely align and 7526 05:29:21,100 --> 05:29:23,260 because of what I've heard and I've heard 7527 05:29:23,260 --> 05:29:24,780 from through this engagement, through many 7528 05:29:24,780 --> 05:29:26,330 engagements we've done, is that feeling of 7529 05:29:26,330 --> 05:29:29,160 safety and there is a couple of actions that are 7530 05:29:29,160 --> 05:29:31,560 specifically related to the line of police 7531 05:29:31,560 --> 05:29:35,130 service and their work on their open-year sub-use 7532 05:29:35,130 --> 05:29:36,110 strategy. 7533 05:29:36,110 --> 05:29:37,970 So our hope is that that work that they're 7534 05:29:37,970 --> 05:29:40,140 undertaking is going to be very helpful moving 7535 05:29:40,140 --> 05:29:41,900 forward as well. 7536 05:29:41,900 --> 05:29:44,490 There's also our CIR response that we've ramped 7537 05:29:44,490 --> 05:29:47,690 up as part of the Quick Start actions and 7538 05:29:47,690 --> 05:29:49,940 Of course, I don't want to go through every 7539 05:29:49,940 --> 05:29:50,360 single one, 7540 05:29:50,360 --> 05:29:53,180 but I think of those are the two that very much 7541 05:29:53,180 --> 05:29:53,470 focus 7542 05:29:53,470 --> 05:29:55,990 on that feeling of safety in the community. 7543 05:29:55,990 --> 05:29:57,660 So, and we're hoping that that's going to just 7544 05:29:57,660 --> 05:29:58,220 continue 7545 05:29:58,220 --> 05:30:01,490 to ramp up over the remaining portion of the year 7546 05:30:01,490 --> 05:30:03,060 . 7547 05:30:03,060 --> 05:30:03,970 Councillor Rowland. 7548 05:30:03,970 --> 05:30:05,530 - Thank you, just my final comment. 7549 05:30:05,530 --> 05:30:08,510 So, I see that we are engaging in conversations 7550 05:30:08,510 --> 05:30:10,180 around do people feel safe? 7551 05:30:10,180 --> 05:30:11,970 And I know that London Police had some survey 7552 05:30:11,970 --> 05:30:12,650 information 7553 05:30:12,650 --> 05:30:15,670 about that with respect to the open air strategy 7554 05:30:15,670 --> 05:30:17,900 that came back with some important data. 7555 05:30:17,900 --> 05:30:20,720 I think it's the communication out to the public 7556 05:30:20,720 --> 05:30:23,530 around the perception right now. 7557 05:30:23,530 --> 05:30:26,070 So what I'd like to see is I would like to see 7558 05:30:26,070 --> 05:30:27,980 what are we doing on the perception side. 7559 05:30:27,980 --> 05:30:30,440 I don't think we've identified that enough 7560 05:30:30,440 --> 05:30:32,810 and how we're going to address some of those 7561 05:30:32,810 --> 05:30:33,300 concerns. 7562 05:30:33,300 --> 05:30:36,010 And I'm just wondering if there's an opportunity 7563 05:30:36,010 --> 05:30:38,670 to move some of that work forward faster. 7564 05:30:38,670 --> 05:30:41,620 Thank you. 7565 05:30:41,620 --> 05:30:42,980 - I think that's a comment. 7566 05:30:42,980 --> 05:30:44,180 Okay, that's just a comment. 7567 05:30:44,180 --> 05:30:45,110 You're all good. 7568 05:30:45,110 --> 05:30:46,800 All right, I'll turn the chair to Councilor Ramen 7569 05:30:46,800 --> 05:30:47,150 . 7570 05:30:47,150 --> 05:30:48,700 - Thank you, I have the chair looking for other 7571 05:30:48,700 --> 05:30:54,290 speakers. 7572 05:30:54,290 --> 05:30:58,550 - Okay, seeing no other speakers online or in 7573 05:30:58,550 --> 05:30:59,320 chambers, 7574 05:30:59,320 --> 05:31:04,400 we were, sorry, Deputy Mayor Lewis. 