A leader. A listener.
A helper.

This will continue to grow and evolve as I meet with Ward 11 residents, and is a work in progress

I am approaching my campaign with specific priorities that I know matter to me, my family and my neighbours.  

They include:

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•   Building community

  • We lost touch over the past 2.5 years​

  • We haven't had a newsletter or regular "town hall" meetings to provide input across the Ward

  • We are at risk of losing the events we already have due to a lack of organizers and leadership. I've heard this directly from business leaders.  I've helped organize over 500 events in London, and this is where I shine.

    • Solution:​ If you elect me to Ward 11, I will establish a regular Ward e-newsletter, Monthly in person meetings, and events that are accessible and appealing to children and families too 

• Supporting people where they are

  •  Our neighbours report that their elected leaders have been inaccessible for a number of years.  I have no pretence or exclusivity to how I operate.​

  • Everyone has value and input in my community.  Business owners, stay at home parents, racialized folks, LGBTQ community members, people with disabilities and on social assistance. All of them.

  • Individuals sleeping rough report feeling tired of elected leaders tokenizing them, and deserve more of the real authentic help. grassroots organizations like 519Pursuit and Dad Club London have been providing because it's the right thing to do.

    • Solution: When it comes to strategic planning and budgeting, I will ensure that funding is executed under the City of London anti racism and anti oppression lens, and with a trauma informed approach. I  will prioritize funding to results-oriented organizations and projects.​

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• Our environment

  • We are in the midst of a climate emergency

  • We must protect London's trees, green spaces, and ESA's

  • I would like to see cleaning and maintaining the Thames River become a bigger priority for our city. My family and I volunteer with Antler River Rally. Let's all do more.

    • Solution: I support decommissioning the Springbank Dam and stopping deforestation along the Thames. I support ​our goal of planting 2 million trees, and incorporating green initiatives into new capital investment. I support increasing mass and active transit options.

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• Transit

  • We need a more robust, accessible, and efficient transit system​

  • Employees need to be able to get to work where they want to work and when they're needed to work there

  • Investments in transit will improve our workforce and help fight the climate emergency

    • Solution: I see the essential role transit plays in whether or not people can live a high quality of life in our city.  We need to re-evaluate higher order transit options to North and West London, increasing access and capacity.  We need to sit down with LTC and re evaluate our ability to travel between residential and commercial/industrial areas and stop creating situations where 8 minute car rides are 60 minute bus rides.  Our mass transit needs to be effective, broad, and multi-modal, incorporating Park and Rides and secure bike storage into engaging in our transit.

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• Equity, diversity, and inclusion

  • I come from humble beginnings, having attended the most diverse schools in our area while being raised by a single parent on disability​

  • I have dedicated my career to supporting persons with mental illness and disabilities

  •   I bring people of all backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses together under shared values

  • I am dedicated to combating Islamophobia, improving accessibility, and making diversity a priority in continuing to build our city

    • Solution: I am committed ​to supporting the work of the City of London Director of Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression, engaging with our diverse community members in their events and projects, amplifying their voices, and continuing my efforts of the last 9 years of building community and setting a high bar for inclusion in everything I do as your councillor.

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• Housing

  • I've spent the last 10 Years supporting marginalized individuals and those living in poverty in areas such as finding and affording housing​

  • The wait list for Rent Geared to Income housing has grown every single year, and housing costs have also grown 

  • We need to make building housing and affordable housing a core priority over the next four years.  Builders are ready to build and need leaders to help get them going. 

    • Solution: I support the building of as many new RGI units as we can find space and funding for, with an emphasis on units with wrap around supports on site, streamlining the development and build process, fixing the zoning issues of the London Plan, and building within the urban growth boundary in order to protect rural farmland and natural spaces surrounding our city.  I support Josh Morgan's plan to build 50k units in the next 10 years, and will will help bring everyone together to move forward instead of standing still.  1.5 million provincial housing unit shortage and the 6,000 strong wait list for Rent Geared to Income housing in London depend on it. 

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• Supporting local business

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating on small businesses worldwide, forcing many closures and others to take on piles of debt​

  • I am committed to supporting businesses both in Ward 11 and city-wide as they attract investment, grow their customer base, provide employment opportunities, and continue to recover from two years of closures and restrictions

  • No one has put Ward 11 business first in quite some time.  I can and will do that. Vital capital funds are being left on the table.

    • Solution: I will reach out to every single Ward 11 business I can identify and open a channel for communication.  This has already began.  If elected, I will play the role I can play in forming a BIA, and pursuing earmarked funding for local small business.  On a larger scale, I will continue and evolve work I already do as a private citizen in the employment sector and with the LEDC and Employment Sector Council to attract employers that offer good jobs that pay a living wage. ​

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• Safety

  • London is a great place to raise a family.  I am committed to ensuring our streets are safe, that traffic does not pose as a danger to our residents, and that our local social services and police force have the support they need to keep our residents safe and assist marginalized individuals in the pursuit of their own goals, well-being, and success​.

