How Government supports economic growth

[jammer139]

Interesting article on local business planning to grow.

http://www.lfpress.com/2017/03/26/sausage-maker-hopes-to-preserve-london-links

Question is does City Hall create a climate that will allow this business to grow in London or will it be easier for them to expand in the GTA.

What does our City Hall do? Clear the path or obstruct growth?

[Dupcheck]

by paying police officers wages that are ridiculous such as these:

http://www.lfpress.com/2017/03/24/london...ist-earning-more-than-100k-jumps-in-2016

Canadian elite 1% starts at 225K. Should the police be part of the 1%?
The prime minister gets paid 350K 400K. Firefighters are now making 6 figures.

Hey what is going on with the government jobs. They are out of touch with the private sector reality.

[jammer139]

Unique London business running into City hall road blocks to allow it to expand and grow. We need every job we can get and the mental midgets in City Hall are holding this up.

http://www.lfpress.com/2017/10/27/martin-red-tape-buries-mushrooms--and-citys-future

[Stevo26]

Originally Posted by jammer139

Unique London business running into City hall road blocks to allow it to expand and grow. We need every job we can get and the mental midgets in City Hall are holding this up.

http://www.lfpress.com/2017/10/27/martin-red-tape-buries-mushrooms--and-citys-future

Yet one more reason why I'm seriously considering leaving London in the next few years when I retire. This city absolutely does not want to progress or be genuinely competitive. Progress and attracting jobs and businesses to the city benefits all Londoners in the end.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Dupcheck

by paying police officers wages that are ridiculous such as these:

http://www.lfpress.com/2017/03/24/london...ist-earning-more-than-100k-jumps-in-2016

Canadian elite 1% starts at 225K. Should the police be part of the 1%?
The prime minister gets paid 350K 400K. Firefighters are now making 6 figures.

Hey what is going on with the government jobs. They are out of touch with the private sector reality.

Some of these constables made more than full time Professors with PhDs. Weird.

[Dupcheck]

Originally Posted by jammer139

Unique London business running into City hall road blocks to allow it to expand and grow. We need every job we can get and the mental midgets in City Hall are holding this up.

http://www.lfpress.com/2017/10/27/martin-red-tape-buries-mushrooms--and-citys-future

Shame to the City of London if this business is not allowed to expand. We need more of these...

[jammer139]

Looks like city hall relented and allowed the zoning change.

[jammer139]

City discusses expropriation of downtown vacant buildings to deal with blight.


https://london.ctvnews.ca/surgical-expro...to-unlock-vacant-downtown-land-1.5688571

[ssiguy]

The Core in London is in worse shape than most similar sized cities and it's not just COVID. Downtown has had a wrenching 4 years of Dundas Place construction, COVID, and now the Downtown Loop.

Over the medium & long-term the downtown will be a better place as the population continues to soar, the Loop is finished, office workers {at least some} begin making their way back to the office towers, supply chain issues subside, COVID is a distant memory, festivals and events return, and with all the infrastructure and rejuvenation projects finally done, it will be a far more appealing and pleasant place.

I agree with the city trying to "encourage" landlords to fill up those empty storefronts as it makes for a very bleak urban environment and I think some real threats from the City might just do it. That, although I agree with it, is still a short-term fix.

The key to really getting the downtown surging again is more people and a more constant urban form by getting rid of all the damn surface parking lots. Of course this means taking on the elephant in the room..........Farhi.

The City must bring an end to these stupid "parking extensions" which have allowed lots to sit around for decades. The City should ban any more extensions and begin to phase out ALL non-city owned surface parking lots over a certain size {ie allow 10 to 15 spots for immediate stores and/or restaurants} over the next 5 years. They can't force anyone to build anything but by doing so, the land begins to cost Farhi a fortune in taxes without the parking revenue forcing him to sell the land to developers bringing more people and hence vitality and businesses downtown.

The City has the power to do it but whether they will have the balls to confront the "downtown mayor" is another matter.

