Candidate did not respond to our questions.
Candidate did not respond to our questions.
- What do you feel is the #1 accessibility issue facing the city of London?
I feel the #1 accessibility issue facing London is consistent, barrier-free mobility throughout the city from sidewalks to store fronts. For people with physical disabilities or limited mobility, getting from one place to another can still be difficult because of gaps or poor conditions in sidewalks, inaccessible or difficult-to-reach transit stops, construction detours, curb design, and snow and ice during the winter. Improving accessibility will make London more inclusive. - How will you commit to improving accessible housing opportunities in our city?
I will commit to improving accessible housing opportunities by including funding in the City’s budget and supporting policies for accessibility. I will also advocate for stronger collaboration between the City, developers, housing providers, and people with lived experience of disability so that accessibility requirements reflect real needs—not just minimum building-code standards. Most importantly, I
will work to ensure that accessible housing is available throughout the City. - How will you work to improve accessible transportation including conventional transit, Paratransit, taxis and ride sharing?
I will work to improve accessible transportation by advocating for continued improvements to conventional transit stops, reducing barriers and wait times within Paratransit, and ensuring that ride-sharing options are available when and where they are needed. I will also support better coordination between the City, London Transit, transportation providers, and people with lived experience of disability. My goal would be to help create a transportation network where people with disabilities have greater independence, and confidence in getting around London.
1. What do you feel is the #1 accessibility issue facing the City of London:
I believe the most significant accessibility issue is the gap between City policies and the everyday experiences of people with disabilities, particularly when it comes to poorly maintained sidewalks, damaged pathways and construction-related barriers. A service or public space may technically meet minimum standards but still be difficult to access in practice.
I have spoken with people who are visually impaired and have raised concerns about City owned trees and overgrown branches obstructing sidewalks and making it difficult to walk safely. I have also heard from wheelchair users who have had to take additional buses because construction made a street or pathway inaccessible. A trip that would take an able-bodied person five minutes can take someone with a disability 30 minutes or longer.
We need to move beyond minimum compliance and make accessibility part of every decision from the beginning, including road construction, sidewalk maintenance and tree trimming. Most importantly, people with disabilities must be directly involved in developing these policies and evaluating whether they are working in practice.
2. How will you commit to improving accessible housing opportunities in our city?
London needs more housing that is both accessible and genuinely affordable. If elected, I will support:
– Consulting people with disabilities when housing policies and projects are designed.
– Including accessibility and universal design in City-supported and affordable housing projects.
– Offering incentives to developers who build accessible units beyond minimum requirements.
– Expanding assistance for homeowners and tenants who need accessibility modifications.
– Identifying how many accessible units currently exist and setting measurable targets for increasing that supply.
– Locating accessible housing near transit, health care, shopping and other essential services.
I will also advocate for accessible units to serve people with different needs, not only wheelchair users, and ensure accessibility commitments are tracked and publicly reported.
3. How will you work to improve accessible transportation, including conventional transit, Paratransit, taxis and ride-sharing?
I will advocate for reliable and adequately funded Specialized Transit with a focus on reducing booking difficulties, long travel windows and trips that cannot be accommodated. I will also support:
– Improving the accessibility of conventional transit stops, shelters, sidewalks and connections.
– Publishing clear performance information on Specialized Transit, including wait times, service reliability and unmet trip requests.
– Making booking and trip information easier to access while maintaining telephone options for those who need them.
– Working with taxi and ride-sharing providers to increase the availability of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
– Strengthening accessibility expectations through municipal licensing and exploring incentives for accessible vehicles.
– Regularly consulting riders and the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee before making service changes
My background in municipal budgeting has taught me that priorities must be supported with funding, timelines and measurable results. Accessibility should not be treated as an afterthought or an optional expense. It is an essential part of building a city in which everyone can participate.
Candidate did not respond to our questions.
1. What do you feel is the #1 accessibility issue facing the city of London?
Getting from the front door to where you need to go.
