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Name: Bronagh Joyce Morgan

What position are you running for? Mayor

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?

Systemic barriers to success. Poorly drafted, unevenly applied bylaws and policies, and contracts that do not function the way they are intended and do not require the desired results to be achieved. A commitment to the status quo as well as election cycle decision making impacts our ability to attract businesses and limits opportunities for creative, new ideas to flourish. There’s no need to incentivize people or businesses to come to, stay in, or grow in London when the rules of the game are fair, easy to understand, and evenly applied.

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.

We already have the ingredients for a thriving downtown and more than enough studies to draw from. The key is people. We need to end the narrative that downtown isn’t a place for everyone – individuals of all ages and cultural backgrounds, families, businesses. Look around at any sports event, concert, festival, etc. We have the spaces. We have the activities. We have many, many thriving businesses. Enough with the negative narratives. London downtown is not what it was in the 1990s and that is OK. Just go. That is something all of us can do and my leadership style is by example – I’m already working, shopping, and socializing there all the time. There’s nothing stopping anyone else other than their attitude.

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?

All these issues are all of us problems and putting the spotlight on one organization or outcome is counter-productive and illogical. Systemic review of what the partners we already have to help those who need support are doing, what’s working, and how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together is the only way we move forward. We foster real solutions through transparency, accountability for everyone (not just service providers, but larger institutional partners, private contractors, and City staff themselves), and breaking down the silos each of us work in. We have listened to the experts. We could use more honest assessment by people of lived experience. And we could use more honesty from everyone about what they can and cannot do well, without reflexively taking away or granting funding based on hot button media stories or the need to look like we are doing something in an election year.

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

Enforce property standards already existing. Prioritize affordability and be honest about the actual impact of new development on the need for homes that people earning an average income in London can afford. General numbers of new builds don’t tell the whole story if most people who need housing can’t benefit from them. That’s gaslighting. There’s tons of space in core areas for development if we make a point of making it a better proposition to rebuild and redevelop than to sit on empty lots and buildings. We have the legal and regulatory ability to do it.

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?

How about Centennial Square? Right in the core, right by City Hall and busy, beautiful Victoria Park. Lots of possibility to bring even more life to the core by revitalizing this space.

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?

BRT should help. I’ll personally commit to using transit for City business, and creating expectations for other elected representatives to do the same. We’ll better understand the problems with getting around by sharing those problems with the rest of London. And we’ll solve them together. Leading by example matters. I have maintained good relationships with all the provincial and federal government representatives I’ve met over the course of a long career in politics, law, and broadcasting, so I think I have a good base to build relationships with leaders in other jurisdictions to cooperate on regional and province-wide transportation initiatives.

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?

That’s the whole point. I am a lawyer with 26 years of call and I am saying without qualification that the entire system is many years past due for an overhaul. It never happens because it’s boring and not a hot election issue, ever. With me, this gets done. That is literally what I do for municipalities, provincial and federal government departments, and private companies across Canada. I’ll do it for London too, with the support of organizations like the Chamber and Londoners who understand this needs to happen for us to ever tackle any big issue. The resources that are currently being wasted to administer an overcomplex system right now could easily solve all of our big problems.

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?

155 is a big number. Categorize them to streamline the list, read those categories at every Council meeting, and update Londoners on our progress, every time. That kind of transparency moves mountains. Writing a list of commitments without financial commitments behind them is nothing more than an exercise in electioneering. Like all the other items on the list, read what we wrote, look at them in the context of all the City’s other commitments, obligations, and priorities, look for ways to combine and streamline, and report transparently.

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?

Learn from the experts, plan for the future. Putting a $ value on decisions like this during an election cycle is unrealistic and meaningless. Until I see all the decisions prior Councils have made, what we’re already committed to, and what we need to prioritize to maintain our current infrastructure, it would be nothing but speculation to answer this question.

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?

BRT, again, should help. My statement to use transit… plus when I can, biking, running, walking for work. Leadership. Let’s start by making sure the pedestrian infrastructure we already have makes better sense – link up the safe bike lanes for one thing – and clear the sidewalks properly in winter. The idea we force people into cars for everything by making it impossible for them to make other choices is nonsensical.

Ontario’s strong-mayor legislation gives the Mayor of London enhanced authority in areas including the municipal budget, senior administration and matters connected to provincial priorities.
If you are a candidate for Mayor: How would you use these powers, when would you choose not to use them, and what standards of transparency and accountability would you apply?

There will never be a need for a mayor who leads by example and puts forth arguments and ideas that are in the long term interests of the City to use strong mayor powers. Consensus-based decisions are possible when we apply logic and fairness to every step in the process.

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 primary economic drivers in London and we need to treat them as such and not as “nice to haves” or an afterthought. We “celebrate” our artists, musicians, actors, producers, etc. but we rarely quantify the impact their efforts and talents have on job creation, bringing people to parts of town that are looking for traffic, and to local venues where they can also socialize and spend money. I answered another question in this survey highlighting tourism, and our arts and culture could be a huge part of attracting people to this area. And people means dollars.

Arts and culture are also potential answers to some of our most top-of-mind issues this campaign. Bear with me…

We have to admit that there are not enough mental health professionals to treat everyone who needs treatment. There aren’t enough spaces for the recovery-focused care some candidates are highlighting, nor is there enough space in the shelter models that we currently have. Art does not make this reality go away. What it can do is build a bridge.

Not every person who needs support needs the same care. Some people need a listening ear and a hand up. Some people need much, much more. But anyone can benefit from having pro-social ways to express themselves, an opportunity to learn and practice a new skill that could turn into a career path, and discovering they have the ability to contribute in a positive way to their community.

I have seen first hand the power of art to heal and to connect. Please do not reduce this point to a soundbite that suggests I think art is a replacement for care and the vital systemic changes that need to happen. It isn’t a standalone solution. But it can be a part of any program, service, or initiative that aims to lift people out of places where they are struggling and into a better place for themselves and for our community as a whole. I have seen this work in the Healing Through Art programs I created and implemented with Bereaved Families and VON. I know this from making art in east London and in the downtown, and sharing my paintbrushes and chalk with anyone who wants to help, including people who live unsheltered there.

A creative approach to all our political decisions is exactly what we need.


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