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London City Council

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London City Council is the governing body of the city of London, Ontario, Canada.

Composition

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London is divided into 14 wards, with residents in each ward electing one councillor. The mayor is elected citywide, who along with the councillors forms a 15-member council.

2017 reform

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In spite of some controversy about this move, London was the first city in Canada (in May 2017) to decide to move a ranked choice ballot for municipal elections starting in 2018. Voters will mark their ballots in order of preference, ranking their top three favourite candidates. An individual must reach 50 per cent of the total to be declared elected; in each round of counting where a candidate has not yet reached that target, the person with the fewest votes is dropped from the ballot and their second or third choice preferences reallocated to the remaining candidates, with this process repeating until a candidate has reached 50 per cent.[1] On November 20, 2020, the Ontario Legislature passed Bill 218, the Supporting Ontario's Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, which included an amendment to the 1996 Municipal Elections Act to ban ranked balloting from being used in Ontario municipalities.[2] This move was symbolically opposed in October by a 14-1 vote by City Council. [3]

2010 reform

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Prior to the 2006 civic election, London's city council consisted of 14 councillors (two from each of the seven former wards), four members of Board of Control (elected citywide), and one mayor (elected citywide), to form a 19-member council.

The composition and structure of city council was the subject of two questions on the 2003 election ballot, an action initiated by Ward 3 Councillor Fred Tranquilli and his discussion paper, A Better Way, which proposed a smaller city council with 10 wards (one councillor per ward), plus the mayor elected citywide and the elimination of Board of Control for an 11-member city council.

While the yes votes prevailed, the overall voter turnout was less than 50 per cent and according to the provisions of the Municipal Act, the referendum results were not binding.

When council decided to maintain the status quo, a grassroots citizens' activism group, Imagine London, appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) to change the ward composition to 14 wards defined by communities of interest in the city, including a separate ward for the downtown core.

UWO law librarian and media professor Sam Trosow argued the case at the OMB for Imagine London arguing that smaller wards based on communities of interest would result in more "effective representation" for the electorate. This argument is based on a 1991 Supreme Court of Canada decision involving electoral boundaries in the Province of Saskatchewan (often cited as the "Carter" case).

The OMB ruled for the Imagine London petitioners in late December 2005 and while the city sought leave to appeal the OMB decision to Superior Court via a full-day hearing in January 2006, leave to appeal was denied when Justice McDermid released his decision on February 28, 2006.

In the 2006 municipal election, a number of candidates included in their platforms the abolition of Board of Control. Among them was Gina Barber, a member of Imagine London, who gained a seat on the board of control, coming in second only to the deputy mayor, Tom Gosnell.

Following the election, a task force composed of a number of councillors, controllers, and citizen representatives was established to make recommendations on governance. The task force held numerous meetings and public hearings. On the basis of its deliberations, it recommended that the board of control be abolished and its functions assumed by a combination of standing committees, delegation to staff and citizen groups and Committee of the Whole. The recommendations were placed before a public participation meeting and subsequently adopted by council in a vote of 14 to 5. Consequently, positions for Board of Control were not on the 2010 municipal ballot.

1994–1997

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Council elected in the 1994 municipal election.[4]

Councillor Office Notes
Dianne Haskett Mayor
Grant Hopcroft Controller
Dawn Erskine Controller
Vaughan Minor Controller
Diane Whiteside Controller
Sheila Davenport Ward 1
Joe Avola Ward 1
Joe Swan Ward 2
Bob Beccarea Ward 2
Bernie MacDonald Ward 3
Betty Howard Ward 3
Bill Armstrong Ward 4
Bud Polhill Ward 4
Anne Marie DeCicco Ward 5
Gary Williams Ward 5
Ben Veel Ward 6
Megan Walker Ward 6
Ted Wernham Ward 7
Martha Joyce Ward 7

1997–2000

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Council elected in the 1997 municipal election.[5]

Councillor Office Notes
Dianne Haskett Mayor
Anne Marie DeCicco Controller
Orlando Zampronga Controller
Russ Monteith Controller
Diane Whiteside Controller
Ab Chahbar Ward 1
Sandy Levin Ward 1
Rob Alder Ward 2
Joe Swan Ward 2
Bernie MacDonald Ward 3
Fred Tranquilli Ward 3
Bill Armstrong Ward 4
Bud Polhill Ward 4
Cheryl Miller Ward 5
Gary Williams Ward 5
Ben Veel Ward 6
Megan Walker Ward 6
Susan Eagle Ward 7
Gord Hume Ward 7

2000–2003

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Council elected in the 2000 municipal election.[6]

