Stuart Clark

Sean Quigley

This Week in London Tweets

Episode 57 August 28th 2013

Guest Bob Smith

Bob grew up on a farm just north of Chatham and, after completing high school, moved to London where he graduated from the Broadcast Journalism program at Fanshawe College.

At his first job at CJBK radio, he was a newscaster and producer of the award-winning public affairs program, ‘Dialogue.’ Bob joined CFPL-TV in 1979 as a reporter. Over the years, he has covered a range of beats including crime, municipal affairs and education. He was also a news editor and producer. The on-air bug soon caught him again, and he anchored a variety of newscasts over the past decade. He was a part-time professor of Broadcast Journalism at Fanshawe College.

Bob is part of a three generation chain of broadcasters. His father, Harold Smith was a long-time Farm Editor at CFCO Radio in Chatham, and his son, Nathan, is News Director/Morning Newscaster at AM 980. Bob’s other son, Nik, is a Process Engineer at General Dynamics Land Systems in London. Bob and his wife Debbie made London their home in 1976, and have found it large enough to offer big city amenities, while at the same time retaining a small-town friendliness.

Questions for Bob

What are the biggest changes you see in news gathering and reporting now and when you first started?

What do you think of the role of Twitter and other Social media plays with the media and the general public?

In the age of blogs etc will there still be a role for traditional media?

PenEquity
http://www.am980.ca/2013/08/28/penequity/

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/08/27/politicans-monday-were-debating-zoning-changes-needed-for-the-huge-retail-complex

As of labor day overnight parking ban returns.

http://www.am980.ca/2013/08/28/4137/

Hosts & Guests

Stuart Clark

Sean Quigley

Pat Maloney

Nathan Smith

Topic – #Ldnwest byelection

Candidate Background and transparency.

What are the voters in London West looking for.

What makes a byelection different from a regular one?

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/07/07/distrust-anger-and-apathy-unite-london-west-voters

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/07/07/gillespie-the-stirring-majesty-of-democracy-by-phone

Nathon’s Blog The forest for the Trees

http://www.am980.ca/Blog/NathanSmith/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10561717#comments

Topic: The Media and the Viewpoint

Is reporting on this by election fair and even – do we hear about all the parties?

Are the “scandals” really scandals or a way to drum up interest and drive sales?

What is the responsibility of the media in a democracy – even a small democracy like London?

Is the media responsible for the cynicism we have with politics or is it only the politicians? Or are we all to blame?

Topic Three – Youth in trouble

Growing number of young Londoners on the street  – http://www.lfpress.com/2013/07/08/growing-number-of-young-londoners-on-the-street

By Randy Richmond, The London Free Press

Monday, July 8, 2013 10:58:26 EDT PM

Signs of a potential crisis include:

• One downtown agency is reporting a 62% increase in visits from youths seeking meals and other essentials.

• Another agency reports seeing young people with far more complex and chronic problems than even a few years ago, and double the number of outreach workers wouldn’t satisfy the demand for help.

• A third agency also is reporting an increased demand for food, and an increased plea from schools seeking help with troubled students and violence.

• 19,000: Rough number of visits for food and other essentials at Youth Action Centre, increase of 62%

• 3,000: People aged 12-25 getting help at Intercommunity Health Centre

This story generated 175 comments – many of them telling these youth to pull themselves up and go to work. Is this a realistic answer?

What is the responsibility of the family of the youth in these situations?

Are we “coddling”  our youth ?

Why is this happening now in London?

Topic Four – Egyptians in London stage rally against deposed president

London Community News

ByCraig Gilbert

http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/news-story/3882350-egyptians-in-london-stage-rally-against-deposed-president/

Topic 5 – London’s jobless rate drops to 9.2%

9.2% — London’s unemployment rate finally dips

By Hank Daniszewski, The London Free Press

Friday, July 5, 2013 7:59:54 EDT PM

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/07/05/london-jobless-rate-dropped-significantly-in-june-to-92

London area unemployment rate for this year:

January: 8.5%

February: 9.1%

March: 9.6%

April: 9.9%

May: 9.8%

June: 9.2%

June 2013 versus June 2012

Unemployment: 9.2% versus 8.5%

Participation rate: 64.5% versus 65.8%

Labour force: 270,600 versus 273,800

A program note from Stuart – Yes this should have been episode 54, entirely my fault. Maybe we will do Ep 54 next time, or leave it as a lost episode.  Enjoy the podcast.

