Local NDP & Conservative MPs Support Lewis for Ward 2
Trusted, dependable, cooperative, responsible, words two sitting Members of Parliament are using to describe Shawn Lewis, as they throw their political support behind his campaign to become the new city councillor for Ward 2. But more remarkable than 2 sitting MPs endorsing a Ward level candidate is these two women is that it comes from across party lines, Irene Mathyssen is with the NDP while Karen Vecchio is with the Conservatives.
Former Conservative MP Joe Preston, who is now running for Mayor of St. Thomas and has also expressed his support of Lewis says the reason is, Continue Reading
Leading Ward 2 at the End of the 1st Period
If the municipal election was a hockey game, this week marks the end of the 1st period.
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.
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
Better Transit, a To-Do List that isn’t all about BRT
Let’s be honest eliminating poverty in a generation. Not something a City Council can do by itself. Bringing more jobs? Well, a city council can create a good environment for that to happen in again not something a city council can do on it’s own.
But fixing transit…that folks is something that with leadership at City Council and through it at the London Transit Commission, that is something that can be done! Transit is something wholly under the city’s control. 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
Apology to London’s LGBT Community Must Come From Council
When I first arrived in London (much younger) the Mayor of the day was defending herself and her council at the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal for refusing to declare Gay Pride Weekend in the city. As a gay person who was still in the closet at the time, it certainly made it feel like the city really didn’t want me or–anyone like me–to make London home. 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