7575 05:31:04,400 --> 05:31:06,850 - Sorry, Councilor, you're sorry, Madam Chair, 7576 05:31:06,850 --> 05:31:08,580 I just needed to pull my hand up to let you know, 7577 05:31:08,580 --> 05:31:11,050 I'm gonna have to leave, I'm at the end of my 7578 05:31:11,050 --> 05:31:13,220 endurance 7579 05:31:13,220 --> 05:31:15,070 and the head and the eye are pounding. 7580 05:31:15,070 --> 05:31:19,420 So thank you for chairing this another long SPPC 7581 05:31:19,420 --> 05:31:20,240 in my place. 7582 05:31:20,240 --> 05:31:22,760 Hopefully I don't have to burden you with the 7583 05:31:22,760 --> 05:31:23,130 next one, 7584 05:31:23,130 --> 05:31:26,950 but I lasted as long as I can tonight. 7585 05:31:26,950 --> 05:31:29,040 No problem, thank you for letting me know. 7586 05:31:29,040 --> 05:31:29,870 Wish you well. 7587 05:31:29,870 --> 05:31:33,880 And we are going to look at opening the vote. 7588 05:31:33,880 --> 05:31:36,260 I was asked to pull B separately. 7589 05:31:36,260 --> 05:31:38,560 We still want that pulled separate. 7590 05:31:38,560 --> 05:31:42,120 I have Councillor Stevenson, 7591 05:31:42,120 --> 05:31:45,420 you asked to pull B separate, yep. 7592 05:31:45,420 --> 05:32:13,840 We will open the vote for B first. 7593 05:32:13,840 --> 05:32:25,310 - Councillor Van Merebergen, closing the vote, 7594 05:32:25,310 --> 05:32:26,990 motion carries 11 to two. 7595 05:32:26,990 --> 05:32:49,150 - Thank you and on the remaining items. 7596 05:32:49,150 --> 05:32:53,280 - Closing the vote, motion carries 13 to zero. 7597 05:32:53,280 --> 05:32:55,740 - Thank you, that takes us to item 4.3, 7598 05:32:55,740 --> 05:32:58,200 which is the request for province-wide deposit 7599 05:32:58,200 --> 05:32:58,600 return 7600 05:32:58,600 --> 05:33:00,580 for non-alcoholic beverage containers. 7601 05:33:00,580 --> 05:33:03,000 Councillor Frank and Councillor McCallister 7602 05:33:03,000 --> 05:33:04,160 submitted the communication. 7603 05:33:04,160 --> 05:33:15,880 I will go to Councillor Frank. 7604 05:33:15,880 --> 05:33:16,810 Go ahead. 7605 05:33:16,810 --> 05:33:17,630 - Thank you. 7606 05:33:17,630 --> 05:33:19,560 I won't speak too much because the argument 7607 05:33:19,560 --> 05:33:20,970 is essentially outlined in the letter, 7608 05:33:20,970 --> 05:33:24,640 but Councillor McCallister and I had a discussion 7609 05:33:24,640 --> 05:33:26,650 with somebody who works at the Canadian Beverage 7610 05:33:26,650 --> 05:33:27,270 Association 7611 05:33:27,270 --> 05:33:30,080 and brought this advocacy opportunity to our 7612 05:33:30,080 --> 05:33:31,200 attention 7613 05:33:31,200 --> 05:33:33,110 and seemed like a very reasonable 7614 05:33:33,110 --> 05:33:35,540 and prudent thing to pursue. 7615 05:33:35,540 --> 05:33:38,440 and requests going towards AMO and OBCM 7616 05:33:38,440 --> 05:33:41,320 to develop official advocacy positions 7617 05:33:41,320 --> 05:33:43,280 on behalf of Ontario municipalities 7618 05:33:43,280 --> 05:33:46,610 in order to have a deposit return system 7619 05:33:46,610 --> 05:33:48,660 and the various arguments are outlined in the 7620 05:33:48,660 --> 05:33:50,230 letter. 7621 05:33:50,230 --> 05:33:51,680 - Thank you. 7622 05:33:51,680 --> 05:33:53,630 Councillor McAllister, did you wanna add on to 7623 05:33:53,630 --> 05:33:54,090 that? 7624 05:33:54,090 --> 05:33:55,630 Okay, Councillor Hopkins, 7625 05:33:55,630 --> 05:33:57,210 you had a communication on this as well. 7626 05:33:57,210 --> 05:33:58,040 I'll go to you. 7627 05:33:58,040 --> 05:33:58,940 - Thank you. 7628 05:33:58,940 --> 05:33:59,930 - Thank you, Madam Chair. 