# London City Council

London City Council is the governing body of the city of London, Ontario, Canada.

## Composition

London is divided into 14 wards, with residents in each ward electing one councillor. The mayor is elected citywide, who along with the councillors forms a 15-member council.

### 2017 reform

In spite of some controversy about this move, London was the first city in Canada (in May 2017) to decide to move a ranked choice ballot for municipal elections starting in 2018. Voters will mark their ballots in order of preference, ranking their top three favourite candidates. An individual must reach 50 per cent of the total to be declared elected; in each round of counting where a candidate has not yet reached that target, the person with the fewest votes is dropped from the ballot and their second or third choice preferences reallocated to the remaining candidates, with this process repeating until a candidate has reached 50 per cent. On November 20, 2020, the Ontario Legislature passed Bill 218, the Supporting Ontario's Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, which included an amendment to the 1996 Municipal Elections Act to ban ranked balloting from being used in Ontario municipalities. This move was symbolically opposed in October by a 14-1 vote by City Council.

### 2010 reform

Prior to the 2006 civic election, London's city council consisted of 14 councillors (two from each of the seven former wards), four members of Board of Control (elected citywide), and one mayor (elected citywide), to form a 19-member council.
The composition and structure of city council was the subject of two questions on the 2003 election ballot, an action initiated by Ward 3 Councillor Fred Tranquilli and his discussion paper, A Better Way, which proposed a smaller city council with 10 wards (one councillor per ward), plus the mayor elected citywide and the elimination of Board of Control for an 11-member city council.
While the yes votes prevailed, the overall voter turnout was less than 50 per cent and according to the provisions of the Municipal Act, the referendum results were not binding.
When council decided to maintain the status quo, a grassroots citizens' activism group, Imagine London, appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) to change the ward composition to 14 wards defined by communities of interest in the city, including a separate ward for the downtown core.
UWO law librarian and media professor Sam Trosow argued the case at the OMB for Imagine London arguing that smaller wards based on communities of interest would result in more "effective representation" for the electorate. This argument is based on a 1991 Supreme Court of Canada decision involving electoral boundaries in the Province of Saskatchewan (often cited as the "Carter" case).
The OMB ruled for the Imagine London petitioners in late December 2005 and while the city sought leave to appeal the OMB decision to Superior Court via a full-day hearing in January 2006, leave to appeal was denied when Justice McDermid released his decision on February 28, 2006.
In the 2006 municipal election, a number of candidates included in their platforms the abolition of Board of Control. Among them was Gina Barber, a member of Imagine London, who gained a seat on the board of control, coming in second only to the deputy mayor, Tom Gosnell.
Following the election, a task force composed of a number of councillors, controllers, and citizen representatives was established to make recommendations on governance. The task force held numerous meetings and public hearings. On the basis of its deliberations, it recommended that the board of control be abolished and its functions assumed by a combination of standing committees, delegation to staff and citizen groups and Committee of the Whole. The recommendations were placed before a public participation meeting and subsequently adopted by council in a vote of 14 to 5. Consequently, positions for Board of Control were not on the 2010 municipal ballot.

## 1994–1997

Council elected in the 1994 municipal election.
| Councillor | Office |
| Dianne Haskett | Mayor |
| Grant Hopcroft | Controller |
| Dawn Erskine | Controller |
| Vaughan Minor | Controller |
| Diane Whiteside | Controller |
| Sheila Davenport | Ward 1 |
| Joe Avola | Ward 1 |
| Joe Swan | Ward 2 |
| Bob Beccarea | Ward 2 |
| Bernie MacDonald | Ward 3 |
| Betty Howard | Ward 3 |
| Bill Armstrong | Ward 4 |
| Bud Polhill | Ward 4 |
| Anne Marie DeCicco | Ward 5 |
| Gary Williams | Ward 5 |
| Ben Veel | Ward 6 |
| Megan Walker | Ward 6 |
| Ted Wernham | Ward 7 |
| Martha Joyce | Ward 7 |

## 1997–2000

Council elected in the 1997 municipal election.
| Councillor | Office |
| Dianne Haskett | Mayor |
| Anne Marie DeCicco | Controller |
| Orlando Zampronga | Controller |
| Russ Monteith | Controller |
| Diane Whiteside | Controller |
| Ab Chahbar | Ward 1 |
| Sandy Levin | Ward 1 |
| Rob Alder | Ward 2 |
| Joe Swan | Ward 2 |
| Bernie MacDonald | Ward 3 |
| Fred Tranquilli | Ward 3 |
| Bill Armstrong | Ward 4 |
| Bud Polhill | Ward 4 |
| Cheryl Miller | Ward 5 |
| Gary Williams | Ward 5 |
| Ben Veel | Ward 6 |
| Megan Walker | Ward 6 |
| Susan Eagle | Ward 7 |
| Gord Hume | Ward 7 |