Councillor Office Notes
Anne Marie DeCicco Mayor
Gord Hume Controller
Russ Monteith Controller
Bud Polhill Controller
Joe Swan Controller
Ab Chahbar Ward 1
Sandy Levin Ward 1
Joni Baechler Ward 2
Rob Alder Ward 2
Bernie MacDonald Ward 3
Fred Tranquilli Ward 3
Bill Armstrong Ward 4
Roger Caranci Ward 4
Cheryl Miller Ward 5
Gary Williams Ward 5
David Winninger Ward 6
Harold Usher Ward 6
Susan Eagle Ward 7
Ed Corrigan Ward 7

2003–2006

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Council elected in the 2003 municipal election.[7]

Councillor Office Notes
Anne Marie DeCicco Mayor
Tom Gosnell Controller
Gord Hume Controller
Russ Monteith Controller
Bud Polhill Controller
Ab Chahbar Ward 1
Judy Bryant Ward 1
Joni Baechler Ward 2
Rob Alder Ward 2
Bernie MacDonald Ward 3
Fred Tranquilli Ward 3
Bill Armstrong Ward 4
Roger Caranci Ward 4
Cheryl Miller Ward 5
Sandy White Ward 5
David Winninger Ward 6
Harold Usher Ward 6
Susan Eagle Ward 7
Paul Van Meerbergen Ward 7

2006–2010

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Council elected in the 2006 municipal election.[8]

Councillor Office Notes
Anne-Marie DeCicco-Best Mayor
Gina Barber Controller
Tom Gosnell Controller
Gord Hume Controller
Bud Polhill Controller
Roger Caranci Ward 1
Bill Armstrong Ward 2
Bernie MacDonald Ward 3
Stephen Orser Ward 4
Joni Baechler Ward 5
Nancy Ann Branscombe Ward 6
Walter Lonc Ward 7
Paul Hubert Ward 8
Susan Eagle Ward 9
Paul Van Meerbergen Ward 10
David Winninger Ward 11
Harold Usher Ward 12
Judy Bryant Ward 13
Cheryl Miller Ward 14

2010–2014

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Council elected in the 2010 municipal election.[9]

Councillor Office Notes
Joe Fontana Mayor Resigned on June 19, 2014 following a criminal conviction.[10]
Bud Polhill Ward 1
Bill Armstrong Ward 2
Joe Swan Ward 3
Stephen Orser Ward 4
Joni Baechler Ward 5 Appointed interim mayor on June 25, 2014 after Fontana's resignation.[11]
Russell Monteith Ward 5 Appointed as interim councillor for Ward 5 after Baechler's accession to the mayoralty.[12]
Nancy Ann Branscombe Ward 6
Matt Brown Ward 7
Paul Hubert Ward 8
Dale Henderson Ward 9
Paul Van Meerbergen Ward 10
Denise Brown Ward 11
Harold Usher Ward 12
Judy Bryant Ward 13
Sandy White Ward 14

2014–2018

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Council elected in the 2014 municipal election.[13]

Councillor Office Communities
Matt Brown Mayor
Michael van Holst Ward 1 Chelsea Green, Fairmont
Bill Armstrong Ward 2 Pottersburg, Nelson Park, Trafalgar Heights
Mo Mohamed Salih Ward 3 Huron Heights
Jesse Helmer Ward 4 East London
Maureen Cassidy Ward 5 Stoneybrook, Northdale, Northerest, Uplands
Phil Squire Ward 6 Broughdale, University Heights, Orchard Park, Sherwood Forest
Josh Morgan Ward 7 White Hills, Medway Heights, Masonville, Hyde Park
Paul Hubert Ward 8 Oakridge Park, Oakridge Acres,
Anna Hopkins Ward 9 Byron, Lambeth
Virginia Ridley Ward 10 Westmount
Stephen Turner Ward 11 Cleardale, Southcrest Estates, Berkshire Village, Kensal Park, Manor Park
Harold Usher Ward 12 Glendale, Southdale, Lockwood Park, White Oaks, Cleardale
Tanya Park Ward 13 Downtown London, Midtown, Blackfriars, Piccadilly/Adelaide, SoHo, KeVa, Woodfield, Oxford Park
Jared Zaifman Ward 14 Glen Cairn Woods, Pond Mills, Wilton Grove, Glanworth, Westminster

2018–2022

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Council elected in the 2018 municipal election.