7629 05:33:59,930 --> 05:34:02,400 I do have a response on the agenda. 7630 05:34:02,400 --> 05:34:04,920 I would like to say though, when it comes to 7631 05:34:04,920 --> 05:34:05,410 advocacy, 7632 05:34:05,410 --> 05:34:07,560 I am a board member, I don't need a motion, 7633 05:34:07,560 --> 05:34:10,740 but I'm more than happy to take the advocacy. 7634 05:34:10,740 --> 05:34:14,010 I also want to take an opportunity to share with 7635 05:34:14,010 --> 05:34:14,190 you 7636 05:34:14,190 --> 05:34:17,890 what AMO has said and done on the return as well. 7637 05:34:17,890 --> 05:34:21,810 So there you go. 7638 05:34:21,810 --> 05:34:23,000 - Thank you, okay. 7639 05:34:23,000 --> 05:34:24,810 Any other speakers on this item? 7640 05:34:24,810 --> 05:34:26,970 Councillor Stevenson. 7641 05:34:26,970 --> 05:34:27,800 - Thank you. 7642 05:34:27,800 --> 05:34:29,620 If Councillor Hopkins doesn't need a motion 7643 05:34:29,620 --> 05:34:30,930 to advocate does the mayor, 7644 05:34:30,930 --> 05:34:33,260 because I just not understanding why we have a 7645 05:34:33,260 --> 05:34:33,660 motion 7646 05:34:33,660 --> 05:34:40,380 to advocate to AMO unless it's required. 7647 05:34:40,380 --> 05:34:42,920 The mayor isn't here for me to get a response 7648 05:34:42,920 --> 05:34:46,320 on the OBCM portion of that if he needs that or 7649 05:34:46,320 --> 05:34:46,560 not. 7650 05:34:46,560 --> 05:34:52,270 So, oh, he is here, hold on. 7651 05:34:52,270 --> 05:34:56,610 Whether or not you need the requested motion 7652 05:34:56,610 --> 05:35:00,080 that's in front of you for OBCM to advocate. 7653 05:35:00,080 --> 05:35:03,140 - So I would say OBCM is slightly different than 7654 05:35:03,140 --> 05:35:03,490 AMO. 7655 05:35:03,490 --> 05:35:06,540 OBCM will only advocate on issues 7656 05:35:06,540 --> 05:35:08,700 where there were, like we're almost consensus 7657 05:35:08,700 --> 05:35:09,030 driven, 7658 05:35:09,030 --> 05:35:11,700 like it's not bringing a motion. 7659 05:35:11,700 --> 05:35:16,090 So I'm happy to raise issues with OBCM, 7660 05:35:16,090 --> 05:35:18,810 but they'll only take on advocacy positions 7661 05:35:18,810 --> 05:35:20,340 that have very wide consensus. 7662 05:35:20,340 --> 05:35:23,010 It's not like we try to stay pretty focused. 7663 05:35:23,010 --> 05:35:26,110 So my preference would be to take very focused 7664 05:35:26,110 --> 05:35:26,720 things there. 7665 05:35:26,720 --> 05:35:29,190 And AMO use AMO for the wider advocacy. 7666 05:35:29,190 --> 05:35:33,240 - Thank you, Councilor Hopkins, you had your hand 7667 05:35:33,240 --> 05:35:33,640 up. 7668 05:35:33,640 --> 05:35:37,570 Yeah, you know, you can bring forward the emotion 7669 05:35:37,570 --> 05:35:39,760 for me to advocate, that is fine too. 7670 05:35:39,760 --> 05:35:41,720 It's a great opportunity for me to share 7671 05:35:41,720 --> 05:35:45,060 what Emil is also doing on these areas. 7672 05:35:45,060 --> 05:35:47,800 So I welcome, you know, the motion 7673 05:35:47,800 --> 05:35:51,820 and happy to respond to it as well. 7674 05:35:51,820 --> 05:35:54,800 - Thank you, go back to Councillor Stevenson. 7675 05:35:54,800 --> 05:35:57,740 Okay, so we have a motion moved and seconded, 7676 05:35:57,740 --> 05:36:00,370 looking for any other speakers. 7677 05:36:00,370 --> 05:36:01,610 Seeing none, we'll call the question. 