The Ward 2 2019 Year in Review
My first year as your city councillor has flown by, but it has been a very exciting and productive first year.
In 2019 engaging the residents of Ward 2 has meant:
- Hosting 3 public townhall meetings
- Responding to over 2000 of your emails
- An average of 4000 social media engagements a month
I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to share your thoughts, ideas, questions and concerns. It is important for me to hear from you in order to bring our neighbourhood’s voice to London City Hall effectively.
Of course, it is also about doing the work at City Hall as well and in my first year I’ve served on Council’s Civic Works and Community and Protective Services Committee, as well as Council’s representative on the Argyle BIA, Library, and Tourism London boards.
I’m looking forward to continuing that work this year and am honoured to have the confidence of my fellow council members in taking on the additional role of Chairperson for the Community and Protective Services Committee for 2020.
There are many Ward level needs and wants to work on as well. We have streets without any sidewalks, while other streets are badly in need of paving repairs. We have parks that need equipment repairs and other locations that need and are waiting for pedestrian crosswalks too. Of course there is also the need to keep working on affordable housing, better snow plowing, public wifi access at city facilities, and getting the green bin program started to name a few of the city wide initiatives I’m working on.
And although I’m frustrated about the delays, I continue to work with our project team at the city to “get it done!” so that 2020 will finally see the opening of our new East Lion’s Community Centre.
It will also be a challenging year as we work on the 2020-2023 Multi-year budget and work to deliver good services while keeping tax increases as reasonable as possible.
I look forward to continuing to work with you, and for you, to make our community an even better place to live, work, and play than it already is.
Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year!
2019 INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS!
- 2 new pedestrian crosswalks installed on Trafalgar at Thorne & Condor
- 3 new advanced green turn signals approved and installed at Trafalgar & Clarke (west bound turning south) and Veterans Memorial Parkway at Gore & Trafalgar for north bound traffic turning west
- School zone speed bumps installed at Bonaventure Public School
- First phase of Dundas St. renewal completed from Highbury to First St.
- Marconi repaved from Trafalgar to Noel
- Edgeworth and Avalon streets; new sewers, watermains, and road repaved
- New accessible pedestrian ramps on neighbourhood walkway Merlin to Dawn Dr.
- Frobisher & Champlain, new watermains, sewer, road repave and new sidewalk.
ENHANCING ARGYLE IN 2019
- Hosted a free Family Day Skate at Argyle Arena for residents,
- In a unanimous vote, had City Council officially designated Vimy Ridge Park at the southeast corner of the Hale & Trafalgar roundabout,
- Helped Lord Nelson School secure funding for a new playground,
- Welcomed new businesses; Osmow’s, Chuck’s Roadhouse, United Kutz, and Madison’s Boutique to the Argyle area, as well as the new London Intercommunity Health Centre,
- Worked with Drewlo Holdings to have their property on Dundas cleaned-up.
Building the Community Together
3 School Board Trustees,
4 local Members of Parliament,
The Argyle Community Association,
The Argyle Basic Needs Coalition,
The Royal Canadian Legion,
Zerrin, York, and Auburn Developments,
General Dynamics, Zubicks, Purifics, Lynn’s Bakery, Diamond Aircraft, Sutherland’s Furniture, McDonalds, Coulter’s Pharmacy, and Player’s Sports Bar & Grill among others.
And doing ride along shifts with the London Police and London Firefighters,
Naming the EAST LIONS COMMUNITY CENTRE!
In 1951 the newly chartered East London Lions Club purchased a block of land which they cleared for a baseball diamond and park. Continue Reading
Ward 2’s Vimy Ridge Park Becomes Official
More than two years after it was opposed by the former Ward 2 Councillor and referred back to city staff to review other options, the Community and Protective Services Committee of London City Council unanimously endorses the motion by new Ward 2 Councillor Shawn Lewis to officially designate Vimy Ridge Park. Continue Reading
An Inside Look at Construction of the East London Community Centre
Opening in the fall of 2019, even if it might not appear so from the roadside, construction of the East London Community Centre is moving along well.
Kiwanis Park Improvements
Shawn Lewis Campaign Flyer on the Issues
Building the East London Community Centre & Infrastructure
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
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:
Continue Reading
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.”
Continue Reading