This week in London tweets.

Episode 55 June 5th 2013

Guest Joel Adams.

Topics

Joel’s new makerspace  http://www.hackerstudios.com/

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/06/02/new-london-space-for-budding-entrepreneurs

Transit Master plan

http://www.london.ca/Transportation_Planning/pdfs/ST_Roundtable_PRESENTATION_2009_10_21_London_TMP_Phase1.pdf

http://feedback.rethinklondon.ca/pdfs/Discussion%20papers%20-%20Section%204%20-%20TRANSPORTATION.pdf

Buses getting to factories etc.

http://themcleodreport.ca/columns/1180-who-should-pay-for-better-service.html

Rethink London

http://rethinklondon.ca/

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/06/05/the-political-beat-june-5

Is there a disconnect between what some orgs in london are saying and what educated people who are unemployed are seeing?

Start at 4:10 in the video

Shout out to London fringe.

Londonlawn exclusive.

Municipal information systems conference

London took home the IS award of excellence.

Guest

Pat Maloney @patatlfpress

Patrick Maloney has been a reporter with The London Free Press since 2003. In the years since, he has covered topics ranging from sports and courts to high-profile crime and federal elections. In 2010, he was part of a newsroom team that won a National Newspaper Award. He now mainly covers city hall.

Topics

Boston Bombing,  Role of the press and social media.

In Boston Bombing a race to slow down.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/in-boston-bombing-a-race-for-media-to-slow-down-20130416-2hxo8.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/netapp/2013/04/16/boston-bomb-cloud-hope/

http://www.globalresearch.ca/boston-marathon-bombing-rush-media-reports-of-terror-attack-without-factual-substantiation/5331543

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2013/04/the-saudi-marathon-man.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/petermansbridge/2013/04/the-race-to-be-first.html

Friday afternoon several major networks and sources said an arresst had been made, then had to correct themselves after FBI / Boston Police said no arrest, too much of rush over fact checking?

Liberal Leadership and other parties reaction to it.

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/04/15/tories-waste-no-time-targeting-trudeau-with-attack-ads

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/could-attack-ads-on-justin-trudeau-backfire-on-the-tories-1.1239975

London Unemployment – What Are we doing about it (and what should government do about it?)

GDP

The Conference Board of Canada, measuring innovation in 17 peer countries, has ranked Canada as a woeful 14th and if we add to this an article by Angela Mullins of the London Metro on February 14th 2013 “Gross domestic product — the value of goods and services — for the London area grew by 1.2 per cent last year, up from one per cent growth in 2011. Gains will continue through 2017, with the GDP expected to grow 1.9 per cent this year, the report says. Growth for the period will peak at 2.2 per cent in 2014.”

“According at a report by the Conference Board of Canada growth in other parts of southwest Ontario is outpacing that in the London area, the report says. Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge saw GDP grow 3.9 per cent in 2012 — the third biggest jump of areas covered in the report — and growth of 2.7 per cent is expected this year. Windsor’s economy grew 1.6 per cent last year and is slated for a 2.4 per cent expansion in 2013.”

Population

“Although the London Economic Region has lagged behind the province in the recovery of jobs to pre-2009 levels, there has continued to be an increase in population in this area. Between 2006 and 2011, the net increase was 21,891. The London Economic Region also lags the province in population growth.” 2013 Workforce Labour Plan by The Elgin, Middlesex, Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board

Unemployment

Unemployment Rate March 2013 (Seasonally adjusted)

Guelph 6

Ottawa 6.1

Hamilton 6.1

Kingston 6.3

Thunder Bay 6.3

Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo 7.2

Barrie 7.3

Brantford 7.7

Greater Sudbury 7.8

St. Catharines-Niagara 7.9

Toronto 8.4

Oshawa 8.6

Windsor 9

London 9.6

Peterborough 10.2

According to the report by@WorkforceEMO the 2012 annual unemployment rate for 15 to 24yr olds was 20.3% – page 11http://workforcedevelopment.ca/sites/default/files/LLMP_2013.pdf

January to February 2013:

• 800: Finance, insurance, real estate

• 1,400: Professional, scientific, technical services

• 900: Warehousing and transportation

• 900: Health care and education

AMONG JOB GAINS

January to February 2013:

• 1,000: retail, wholesale trade

• 1,600: Food and accommodation

• 400: Construction

SC- Where do we go from here?