7678 05:36:01,610 --> 05:36:06,730 Oh, Councillor Vermeer, but go ahead, please. 7679 05:36:06,730 --> 05:36:09,820 - Thank you, Chair. 7680 05:36:09,820 --> 05:36:11,620 I'll probably support this. 7681 05:36:11,620 --> 05:36:13,070 I do have questions though, 7682 05:36:13,070 --> 05:36:16,300 and I'm sure the province will do its own 7683 05:36:16,300 --> 05:36:17,720 analysis. 7684 05:36:17,720 --> 05:36:22,260 We have a system in place, a producer 7685 05:36:22,260 --> 05:36:27,430 responsibility system that hasn't been fully fles 7686 05:36:27,430 --> 05:36:28,230 hed out 7687 05:36:28,230 --> 05:36:29,190 yet. 7688 05:36:29,190 --> 05:36:32,890 I think it's still kind of morphing, but my point 7689 05:36:32,890 --> 05:36:35,850 is if there's less material going into 7690 05:36:35,850 --> 05:36:40,520 the blue box, does that change the revenue slash 7691 05:36:40,520 --> 05:36:44,720 funding slash cost to taxpayers? 7692 05:36:44,720 --> 05:36:49,640 Would staff any concept on that? 7693 05:36:49,640 --> 05:36:54,320 Thank you. 7694 05:36:54,320 --> 05:36:56,660 I'm not sure if we have everyone in the room to 7695 05:36:56,660 --> 05:36:58,060 answer that question. 7696 05:36:58,060 --> 05:37:03,030 I will look to Ms. Stader's there and see if she 7697 05:37:03,030 --> 05:37:05,520 has anyone to answer that. 7698 05:37:05,520 --> 05:37:14,530 Thank you. Through you Madam Chair and the 7699 05:37:14,530 --> 05:37:15,910 laughter is probably well warranted. 7700 05:37:15,910 --> 05:37:21,470 We believe that the movement to to produce her 7701 05:37:21,470 --> 05:37:24,250 pay takes it outside of us in our reality. 7702 05:37:24,250 --> 05:37:27,630 So that means that it shouldn't have an impact to 7703 05:37:27,630 --> 05:37:29,100 the Councillor's question, 7704 05:37:29,100 --> 05:37:30,840 but we can certainly clarify that if there's 7705 05:37:30,840 --> 05:37:32,120 anything further that Ms. 7706 05:37:32,120 --> 05:37:34,220 Chair wants to share when she comes back. 7707 05:37:34,220 --> 05:37:36,090 And I don't know who Mr. McCray in the room 7708 05:37:36,090 --> 05:37:37,290 behind us. 7709 05:37:37,290 --> 05:37:38,080 - He is. 7710 05:37:38,080 --> 05:37:39,050 - Hi, Mr. McCray. 7711 05:37:39,050 --> 05:37:39,970 - Anything that you can add to that? 7712 05:37:39,970 --> 05:37:44,460 - Yeah, if you have anything to add, go ahead. 7713 05:37:44,460 --> 05:37:46,450 - Yeah, my additions are limited. 7714 05:37:46,450 --> 05:37:47,650 I mean, we can take it back. 7715 05:37:47,650 --> 05:37:50,820 I could check with our subject matter experts 7716 05:37:50,820 --> 05:37:54,110 on how this may influence potential business 7717 05:37:54,110 --> 05:37:54,380 cases, 7718 05:37:54,380 --> 05:37:58,380 but you're right, it's early days process. 7719 05:37:58,380 --> 05:37:59,180 - Thank you. 7720 05:37:59,180 --> 05:38:01,530 I'll go to a Councillor Van Mirbergen. 7721 05:38:01,530 --> 05:38:04,980 - Well, for example, a lot of the beverage cans 7722 05:38:04,980 --> 05:38:09,150 aluminum and aluminum is worth money. And if that 7723 05:38:09,150 --> 05:38:11,040 aluminum is not is available in less 7724 05:38:11,040 --> 05:38:14,180 quantity through the blue box system, it's going 7725 05:38:14,180 --> 05:38:16,510 to change the economics. So I'm sure 7726 05:38:16,510 --> 05:38:20,200 the province will do their due diligence. I think 7727 05:38:20,200 --> 05:38:23,620 on one level, this makes some sense, 7728 05:38:23,620 --> 05:38:25,950 but I