London and Middlesex County are moving to the Red-Control level of Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework on Tuesday, February 16. Until then, the Stay-at-Home Order is still in place for Middlesex-London. Red zone is the “Control” phase and additional measures are: • Trips outside of the home should only be for essential reasons (work, school, groceries/pharmacy,…
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Black History Month Events
Last year, on January 6th, city council members voted in favor of a pilot project to test proclamations. This was something that I had pushed for, as many in the community wanted proclamations. On January 20th, a motion passed to proclaim Black History Month in London. With the COVID-19 pandemic still an ongoing reality, celebrations…
London Centre’s 2020 Council Recap
And that’s a wrap. The year 2020 unfolded very unexpectedly. From the spotlighting of two global pandemics, the outcomes of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement highlighted the great inequities within our society. Here at the office of Councillor Kayabaga, we look forward to what the year 2021 holds for London and the rest…
Ontario Government Announces It’s Budget
The Ontario government unveiled its new budget on November 5th. It includes $187 billion in total spending this year, of which $45 billion is COVID-19 related spending over three years ($15 billion has already been spent). The province announced that it will run a deficit of $38.5 billion for this year. Key Highlights Covid-19 Response…
Why Ranked Ballots for Municipal Elections Matter and Why Doug Ford Should Care
As a young, black and single mother in politics, having seen the way women are vilified and treated in politics, I wasn’t sure I wanted to run until I learned about the benefits of ranked ballots. The system allows for more equitable outcomes of representation, on the 7th round of balloting I am the first…
Ranked Ballot System Works
In 2018, London made history as the first community in Canada to adopt a ranked ballot system for the 2018 Civic Election. Now, in 2020, the Premier of Ontario is making moves to remove this option for communities. Having a ranked ballot ensures that voters’ choices count! This has been a big step forward for…
Throne Speech Opens 2nd Session of the 43rd Parliament
On September 23rd, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, delivered the Speech from the Throne in the Senate chamber, opening the second session of the 43rd Parliament of Canada. The throne speech outlined the plans of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority government for their next four years in office, touching…
What You Need to Know About The CERB to EI Transition
To help Canadians facing financial hardships when employees were out of work at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government introduced the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) program. With most businesses and services now reopened, or in the process of reopening, CERB will be coming to an end. However, there is a recognition that…
Viewing Policy Through an Anti-Racism Lens
We have to move from words to action as we continue to deal with and address systemic racism, especially anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. On Tuesday, June 9th, the Strategic Priority and Policy Committee unanimously passed several motions to address and confront systemic racism in London that were moved by Councillor Mohamed Salih and Mayor Ed…
Bill 184
The Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act, 2020 also known as Bill 184, passed its Second Reading in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and is set to be reviewed by the Standing Committee on Social Policy. While the name suggests that the act will “protect tenants”, many proponents of the Bill 184 will actually negatively…