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Name: Sam Hajar

What position are you running for? Councilor Ward 7

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?

The greatest opportunity is the diversity of London’s economy, because businesses continue to face uncertainty from trade and tariffs, increasing operating costs and difficulty filling certain skilled positions.
I believe the City should concentrate on making London one of the easiest places in Ontario to start, operate and expand a business. That means predictable planning and a genuine single point of contact for businesses navigating City Hall, and investments from the all 3 tiers of government along with the public sector. The City of London has a section that I worked in called the Business Hub that helps existing businesses expand and new businesses coming to London. The Business Hub helps entrepreneurs navigate City Hall from obtaining a building permit, sign permit, business license or directing them to financial initiatives offered by the City of London.

I would like to see the City, employers, Western, Fanshawe, LEDC and workforce organizations establish stronger employer-driven pipelines connecting education directly with local opportunities.
London is posed for sustained economic growth. The priority for the next Council should be turning the exciting advantages mentioned above into results through a competitive business environment, reliable infrastructure, and stronger partnerships.

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 support the direction of London’s new Downtown Plan, but the priority for the next Council term must be implementation and measurable results.
A vibrant and successful downtown ultimately needs people, businesses and investment. I would prioritize reducing vacant storefronts supporting independent businesses, attracting new employers and making it easier for entrepreneurs to establish themselves downtown.
By the end of the next term, Londoners should expect to see fewer vacant storefronts, more new businesses opening downtown.
The Downtown Plan gives London a strong framework. The next Council’s responsibility is to turn that framework into visible results and to be transparent when priorities need to change.

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?

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

I would support changes that make it easier and faster to build housing, including apartments, townhomes, and secondary suites.
At the same time, increasing supply should which will require investment in infrastructure and public amenities so that new development are livable neighbourhoods rather than simply adding housing units. I would also support incentives for purpose-built rental and affordable housing, and the better use of underutilized publicly owned land be it municipal, provincial or federal assets.

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?

During the next Council term, I believe the priority should be protecting and modernizing the cultural infrastructure London already has.
Centennial Hall should be one of the first major decisions. Its future is also connected to decisions about the City Hall campus. Rather than continuing with repairs, Council should determine whether to substantially reinvest in Centennial Hall, replace it, or incorporate its functions into a new facility.
The Grand Theatre, Museum London, libraries and heritage properties, require protection while continuing to invest in their viability and prosperity. I would support a transparent, city-wide cultural infrastructure plan that prioritises projects using criteria such as building condition and lifecycle risk; accessibility and affordability.

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 a transportation network that reflects the needs of Londoners. Many employees in manufacturing, health care, retail, hospitality and other essential sectors do not work traditional 9-to-5 hours, yet transportation options are often weakest early in the morning, late at night and on weekends.
I would prioritize improving transit to major employment areas, particularly industrial and commercial areas that are difficult to reach without a vehicle.

We need reliable, frequent bus connections to destinations such as Toronto, Pearson Airport, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton and Windsor, with convenient connections to local transit rather than scattered pickup locations that are difficult to access without a car.
Passenger rail should be strengthened as one of London’s major economic advantages. I would advocate for more frequent and faster service.

London International Airport should maintain frequent connections to major Canadian Cities. The goal is to have businesses should be able to recruit employees without having to ask whether they own a vehicle, and employees should be able to accept a job anywhere in the city without transportation becoming the deciding factor.

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?

I would work towards making municipal processes more predictable, transparent, and business-friendly without reducing oversight. Where possible, applications should be handled through one centralized digital portal that shows requirements, outstanding items, responsible departments, and expected decision dates.

Regulations should also be reviewed periodically to ensure they remain necessary, and consistently applied. Businesses can adapt and thrive when there are clear rules.
Overall, I think London would benefit from considering businesses as customers and partners to achieve prosperity for all Londoners.
Expectations, proactive status updates, and better coordination between municipal departments would improve confidence considerably.