Councillor Office Communities
Ed Holder Mayor
Michael van Holst Ward 1 Hamilton Road, Chelsea Green, Fairmont, River Run, Glen Cairn
Shawn Lewis Ward 2 Pottersburg, Nelson Park, Trafalgar Heights
Mo Mohamed Salih Ward 3 Huron Heights
Jesse Helmer Ward 4 East London
Maureen Cassidy Ward 5 Stoneybrook, Northdale, Northerest, Uplands
Phil Squire (until 2021) Mariam Hamou (since 2021) Ward 6 Broughdale, University Heights, Orchard Park, Sherwood Forest
Josh Morgan Ward 7
Deputy Mayor
White Hills, Medway Heights, Masonville, Hyde Park
Steve Lehman Ward 8 Oakridge Park, Oakridge Acres,
Anna Hopkins Ward 9 Byron, Lambeth
Paul Van Meerbergen Ward 10 Westmount
Stephen Turner Ward 11 Cleardale, Southcrest Estates, Berkshire Village, Kensal Park, Manor Park
Elizabeth Peloza Ward 12
Budget Chair
Glendale, Southdale, Lockwood Park, White Oaks, Cleardale
Arielle Kayabaga (until 2021) John Fyfe-Millar (since 2021) Ward 13 Downtown London, Midtown, Blackfriars, Piccadilly/Adelaide, SoHo, KeVa, Woodfield, Oxford Park
Steve Hillier Ward 14 Glen Cairn Woods, Pond Mills, Wilton Grove, Glanworth, Westminster

2022 – present

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Council elected in the 2022 municipal election.

Councillor Office Communities
Josh Morgan Mayor
Hadleigh McAlister Ward 1 Hamilton Road, Chelsea Green, Fairmont, River Run, Glen Cairn
Shawn Lewis Ward 2
Deputy Mayor[14]
Pottersburg, Nelson Park, Trafalgar Heights
Peter Cuddy Ward 3 Huron Heights
Susan Stevenson Ward 4 East London
Jerry Pribil Ward 5 Stoneybrook, Northdale, Northerest, Uplands
Sam Trosow Ward 6 Broughdale, University Heights, Orchard Park, Sherwood Forest
Corrine Rahman Ward 7 White Hills, Medway Heights, Masonville, Hyde Park
Steve Lehman Ward 8 Oakridge Park, Oakridge Acres,
Anna Hopkins Ward 9 Byron, Lambeth
Paul Van Meerbergen Ward 10 Westmount
Skylar Franke Ward 11 Cleardale, Southcrest Estates, Berkshire Village, Kensal Park, Manor Park
Elizabeth Peloza Ward 12
Budget Chair[15]
Glendale, Southdale, Lockwood Park, White Oaks, Cleardale
David Ferreira Ward 13 Downtown London, Midtown, Blackfriars, Piccadilly/Adelaide, SoHo, KeVa, Woodfield, Oxford Park
Steve Hillier Ward 14 Glen Cairn Woods, Pond Mills, Wilton Grove, Summerside, Glanworth, Westminster

City Halls

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  • 1928–1971: a four-storey building at the corner of Dundas Street and Wellington added to the Public Utilities Commission Building c. 1918; it is now a commercial building at 272-274 Dundas Street[16]
  • 1971–present: located at 300 Dufferin Avenue, a 12-storey Modernist office block[16] built by local architect Philip Carter Johnson[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "London, Ont., votes to become 1st Canadian city to use ranked ballots". CBC News Windsor, May 2, 2017.
  2. ^ "Bill 218, Supporting Ontario's Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, 2020". Ontario Legislative Assembly. November 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Lupton, Andrew (October 27, 2020). "London council votes 14-1 to oppose province's move to quash ranked ballot voting". CBC News.
  4. ^ "CITY OF LONDON MUNICIPAL ELECTION November 14, 1994" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-04-02.
  5. ^ "City of London, Ontario Municipal Election November 10, 1997" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-04-02.
  6. ^ "CITY OF LONDON MUNICIPAL ELECTION RETURNS NOVEMBER 13, 2000" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-04-02.
  7. ^ "CITY OF LONDON OFFICIAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION RETURNS NOVEMBER 10.2003" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-05-29.
  8. ^ "CITY OF LONDON OFFICIAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION RESULTS 2006" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-04-02.
  9. ^ "CITY OF LONDON OFFICIAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION RESULTS OCTOBER 25, 2010" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-04-02.
  10. ^ "Joe Fontana officially resigns as mayor of London" Archived 2014-10-27 at the Wayback Machine. Toronto Sun, June 19, 2014.
  11. ^ "Baechler sworn in as interim London mayor" Archived 2014-10-30 at the Wayback Machine. CTV London, June 25, 2014.
  12. ^ "Russell Monteith joins London City Council on his 80th birthday" Archived 2014-10-30 at the Wayback Machine. Metro, June 25, 2014.
  13. ^ "CITY OF LONDON OFFICIAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION RESULTS Oct 27, 2014" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-04-02.
  14. ^ "City Council Inaugural Meeting | City of London". 16 November 2022.
  15. ^ "City Council Inaugural Meeting | City of London". 16 November 2022.
  16. ^ a b "City Hall at Dundas and Wellington Streets, London, Ontario". images.ourontario.ca. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  17. ^ "London, Ont.: Modernism showcase". May 2014. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2018 – via The Globe and Mail.
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