[jammer139]

Interesting article today in the LFP about the shortage of land in the north and west of the city's urban growth boundary. The fact is developers are building in Kilworth, Komoka, Thorndale, Dorchester, Talbotville, Ilderton and Arva and benefiting the County. The City is going to draft a report due in 2024 to explore this. Also obvious is no one wants to build in the huge tract of land in the south due to the landfills and the stench issues. Extending city services to these bedroom communities without the property tax base will be a future political debate.



https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/as-l...ht-after-land-nearby-communities-cash-in

[MolsonExport]

Landfills are a terrible use of what could be very productive space for future growth, given that the South is the only part of London with freeways. Why the hell are we the dumping ground for Toronto's garbage?

[haljackey]

Ya I read there is talk about adjusting London's urban growth boundary but that is within the city limits. We need to pretty much expand our city limits to absorb these areas in order to get the tax $, or become a regional municipality that covers them.

[ssiguy]

You can't keep expanding a city's boundaries endlessly. Also, even if the city wanted too it has to get provincial approval and there must be a valid reason for the expansion and the reality is that London doesn't have one. A good third of London has almost no one living on it so it stating they need "room to grow" both it's population and tax base would never fly. Ideally, the city and neighbouring municipalities could work out a fair taxation system to help the city fund the necessary infrastructure that those commuters are causing the city but if not, there are alternatives. If the city has tried a carrot that doesn't work then they could use a stick.

Putting tolls on incoming roads would be impossible as there are so many roadways that enter the city from all directions and QP would probably put a stop to it like when Wynne stopped Toronto from tolling the Gardiner & DVP despite being city owned. There is of course ways to get around this. The city cannot set speed limits higher than provincial regulations but they can lower them. At key entries and especially in ones that there are no alternative routes like Oxford from Komoka, the city can DRAMATICALLY reduce the speed limits and ping off every single vehicles going over it. Considering the boundary point of Oxford carries 16,000 passengers a day, they could make a King's Ransom. One of the few benefits of Harris's downloading of provincial highways They can also put up lights and "pedestrian crossings" to make commuting a true nightmare.

It's an extreme measure that really shouldn't be employed but could be used as a strong bargaining chip to get the surrounding municipalities to help fund some of the city's infrastructure costs that those residents enjoy without paying for them especially transportation.

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

You can't keep expanding a city's boundaries endlessly. Also, even if the city wanted too it has to get provincial approval and there must be a valid reason for the expansion and the reality is that London doesn't have one. A good third of London has almost no one living on it so it stating they need "room to grow" both it's population and tax base would never fly.

Why not? The city annexed the south where there is little growth- so they could concede some of that land and use it to expand the north and west boundaries?

Or just ask the province to simply expand London's boundaries. The reasoning is pretty clear. Town growing. People living outside to avoid taxes. Not a regional municipality so no $ goes to revenue. Pretty simple for them to access the reasoning and they could do it. Douggie would be a friendly Premier to have with such a request anyway.

Just say everything in this area is City of London. That covers the built up and expanding areas. This puts downtown in the actual centre of the city limits... I think the core of London right now is White Oaks or something based on the boundaries.

Square= city limits, circles= growth boundaries.

*extremely rough but gets the point across

Can't hurt to ask. Council just needs the balls to do so.

[jaradthescot]

Relevent political cartoon: https://twitter.com/LondontLife/status/1498696018308866052

[ssiguy]

Forever expanding boundaries is a zero sum game as people will simply move beyond the boundary. Ideally a regional municipality is the way to grow. It is an acknowledgement that a region grows stronger together than it does apart.

[jammer139]

Interesting article on how government policies impact purpose built rentals (PBR).


https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contribu...-chow-can-build-housing-in-toronton.html

[jammer139]

Council endorses housing density zoning change 15-0.


Hopefully they remember this when a future zoning application comes in for buildings taller then what their current secondary plans permit in an area.


The name of the game is Density density density - build up and not out.



https://london.ctvnews.ca/council-unanim...-bid-for-federal-housing-funds-1.6540592