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/04/15/are-there-too-many-cooks

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/04/12/re-soling-a-worn-economy

Autistic home sent back for review

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/04/16/autistic-home-sent-back-for-review

100 Year old Canadian Hall of Fame Boxer story by Pat in Saturday’s London Free Press

Guest – Glen Pearson

Blogs – Kathleen Wynne’s Victory – Look Deeper

– The Curse of Blind Optimism

– Hyper-partisanship – The Steroids of Politics

Glen’s recent trip to Sudan – The issues with Community Development ( giving in good faith when it might be bad for the community)

AwesomeLDN
http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/news-story/1934325-awesome-london-finds-its-first-1-000-awesome-idea/

Council reject a number of cuts that could deliever tax freeze.
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/01/25/london-city-council-rejects-number-of-cuts-that-could-deliver-tax-freeze

Some votes from last week.
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/01/28/london-city-budget-has-a-long-way-to-go

Concilor Paul Hubert creates an online poll to give your feed back to the budget woth – http://www.lfpress.com/2013/01/30/2013-budget-add-your-two-cents-online

Survey Link – https://www.research.net/s/2013LdnBudgetSurvey

Council to defend SWAP blueprint
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/01/29/council-to-defend-swap-blueprint

London Cultural Prosperity Plan

• Estimated $329,705,349 is the conservative contribution through salaries and wages in 2011 from the cultural industry in #ldnont

• 6000 student enrolled in arts and culture programs in #ldnont – exceptional talent training on London @FanshaweCollege and @westernu

• Prioroties for the Cultural Plan – https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BB4LooJCAAQ67sO.jpg:large

• Economic impact analysis for cultural profile report – Culture generated 549 mill In direct economic benefit to London
• Economic impact ( image) – https://twitter.com/Emerginglondon/status/296666346454929408/photo/1

LTC Bus people.
http://www.thelondoner.ca/2013/01/29/looking-for-a-smoother-ride

Welcome to This Week In London Tweets.

You can find us on Twitter at @twiltpodcast

We livestream at livestream.com/twilt during the show usually Mondays at 7pm edt. You can find old video archives of the show as well there. If you watch the livestream please considering subscribing and rating us. It does help!

Guests

Jesse Helmer

Derek Silva

State of the City Address.
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/01/21/more-than-1000-expected-for-mayor-joe-fontana-state-of-the-city-address

Developers don’t support SWA PLAN
by Johnathon Sher
They’re the biggest names among London developers, with a history of sometimes fighting it out among themselves.
But this time, they’ve joined against an unlikely foe — Mayor Joe Fontana’s gang of eight on city council.

London and St. Thomas association of realtors opposes Mayor Joe Fontana’s tax freeze

In a letter to Joe Fontana, the London and St. Thomas association of realtors calls his attempted tax freeze ill-advised and bad news for London.
“Zero percent is a false god, Mr. Mayor,” the letter says.
The association is focusing its dismay on the suggestion the city slash in half its $2-million annual payment into the affordable housing reserve fund “on the altar of a 0% tax increase.”

Emerging Leaders one of several groups speaking at public participation meeting on London’s 2013 budget – Chip MArtin
The long-term future for young Londoners isn’t especially bright if city hall sticks with a tax freeze in 2013, councillors will be told Monday.
Emerging Leaders, which works to attract and keep young talent in London, makes that argument in the first of several public participation meetings on the city’s 2013 budget.

Novel idea Wins Support
Chip MArtin
A city councillor is suggesting city hall could be treated as a charity case by people with spare money.
Coun. Dale Henderson has come up with an idea to appease Londoners opposed to a property tax freeze out of concern for London’s less fortunate.
They can donate to city hall on their tax bill and designate it for food or for homelessness or affordable housing, he suggested, getting a charitable tax receipt in return.