  • I hear you loud and clear that speeding is dangerous and out of control.  I have plans to address this, modelled after an effective system used in New Zealand to make significant impact.

  • I am committed to continuing to support ending Gender Based Violence and making London a safe city for women, girls. and gender non-binary folks.

    • Solution: RGI supported housing, more mental health supports more accessible in our community, and access to addictions treatment will improve safety in our streets.  Our city, mayor, and councillors can and I will play a role in those areas.  London Police needs more resources in this budget to hire more officers to address areas like speeding, fraud, human trafficking​, and creating safer neighbourhoods.  Hiring enough officers to properly address the call queue, expanding the COAST team, and offloading more bylaw based calls to more bylaw officers will make safer streets.  Being an ally and championing the work of Anova, LAWC, My Sisters Place, SafeSpace, and others will make a safer city for women and girls.  

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• ​Active transportation and recreation

  • London has beautiful parks and natural areas. I am committed to protecting and celebrating them, as I believe everyone can benefit from nature​

  • I love biking the TVP and protected bike lanes with my family. I do not feel safe riding on city streets, either alone or with my children.  I hope to change this.  Paint is not protection.  

  • I believe in playgrounds and recreation facilities serving as essential third places to meet that unite communities and neighbours as friends in shared, healthy, active experiences. I would like to see Ward 11 develop and grow its places for children to gather and play, and families to bond and connect

    •  Solution: I will champion closing the cycling loop, creating more grade-separated or physically protected bike lanes, and generally creating true AAA cycling infrastructure.  I will relentlessly pursue investment in a dog park accessible to Ward 11 east of Wharncliffe, and as much recreational capital investment for our neighbourhood as we can muster.  We don't have soccer fields, baseball diamonds, or sports leagues for children east of Wharncliffe.  I can help expand currently existing leagues in the Kensall Park area further across Ward 11 and possibly starting new leagues in Old South if required.  My access to engaged parents looking to help for the sake of children is unmatched in the Ward 11 race, and my success with Dad Club London, Big Brothers Big Sisters of London and Area, and Mountsfield Home and School Association proves that I always put kids first.  

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• Fiscal Responsibility

  • Gas prices, housing, food, and inflation are out of control.  Property taxes continue to rise yearly, and wages are stagnating locally, with many jobs being underpaid or precarious work.  We have a 57% labour market participation rate, one of the worst in Ontario.  We have a lot of work to do, but given that municipal governments cannot carry a deficit, we have to be strategic and realistic in both our City and the taxpayer base's ability to pay.

  • I pledge to always respect taxpayer dollars and be fiscally responsible in decision making​

  • I grew up with nothing, and appreciated everything I ever received. I have been able to accomplish tremendous good as a volunteer over the last decade, and with no sustained funding from the taxpayer.  I pledge to be efficient and diligent in budgeting and spending.

    • Solution: London as a city has an EXCELLENT AAA credit rating with Moody's for over 20 years.  Our excellent budget committee, under the leadership of Josh Morgan and Elizabeth Peloza has saved taxpayers over $70million with our multi year budget process and service oriented review strategy.  We can continue and expand upon this work with more and better support around the horseshoe, take on more debt without passing on increased cost via the property tax rate when it makes sense to do so, be creative and strategic in our spending and borrowing to take advantage of opportunities when the strategy to do so provides a net benefit, and continue to expand upon non-property tax revenue sources, such as increased bylaw enforcement, streamlining development processes which subsequently increases development charges collected,  ​and continuing to be creative in the 30% of our budget availability that comes from non property tax revenue sources.  Selling naming rights to the Bostwick Community Centre generated $3mm for our city.  Why not more of that? 

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Bottom line - City Councillors and Mayors each get 1 of 15 votes, and it requires consensus and majority approval to create real change.  We will see results with a united council that is able to build consensus in their areas of agreement in order to move forward for the betterment of our city.  Through strong leadership and a well honed ability to succeed as a part of a team developed over many years of elite athletics, I will be a City Councillor who you're reading about as being on the right side of votes, having support for his progressive ideas from his peers, and building his colleagues up with encouragement and teamwork as we all strive for a better London for all.    

Of the 15 members of council finishing their term in 2022, I have collaborated with 7 of them as a private citizen through multiple avenues, and enjoy positive results-oriented relationships with all of them.  It's time that Ward 11 and its leader serves as the same bridge to a better future that Ward 11 roads Wellington, Wonderland, Ridout, and Wharncliffe serve between South, Downtown, and North London.  

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I don't say things unless I can do them, and I will do that for you.