City Council Meeting: Housing, Bylaws, and Environmental Initiatives Advanced

Council advanced several housing, bylaw, and environmental items, including a Build Canada Homes application, rat-infestation bylaw changes, an invasive species follow-up, and an affordable housing proposal at 1958 Dutch Crescent. Members also discussed complaint-status disclosure, newcomer strategy work, community grants, and referred the Byron Veterans Monument donation to a special committee meeting.

Topics Discussed

1. BUILD CANADA HOMES AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Council discussed the city's Build Canada Homes application and how projects will be assembled for submission. Staff said the application could extend beyond the 1,250 units identified in the report. Mr. Felberg said the city had "received a number of inquiries from local developers… that would be in addition to the 1250 that we've identified in the report," and added, "we actually think that we'll be able to increase the number of units." He also said staff still had "a lot of work to do… to put together the portfolio of different projects" and would bring an agreement back to council once Build Canada Homes determined which projects it would fund.

Councillor Stevenson asked why London's submission did not include the same project-level detail seen elsewhere and questioned "what's in the best interests long-term" when city land, staff expertise, and other support are contributed to a project rather than the city leading it directly.

2. RAT INFESTATION, YARD MAINTENANCE AND COMPLAINT UPDATES

Council moved ahead with bylaw changes aimed at reducing rat infestations and tightening enforcement timelines. Staff said penalties for yard and lot maintenance violations could rise to $400. Miss Feffer said the current 10-business-day compliance period can be too long in rat cases: "an infestation will definitely occur within that time frame," so staff wanted to consider reducing it to "48 to 72 hours depending on the nature of the violation."

Members also discussed waste-storage issues around residential and commercial properties. Councillor Hopkins said she hears concerns "especially when you have residential and businesses backing on to one another" and suggested stickers on bins "not to have the bins overflow." Councillor McAlister said some residents are unsure whether to report issues through bylaw or garbage collection and asked for changes through Service London "just to save our staff some time on the back end."

On complaint tracking, staff said residents would be able to obtain updates on investigations. One member said, "The members of the public… would be able to get information related to the status of their complaint and any outcomes as a result of an investigation conducted."

3. AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT 1958 DUTCH CRESCENT

Council considered an agreement for affordable housing on municipal land at 1958 Dutch Crescent. Debate focused on Clause C, which would allow staff to explore additional density on the site. Mr. Felberg said the clause was intended to give council "some clear idea of how they can approach the approval of this particular development," adding that if council did not want staff to explore "additional density and more units on the site, then we would move forward."

Deputy Mayor Lewis opposed that direction, saying, "I do have a real concern with clause C and the applicant seeking increased density here." He said the proponent already knew the expectations under the draft plan of subdivision and noted the proposal was already moving "the height of the apartment building from three stories to four stories."

Councillor Hopkins also said she was "very concerned that pushing up the density further is starting to cluster what is already a fairly significant… collocation of affordable and RGI units in one part of one neighborhood in the city." Councillor Ferreira supported the project, saying, "I do think that this is the best bang for our buck." Parts A and B carried 5-0; Part C carried 4-1.

4. INVASIVE SPECIES FOLLOW-UP

Council debated a follow-up on invasive species after recommendations from an advisory committee. The discussion focused on prevention, public education, and whether the city should use business licensing or point-of-sale information to warn consumers about invasive species.

Hadleigh McAlister said, "Prevention is the most effective solution. It's the most effective solution environmentally speaking and cost effectively speaking as well," adding that once an invasive species spreads, "management is exponentially more expensive than that preventative measure." Brendan Samuels told council, "We suggest the city explore how it can use business licensing to ensure consumers are provided with information about purchasing specific invasive species that can cause significant environmental and property damage."

A member of the public said invasive plants affect property owners and environmentally significant areas and argued that education matters because "people have the best of intentions but there's just a lot to know in the world and we don't all know everything." Councillor Cuddy said he would be "more inclined to support the invasive plant species at this time and separate the two" so council could get more clarity on animal species first. Councillor Franke said Brampton's approach was "quite robust" and that he hoped a future council strategy would enable something similar.

5. TREE NURSERY, LMCH OPERATIONS, AND OTHER PROGRAM UPDATES

Council moved forward with a feasibility study for a city tree nursery. Councillor Trosow said, "I think establishing a tree nursery feasibility study would be an excellent point," but added that before hiring a consultant he hoped the city would look at "local nonprofits and academic units that have expertise in this area."

Council also heard an update on London Middlesex Community Housing. Staff said a late-2025 spike in issues was tied "primarily to the seasonality, the cold weather temperatures," and said improvements in early 2026 were being attributed to closer work with tenants and partner agencies, along with reminders about "what being a good neighbor looks like."

Other updates included the newcomer strategy, where staff said labour shortages remain in key sectors because "general labor availability does not necessarily translate into… specialized skills availability in the area," and community grants, where staff said the city would return in July with 2026 allocations and could continue a $250,000 annual capital grants program in 2027 if reserve levels permit.

Motions

• Item 2.7 – Affordable Housing at 1958 Dutch Crescent, Parts A and B — Passed, 5-0
• Item 2.7 – Affordable Housing at 1958 Dutch Crescent, Part C — Passed, 4-1
• Invasive Species Follow-up Motion (added agenda, page 287) — Passed, 5-0
• Byron Veterans Monument Donation to Springbank Park referral to a special meeting on June 16, 2026 — Passed, 5-0
• Items excluding 2.7 and 2.9 — Passed, 5-0
• Items pulled for later discussion: 2.7 and 2.9

Attendees

The following council members were identified in the meeting notes as present or speaking:

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