2026 London Municipal Election: Andrew Crook – Councilor Ward 13

Name: Andrew Crook

What position are you running for? Councilor Ward 13

What do you see as the principal opportunities and obstacles facing London’s economy over the next Council term? What should the City do to support business growth, job creation, entrepreneurship and investment, and how should it work with employers, Western University, Fanshawe College and others to attract and retain the talent London needs?

London’s biggest opportunity is its position as Southwestern Ontario’s crossroads, with strong institutions, affordable scale, industrial capacity and a growing technology and creative economy. Our biggest obstacles are high unemployment, weak business confidence, housing costs, regulatory friction and uncertainty caused by broader trade pressures.

City Hall should focus on the things it can control: faster approvals, competitive taxes, reliable infrastructure, safe commercial districts and a culture that welcomes investment. I would strengthen partnerships with Western, Fanshawe, employers and entrepreneurs so students see London as a place to build careers, businesses and families, not simply a place to study before leaving.

London now has a new Downtown Plan. Which elements would you prioritize and what results should Londoners expect to see during the next Council term? Please address the downtown business environment, public spaces, housing and office conversions, cultural and civic destinations, safety, transportation and implementation accountability.

I would prioritize implementation over another round of planning.

Londoner’s should see cleaner and safer streets, fewer vacant storefronts, more housing, stronger office-to-residential conversions, better public spaces and more reasons to come downtown after 5 p.m. I also want clear accountability. The Downtown Plan should have public milestones, costs, timelines and measurable outcomes so council and citizens can see what is working.

Downtown must become a place where families, businesses, students, visitors and residents all feel welcome. Ward 13 is the heart of London, and a healthy downtown benefits the entire city.

London faces an urgent health and homelessness crisis. Residents, employees and businesses also have concerns about violence, property crime, public disorder and confidence in public spaces. These conditions require related but distinct responses. What actions would you support in each area, and what responsibilities should fall to the City, police, the health system, other orders of government and community partners?

These problems overlap, but they are not the same and should not be treated as one issue.

The City should focus on emergency shelter, supportive housing, public-space management and coordination. Police must address violence, theft and serious disorder. The Province must provide mental-health care, detox, addiction treatment and hospital capacity.

We also need different pathways for different needs, including sober shelter options, supportive housing and meaningful recovery pathways. Harm reduction can save a life today, but it should connect people toward treatment, housing and stability tomorrow.

Compassion matters. So do safety, accountability and measurable outcomes.

What changes would you support to increase housing supply and affordability and create neighbourhoods with access to employment, services, transportation and public amenities?

London needs more housing of many kinds, not one type everywhere.

I support faster approvals, gentle density where appropriate, more housing along transit and major corridors, adaptive reuse, office conversions, missing-middle housing and incentives that make infill financially viable.

At the same time, established neighbourhoods need thoughtful transitions, infrastructure and public amenities so growth strengthens communities rather than simply adding units. Affordability also means preventing people from losing housing they already have. Community supports, rental stability and partnerships with nonprofits and the Province all matter.

The goal should be complete neighbourhoods where people can live close to work, services, transportation and public space.

London’s cultural facilities, venues and public spaces are essential to the life of the city, and several face age, capacity or funding pressures. What cultural infrastructure should be prioritised during the next Council term, and how should the City decide where to invest?

London has a UNESCO City of Music designation, but that designation needs physical places where music and culture can actually happen.

I would prioritize venues that support live performance, festivals, youth participation and larger touring acts, while making better use of existing civic facilities. I also see Richmond Row as having the potential to become a true entertainment district, a kind of Broadway or Nashville of the North, with restaurants, music, nightlife and cultural destinations reinforcing one another.

Investment decisions should consider demand, economic impact, operating sustainability, accessibility and whether the facility strengthens surrounding businesses and neighbourhoods.

London’s economic success depends on reliable local, regional, national and international connections. How would you improve local transit and service to major employment areas and shift workers, intercity bus and air links, and passenger rail? What should businesses and employees be able to expect in terms of frequency, reliability and access?

Businesses and employees should be able to rely on transportation, especially people working outside traditional 9-to-5 hours. I would prioritize reliable transit to major employment areas, better evening and shift-worker service, and stronger connections between neighbourhoods, institutions and commercial centres.

London must also advocate aggressively for better intercity rail, bus and air connections. Our geographic advantage means little if people and goods cannot move efficiently. The standard should be reliability, not simply coverage. A bus that technically exists but does not run when workers need it is not useful transportation.