Windsor allows donations.
http://www.citywindsor.ca/cityhall/-financial-documents/pages/charitable-donations.aspx

Mental illness calls cost LPS 12 in 2012 says Chief Duncan
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/01/23/mental-illness-calls-cost-london-force-12-million-in-2012-says-chief-brad-duncan

LTC Bus People.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/LTC-Bus-People/448095988591539

Welcome to This Week In London Tweets.

You can find us on Twitter at @twiltpodcast

We livestream at livestream.com/twilt during the show usually Mondays at 7pm edt. You can find old video archives of the show as well there. If you watch the livestream please considering subscribing and rating us. It does help!

Chat log of the show

Guest
Kelly McGregor
http://twitter.com/kamcgregor

Quick review of the year, thank people who have helped us
Kevin
Bill Deys
Unlab
all of our previous guests.

LondLicious

By John Matisz METRO

The addition of a chain restaurant to Londonlicious has led one independent local eatery to withdraw from the annual food festival.
Kantina Restaurant, a downtown spot serving mostly eastern European dishes, has pulled out of the food festival because its owner feels the event’s core vision has been tarnished.
The festival, which runs from Jan. 17 to Feb. 3, has traditionally been promoted as a hyper-local experience. However, upon hearing it added Moxie’s — a bar and grill founded in Calgary and prominent across Canada — to its restaurant list, Kantina quit, saying Londonlicious was headed in the wrong direction.
Throughout the winter culinary event approximately 35 locally owned and managed restaurants — ranging from cultural hub Budapest to upscale Crave — offer the public the opportunity to dine at local restaurants featuring fixed price menus. This allows restaurant-goers to enjoy a three-course meal for $20 to $30, while also celebrating the local culinary scene.
Two of Moxie’s 63 Canadian restaurants are located in Forest City and because it employs several Londoners, Londonlicious organizer Andy Wilson says, the casual restaurant meets the event’s entrance criteria.
“Moxie’s contacted me, and they had a great argument,” Wilson said. “And I told them it would be a trial run. I told them, ‘We’ll see how the community reacts, how the other restaurants react to it.’”
There was a lengthy message posted on Kantina’s Facebook page on Monday. It outlines the rationale behind the withdrawal, and says Londonlicious is “selling out.”
“While we understand this is only one restaurant, it sets precedent with which we are not at all comfortable,” reads the post. Wilson, who admits he weighed the pros and cons of the situation before ultimately coming to a decision, argues the inclusion of Moxie’s is an experiment. Nothing is set in stone for next year’s lineup.
“I really don’t see the addition of Moxie’s taking away from the other restaurants,” he added.

College and university building projects
PAT MALONEY FREE PRESS

Politicians gave an A+ Tuesday to a pair of separate, student-focused residential high rises planned near London’s post-secondary pillars, Western University and Fanshawe College.
Council’s planning committee unanimously endorsed the two major projects — 19 stories near Western; 15 stories near Fanshawe — that’ll house some 430 separate rental units.
“This is exactly what we want near our universities, near our colleges,” Mayor Joe Fontana said as politicians recommended the projects’ site plans.
The Western-area project will be on the west side of Richmond St. N., north of the university gates. Five houses will be levelled to make way for the 19-storey structure, home to more than 300 two-bedroom units.
The project near Fanshawe, to be built at the southwest corner of the Oxford-First streets intersection, will offer 126 three- four- and five-bedroom units. It’s drawn the college’s enthusiastic support, city staff say.
It also grabbed the attention of Peter White, head of the London Economic Development Corp.
White says the builder, Adamas Group, plans to make the building a supportive place for much-coveted foreign students. If, for example, enough Chinese students move in, they’ll hire an interpreter to ease their transition to Canada, he said.
“This is going to be a very groundbreaking development for us,” White told politicians. “(It could be) an outstanding, supportive environment for bringing international students to the city.”
Staff told politicians the projects did draw some negativity — particularly from those now renting single-family homes to students, who fear the high rises will leave the market dried up.
That, though, is kind of the point, city planner John Fleming said, noting getting students out of single-family homes is a key part of London’s near-campus neighbourhood strategy.
“This type of housing (high rises) is far superior to address those near-campus neighbourhood concerns,” he said.

