Preventing Homelessness

Every Londoner deserves a home that is acceptable for their needs and affordable; costing less than 30% of their pre-tax income.

Last week we learnt that “London’s population spiked again in 2024” putting even more pressure on our very tight housing and rental markets. No Londoner should be burdened with the daily stress of worrying about losing their home and being denied the human right to shelter due to cost.

If elected as an MP, I will commit to supporting persons in core housing need with the following measures to help them avoid homelessness:

• Provide increased funding to provinces and municipalities for homeless prevention programs like London’s Rental Stability Bank or the Extreme Clean programs;
• Expanding the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB);
• Reduce energy poverty and provide good green jobs by conducting energy and climate retrofits of 100,000 homes of low-income people per year in Canada; and
• Crack down on REITs and other financialization of housing that adversely affects disabled, elderly, Black and racialized people.

In London, Indigenous people are twice as likely as the general population to be in core housing need. Landback for urban Indigenous folk includes having Indigenous led housing strategies, acknowledging past trauma and respecting their relationship to the land and their cultures.

Newcomers (immigrants and refugees) are three times as likely as the general population to be in core housing need. In addition to financial supports this group requires culturally sensitive supports, fair and non-racist hiring practices, accessible language training and recognition of foreign credentials.

Seniors in Ontario are at an elevated risk of core housing need, particularly if they are female. In addition to boosting their incomes (social assistance and pensions), they require community supports to age in place with dignity in familiar surroundings. 

Keeping You Healthy by Tackling Food Insecurity

The solution to hunger is an adequate and secure income, NOT foodbanks.

Inadequate diets lead to bad health outcomes. In a healthy community, safe, affordable, nutritious and culturally diverse food is accessible to all. Too many Londoners are skipping meals; including students, seniors over 60 and even persons with jobs. Recent immigrants, and Indigenous, Black and disabled people have food insecurity rates greater than the national average.

Food insecurity will worsen if Trump implements his promised tariffs. I will work with the NDP to eliminate food insecurity by:

• Creating a monthly Groceries and Essentials Benefit for low-income people ($150 per adult and $50 per child).
•  Increasing the Canadian Disability Benefit to be above the Canada’s Official Poverty Line and take into account the additional costs of being disabled. 
• Implementing a National School Meal Program for children’s health and well-being.

GROCERY GIANTS RIPPED YOU OFF AGAIN. FORCE THEM TO PAY.

Thanks for reading, signing the above petition and sharing this email.

Improving Healthcare for You

The NDP had impactful wins for keeping Canadians healthy: Pharmacare and Dentacare. Other ways I believe we can improve healthcare for you:

• Increase funding for mental health care including removing financial barriers to access. Too many of us are in poor mental health due to worrying about affording food, rents/mortgage and bus fare/gas. Further many can’t afford mental health care due to low income or insufficient to no insurance coverage.
• Establish a Climate and Health Secretariat. Use a whole of government approach to deal with the health effects of climate change (e.g. smoke from wildfires is leading to more respiratory disease and death).
• Improve accountability in the healthcare system. Hold premiers like Doug Ford accountable to the people for not using Canada Health Transfer funds as intended and failing to achieve high-quality outcomes. 

Make each day Valentine’s Day for Mother Earth

Surviving Trump’s attacks and building a sustainable Canada requires effective climate action. In addition to a robust combination of carrots (incentives) and sticks (regulation), this includes:

• Provision of climate justice for Indigenous and low-income people.
  • Combined sewers in the oldest parts of London overflow into the Thames during high-rainfall events. This degrades water quality in the Thames, adversely affecting aquatic habitat and the three downstream Indigenous nations (Oneida, Chippewa and Munsee). London has made improvements in recent years. Progress can be accelerated if municipalities receive more infrastructure funding.
  • Low-income people often reside in older drafty homes without air conditioners. Current energy retrofit programs target high-income homeowners who can afford the high upfront costs. These programs should prioritize low income tenants and homeowners instead with free, turnkey retrofits. Retrofits of affordable rental buildings must generate savings and maintain low rents for tenants.
• Supporting municipalities with long-term climate mitigation and adaptation measures. The London area now has 9 extra above-freezing days during winter causing more ice storms and flooding. This causes economic loss and hurts the mental health and wellbeing our citizens. Investing in climate mitigation and adaptation saves lives, increases employment, preserves the environment and improves liveability.