Inside a building there is a Code and an inspector. Outside the door there is neither. London wrote the Facility Accessibility Design Standards other Ontario cities have adopted. A standard for City facilities is not the same as an inspection of the sidewalk between them. As a building inspector I can hold a new building to Section 3.8, Barrier-Free Design, of the Ontario Building Code, but the moment someone with a walker or a wheelchair leaves it, they are on their own: a sidewalk that heaves, a corner with no curb cut, a bus stop with no hard-surface pad, a snowbank left across the crossing by the plow. London does not inspect the public realm the way it inspects buildings, and it shows.
The same gap runs through mobility. Paratransit trips are not guaranteed, have to be booked three days out, and are often gone by the time the phone is answered. Accessible cabs are scarce. The buildings are mostly fine. The trip between them is the problem, and nobody owns it.
2. How will you commit to improving accessible housing opportunities in our city?
Accessible housing in London means multi-unit housing: apartments, seniors’ buildings, and the projects the City funds. That is where the units are, where the Code applies, and where Council can actually make changes. My commitments:
- Enforce Section 3.8, Barrier-Free Design, of the Ontario Building Code strictly, where it applies. Apartment buildings must already provide barrier-free suites. Those features get value-engineered out between permit drawings and final inspection. I know where that happens, and inspections should verify at the stage it matters.
- Apply the City’s own Facility Accessibility Design Standards to housing the City funds or builds on City land, and to any building that receives a City grant. London wrote the standard other Ontario cities use for their facilities; if City money is in the building, the City’s standard should be too.
- Use site plan control, the planning approval (separate from the Building Code) where the City reviews everything outside the building before a permit is issued: accessible parking, a firm, level walkway from the sidewalk to the front door, and snow clearing that keeps it open.
Count it. Publish annually how many barrier-free units were approved and built. If the City cannot say, it cannot manage it.
3. How will you work to improve accessible transportation including conventional transit, Paratransit, taxis and ride sharing?
- Conventional transit. My platform commits to a minimum service standard for every neighbourhood and a commuter park-and-ride network at major transit hubs. Park-and-ride is barrier-free by design: an accessible lot with a drop-off zone gets someone who can drive, or be driven, onto a fully accessible bus without a long walk to a stop. Every stop needs a hard-surface pad, curb cut, and winter clearing.
- Paratransit. I hear it at the doors: people cannot get a ride. Riders spend hours on the phone to find no trips available, and LTC’s own policy says trips are not guaranteed. Publish monthly how many trips are turned away and fund service hours against that number.
- Taxis and ride-share. In 2023 only 15 accessible cabs were on the road against 31 licences. I will bring forward a Vehicle for Hire By-law review: a per-trip accessibility surcharge on ride-hailing, as Ottawa does, to fund accessible cab conversions, plus a single accessible dispatch line.
As a brother to a sister with a hearing disability, I understand the importance of accessibility and the social challenges that people with disabilities face. Accessibility should not be treated as an afterthought; it should be part of how we plan and build London from the beginning.
1. What do you feel is the #1 accessibility issue facing the City of London?
I believe the biggest issue is accessibility being treated as an afterthought rather than being incorporated into planning from the beginning. Whether it is sidewalks, crossings, public buildings, transportation, housing or communication, accessibility needs to be considered at the design stage.
2. How will you commit to improving accessible housing opportunities in our city?
I would support increasing the supply of accessible and adaptable housing and ensuring accessibility is considered when new developments and renovations are approved. The City should work with developers and other levels of government to increase both affordable and accessible housing.
Housing should not only be affordable; people with disabilities should be able to live safely and independently.
3. How will you work to improve accessible transportation, including conventional transit, Paratransit, taxis and ride sharing?
I would support improving the reliability and accessibility of conventional transit and Paratransit, particularly for people who depend on these services to get to work, education, appointments and essential services.
We should also work to improve the availability of accessible taxis and ride-sharing options. Accessibility must also be considered throughout our transportation infrastructure, including sidewalks, crossings, transit stops and pathways.
My approach is simple: accessibility is not a special feature. It is a fundamental part of building a city that works for everyone.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts. I appreciate the work of the Accessible London Coalition and look forward to continuing the conversation with London’s disability community throughout this campaign.
Candidate did not respond to our questions.
