'Challenges running into each other': London’s mayor looks for support from provincial budget
They are intersecting issues that could bring tremendous opportunities, but that are also putting significant pressures on the city, with London growing at a rate never seen before.
"I would say London is at the forefront of some of these challenges running into each other,” Mayor Josh Morgan told CTV News London on Monday. “We have tremendous opportunity on the economic growth side. That the Volkswagen plant, and the investments the province has made, can be a massive catalyst for economic development.”
That requires more affordable housing and more skilled workers. Morgan was encouraged by the province's announcement on Thursday of $1.8 billion in infrastructure funding geared to new housing.
"We see the tremendous challenges with being a high-growth city,” he said. “We see housing affordability on the decline and the need to try to build housing as quickly as possible."
Morgan is hoping to see other growth initiatives in the budget. As for businesses however, there continues to be a workforce challenge.
A building is seen under construction in London, Ont. on March 25, 2024. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)"Cross country, here in London in particular, we have members who would dearly love to hire but are having problems hiring,” said Graham Henderson, CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce.
Henderson is hoping to see post-secondary education and skilled trades supported in the budget.
"We need to encourage more students into schools, into the skilled trades. We need to give more support to our universities to assist in that. We've have a tuition freeze that has been going on for years,” he explained.
Henderson would also like to see more diversity programs and an emphasis on encouraging Indigenous youth who are seeking employment.
On another front, Morgan is looking for more support for social assistance programs that have increasingly been taken on by municipalities.
The budget will be released at 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.