Southwestern Ontario will benefit from province's new budget
The new provincial budget features items specific to southwestern Ontario, including a new English public elementary school in London, Ont. that will serve 556 students and include 88 licensed childcare spaces.
The budget mentioned upgrades to Eastwood Park for new accessible pathway systems, a new multi-use court, playground equipment, and a large shade structure in the Municipality of Central Elgin.
Reconstruction of a portion of Plank Road in Sarnia has been budgeted, including the replacement of the existing water main, ditches, and asphalt on city streets.
There was no mention of a GO Train service to London. However, Mayor Josh Morgan said the province is committed to improving the frequency and speed of the service to London.
“These are not short-term investments, so the province and the city of London have discussed them, we know they are committed to it, but it will take time for those to come to fruition,” said Morgan.
A new Volkswagen EV battery plant in St. Thomas will require supports for an increase in workers coming to the region. Morgan said he's been in talks with the province to make sure there is new needed infrastructure to support the transportation to that facility.
Morgan said the biggest investment for London might be an additional $200 million meant to address homelessness province-wide, for prevention and supportive housing programs.
"What I see in the budget today, is them listening. Them listening to the crisis, the details of the crisis that we have in our city, and making significant investments in mental health and addictions - in supportive housing and in homelessness prevention,” said Morgan. “This is a good sign of partnerships between municipalities and the provincial government when you see investments in spaces that we have been advocating so hard to see."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.