## 2000–2003

Council elected in the 2000 municipal election.
| Councillor | Office |
| Anne Marie DeCicco | Mayor |
| Gord Hume | Controller |
| Russ Monteith | Controller |
| Bud Polhill | Controller |
| Joe Swan | Controller |
| Ab Chahbar | Ward 1 |
| Sandy Levin | Ward 1 |
| Joni Baechler | Ward 2 |
| Rob Alder | Ward 2 |
| Bernie MacDonald | Ward 3 |
| Fred Tranquilli | Ward 3 |
| Bill Armstrong | Ward 4 |
| Roger Caranci | Ward 4 |
| Cheryl Miller | Ward 5 |
| Gary Williams | Ward 5 |
| David Winninger | Ward 6 |
| Harold Usher | Ward 6 |
| Susan Eagle | Ward 7 |
| Ed Corrigan | Ward 7 |

## 2003–2006

Council elected in the 2003 municipal election.
| Councillor | Office |
| Anne Marie DeCicco | Mayor |
| Tom Gosnell | Controller |
| Gord Hume | Controller |
| Russ Monteith | Controller |
| Bud Polhill | Controller |
| Ab Chahbar | Ward 1 |
| Judy Bryant | Ward 1 |
| Joni Baechler | Ward 2 |
| Rob Alder | Ward 2 |
| Bernie MacDonald | Ward 3 |
| Fred Tranquilli | Ward 3 |
| Bill Armstrong | Ward 4 |
| Roger Caranci | Ward 4 |
| Cheryl Miller | Ward 5 |
| Sandy White | Ward 5 |
| David Winninger | Ward 6 |
| Harold Usher | Ward 6 |
| Susan Eagle | Ward 7 |
| Paul Van Meerbergen | Ward 7 |

## 2006–2010

Council elected in the 2006 municipal election.
| Councillor | Office |
| Anne-Marie DeCicco-Best | Mayor |
| Gina Barber | Controller |
| Tom Gosnell | Controller |
| Gord Hume | Controller |
| Bud Polhill | Controller |
| Roger Caranci | Ward 1 |
| Bill Armstrong | Ward 2 |
| Bernie MacDonald | Ward 3 |
| Stephen Orser | Ward 4 |
| Joni Baechler | Ward 5 |
| Nancy Ann Branscombe | Ward 6 |
| Walter Lonc | Ward 7 |
| Paul Hubert | Ward 8 |
| Susan Eagle | Ward 9 |
| Paul Van Meerbergen | Ward 10 |
| David Winninger | Ward 11 |
| Harold Usher | Ward 12 |
| Judy Bryant | Ward 13 |
| Cheryl Miller | Ward 14 |

## 2010–2014

Council elected in the 2010 municipal election.
| Councillor | Office | Notes |
| Joe Fontana | Mayor | Resigned on June 19, 2014 following a criminal conviction. |
| Bud Polhill | Ward 1 | |
| Bill Armstrong | Ward 2 | |
| Joe Swan | Ward 3 | |
| Stephen Orser | Ward 4 | |
| Joni Baechler | Ward 5 | Appointed interim mayor on June 25, 2014 after Fontana's resignation. |
| Russell Monteith | Ward 5 | Appointed as interim councillor for Ward 5 after Baechler's accession to the mayoralty. |
| Nancy Ann Branscombe | Ward 6 | |
| Matt Brown | Ward 7 | |
| Paul Hubert | Ward 8 | |
| Dale Henderson | Ward 9 | |
| Paul Van Meerbergen | Ward 10 | |
| Denise Brown | Ward 11 | |
| Harold Usher | Ward 12 | |
| Judy Bryant | Ward 13 | |
| Sandy White | Ward 14 | |