Connectivity is economic infrastructure.

What changes would you make to municipal approvals, regulation, procurement and customer service to make it easier to invest, build and operate a business in London?

City Hall should behave like a partner in investment, not another obstacle to overcome.

I would support clearer timelines, one point of contact for major applications, greater use of pre-consultation, transparent tracking of approvals and accountability when timelines are repeatedly missed.

Regulations should protect legitimate public interests without creating unnecessary duplication. Procurement should also be easier for local and smaller businesses to navigate where legally possible.

The cultural change matters just as much as the paperwork. Businesses should hear, “Here is how we can get this done safely and legally,” rather than simply receiving a list of reasons something cannot happen.

London City Council approved the 2025–2035 ReconciliAction Plan in May 2025, committing the City to 155 actions over ten years. What should the next Council do to translate these commitments into a clear, properly resourced implementation plan developed with Indigenous partners? How would you advance reconciliation through economic development, procurement, planning, cultural investment and municipal services?

The next Council should treat the ReconciliAction Plan as an implementation framework, not a permanent symbolic exercise.

With 155 actions, priorities, responsibilities, timelines, budgets and expected outcomes should be clear and publicly reported.

I support practical reconciliation that improves relationships, economic opportunity, participation and trust. That can include entrepreneurship, employment, procurement, planning partnerships and cultural investment where there is a clear public purpose. The long-term goal should be stronger integration, mutual respect and normal civic participation, not permanent separation or an endless process without measurable progress.

Success should mean better relationships, better outcomes and less need for reconciliation over time.

London’s growth depends on roads, transit, water and wastewater systems, emergency services and community facilities. How would you determine which investments proceed first, pay for growth fairly and maintain competitive property taxes?

Infrastructure priorities should be based on safety, state of repair, growth requirements, economic return and the consequences of delay.

Growth should pay a fair share of growth-related costs, while recognizing that excessive charges can make housing and investment less viable. I would favour long-term asset planning, disciplined reserves, partnerships with other governments and transparent lifecycle costing rather than repeatedly deferring maintenance until it becomes an emergency.

Competitive taxes require discipline on both spending and growth.

The question should always be: what does this investment enable, what will it cost over its life, and what happens if we do nothing?

London City Council approved the Climate Emergency Action Plan in 2022. The Plan calls for a 55 per cent reduction in community-wide greenhouse-gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. Which elements of the Plan would you prioritise, accelerate or change during the next Council term? How would you ensure that climate action strengthens resilience, affordability and economic competitiveness for residents and businesses?

I would prioritize climate measures that also make London more resilient, affordable and economically competitive. That includes energy efficiency, building retrofits, tree canopy, flood resilience, better transit, active transportation where practical, waste reduction and infrastructure that lowers long-term operating costs.

I am less interested in symbolic targets than measurable results. Every major initiative should be evaluated for emissions reduction, cost, affordability and unintended consequences.

Climate policy will last only if citizens and businesses can see practical benefits. The best projects reduce emissions while also lowering costs, protecting infrastructure or improving quality of life.

How should Council respond when strong-mayor powers are exercised, and how would you use your role as a councillor to provide effective scrutiny and accountability?

Strong-mayor powers make effective council scrutiny more important, not less.

As a councillor, I would support the Mayor when the evidence and public interest justify the decision, and challenge the Mayor when they do not. Council should demand clear reasoning, transparent use of authority, public documentation where legally possible and measurable outcomes.

My broader concern is maintaining the proper balance between elected leadership and administration. Staff bring expertise and operational capacity, but elected officials must provide vision, oversight and accountability.

Councillors are elected by citizens. Our responsibility is to ask hard questions, represent lived experience and make sure major decisions remain publicly accountable.

What role should arts, culture and the creative industries play in London’s economic and community development? How should the City support cultural organisations, artists, venues, festivals and creative businesses while ensuring that municipal investment produces lasting public value?

Arts and culture are economic infrastructure.

They attract talent, support hospitality and tourism, animate public spaces and help give London an identity people want to belong to. The City should support artists, venues, festivals and creative businesses, but investment should be tied to lasting public value such as attendance, tourism, youth participation, business activity and neighbourhood revitalization.

London should use its UNESCO City of Music designation much more aggressively as an economic-development tool. Culture is not decoration added after a city succeeds. In many successful cities, culture is part of what makes investment and talent want to stay.