think we need to be aware that there's a 7729 05:38:25,950 --> 05:38:27,870 bigger, more complicated picture at work 7730 05:38:27,870 --> 05:38:30,790 here. Thank you. 7731 05:38:30,790 --> 05:38:33,770 Thank you. Council Frank, you had your hand up. 7732 05:38:33,770 --> 05:38:36,570 I was just going to reference, I did get the 7733 05:38:36,570 --> 05:38:39,280 fourth paragraph in regards to the financial 7734 05:38:39,280 --> 05:38:43,060 benefits was from Ms. Chambers in regards to now 7735 05:38:43,060 --> 05:38:46,390 Londoners are paying for blue bin pickup 7736 05:38:46,390 --> 05:38:49,210 at community centers, fire halls because those 7737 05:38:49,210 --> 05:38:51,940 are no longer included in the blue bin recycling 7738 05:38:51,940 --> 05:38:54,290 that the province has moved. 7739 05:38:54,290 --> 05:38:57,110 So there actually would be some tax payer savings 7740 05:38:57,110 --> 05:39:00,000 in this model. 7741 05:39:00,000 --> 05:39:01,730 Okay, thank you. 7742 05:39:01,730 --> 05:39:02,700 Any other speakers? 7743 05:39:02,700 --> 05:39:05,900 Okay, seeing none, we will open the vote on this 7744 05:39:05,900 --> 05:39:09,210 item. 7745 05:39:09,210 --> 05:39:24,530 - Closing the vote, motion carries, 10 to one. 7746 05:39:24,530 --> 05:39:28,940 - Thank you, we'll return to our consent agenda 7747 05:39:28,940 --> 05:39:29,490 item 7748 05:39:29,490 --> 05:39:31,510 that is remaining which is 2.1, 7749 05:39:31,510 --> 05:39:32,980 the diversity, race, relations, 7750 05:39:32,980 --> 05:39:36,350 and inclusivity award policy amendments. 7751 05:39:36,350 --> 05:39:39,050 I will look for, to Councillor Cudi, 7752 05:39:39,050 --> 05:39:41,600 who's moving referral. 7753 05:39:41,600 --> 05:39:43,330 - Thank you, Chair, through you. 7754 05:39:43,330 --> 05:39:46,210 Deputy Mayor Lewis has asked me to present this 7755 05:39:46,210 --> 05:39:50,630 in his absence, so with your indulgence, 7756 05:39:50,630 --> 05:39:53,190 I'll read this. 7757 05:39:53,190 --> 05:39:54,250 - Thank you, yes, go ahead. 7758 05:39:54,250 --> 05:39:55,080 - Thank you. 7759 05:39:55,080 --> 05:39:58,090 That the staff report dated June 16th, 2026 7760 05:39:58,090 --> 05:40:00,380 with respect to amendments to the diversity, race 7761 05:40:00,380 --> 05:40:01,020 relations 7762 05:40:01,020 --> 05:40:04,130 and inclusivity awards policy. 7763 05:40:04,130 --> 05:40:05,950 Be referred to the civic administration 7764 05:40:05,950 --> 05:40:09,410 for consultation with the London Chamber of 7765 05:40:09,410 --> 05:40:09,800 Commerce 7766 05:40:09,800 --> 05:40:10,830 regarding the potential 7767 05:40:10,830 --> 05:40:13,640 to recognize diversity, race relations and inclus 7768 05:40:13,640 --> 05:40:13,960 ivity 7769 05:40:13,960 --> 05:40:15,590 achievements through the Chamber's business 7770 05:40:15,590 --> 05:40:16,460 awards, 7771 05:40:16,460 --> 05:40:18,430 achievement awards program 7772 05:40:18,430 --> 05:40:21,560 or a similar existing recognition program. 7773 05:40:21,560 --> 05:40:24,330 And I think you are my seconder, Chair. 7774 05:40:24,330 --> 05:40:37,840 - Thank you, yes. 7775 05:40:37,840 --> 05:40:39,200 Okay, thank you. 7776 05:40:39,200 --> 05:40:40,740 Councillor Cuddy, would you like to speak to it 7777 05:40:40,740 --> 05:40:42,790 any further? 7778 05:40:42,790 --> 05:40:43,590 - No, thank you, Chair. 