The Issues · Businesses & Local Economy

Construction blocks your door. Who at City Hall is actually answering?

A business owner should not have to become a City Hall expert just to stay open. If construction cuts off access, the building next door sits empty for years or the same by-law problem keeps coming back, you should know who owns the file, what happens next and whether anyone followed through.

Start here

One problem. One clear City contact. No starting over every time.

Position

Where I stand

If City Hall controls part of the problem, a business should know who owns it and what the next step is. No bouncing people from department to department.

Action

What I would push for

Put one Business Impact plan on the table: earlier construction notices, clearer vacancy information where lawful, consistent by-law service and one direct path to get an answer. Then keep following the issue instead of making businesses start over every time.

Authority

Who controls what

The City controls construction management, municipal licensing, planning, public-realm work, applicable incentives and by-law policy. Staff administer permits and enforcement within those rules. Private owners and employers make their own leasing, investment and hiring decisions. A councillor can simplify the City path and track follow-through, not guarantee a private business outcome.

Plan

What this looks like in real life

You open your business in the morning and discover the sidewalk is blocked, the parking access changed or a construction detour makes it look like your store is closed. Then a separate safety or property-standard problem appears at the front door and you are told to call another department. A business should not have to restart the story four times just to get the City-controlled parts of the problem to the right place.

Result

What businesses should see

Businesses should hear about major disruption before it hits. Concerns should be logged, answered and followed up. Long-vacant properties and enforcement status should be visible where the law allows it.

First moves

What I would do first

Start with the current vacancy picture, identify the City-controlled problems businesses are hitting, put the Business Impact plan before Council and report what moved.

Full file

Detailed business position, follow-through and source material.

Open the full business file

What I seeWhat Ward 13 businesses are dealing with

Construction Disruptions

Road closures, detours, and multi-year projects that reduce foot traffic without adequate business support.

Vacant Properties

Empty storefronts and speculative holdings that reduce neighbourhood vibrancy and discourage investment.

Bylaw Enforcement Gaps

Inconsistent enforcement of property standards, signage rules, and sidewalk maintenance near businesses.

Public Safety Concerns

Open drug use, aggressive behaviour, and visible disorder that drives customers away from business areas.

No Clear City Hall Contact

When issues arise, businesses don’t have a single clear path to get answers or action from their councillor.

One-Size Decisions

City-wide policies that don’t consider the specific realities of Ward 13 neighbourhood businesses.

What I would put forwardWhat I would put on the table for Ward 13 businesses

▹Visit Ward 13 businesses directly to hear concerns in person.

▹Push for construction impact mitigation plans that include business support.

▹Request a downtown vacancy and ownership-status report using information the City can lawfully publish.

▹Press for consistent, measurable bylaw service standards in commercial corridors.

▹Create a direct reporting channel for business-specific issues.

▹Include actions taken for Ward 13 businesses in the regular public Ward 13 report.

If elected — proposalBusiness Impact Plan — from problem to follow-through

Ward 13 businesses are affected by City decisions on construction timelines, bylaw enforcement, vacancy policy, and public space management. The point is simple: when a City decision hurts access, creates confusion or leaves a business waiting for an answer, there should be one clear path to get the issue to the right people and follow it through. The goal is less hassle dealing with City Hall, not another layer of paperwork.

Before major construction starts

For each active major construction project in Ward 13, a report on business impact mitigation: communication protocols, detour signage, timeline updates, and what support exists for affected businesses.

Vacancy and Ownership Audit

A staff report on the scope of long-term commercial vacancy in Ward 13 — ownership patterns, duration of vacancy, current enforcement tools, and whether stronger enforcement options are available.

Bylaw Enforcement Consistency

A report on bylaw complaint volumes, response times, and enforcement results in Ward 13 commercial corridors over the prior 12 months.

One clear contact path

A formal process for Ward 13 businesses to log concerns with the councillor office and receive a documented response timeline — not just a phone number.

Where the City runs downtown business grants, I would push to consolidate the scattered programs into one simple application — and measure success by how many Ward 13 businesses actually use it, not by how many programs exist on paper.

If elected — how I would startEstablish the facts. Remove the friction. Report the result.

Long-term vacancy is a real cost to surrounding businesses and neighbourhood confidence. I would start with the current picture, not an arbitrary countdown.

Establish the current picture

Request the available Ward 13 storefront and vacancy information, how long chronic vacancies have persisted, and what City tools are actually being used.

Identify City-controlled barriers

Put construction access, permitting, bylaw consistency, public-space conditions and municipal response paths on one working list, then identify who owns each next action.

Attract and retain viable businesses

Work with City economic-development staff, business organizations, property owners, existing businesses and prospective businesses to connect opportunities, cut City Hall delays and confusion and move viable files to the people who can act on them.

Report what moved

Publish the issues raised, the responsible body, the action requested and the result so a new contact point does not become another place for a problem to sit.

Council responsibility — what I can commit to

Council decisions require support. My responsibility is to bring the action forward, build the case, vote, track the decision, and report back. If something stalls, it will be named publicly.

Direct access

Request a business visit

If you own or operate a business in Ward 13, request a visit from the campaign. I want to hear what’s working, what’s not, and what you need from your next councillor. Ward 13 businesses only · London, Ontario.

Where to go next.

Continue

What actually changed, tracked What I’ll do about it

BISSON13 · Ward 13