BUDGET

100,000 to the worlds

ANGELA MULLINS _ METRO
Who’s London?
Canada’s London.
And it’s more than just a dot on the map — it’s a place that’s alive with culture, dining, and spirit.
That’s the thrust behind a marketing campaign that city leaders are asking council to throw $100,000 behind in advance of the World Figure Skating Championships.
The funding request — being tabled at Tuesday’s corporate services committee — would be matched with money from city partners. The city’s portion, administrators suggest, would come from a contingency reserve fund.
Mayor Joe Fontana likes the idea, created by a Welcoming the World to London project team. The team was comprised of representatives from city staff, tourism officials, the arts council, and the London Economic Development Corp.
He says he’s been concerned for some time that various websites — like those for Western, Fanshawe, Tourism London, and the LEDC — don’t have a common “brand.”  In addition to serving as a “welcome mat” during the figure skating championships logos created for the Canada’s London campaign could be used on those websites to link them together, Fontana said.
SAME – PAT MALONEY FREE PRESS

London politicians will spend plenty of time over the next two months battling over taxpayers’ nickels and dimes as they set this year’s budget priorities.
But the spending sparring clearly hasn’t started.
Debate over a $200,000 staff request to market London during March’s world figure skating championships was as smooth as, well, ice Tuesday, with council’s corporate services committee endorsing the plan unanimously.
Mayor Joe Fontana repeated what he’s said throughout previous debates over costs related to the extravaganza — the event expected to draw 35,000 spectators and a worldwide viewing audience of 160 million is simply too big to skimp on spending.
“This is the most important thing that this city will do, I think, in its lifetime,” the mayor said. “This is about as big as it gets.”
Built around a logo that reads Canada’s London, banners and signs will start popping up around the city in the run-up to the March 11-17 championships.
The push that requires final council approval would be funded from two sources: $100,000 from the city’s expected 2012 budget surplus, and $100,000 combined from other city agencies, such as Tourism London and the London Economic Development Corp.

OVERVIEW –

PAT MALONEY FREE PRESS

Where the budget is now: 2.5%

• Staff tabled a budget Tuesday that calls for a 2.5% tax hike next year, which would add $59 to the property-­tax bill of an average London home (average being a property assessed at $202,000).
• The starting point is down dramatically from a previously projected starting point of 4.3%.
• That difference, about $8.5 million, was found through several spending cuts to such areas as economic development, road repairs, sidewalk snow removal and road sweeping.
• Challenged on his 2010 campaign pledge to deliver four straight tax freezes without cutting services, Mayor Joe Fontana told reporters Tuesday he said “essential services,” which he maintains are not affected.

Where they want to get: 0%

• Some councillors, led by the mayor, want to deliver a third-straight tax freeze, and getting there means finding $11.5 million in spending cuts or new revenue sources by February’s end.
• The path there will be painful, warn staff, who say cuts to libraries, housing and the London Transit Commission are needed just to get within shouting distance of zero.
• City treasurer Martin Hayward is warning against redirecting money from city reserve funds to hold down taxes, which was a major tool a slim council majority used last year to get a freeze.
• Fontana didn’t rule out tapping into reserve money if needed: “Balance is the right approach. Reserve funds — nobody’s talking about raiding them.”

Neither of these figures (2.5% or 0%) include the water- and sewer-rate increases already approved for 2013
–Compiled by Patrick Maloney, Free Press reporter
— — —
BUDGET TIMELINE
Jan. 9: Politicians tuck into operating budget and “service changes.”
Jan. 14: Public participation meeting, in council chambers at city hall
Jan. 24: Politicians debate operating budget.
Feb. 7: Politicians debate capital budget.
Feb. 13: Public participation meeting, in council chambers at city hall
Feb. 28: Final budget approval
— — —
Comments about the 2013 budget
“Some critical decisions will have to be made . . . to get us to zero. . . . I am as committed as I was yesterday . . . to hitting the zero tax target. I am committed to zero.”
Mayor Joe Fontana
“Reserve funds are needed to keep running. Without liquidity (cash-on-hand) you can’t survive.”
City treasurer Martin Hayward
“Don’t waiver from the financial principles you have in place.”
Hayward
“There’s millions of dollars circulating that otherwise wouldn’t be in our local economy (thanks to 2011, 2012 freezes).”
Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen
“7.7%? Come on — get real. That is not sustainable.”
Fontana, on the fire department’s hoped-for budget increase
–Compiled by Free Press reporter Pat Maloney

Poll

What tax hike would you like to see in London?