## 2014–2018

Council elected in the 2014 municipal election.
| Councillor | Office | Communities |
| Matt Brown | Mayor | |
| Michael van Holst | Ward 1 | Chelsea Green, Fairmont |
| Bill Armstrong | Ward 2 | Pottersburg, Nelson Park, Trafalgar Heights |
| Mo Mohamed Salih | Ward 3 | Huron Heights |
| Jesse Helmer | Ward 4 | East London |
| Maureen Cassidy | Ward 5 | Stoneybrook, Northdale, Northerest, Uplands |
| Phil Squire | Ward 6 | Broughdale, University Heights, Orchard Park, Sherwood Forest |
| Josh Morgan | Ward 7 | White Hills, Medway Heights, Masonville, Hyde Park |
| Paul Hubert | Ward 8 | Oakridge Park, Oakridge Acres, |
| Anna Hopkins | Ward 9 | Byron, Lambeth |
| Virginia Ridley | Ward 10 | Westmount |
| Stephen Turner | Ward 11 | Cleardale, Southcrest Estates, Berkshire Village, Kensal Park, Manor Park |
| Harold Usher | Ward 12 | Glendale, Southdale, Lockwood Park, White Oaks, Cleardale |
| Tanya Park | Ward 13 | Downtown London, Midtown, Blackfriars, Piccadilly/Adelaide, SoHo, KeVa, Woodfield, Oxford Park |
| Jared Zaifman | Ward 14 | Glen Cairn Woods, Pond Mills, Wilton Grove, Glanworth, Westminster |

## 2018–2022

Council elected in the 2018 municipal election.
| Councillor | Office | Communities |
| Ed Holder | Mayor | |
| Michael van Holst | Ward 1 | Hamilton Road, Chelsea Green, Fairmont, River Run, Glen Cairn |
| Shawn Lewis | Ward 2 | Pottersburg, Nelson Park, Trafalgar Heights |
| Mo Mohamed Salih | Ward 3 | Huron Heights |
| Jesse Helmer | Ward 4 | East London |
| Maureen Cassidy | Ward 5 | Stoneybrook, Northdale, Northerest, Uplands |
| Phil Squire (until 2021) Mariam Hamou (since 2021) | Ward 6 | Broughdale, University Heights, Orchard Park, Sherwood Forest |
| Josh Morgan | Ward 7 Deputy Mayor | White Hills, Medway Heights, Masonville, Hyde Park |
| Steve Lehman | Ward 8 | Oakridge Park, Oakridge Acres, |
| Anna Hopkins | Ward 9 | Byron, Lambeth |
| Paul Van Meerbergen | Ward 10 | Westmount |
| Stephen Turner | Ward 11 | Cleardale, Southcrest Estates, Berkshire Village, Kensal Park, Manor Park |
| Elizabeth Peloza | Ward 12 Budget Chair | Glendale, Southdale, Lockwood Park, White Oaks, Cleardale |
| Arielle Kayabaga (until 2021) John Fyfe-Millar (since 2021) | Ward 13 | Downtown London, Midtown, Blackfriars, Piccadilly/Adelaide, SoHo, KeVa, Woodfield, Oxford Park |
| Steve Hillier | Ward 14 | Glen Cairn Woods, Pond Mills, Wilton Grove, Glanworth, Westminster |

## 2022 – present

Council elected in the 2022 municipal election.
| Councillor | Office | Communities |
| Josh Morgan | Mayor | |
| Hadleigh McAlister | Ward 1 | Hamilton Road, Chelsea Green, Fairmont, River Run, Glen Cairn |
| Shawn Lewis | Ward 2 Deputy Mayor | Pottersburg, Nelson Park, Trafalgar Heights |
| Peter Cuddy | Ward 3 | Huron Heights |
| Susan Stevenson | Ward 4 | East London |
| Jerry Pribil | Ward 5 | Stoneybrook, Northdale, Northerest, Uplands |
| Sam Trosow | Ward 6 | Broughdale, University Heights, Orchard Park, Sherwood Forest |
| Corrine Rahman | Ward 7 | White Hills, Medway Heights, Masonville, Hyde Park |
| Steve Lehman | Ward 8 | Oakridge Park, Oakridge Acres, |
| Anna Hopkins | Ward 9 | Byron, Lambeth |
| Paul Van Meerbergen | Ward 10 | Westmount |
| Skylar Franke | Ward 11 | Cleardale, Southcrest Estates, Berkshire Village, Kensal Park, Manor Park |
| Elizabeth Peloza | Ward 12 Budget Chair | Glendale, Southdale, Lockwood Park, White Oaks, Cleardale |
| David Ferreira | Ward 13 | Downtown London, Midtown, Blackfriars, Piccadilly/Adelaide, SoHo, KeVa, Woodfield, Oxford Park |
| Steve Hillier | Ward 14 | Glen Cairn Woods, Pond Mills, Wilton Grove, Summerside, Glanworth, Westminster |

## City Halls

* 1928–1971: a four-storey building at the corner of Dundas Street and Wellington added to the Public Utilities Commission Building c. 1918; it is now a commercial building at 272-274 Dundas Street
* 1971–present: located at 300 Dufferin Avenue, a 12-storey Modernist office block built by local architect Philip Carter Johnson