London City Council

Governing body of London, Ontario, Canada

For the former council of London in England, see London County Council and Greater London Council.

Not to be confused with London Assembly, Greater London Authority, or City of London Corporation.

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

## Composition

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

* List of mayors of London, Ontario

## References

[edit]

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" . 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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[edit]

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