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’s responsibility should be to move the ReconciliAction Plan from commitment to measurable implementation. Council approved 155 actions in May 2025, and the Plan itself calls for timelines, and ongoing monitoring. The next Council should come up with an implementation plan for the 155 actions, the responsible City service area, Indigenous partners, implementation timeline, operating or capital requirements, funding source, measurable outcomes and reporting schedule.

Participation also needs to be properly resourced. Meaningful engagement cannot depend on Indigenous leaders, Elders, Knowledge Keepers or organizations repeatedly providing their expertise without adequate compensation or capacity. The City’s own Plan calls for skilled Indigenous staff to support engagement and Indigenous well-being outcomes, as well as continued Indigenous community-connector capacity. I would ensure those functions are adequately staffed and funded rather than treating reconciliation as an additional responsibility distributed across already stretched departments.

Reconciliation should be part of London’s economic strategy and I would build on that by involving and building relationships with First Nations, and improving access to City business-support programs. Municipal procurement is one of the tools Council controls, and the next step is implementation. I would have the City establish measurable Indigenous procurement initiatives. Procurement standards must remain competitive, and transparent.

  • Planning, housing and infrastructure: Indigenous participation needs to occur at the beginning of planning processes rather than after major decisions have effectively been made. The Reconcili Action Plan specifically calls for regular dialogue with Indigenous communities on planning projects and increased consultation early in planning processes. I would insure that Indigenous leaders are consulted from start to finish.
  • Culture and public space: Cultural reconciliation should be visible in London’s public spaces, institutions, programming and understanding of its own history.
    I would protect and expand investment in Indigenous-led arts, heritage, language, cultural programming and public art.
  • Municipal services: I would require service areas to examine where Indigenous residents experience barriers and establish practical improvements in areas such as housing and homelessness, transit access, recreation, social services, community safety and customer service.

I would judge the next Council’s success on reconciliation not by the number of commitments it adopts, but by whether Indigenous partners experience tangible changes. The next Council’s task is to provide the partnership with all Londoners.

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 prioritize infrastructure based on need, public safety, growth pressures and long-term value, not simply on which project is ready first. I would use clear, transparent criteria when it comes to infrastructure projects.

Growth should also pay for as much of growth as reasonably possible. That means maximizing development charges and other growth-related revenues available to the City, and keeping London competitive by controlling the cost of the infrastructure we build. We must build the infrastructure London needs to grow, ensure those who benefit from growth contribute fairly to its cost, and avoid placing unnecessary pressure on residential and commercial property taxes.

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 support the goals of the Climate Emergency Action Plan, but I believe the next Council needs to be more disciplined about where we focus our resources and how we measure results. With more than 200 actions in the Plan, we should prioritize the initiatives that deliver the largest practical reductions in emissions while also lowering costs, strengthening infrastructure and supporting economic growth.

My first priorities would be building and energy efficiency, transportation, and climate resilience. Helping homeowners, landlords and businesses reduce energy consumption through retrofits, insulation, heat pumps and other efficiency improvements can reduce emissions while lowering monthly operating costs. Wherever possible, the City should leverage provincial, federal and utility funding rather than placing the full cost on municipal taxpayers.

Where I would change the Plan is in its implementation. Every significant climate initiative should be evaluated against clear measures. Council should regularly review those results and be prepared to expand programs that work and reconsider those that do not. Climate action and affordability must reduce wasted energy, building more infrastructure, and attracting investment to make London more competitive.

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?

When Strong-mayor powers are exercised, Council should respond based on the merits of the decision rather than simply supporting or opposing it because of who made it. I would expect clear reasons, and advice from professional staff to be available so Council and the public can understand why a particular course of action is being taken.

As a councillor, I would ask difficult but constructive questions, challenge assumptions where necessary, and make sure the impacts on residents, municipal services, and the City’s long-term finances are fully considered. My role as a council member would be to provide independent, evidence-based scrutiny, support decisions that are in the best interests of the City as a whole.

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