London City Council met to discuss transit improvements, housing programs tied to federal Housing Accelerator Fund targets, and advocacy related to for-profit addiction treatment services. Council approved temporary housing incentive programs that expire at the end of September, and passed a 12-0 motion asking the province and regulators to review high-volume, for-profit addiction treatment and dispensing models. Council also debated budget transparency and the cost of the micro shelter program, including a request for more detailed cost information.

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Topics Discussed

Housing Accelerator Fund Programs and Affordable Housing Incentives

Council approved temporary programs intended to increase housing supply and help the city meet Housing Accelerator Fund targets before the programs expire at the end of September. Mayor Morgan thanked the federal government for the funding and said staff had identified ways to use existing money “to not only drive housing but set ourselves up for getting the next tranche of money from the federal government.”

Staff said the city plans to promote the program ahead of the deadline. “We will absolutely make sure that everyone's aware of the program moving forward,” staff said, adding they were “very excited to try to get these units move forward… before that September 7th deadline.”

Council also debated how the incentives should be described and who they would benefit. One councillor said, “I’m really uncomfortable using the word affordability at that level,” while another cautioned, “we have to be careful with terminology creep here.”

Transit System Improvements and Operational Challenges

Council reviewed reports on rapid transit readiness, route planning, and subsidized transit programs. In discussing service planning, staff said, “The overall intent is not to reduce levels of service in any specific area,” but to adjust routes so service is “better spread… out” and feeder routes connect to rapid transit.

Councillors also raised concerns about how easy it is for residents to access transit-related information and decisions. One councillor said there should be “a happy medium” between “thousands of pages and one chart,” and added that while information is available, “it’s not as easy to use as I’d like to see” for a member of the public looking for it the first time.

For-Profit Addiction Treatment and Safer Supply Programs

Council passed a motion 12-0 asking the mayor and civic administration to advocate to the provincial Ministry of Health and relevant regulators for an immediate review of high-volume, for-profit addiction treatment models, including prescribing and dispensing practices.

Councillor Ferrer framed the issue as a conflict between business incentives and recovery goals: “We have the business for-profit model which is clearly ramping up its high throughput volume of dispensing… And then we have another interest where we want stabilization… And those two conflicting interests… that right there at the heart of it is really where my issue lies.”

Mayor Morgan supported the advocacy direction, saying: “There are vulnerable individuals who need help in our community and they are not getting help through the current model,” and argued that changing the approach could “minimize impacts on the wider community.”

Budget Transparency and Oversight

Council debated how much detail councillors and the public should receive in budget documents. Councillor Stevenson said council oversight is weakened when “we’ve got multiple categories netted out into one net budget,” adding, “I feel as though I’ve been kind of flying blind in terms of the bigger portion of the budget.”

Staff pointed to existing tools, but councillors questioned usability for non-experts. One councillor said the information is available, but after the learning curve it may still be difficult for casual users: “It’s not exceptionally… it’s not as easy to use as I’d like to see.”

Micro Shelter Program Costs and Accountability

Council discussed the micro shelter program’s capital and operating costs, including the monthly operating figure and how it compares to what many residents live on. Councillor Stevenson said: “We’ve got so many people in our city who are struggling and struggling to survive on $1,500 a month. And it’s really difficult for them to understand why it’s $4,800 a month for something like this where we own the property, own the building.”

Staff cautioned against immediate reductions in outreach and related supports, warning: “We can make a knee-jerk decision right now and reduce tons of outreach services,” which could lead to people leaving the site and “an uptick in encampments,” noting there is “a traditional uptick in encampments every spring anyway.”

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Motions

Passed: - Item 2.2: ARU grant program for new construction (vote count not recorded) - Items 2.3-2.5: Affordable Housing Community Improvement Program changes; budget transparency items (13-0) - Item 4.1: Board appointment matter (13-0) - Item 4.2: London Transit Rapid Transit Operational Readiness Review (13-0) - Item 4.3: Route Planning and Management Review — Part A (13-0), Part B (11-2) - Item 4.4: Review of Subsidized Transit Programs (12-0) - Item 4.5: Advocacy motion regarding CarePoint closure and treatment capacity, amended to include “continue to” (12-0) - Item 4.6: For-profit addiction treatment services advocacy motion (12-0) - Item 2.1: Micro shelters program (12-0)

Deferred: - Item 2.1: Detailed cost breakdown for micro shelters requested before final approval

Rejected: - None explicitly recorded

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Attendees

Present (13 members): - Mayor J. Morgan - Councilor Stevenson - Councilor Peloza - Councilor Purple - Councilor Traso - Councilor Ferrer - Councilor Chasa - Councilor Frank - Councilor McAllister - Councilor Ramen - Councilor Van Mieren - Councilor Trusso - Councilor Pribble (implied by reference to previous work)

Absent: - Deputy Mayor Lewis - Councilor Hopkins

Note: Councilor Peloza left early due to health concerns. Councilor P left after Item 4.3.