Q&A: A look ahead at London in 2025 with Mayor Josh Morgan
The mayor talked about growing, addressing housing and homelessness, and plans for the future
London is projected to grow significantly in 2025, and while growth brings vibrancy and opportunities, it also poses challenges. Mayor Josh Morgan talked to London Morning host Andrew Brown about preparing for these changes, the ongoing homelessness crisis, and his plans for the future.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Andrew Brown: The city estimates 9,000 new people could move to London this year. Do we have the housing for that many people right now?
Josh Morgan: We're trying to keep up with housing. That's the challenge of a fast-growing city; it puts tremendous pressure on not only housing but infrastructure and all the services that ensure quality of life. What council has done is prepared very well by creating the permissions to build housing. In 2022, we created 4,400 permissions. In 2023, we created 5,300.
Last year, we exceeded 23,000 permissions and actually led the country in CMHC data in several categories, including high-density residential. We're doing our part, but as you know, people can move wherever they like across the country, and many are choosing to come to London. That continued upward pressure affects things like property taxes, which is a big challenge for municipalities. Growth brings economic vibrancy, but the money from that growth fills provincial and federal coffers, not municipalities. We still have to provide the essential services that people need.
AB: There is a building boom happening right now, but is enough of that housing affordable?
JM: That's the challenge. Every city is trying to build as much housing as possible to address the supply problem, but we also face an affordability issue. That's why we have the roadmap to 3,000 affordable units. We're creating as many as we can, but market-based rents are out of reach for so many. One way to address this is to increase supply, but we also need to create subsidized and affordable units, ranging from slightly below-market rents to rent geared toward income.
We're investing in community housing and building new spaces. Another challenge is social assistance rates. If they were increased to provide proper shelter and food allowances, people would be able to afford market rents. Without proper social assistance, we face continued pressure on affordability in the housing market.
AB: It sounds like you need help from the province on that one.
JM: We definitely need help from other levels of government. That's why, this year, you'll hear me discussing a new deal for municipalities with other mayors across the country. The property tax system is completely broken. Modern cities like London are funded by a system that's 150 years old. It doesn't make sense that London collects only nine cents of every tax dollar while being responsible for 60% of the infrastructure.
We're at a breaking point. We don't need new taxes; we just need a proper allocation of resources across all levels of government so we can provide the services people need. For example, other levels of government are borrowing money to send out checks, which future generations will have to pay back. Municipalities, however, have to balance their budgets. We don't have the luxury of borrowing money. The $200 checks from the province may end up being funnelled into property taxes across Ontario, which will lead to municipalities needing to raise property taxes. It makes no sense. We need better funding for municipalities.
LISTEN | London Mayor Josh Morgan on heading into 2025:
AB: I want to ask you about the ongoing homelessness issue in our city. We can see it right outside our studio window here on Dundas Street. As you mentioned, cities like London can't solve this alone, but London did receive a $25 million donation to help with the homelessness crisis. Londoners also matched that donation. I understand about $11 million has been spent so far. How can Londoners see the results of that investment?
JM: Yes, about $11.5 million has been spent. First off, a couple of quick things about that. It's not the city's money; it's held by the London Community Foundation under a donor agreement. The money comes in over time, and we've been deploying it as it's raised. Londoners raised $6.2 million, and the generous donor family matched that and added an additional $6.2 million, giving us $12.4 million to work with. About $11.5 million has been spent on the Atlohsa and the YOU hubs. These hubs have been a success story, with over 50 youth taken off the streets through the YOU hub in less than a year. We've spent on projects like supportive housing and partnered with developers who bought an old retirement home and are converting it into supportive housing. We're also investing in other supportive housing projects.
Ultimately, the goal is to house as many people as possible. This funding is aimed at the highest-needs individuals—those with significant mental health and addiction issues. We're deploying this money on solutions that work, and we know what works now. For example, the House of Hope partnership between London Cares and LHSC has shown promising results. They've reported an 83 per cent reduction in emergency room visits, 61 per cent fewer inpatient hospital days, and a 57 per cent reduction in hospital admissions. There's also been a 30 per cent reduction in police contacts, and people are exiting sex work and stabilizing their lives. Of all the people offered a space at these hubs, 98 per cent accepted and are stably housed. The challenge now is scaling these solutions.
AB: It doesn't look like things are improving when you walk outside, though. How tough is it to explain to Londoners that progress is being made when it doesn't look that way?
JM: That's the challenge. We've taken about 150 to 200 people off the streets or through different hubs or into supportive housing over the past year. But if you walk the streets, it might seem like nothing has changed. The highest-needs individuals, who are the most visible, are still out there. However, other mayors visiting London will say things are going well here, and while we don't see it as that, the problem is stabilizing. We've seen progress, and we're taking people off the streets, but it's hard to see because you still see some visible homelessness. We're making progress and will continue to do so in the coming years.
AB: There will be a federal election this year, and possibly a provincial one. Some of your colleagues on council have been nominated to run. Have you considered running in either of those elections?
JM: No, I haven't considered it. I'm focused on doing this job. I haven't even spoken about a nomination anywhere. There's so much important work at the municipal level, and I really enjoy being an elected official here. I like being able to go to Walmart in my T-shirt and talk to people. In other levels of government, you get lost in the party system, and I love being right here, helping people in the city and seeing them every day.
AB: So it sounds like you'll run for mayor again in the next municipal election?
JM: That's my intent, unless something comes up. I've got four kids, so anything can happen, but I want to keep doing this work. I'm really optimistic about the year ahead, and I think 2025 will be an exciting year for London.