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That the written and verbal submissions
with respect to the draft 2014 Budget, BE RECEIVED;
it being pointed out that the following
individuals made oral submissions with respect to this matter:
a) Donald
S. Bryant, McKenzie Lake Lawyers, representing St. Joseph’s Hospice – noting
that St. Joseph’s Hospice is the first and only non-disease specific hospice
in London; noting that while London has had hospice services for 28 years,
St. Joseph’s Hospice will provide the residential component of this service,
which has been missing to date; stating that the Hospice is
non-denominational and will provide private rooms for its residents; noting
that the Hospice will be privately operated, but requires $5.5M in funding,
$3.6M of which has already been raised with $3.5M towards space and equipment
and the balance for sustainability purposes; asking that the City provide
$200K over two years; emphasizing that this facility is very much needed and
the City should be a partner; pointing out the aging demographics in London
and extending appreciation for the Municipal Council’s consideration of the
request.
b) Barry
Sandler, Executive Director, Veterans Memorial Parkway Community Program –
acknowledging the dedicated efforts of the public/private partnership to
enhance the Veterans Memorial Parkway; noting it takes a community effort to
make such a project a success; advising that the project received a national
award for a large scale landscaping project, which has gained the area
national media attention; stating that a number of stakeholders came together
for the benefit of our City and doubled the number of plantings last year,
which had an immediate visible impact; indicating there were 40 professional
volunteers that prepared the ground for the trees and 450 volunteers then
backfilled the plantings and staked the trees; pointing out that this year is
the 100th Anniversary of WWI, and they are hoping to have a 50% increase in
plantings this year, as well as new signage; stating that 85% of monies
raised goes towards materials and services and that it is important to have
Council support in order to maintain momentum for the project; and asking
that Council continue its financial support by maintaining funding for the
Veterans Memorial Parkway project at $50K per year until project completion
in the Fall of 2017.
c) Mike
Laliberte, Co-Chair, OW/ODSP Advocates Network – providing the attached
presentation.
d) Diane
Szoller, Chair, Advisory Committee on the Environment – providing the attached
presentation.
e) Sean
Quigley, Executive Director, Emerging Leaders London Community Network – providing
the attached presentation.
f) Ron
Koudys, Board President, The Grand Theatre – thanking London for its support
to date and noting that the City of London has been a strong supporter of the
Grand Theatre; noting that the grant from the Canadian Cultural Spaces Fund
in the amount of $260K was sought for the purpose of safety and
communications upgrades in order to ensure a safe workplace and is not
related to the proposal for an expanded Grand Theatre as part of the
Performing Arts Centre proposal; stating that the Grand Theatre would like to
get an electronic display marquee like the London Convention Centre; emphasizing
that the $100K from the City is necessary to secure the grant from the
Canadian Cultural Spaces Fund and must be received by September 2014; noting
that the City’s contribution would represent 15% of the overall project value;
stating that he sees this as good value for the City in order ensure a safe
and sustainable facility.
g) Hope
Clark, African Community Council – providing the attached presentation.
(Secretary’s
Note: A copy of the “Community Conversation with London’s African
Community”, as referenced in the presentation, is available for viewing in
the City Clerk’s Office or online as an appendix to this Report.)
h) V.
Van Linden, Chair, Animal Welfare Advisory Committee – providing the attached
presentation.
i) Amir
Eftekarpour, Vice President, Western University Students’ Council - providing
the attached presentation.
j) George
Wood, 907 Queensborough Court - noting that his pension has been cut,
leaving little money for day to day needs after he pays his mortgage and
property taxes; stating that there are a lot of seniors in a similar position
to his and they simply cannot keep up with increasing property taxes and
utility bills.
k) Gary
Brown, 35A-59 Ridout Street – noting that in many North American cities, most
recently New York City, they have made choices to put in bike lanes in a city
which has limited space; stating that recent studies have indicated that
pedestrian and bicycle traffic can mean a 49% increase in retail sales, so
increasing pedestrian and bicycle traffic in London is important since there
are many small business in London that would benefit; suggesting that an
investment in cycling would assist the Mayor in his job creation goals;
stating that the City of Mississauga is asking the Province of Ontario for 1%
of the costs for its “Share the Road” initiative; suggesting that 78% of
Ontarians would cycle if there was better cycling infrastructure; asking that
the Municipal Council not cut the $200K for dedicated bicycle lanes as this
is a good investment to secure more jobs, increase revenues and keep the best
and the brightest people in London.
l) Roy
Wood, 51 Brentwood Crescent – noting that he likes to bike to work 8 months
of the year and also does a lot of recreational biking; indicating he bikes
with his son and this is a great bonding experience; expressing concern about
biking in London for safety reasons; and noting that the local bike lanes are
patchy---some work great, but there is a need to continue to invest in a
bigger network.
m) Anthea
Rowe, 44 Kingsford Crescent – indicating that she would like the bike lane
dollars kept in the 2014 Budget; noting the investment is key to safety in
cycling; asking for more bicycle lanes; and stating there is a need to
maintain the investment in order to be a progressive city.
n) Yasmin,
50 Chapman Court – indicating she likes to use the bike paths, but they are
not cleared year round; asking that the bike budget not be cut; and noting
year round access to the paths is necessary for running errands.
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