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

72% 305votes	2.5% — with few spending cuts to such areas as economic development, road repairs, sidewalk snow removal and road sweeping
28% 117votes	0% — with the above cuts, as well as to libraries, housing and the London Transit Commission

LIBRARY – PAT MALONEY – FREE PRESS

he books are open on city hall’s 2013 budget battle and ground zero may as well be amid the stacks at the London public Library.
The board overseeing the city’s library system has submitted, as requested by politicians, a 2013 spending plan that includes no increases — but it’s clear board members aren’t endorsing the cuts they say that freeze will force.
Among them, according to the letter, are:

• Eliminating all remaining Sunday operations (saving $40,000)
• Cuts to the collections budget ($100,000)
• Reduced service hours ($210,000)
• Undefined “personnel” actions ($60,000)

While the board has created a proposed budget in line with council’s order to freeze its spending, its members are clearly pushing back against the fallout.
“(We are) not recommending any of the actions that are required to achieve the financial target,” the letter to politicians reads.
They’re not alone in their resistance.
With council’s Fontana 8 majority likely to push for a third straight tax freeze — and at least $11.5 million in spending cuts or new cash sources between them and that goal — significant citizen outcry is expected.

SEAN MEYER – LONDON COMMUNITY NEWS

London Community Newsby Sean Meyer
The draft 2013 City of London budget (operating and capital) was presented to the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee on Dec. 4 with staff bringing back the recommendation of a 2.5 per cent property tax levy increase.
That increase would translate into a $59 increase to a homeowner with an assessed property value of $202,000. The submitted property tax levy increase of 2.5 per cent from rates or $11.5 million includes $8.5 million of budget savings resulting from one-time reductions in 2012 that have been submitted as permanent reductions for 2013 (e.g. affordable housing, capital grants), user fee increases, and service changes.
The dollar amount based on the average residential tax bill — the municipal portion of property tax would amount to $2,410 — would be allocated across several departments and services.
The largest portion of the budget, 32 per cent, would be spent on protective services while 26 per cent is to be spent on corporate operations and council services. The remainder of the budget is broken down as follow: 14 per cent to social and health services, 11 per cent to transportation, six per cent to parks and recreation, five per cent to culture, three per cent to environmental services, two per cent to economic prosperity and one per cent planning and development services.
Putting the residential tax bill in perspective, London compares favorably to 26 other cities across Ontario. Based on a three-bedroom, 1,200 sq. ft. home with 1.5 baths and a single-car garage, the average property tax is $3,079. The average property tax is $3,293.
London does even better in the commercial and industrial sectors. London has the lowest rate, $2.23/sq. ft., among those same 26 municipalities with the average being $3.28/sq. ft. In the industrial sector, London places third with $1.51/sq. ft. while the average is $2.04/sq. ft.
To continue down the path to zero, a further $8.3 million of budget savings have been prepared — including additional service changes and capital budget reductions that require prudent consideration and review by council.  In total, $16.8 million of budget savings have been provided with business cases that explain the service impacts that would result in a possible 0.7 per cent or $3.2 million tax levy increase for 2013.
In order to achieve zero per cent, council will need to address those service areas that have not achieved target, as well as, the funding requirements for the economic development initiatives being brought forward to the Investment and Economic Prosperity Committee, and the London Normal School.
The civic administration has prepared 54 business cases for the elimination/preservation of various city services.
To arrive at a tax levy increase of 2.5 per cent, council would have to look at some 29 recommendations, including:
–  Extending the life cycle for fleet vehicles and equipment;
–  Reduction in Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities program;
–  Reduction in capital grant program funding;
–  Reduced municipal investment in affordable housing initiatives;
–  Neighbourhood and recreation user fee rate increases;
–  Reduced investment in economic prosperity;
–  Reduced support to Downtown Business Improvement Area;
–  Elimination of double decker bus tours;
–  Reduction in non-direct services for Middlesex London Health Unit; and
–  Review of road and downtown maintenance, road patching and sidewalk snow removal.
To arrive at a tax levy increase of 0.7 per cent, council would have to look at an additional 25 recommendations, including:
–  Reduction in bike lane program;
–  Elimination of Emerald Ash Borer Strategy funding;
–  Delay in landfill site property acquisition;
–  Repurposing of recreation and community facilities and provision of spray pads;
–  Delay in new Fire Station 16;
–  Delay Commissioners Road improvements;
–  Reduction in bus purchase replacements;
–  Review of library hours of service, Sunday service and collection budget; and
–  Review of the public housing service review.
The budget process will involve numerous opportunities for the public to become involved in the deliberations. Among those opportunities is a pair of public participation meetings on Jan. 14, 2013 and Feb. 13, 2013.
All budget meetings will be streamed live at www.london.ca.
Council will give final approval to the budget at its meeting on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013.

