2026 London Municipal Election: Elizabeth Peloza – Councilor Ward 12

Name: Elizabeth Peloza

What position are you running for?  Councilor Ward 12

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 has a significant opportunity to build on its strengths: our post-secondary institutions, LiUNA 1059 training center, health and life-sciences sectors, manufacturing, small businesses, cultural industries and quality of life. London’s geographical location along the 401/402 corridor establishes easy connectivity for manufacturing.Our biggest obstacles on a national level are economic uncertainty generated by tariffs, trade wards, and supply chain issues. Locally, ensuring that infrastructure and housing keep pace with growth, addressing affordability, and making it easier for businesses to navigate City Hall processes.

I would focus on making London a city where businesses can start, grow and stay. That means examining municipal fees, approval timelines, licensing and regulatory processes to identify unnecessary duplication and delays. Annual reporting and review of London’s 2026-2030 Economic Development Strategy is also a vital tool.

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.

A strong downtown needs to be a vibrant place where people live, work and play. It needs to be bustling throughout the day and evening with employees, residents, students, entrepreneurs, visitors and families. Working with economic development partners, post-secondary institutions, employers and the Downtown London BIA to attract and retain businesses and talent is paramount to making this happen.
Downtowns are changing. The office-to-residential program is a great approach to reducing office vacancy and can help create that activity, while maintaining employment and commercial space where there is demand.

I would also continue to support investment in the things that make employers and employees want to be downtown: safe and attractive public spaces, reliable transportation, active mobility, culture, restaurants, events and amenities. Dundas Street programming and activations are a great example as are investments in upgrading city owned assets such as Canada Life Place.

Most importantly, the Downtown Plan needs accountability. It contains many good ideas, but Council must establish priorities, identify funding, measure results and report publicly on progress. I support investment where there is a clear public benefit and measurable outcome.

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 issues are interconnected, but they are not the same problem and should not be treated as though one response will solve everything.

For homelessness, the City should focus on housing, prevention, supportive housing and coordination of services. For mental health and addiction, London needs the Province and health system to provide appropriate treatment, recovery and crisis services. The City should be a strong advocate and partner, but municipalities cannot permanently replace provincial health-care responsibilities.

Police should focus on policing. That means ensuring they have the frontline resources to respond appropriately to serious incidents and crime, while also looking at whether civilian or community-based responses can better address some non-emergency calls.

At the same time, businesses and residents deserve safe and accessible public spaces. We need coordinated outreach, clean public spaces, appropriate enforcement and clear expectations for behaviour.

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 across the entire housing continuum—from market rental and ownership opportunities to affordable and supportive housing.

The City cannot control interest rates or provincial housing policy, but it has significant tools available. I support reducing unnecessary barriers and delays in the development approval process, encouraging purpose-built rental housing, using municipal incentives strategically where they produce measurable affordability. The City of London supports the use of all the Ontario region designs from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Housing Design Catalogue The Housing Design Catalogue offers over 50 regionally tailored, standardized designs. It includes accessory dwelling units, townhouses, rowhouses and multiplexes. The catalogue helps homeowners and small builders construct housing more quickly and cost-effectively.

I also support continuing to meet or exceed London’s infill targets while managing growth responsibly. Building more housing inside the existing urban area can make better use of infrastructure while helping protect our agricultural land and natural environment.

The measure of success should not simply be the number of applications approved. It should be how many homes actually get built, how quickly, and whether we are creating a range of housing that Londoners can realistically afford.

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?

The first priority should be maintaining the cultural infrastructure we already have. Deferred maintenance eventually becomes much more expensive, and cultural facilities are important community assets. Each City owned and or funded must have an Asset Management Plan that financially plans for life-cycle renewal projects.

Next council term public conversations with decision points should be held around the City Hall campus, Victoria Bandshell and Centennial Hall. Where facilities need to be replaced or expanded, we should consider whether we can create multi-purpose spaces that serve multiple organizations and communities. The goal should be sustainable cultural infrastructure that addresses a public need.

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?

London needs an integrated transportation system that incorporates roads, public transit, signalized intersections assisted by traffic management software, sidewalk and cycling infrastructure, intercity transportation, Park N’ Ride lots, and air and rail connections.

For local transit, I would prioritize reliability and frequency, particularly on routes serving major employment areas, post-secondary institutions and shift workers. Industrial areas need adequate servicing to connect employers with the talent they need to thrive and grow.