7779 05:40:43,590 --> 05:40:45,380 I think that sums it up, thank you. 7780 05:40:45,380 --> 05:40:46,540 - Okay, thank you. 7781 05:40:46,540 --> 05:40:51,460 Looking for speakers on this item, 7782 05:40:51,460 --> 05:40:55,820 if I could pass the chair to Councillor Hopkins, 7783 05:40:55,820 --> 05:40:56,610 if you don't mind. 7784 05:40:56,610 --> 05:40:58,130 - Thank you. 7785 05:40:58,130 --> 05:40:58,920 - I have to. 7786 05:40:58,920 --> 05:41:03,020 - So I can speak to it, thank you. 7787 05:41:03,020 --> 05:41:04,690 Thank you, much, appreciate it. 7788 05:41:04,690 --> 05:41:07,630 So, thank you to Councillor Cuddy 7789 05:41:07,630 --> 05:41:10,210 for moving the referral on this item. 7790 05:41:10,210 --> 05:41:14,190 When I was reading through the policy 7791 05:41:14,190 --> 05:41:17,510 and with the date change that's proposed 7792 05:41:17,510 --> 05:41:21,240 and some of the criteria that existed 7793 05:41:21,240 --> 05:41:22,950 from the previous policy, 7794 05:41:22,950 --> 05:41:25,260 but as we move this award forward, 7795 05:41:25,260 --> 05:41:28,150 I noticed a lot of similarities 7796 05:41:28,150 --> 05:41:31,010 between the Business Achievement Awards, 7797 05:41:31,010 --> 05:41:33,200 and I thought it would be a great opportunity 7798 05:41:33,200 --> 05:41:36,660 for us to have a conversation or refer this item, 7799 05:41:36,660 --> 05:41:39,960 ask the chamber if they would consider adding 7800 05:41:39,960 --> 05:41:40,360 this 7801 05:41:40,360 --> 05:41:43,710 to their prestigious Business Achievement Awards 7802 05:41:43,710 --> 05:41:46,780 as a lot of the categories refer to large 7803 05:41:46,780 --> 05:41:48,350 and medium-sized businesses, 7804 05:41:48,350 --> 05:41:50,490 as well as nonprofit organizations 7805 05:41:50,490 --> 05:41:51,880 and organizations and groups 7806 05:41:51,880 --> 05:41:54,630 that support those under 26 years old 7807 05:41:54,630 --> 05:41:56,380 that are doing this type of work. 7808 05:41:56,380 --> 05:41:59,690 So I think there is real potential for alignment, 7809 05:41:59,690 --> 05:42:02,790 but also to put this on a larger stage. 7810 05:42:02,790 --> 05:42:05,440 So this would just allow for that conversation 7811 05:42:05,440 --> 05:42:10,320 to happen before we made a decision. 7812 05:42:10,320 --> 05:42:14,020 - Are there any other speakers? 7813 05:42:14,020 --> 05:42:15,030 I see none. 7814 05:42:15,030 --> 05:42:17,320 I will return the chair back to you. 7815 05:42:17,320 --> 05:42:20,070 - Thank you, I have the chair looking for final 7816 05:42:20,070 --> 05:42:21,690 speakers. 7817 05:42:21,690 --> 05:42:23,610 Seeing none, we'll open the motion on the 7818 05:42:23,610 --> 05:42:38,650 referral. 7819 05:42:38,650 --> 05:42:42,560 - I vote yes. 7820 05:42:42,560 --> 05:42:46,810 - Closing the vote, motion carries, 11-0. 7821 05:42:46,810 --> 05:42:49,630 - Thank you, that deals with all of our 7822 05:42:49,630 --> 05:42:50,830 additional items. 7823 05:42:50,830 --> 05:42:53,610 Were there any other items from members? 7824 05:42:53,610 --> 05:42:56,540 Seeing none, I will go to item seven, adjournment 7825 05:42:56,540 --> 05:42:56,670 . 7826 05:42:56,670 --> 05:42:58,630 We have Councillor Van Mirbergen with a motion to 7827 05:42:58,630 --> 05:42:59,100 adjourn. 7828 05:42:59,100 --> 05:43:00,720 Councillor McAllister with a second, 7829 05:43:00,720 --> 05:43:04,340 and by hand, all in favor. 7830 05:43:04,340 --> 05:43:05,270 - Motion carries. 7831 05:43:05,270 --> 05:43:06,530 - Thanks everyone, have a great,