Community Safety & Crime Prevention Townhall
Community safety and concerns about crime have been on the rise in Ward 2 and across the city recently.
There is a sense that incidents of cars, sheds, and homes being broken into are on the rise in our area. This sense is not limited to the Argyle area. Council members from across the city, whether it is Councillor Lehman in Oakridge, or Councillor Peloza in White Oaks, or Councillor Squire in Old North, we are hearing these concerns all across the city.
In response to concerns I recently hosted a virtual townhall meeting with Constable Fickling and PC Fountain from the London Police Service.
If you are interested but were unable to attend, we recorded the video:
London Public Library Goes Fine Free
As one of two Council representatives (along with Councillor Peloza) on the London Public Library Board, I’m really pleased to be able to share that our Library system is going fine free!
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Review of Advisory Committees at City Hall
Last year Advisory Committees sat almost as long at Council (197hrs vs. 211hrs) and required well over 2500 hours of city staff time. These are not limited to the clerk staff either, it includes hours spent by senior management addressing these committees; the City Engineer, Manager for Roads, Manager for Parks & Rec, etc.
A staff review of Advisory Committees was already underway, contrary to some reports I did not initiate that, however I certainly support it. And as a result of the interim staff report, I do not support maintaining the status quo.
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Family Day Free Public Skate
On Family Day I will be hosting my 2nd annual free family skate at Argyle Arena from 2-4pm.
Continue ReadingNaming 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
Bringing Affordable & Public Housing Under Direct City Leadership
Councillor Shawn Lewis speaking about the challenges facing social and affordable housing in London, and the need to bring the direction of London Middlesex Community Housing and the Housing Development Corporation under a single leader accountable to city council.
UPDATE ON EAST LONDON COMMUNITY CENTRE CONSTRUCTION
Dear Argyle Residents,
I know we’ve all been waiting a long time for the Argyle neighbourhood to get a proper community centre, over 19 years in fact.
It was a privilege to stand with (then) Mayor Brown in the fall of 2017 and officially break ground on the construction site.
And, it has been a disappointment to have the opening repeatedly pushed back from fall of 2018 to spring of 2019, to fall of 2019.
Since being elected I’ve stopped by the work site and connected with the management team on a regular basis. I know they’ve been doing what they can.
Unfortunately, it falls to me to share the bad news that we are still behind schedule.
Ward 2 Gets $6 Million Infrastructure Renewal Approval
During the election campaign one of the things I promised to do was to make the renewal of the Calgary, Churchill, Edmonton, Manitoba, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Whitney Street area of Ward 2 a priority.
I was sworn in as your Councillor on December 4th. Getting started on this was my first priority and on December 5th I sat down with our City Engineer, Manager of Roads, and Director of Water and Wastewater. As you know, it is not just the roads that are in bad shape, sewer and drainage upgrades are needed as well, Whitney and Calgary Streets shouldn’t flood every time it rains. It was at this meeting that I learned that some of the drainage in the area dates back to the 1920’s and the City of London’s infrastructure renewal for this neighbourhood was not in the plans to be completed until 2029- 2030!!!
I made it clear that wasn’t good enough. Not only had residents been led to belief for years that improvements were “just a couple of years away”, but the city was constructing a $20 million community centre in East Lion’s Park with no plan to upgrade the roads around it for another decade!
Time for WiFi in City Owned Recreation Facilities
Many of our city owned recreational facilities already have internet connectivity onsite for staff use. But public access to wifi is an increasingly important “quality of experience” factor for users of libraries, recreation centres, gyms, etc, for both regular users and visitors alike, and can also be a safety enhancement.