For active transportation, we need to close critical gaps and make walking and cycling safer and more connected. When major roads are reconstructed, active transportation should be considered as part of the project rather than as an afterthought.

Businesses should be able to expect transportation infrastructure that gets employees to work reliably and allows customers and goods to move efficiently.

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?

London should be a municipality where a good business idea does not get stuck unnecessarily in City Hall.

It’s about hearing feedback and taking action to address the concerns. Making sure regulations are clear, proportional and administered consistently through clear service standards and better communication when applications are delayed or requirements change.

In 2024, the Path2Approval customer service counter opened on the second floor of City Hall Today where staff will provide in-person support for residents, businesses, and industry partners with their planning, building and licensing applications and inquiries. This was a direct result of resident and industry feedback for in-person assistance and streamlining.

For procurement, I would also examine London’s procurement framework to determine whether smaller local businesses can compete effectively for City contracts while maintaining fair, transparent procurement practices.

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 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada include 94 Calls to Action, some of which municipalities have a role to play. The City of London has taken some action to date and the ReconciliAction Plan further lays out a path forward with 155 actions over the next decade. Key strategies and actions include enhancing access to essential services such as housing, transportation, and social services, increasing Indigenous representation in all levels of municipal decision-making, strengthening intergovernmental relations with First Nations, and fostering collaboration between the City of London and Indigenous organizations.
Within the 64 page report, I hold concerns for the actions tied to the City Manager’s office due to Strong Mayor legislation.
Reconciliation is not something that can be completed by adopting a plan. The measure of success is whether our relationships, decisions and outcomes actually change.

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?

London needs to grow, but growth has to pay its fair share and be supported by the infrastructure required to make it successful.

My priorities would be infrastructure that is essential to public health and safety, infrastructure needed to support responsible growth, and maintenance of existing assets before they become significantly more expensive to repair or replace.

Council should use lifecycle costing and asset-management data to determine what needs to happen now and what can responsibly wait.

I would also be cautious about creating permanent operating costs using one-time funding. Surpluses and reserves should be used strategically for infrastructure, financial stability and one-time priorities rather than creating future tax pressures.

Fiscal prudence is realizing the true cost of taking no action and seizing the opportunities for Federal and Provincial finances when funding streams become available.

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?

London has already recognized that climate change is affecting us through flooding, extreme heat and wildfire smoke. The next step is making climate action practical and integrated into how we build and maintain the city.

I would prioritize climate resilience, particularly stormwater and flood protection, tree canopy, heat mitigation and resilient infrastructure.

Where we are already replacing infrastructure, we should consider climate resilience as part of the project rather than treating it as an entirely separate expense. I would also support energy efficiency and measures that reduce operating costs for residents and businesses. Climate action can and should improve affordability over the long term.

The goal should be to make London more resilient while strengthening our economic competitiveness—not imposing costs without considering the impact on households and businesses.

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 legislation changed the balance of power and responsibilities at City Hall, but it did not eliminate the responsibility of councillors to scrutinize decisions and represent their constituents.

If strong-mayor powers are exercised, I would ask three questions:
Is this a decision City Council could have made collectively? Is it financially responsible? And is there sufficient transparency and accountability?

As a councillor, my responsibility is not simply to support or oppose the Mayor. It is to do the work, examine the evidence, ask questions and make an independent decision as that is what Londoners elected councillors to do.

I feel committee chair appointments should be done by a vote of all members of council, not through Strong Mayor powers.

Under section 284.5 of the Municipal Act, 2001, the municipality’s powers under section 229 relating to the CAO are assigned to the head of council. Recognizing the Mayor has the legislative power for appointment and dismissal of the CAO/City Manager – the Mayor has the power to delegate this to Council and I believe the public is best served with this approach.

Council is made up of 15 elected members and the public is expecting us to work collaboratively, democratically and with transparency.

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 not a luxury. They contribute to London’s economy, tourism, downtown activity, talent attraction and quality of life.

London has an enormous opportunity to build on its identity as a UNESCO City of Music and to strengthen the connection between culture and economic development.

I would support a cultural strategy that helps organizations and artists access affordable space, supports festivals and cultural events, strengthens cultural infrastructure and creates opportunities for emerging artists and creative businesses.

A vibrant cultural sector helps make London somewhere people want to visit, work, invest and live.