What's preventing more residential growth in downtown London?
London’s building boom has pushed the downtown to the limit of its sewage capacity.
On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was in London to announce an investment of almost $24 million to support more residential development in the downtown core.
The provincial contribution will offset about three-quarters of the cost to install a larger pipe to carry sewage from Downtown London to the Greenway Wastewater Treatment Plant.
City hall is picking up the remaining costs.
“How can you build more homes if you don’t have proper water, wastewater, and sewer systems to build the homes?” asked Ford. “So we’ve stepped up in a big way.”
Eliminating the sewage bottleneck will unlock capacity to build an additional 17,576 residential units in the downtown.
“We are fully committed to the province's goals of building more housing in this community, and that is why the infrastructure in the City of London is so incredibly important,” said Mayor Josh Morgan.
The current pipe that runs beneath the forks of the Thames was installed in the 1930s.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks in London, Ont. on Aug. 26, 2024. (CTV News file image)
Installation of the new pipe will avoid disturbing the sensitive ecosystem by tunnelling beneath the river.
“We’ll be micro-tunneling the new sewer underneath the river,” explained Ashley Rammeloo, director of Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater.
Micro-tunneling is a state-of-the-art construction technique that gradually digs a tunnel while simultaneously forming the sewer to prevent a collapse.
The technique has been used in a handful of other projects in London where digging a trench is not feasible.
The new pipe will be installed in 2025, permitting a number of new residential high-rise projects in Downtown London to break ground.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amber Alert: Child missing from Montreal's South Shore
An Amber Alert has been issued for a five-year-old child missing from Brossard, on Montreal's South Shore.
Ontario woman denied lottery jackpot after forgetting where she bought ticket
When an Ontario woman found out she won the lottery playing Lotto 649, she said she was excited to collect her prize of $1,003, but that excitement quickly turned to frustration when she couldn’t collect her winnings.
China accuses Canada of protectionism over 100% tariffs on electric vehicles
China on Tuesday accused Canada of protectionism after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government imposed a 100 per cent tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, matching U.S. duties on Chinese-made EVs.
Russian missiles and drones strike across Ukraine and kill at least 4 people
Nighttime Russian drone and missile attacks struck across Ukraine, killing at least four people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday, a day after a heavy barrage pounded energy facilities throughout the country.
Woman found dead in suspected femicide in Ottawa's west end
A 47-year-old woman is dead after a suspected femicide inside a home in Ottawa's west end on Sunday evening.
Mariah Carey's mother and sister died on the same day. The singer says her 'heart is broken'
Mariah Carey's mother Patricia and sister Alison both died on the same day, the singer said Monday.
Oasis reunites for tour and ends a 15-year hiatus during Gallagher brothers' feud
Oasis, the Britpop band known for timeless hits like 'Wonderwall' and 'Don't Look Back in Anger,' is reuniting for a tour of the British Isles next summer, ending a 15-year hiatus and, presumably, the long-held feud between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.
The new secret to unlock restful sleep: Evening exercise breaks
The importance of sleep for overall health cannot be overstated — it improves mood, boosts energy and lowers disease risk, to name just a few benefits.
In history of Canadian rail shutdowns, echoes of some current sticking points
The shutdown at Canada's two major railways last week was not the first time a simultaneous work stoppage brought trains to a halt.