London City Council held a lengthy meeting addressing an integrity commissioner investigation into a councillor's conduct at a town hall meeting, a controversial 30-story downtown development that will displace 30+ tenants, new parking and driveway regulations, and alarming revelations about the city's affordable housing providers facing potential insolvency. The meeting ran past 6 p.m. as council tackled contentious issues around transparency, housing policy, and municipal oversight.

Topics Discussed

INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER INVESTIGATION - COUNCILLOR STEVENSON: The Integrity Commissioner presented findings on three complaints filed against Councillor Susan Stevenson regarding her conduct at a September 10, 2025 Ward 4 town hall meeting at Boille Memorial Community Center. The investigation centered on Stevenson physically moving camera equipment belonging to resident Ben Durham and requesting he stop recording the public meeting. The commissioner found no code of conduct violation, determining that as the meeting organizer, Stevenson had authority to manage the event. However, the commissioner acknowledged "while in hindsight this action might be viewed as inappropriate and dismissive," the context mattered. The incident generated significant public attention, with Durham's YouTube video receiving over 2,000 views and 1.5 million views on TikTok. The commissioner noted that normally dismissed complaints are not reported publicly, but made an exception due to "the level of public scrutiny and media attention this matter generated." Council received the report 15-0, though Councillor Russo challenged what he called a "fundamental disconnect" in the commissioner's reasoning about constitutional jurisdiction.

30-STORY DEVELOPMENT WITH TENANT DISPLACEMENT: Council approved 11-4 a controversial 30-story residential building at 550 Rideout Street North and 8290 Kent Street that will displace approximately 30 existing tenants paying $1,000-$1,500/month in below-market rent. The developer, York Developments, committed to offering displaced tenants comparable units at similar prices or a $10,000 cash payment plus three months' rent. The proposal also includes a privately-owned public park and requirements for native species landscaping, renewable energy sources, and bird-friendly design. Staff had recommended against the application, stating it "does not constitute good planning" and exceeds surrounding height limits (the area is zoned for 15 stories as-of-right, with nearby properties limited to 22 stories). Councillor Ferrer opposed the development, arguing "there's nothing enforceable here. There's nothing that's going to protect the tenants" and advocating for temporary relocation with guaranteed return rights. Mayor Morgan strongly supported the project, stating "If we have the ability of having a builder in the area who says, 'I want to build 30 stories in close proximity to where businesses can be supported, where there's walkability, where there's transit...that's going to strengthen our downtown and core area."

PARKING AND DRIVEWAY REGULATIONS OVERHAUL: Council approved 11-3 (with Western University near-campus neighborhood exempted 13-0) significant changes to driveway width regulations and parking requirements. The changes allow homeowners to widen driveways to create additional parking spaces, addressing complaints about street parking congestion, particularly in older neighborhoods. Councillor McAllister noted "The street parking is unreal. If you live near a school, you have your own hell when it comes to drop offs and pickups...the parking situation has just really become untenable." However, Councillor Ferrer raised environmental concerns, warning that increased impermeable surfaces would send untreated oil runoff directly into the Thames River. The council also directed staff to study spatially differentiated parking policies that would link minimum parking requirements to proximity to transit and on-street parking availability. Councillor Frank opposed increasing parking minimums from 0.5 to 1.0 spaces per unit, arguing "structured parking, as we know, is very expensive...and they're embedded in the price of the rent or ownership."

AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS WARNING: Councillor Stevenson raised urgent concerns about the city's affordable housing providers based on the annual report, revealing that more than 40% of housing providers cannot generate enough cash to pay short-term debts, and 25% have accumulated deficits representing "significant risk to the future survival of providers." At least one cooperative building with 94 units "does not have the money to pay their bills and doesn't know what to do," with 5 units so structurally damaged they may take years to repair and 12 additional damaged units the provider cannot afford to fix. Stevenson criticized the report for lacking transparency, stating "We need to know how many units. We need to know how damaged they are. We need to know how much money you need to fix them...This annual report does not give council in my opinion the information that we need." Staff indicated they work with providers "one-on-one" and would bring reports to council "as soon as possible" if providers face imminent insolvency, potentially as early as April.

COMMITTEE RESTRUCTURING: Council approved 14-1 significant committee chair changes using strong mayor directive powers. Councillor Roman is taking over as chair of the Community and Protective Services (CAPS) Committee, while Councillor McAllister becomes chair of the Infrastructure and Corporate Services Committee (ICSC). Councillor Pelosa stepped down from CAPS but will remain as chair of the Audit and Budget Committee and join ICSC as a regular member, participating "mostly virtually from here." The appointments run through November 15, 2026.

Motions

PASSED: - Receive Integrity Commissioner's report on complaints against Councillor Stevenson (15-0) - Committee restructuring and chair appointments through November 15, 2026 (14-1, then 15-0) - Zoning bylaw amendment for 30-story development at 550 Rideout Street North and 8290 Kent Street with tenant relocation provisions and public park (11-4) - Driveway width regulations with exemption for Western University near-campus neighborhood (11-3) - Exemption of Western University near-campus neighborhood from driveway changes (13-0) - Accessory Residential Unit (ARU) regulations including bedroom limits and gross floor area restrictions (10-1) - Old East Village BIA reimbursement of $14,152.33 from Community Investment Reserve Fund (10-3) - LTC purchase of nine new buses (12-0) - Wellington Gateway Municipal Infrastructure Improvement Phase 2A tender (11-1) - Green Municipal Fund agreements for community energy systems and fleet decarbonization study (11-1 each) - Audit schedule order change amendment (8-3) - Bills 97, 98, 105, 108, 109, 123, 124, 125 (various votes ranging from 9-2 to 10-1) - Mass passage of Bills 95-122 (excluding 97, 98, 105, 108, 109) (11-0)

REJECTED: - Amendment to increase parking requirements from 0.5 to 1.0 spaces per unit (failed 4-10) - Referral of BIA reimbursement to ICSC committee (failed 5-8)

DEFERRED: - Graffiti removal reimbursement request from Old East Village BIA (Item 4.1) - referred to next meeting

Attendees

Present: Mayor Morgan (absent for portion - attending FCM board meeting), Deputy Mayor, Councillors Cuddy, Ferrer, Frank, Hopkins, Layman, McAllister, Pelosa, Pribble, Ramen, Roman, Russo, Stevenson, Trusso (15 members total based on vote counts)

Staff: Megan Cowan (Interim Integrity Commissioner, Aiden Burles LLP), Mr. Mathers (Planning), Ms. McNeely (Planning), Ms. Plet (City Solicitor), Mr. Murray (Finance), Clerk's office