ABE OUSHORN BLOG

ON THE MATH

Deferred Costs
There’s saving the tax payer money, and then there’s ‘kicking the can down the road’.  By this phrase I mean simply taking expenses we have to pay, and waiting to later to pay them.  Whether it’s delaying service to our City vehicles ($543,000), delaying funds for accessibility adaptations ($561,000), delaying the neighbourhood hubs ($93,000), delaying the In Motion health promotion project ($40,000), delaying the new fire service training tower ($2,398,000), delaying new bike lanes ($110,000), delaying purchasing new landfill properties ($1,000,000 in 2014), delaying building a new fire station (700,000 starting in 2017), delaying Commissioners Rd improvements ($5,250,000 in 2020), delaying purchasing industrial land ($600,000), and delaying replacing buses ($500,000), you might be shocked to learn that over $4,800,000 of ‘cuts’ for 2012 (not to mention going forward projections) are things we’ll just have to pay for later.
Increased Fees
So, if it’s about saving you the tax payer money, it shouldn’t mean leveraging more money from you in other ways, should it?  Well, you would be wrong.  Through increased recreation facility fees ($137,000), building approval fees ($19,000), fence inspection fees ($5,000), rental unit licensing fees ($180,000), bounced cheque fees ($6,000), and taxation service fees ($59,000), $406,000 of tax reduction is done by increasing our fees.
Raiding Reserves
Reserves funds are NOT rainy day funds, they are the chequing accounts for our different City programs that we use to pay our bills.  So, when a program or division needs to spend money, having cash in the reserve fund means they don’t have to borrow to spend, saving us $1.4 million in interest payments this year alone.  This is why healthy reserves are a major part of our ‘triple A’ credit rating.  Much of the money in reserves is already accounted for in anticipated bills or contracts already signed.  Of the $191,000,000 in reserves, $113,000,000 of that is already planned to be spent.  So, this isn’t just piles of cash we are sitting on.  However, once again we see a proposed $1,000,000 reduction to the Affordable Housing Reserve Fund.
Debt
The greatest hit to the pocket book, as any family knows, is to put operating expenses (ie. food and mortgage), onto the credit card.  So, increasing debt has not only negative long-term consequences, but exponential negative long-term consequences.  No Council can claim to be fiscally responsible if they are shoulder future Londoners with more debt while ‘saving us money’.  Guess what, this is exactly what is happening.  Prior to 2010, we were in the process of paying down our debt, which costs us $60,300,000 annually in servicing costs.  In 2010, our total debt was $319.8M, but with the change to taking on more debt, we are now sitting at $347.2M in debt.  And the plans of our 0% Council?  To have us at $477.1M by 2014.  Yes, that’s right, the 0% tax increase has come hand-in-hand with and 8.6% debt increase to date, with a projected 4-year 49% debt increase.  If rates hold the same, and we reach the forecasted debt level, we will be paying $22.2M more in debt servicing in 2014 than we are in 2012.  Even if we start holding debt even as of 2015, our debt servicing costs by 2020 will be $91.3M, or about 50% more than they are now.

