London City Council Approves Planning Items, Debates Homelessness and Winter Shelter Measures

London city council approved planning items, debated homelessness and winter shelter measures, updated parts of its emergency shelter framework, and changed governance procedures for appointments and bylaws. The longest debate focused on the 2026-27 winter response and emergency shelter guidelines, including whether council should require approval of a proposed arcade location, how contracts should be disclosed, and how low-barrier shelters handle substance possession and use.

Topics Discussed

1. WINTER RESPONSE FOR 2026-27

Council spent much of the meeting on the proposed winter response for 2026-27, including shelter and warming space locations, funding, and oversight. Councillor Susan Stevenson argued the 696 Dundas Street location remained a problem for the surrounding area, saying, "The 696 Dundas Street location is a problem. It is a big problem for that neighborhood and for the neighboring businesses who pay a levy and have a BIA."

Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said the city was responding to an immediate seasonal need and pointed to outside funding support: "We have an issue for the winter," and later, "$2.5 million" in federal funding had come to London, with "2.1 million" allocated to support the winter response.

Council voted separately on amendments that would have required council approval of a proposed arcade location before any contract was executed, required contracts to be placed on a public agenda after execution, and required fire and bylaw compliance review before contracts were signed.

2. EMERGENCY SHELTER GUIDELINES

Council debated updates to the Housing Stability Services Procurement and Delivery Framework emergency shelter guidelines, especially language dealing with possession and use of illegal substances in low-barrier shelters. Staff said operators could still remove people for trafficking, violence, repeated disruptive behaviour, or repeated use, but that possession alone would not automatically bar admission. As staff explained: "A provider can still very much do that and we would consider them just like we would consider any other provider or any other shelter modality," referring to abstinence-based programs.

Mayor Josh Morgan defended keeping access to low-barrier shelter spaces, saying, "I have a challenge with it because I don't want to give people the impression that they can't get help when they need it. And if they need to come indoors to get help and they need to be in a shelter and then we can connect them with services, I'd rather them be there than out on the streets."

Councillor Stevenson pushed to remove guideline language she said explicitly permitted illegal substances, telling council, "I could not find that in any other city's guidelines." After reconsideration, further debate, and a closed-session legal discussion, council approved an amended main motion.

3. PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT MATTERS

Council approved the 12th Report of the Planning and Environment Committee 15-0, with some items pulled for separate votes. A housekeeping amendment confirmed the Southwest Area Secondary Plan had been repealed. Staff told council, "all of the special policies will go directly into the London plan."

Councillor Anna Hopkins also highlighted a Ward 9 development expected to add substantial population and supported an amendment requiring future transit review through the master mobility plan.

Council also passed a homelessness prevention motion. Councillor Skylar Franke described it as "a case study that tells us that we should be looking at more preemptive actions when it comes to mitigating individuals who are at risk of losing their housing."

4. HERITAGE AND INFRASTRUCTURE ITEMS

Councillor Hopkins supported exploring financial incentives for heritage properties, saying she was "very supportive" of a request to report back on tax and other financial incentive programs.

Council also approved an amendment to the school crossing guard program. Councillor Sam Trosow said the review should include more than traffic counts, adding, "I want to make sure that this exercise takes into account also the qualitative aspect of what the principals, the students, the staff and the crossing guards themselves and the adjacent residents have to say about this."

On road infrastructure, Councillor Hopkins praised work on Kalle Road, saying, "We've turned a country road into a virtual bike path," and said the project had been needed for years.

5. GOVERNANCE AND APPOINTMENTS

Council debated whether to keep the striking committee process for advisory board and commission appointments. Councillor Trosow argued against removing that layer of review, saying, "I think that like eliminating the striking committees is going to be sending the wrong signal to our residents at a critical time." Councillor Franke countered that when he served on the striking committee in 2019, "council ignored about 80% of our recommendations and it kind of felt like a waste of time."

A referral to further study the issue failed, and Bill 302 later passed.

Council also referred Bill 306, dealing with deputy mayor and budget chair appointment language, for revised wording. During debate, the clerk summarized the issue as: "The bylaw is about the appointment process, but you want to have a separate policy on deputy mayor?" Council directed that the bylaw return at a future meeting with clearer nomination provisions.

Motions

• Approval of July 21 Meeting #12 Minutes — Passed
• 12th Report of the Planning and Environment Committee — Passed 15-0
• Housekeeping amendment confirming repeal of the Southwest Area Secondary Plan — Passed 15-0
• Ward 9 development amendment including future transit review through the master mobility plan — Passed 15-0
• Item 10 (Planning and Environment Committee) — Passed 13-2
• Housing crisis prevention / homelessness prevention motion — Passed 13-2
• Winter response amendment Part I (council approval of proposed arcade location before contract execution) — Failed 5-10
• Winter response amendment Part II — Passed 15-0
• Winter response amendment Part III (public agenda posting / compliance-related provisions) — Passed 10-5
• Winter response amendment Part IV — Passed 14-1
• Rahman amendment related to winter response — Passed 14-1
• School crossing guard program amendment to include accidents, near misses, and school/community input — Passed 12-1
• Final school crossing guard motion — Passed 13-0
• Referral on striking committee / bylaw A61 changes — Rejected 3-10
• Bill 302 (striking committee item) — Passed 11-2 through all three readings
• Bill 306 (deputy mayor appointment bylaw) — First reading passed 8-5; referred for revised language and return at a future council meeting
• Motion to extend meeting past 6 p.m. — Passed 11-4
• Motion to enter closed session for legal advice on emergency shelter guidelines / Housing Stability Services Procurement and Delivery Framework — Passed 9-6
• Referral motion on shelter guideline clarification — Failed 7-8
• Amended main motion on emergency shelter guidelines — Passed 9-6
• Bylaw referral motion — Passed 11-1
• Bill 308 — Passed 12-0 on all readings
• Bills 305 and 324 — Advanced; first reading 9-2, second reading 10-2
• All remaining bylaws on the agenda — Passed unanimously on the recorded readings provided

Attendees

Councillors identified in the meeting notes as present:

• Mayor Josh Morgan
• Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis
• Councillor Anna Hopkins
• Councillor Susan Stevenson
• Councillor Steven Hillier
• Councillor David Ferreira
• Councillor Jerry Pribil
• Councillor Corrine Rahman
• Councillor Hadleigh McAlister
• Councillor Skylar Franke
• Councillor Sam Trosow
• Councillor Elizabeth Peloza
• Councillor Peter Cuddy
• Councillor Paul Van Meerbergen

Note: The meeting notes provided do not include a full official attendance roll call; this list reflects members specifically identified in the transcript excerpts.