Building the East London Community Centre & Infrastructure
Play Your Way! Parks, Arenas, & Recreation Centres Matter
Whether we are talking about big parks with lots of amenities or small ones, like Vimy Ridge Park at the Hale and Trafalgar roundabout, the evidence is in: Park spaces are good for our bodies and our minds, green space matters. And good recreation facilities are key to encouraging an active, healthy lifestyle.
Last week I attended the “Stakeholder Input Session” for the City of London’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Continue Reading
Campaign BBQ with MP Mathyssen, Cheryl Miller, & Ward 7’s Josh Morgan
Launching the Shawn Lewis for Ward 2 City Councillor Campaign with an east London backyard BBQ Meet & Greet, Shawn was joined by local Member of Parliament Irene Mathyssen, former City Councillor and past Conservative candidate Cheryl Miller and Ward 7’s Josh Morgan.
Is The Force With London Council Candidate?
How big of a Star Wars fan is Shawn Lewis?
So big, he will be celebrating his love of the sci-fi saga by announcing his candidacy for city council in Ward 2 by waiting until May 4 — known as Star Wars Day among geeks. Continue Reading
Time for Someone New to Represent Ward 2
I’m literally on the wrong side of the tracks to be able to say I live in Ward 2. But arbitrary lines on a map don’t define community. I’ve called east London’s Argyle neighbourhood home for more than 20 years.
Argyle—or Ward 2—is where I work, shop, and play. It’s where my heart is. Home. Continue Reading
Bus Rapid Transit, an Argyle Neighbourhood Viewpoint
As chair of the Argyle Community Association, I have been pressing the City of London to hold public information sessions on the proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) plan outside of the Central Library and in neighbourhoods where people live. This week, BRT information FINALLY came east of Highbury, when the Argyle Community Association hosted city staff at an information session at Clarke Road Secondary School.
What I learned in trying to get people to attend was that people feel that this is a done deal, that there is nothing they can do to stop, change, or improve it. They feel nothing they have to say is genuinely going to be listened to. Continue Reading
Politicians “Experience” and Years in Office Are Not Equal
Some politicians hold office for many years because they are good at getting results for the people they represent. Others simply benefit from the “incumbent advantage” of name recognition and vote splitting to hold on. So the public should never mistake years in public office with the experience needed to “get the job done”.
Recently, this was evident in the debate around the proposed “adult entertainment license” for a new strip club in east London’s Ward 2. Continue Reading
AM980 Roundtable Aug 30, Jeff Preston & Shawn Lewis
Talking about the issue of strip club licensing that is affecting London’s Argyle neighbourhood, about whether it’s time OHIP covered mental health service costs for citizens, and about the CAMI strike vote in Ingersoll.
Urging Council to Connect Argyle to BRT
Members believe the college is too isolated and would prefer the transit hub be located at Argyle Mall, or close to it.
“People want to see transit improved,” association chair Shawn Lewis told AM980.
Full story and audio clip:
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If London’s Doing BRT, Argyle Wants to be Included
“The Argyle Community Association asks council to reconsider the eastern route,” the group writes in a letter sent to council, signed by board chair Shawn Lewis. “It is our position that the eastern transit village should be located at Argyle Mall.”
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