AWESOME LONDON

BRENT BOLES – LONDON FREE PRESS
London is about to get a lot more awesome — or at least, that’s the goal.
The Awesome Foundation is giving away monthly $1,000 grants to people who come up with awesome plans to improve the community.
The group was founded in Boston in 2009, and has since spread worldwide, but this is its debut in London. The foundation website says $374,000 has been granted thus far by its 61 chapters.
But they’re not giving the money away to just any idea.
“Just crazy, awesome ideas,” explained Chris Moss, an event organizer.
Moss said entries must follow three rules: the money can’t be for personal use, it can’t go to established charities and the application has to be specific.
To decide which London idea is most impressive, a 10-member board of trustees will vote on each application.
Each trustee puts up $100 of his or her own money, she said. There are 40 trustees signed up, and more on a waiting list, each will pay $100 three times a year in hopes of making the grant program sustainable.
“We’re hoping to go forever,” said Moss. “We have to stay awesome. We want the city to be amazing.”
Shawn Adamsson is a trustee, and his company Rtraction has donated as well. He’s excited about the potential to change London’s culture.
“What I hope it will do is nudge people out the door with their crazy ideas and it doesn’t matter if they work or they fail or what happens to it, but that we try,” he said. “We don’t have a really great culture of failure in this city. And failure goes with innovation and trying to move things forward.”
Though the Awesome Foundation is new to London, it’s being welcomed by at least one well-established local foundation.
“I think it’s great,” said Martha Powell, president of the London Community Foundation. “This is a space that’s nice to fill.”
Powell said many groups only offer grants to registered charities, so a project like the Awesome Foundation can help with ideas that normally wouldn’t get funding. She also hopes it will inspire more Londoners to get involved.
“If it engages a younger demographic in giving to their community, then that’s wonderful,” she said.
Deadline for submissions is Jan. 14. The top three candidates will pitch their ideas in person and a winner will be chosen at a public event at Joe Kool’s restaurant, 595 Richmond St., on Jan. 28, said Moss.
All about Awesome
– The Awesome Foundation was founded in 2009
– The group gives out grants to help get awesome ideas off the ground
– Applications can range from clubs and social justice projects to public art and science experiments — anything “awesome”
– Though new to London, the group has given out $374,000 to support 374 ideas in 12 countries
– Check out twitter.com/awesomeldn

Welcome to This Week In London Tweets sponsored by Orpheum Hosting Solutions

You can find us on Twitter at @twiltpodcast

We livestream at livestream.com/twilt during the show usually Mondays at 7pm edt. You can find old video archives of the show as well there. If you watch the livestream please considering subscribing and rating us. It does help!

We recorded live from Geek Dinner London and had a variety of conversations with people there. It was a good time by all.

Welcome to This Week In London Tweets sponsored by Orpheum Hosting Solutions

You can find us on Twitter at @twiltpodcast

We livestream at livestream.com/twilt during the show usually Mondays at 7pm edt. You can find old video archives of the show as well there. If you watch the livestream please considering subscribing and rating us. It does help!

Chat log for the show.

Our guest for tonight is Amanda Stratton

Mayor Joe says he won’t step aside.
http://www.lfpress.com/2012/11/20/mayor-joe-fontana-says-he-wont-step-aside

Fontana Charged
http://www.lfpress.com/2012/11/21/london-mayor-joe-fontana-has-been-charged-by-the-rcmp

CITY HALL: With $1B at stake, who will lead?
http://www.lfpress.com/2012/11/16/city-hall-at-this-crossroads-who-will-lead

London resident describes proposed eight percent water rate increase as ‘sticker shock’
http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/2012/11/london-resident-describes-proposed-eight-percent-water-rate-increase-as-sticker-shock/

Downtown London business icon Novack’s closing
http://www.lfpress.com/2012/11/19/downtown-london-business-icon-novacks-closing

LEDC Ranked #5 of 40 North American Cities for Foreign Direct Investment Web Campaigns by Economic Development Study
http://www.ledc.com/index.php/ledc/show_NEWS/1560

Let’s call BS on Mental Health.
http://callbs.ca/

Welcome to This Week In London Tweets sponsored by Orpheum Hosting Solutions

You can find us on Twitter at @twiltpodcast

We livestream at livestream.com/twilt during the show usually Mondays at 7pm edt. You can find old video archives of the show as well there. If you watch the livestream please considering subscribing and rating us. It does help!

Chat log for the show.

Our Guest this week is Josh Morgan

Josh is very active in the community, he is chair of The London Public Library Board, sits on the Board of Goveners for the Western Fair  and is a member of the board of Museum London. He is also a Recruitment and Development Officer for Western University.

Health Minister Deb Matthews will announce Wednesday she will not seek the leadership of the Liberal Party