Setting 'right tone' key as city embarks on one shot at reopening core: Official

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As London prepares for a full-capacity summer after two years of COVID-19, there’s “one chance” to reopen the core and create a vibrant city centre to bring people back downtown, politicians heard Tuesday.

City hall staff recommended more than $1 million in expansion to core-area programs to tackle crime, homelessness and boost fun events downtown. Council, sitting as a committee, unanimously endorsed the proposals at its Tuesday meeting with a 15-0 vote.

“We have been hearing loud and clear from property owners, institutions, businesses, the BIAs (business improvement areas), that we have one chance to reopen the core and set the right tone as we start seeing conferences, concerts, return to in-person work,” city engineer Kelly Scherr told the strategic priorities and policies committee.

The new plans are based on programs that can be boosted quickly, scaled up during the summer season, and use one-time funding.

It includes everything from increasing promotional efforts to grants for safety equipment to adding two bylaw officers through the co-ordinated response team. The $1.06 million expansion to the core area action plan still needs to be rubber-stamped at next week’s council meeting.

Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis said that program, as well as a joint police-paramedic-mental health effort called COAST (community outreach and support team) are important efforts to help attract Londoners to the core again post-pandemic.

“The COAST program is proving successful, and that’s a good thing,” he said.

Other elements weren’t so popular. Ward 4 Coun. Jesse Helmer said a lunchtime gift card program to encourage officer workers to eat at downtown restaurants – with a price tag of $100,000 – may not be necessary, and could instead be directed to feed those in need.

London’s downtown ambassador program – a controversial element of the multimillion-dollar core area action plan – was roundly criticized, despite the fact staff don’t recommend any expansion until its initial results are analyzed more heavily.

“They can go to a lot of events, but did it do anything? That’s where my big concern is. Did they do anything in terms of a positive outcome for the core?” Ward 11 Coun. Stephen Turner asked staff in a series of questions about the program.

Ambassadors are intended to provide customer service-oriented help downtown and act as “eyes on the street,” heading off problems and calling in police or other services when needed.

“The ambassadors themselves are not designed to be crime fighters,” Scherr said.

Politicians also received a separate report on city hall efforts already on the books to fight vacancies downtown. It’s part of a broader vacancy strategy council has directed staff to prepare. New initiatives will be presented to politicians later this year or in 2023.

Six new businesses have signed leases and another 12 are considering them under a new program designed to lure entrepreneurs and home-based businesses downtown, London Economic Development Corp. boss Kapil Lakhotia said.

“We can see how empty the downtown is, and we need to do something. These reports give me confidence we are doing something,” Ward 9 Coun. Anna Hopkins said.