Can we have it all? London’s Multi-Year Budget
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM This is a virtual event
The following is from the Council of Canadians London Chapter:
Can we have it all? What needs to be in London’s Multi-Year Budget
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Londoners have urged the city to recognize a housing and homelessness emergency. We’ve called for better transit. We’ve adopted a Climate Emergency Plan. In the draft multi-year budget there are measures to address all of these urgent needs. How can we not fund all of these things?
We in Council of Canadians believe that we have to “spend what it takes to win” the battle for a green, affordable, liveable city.
In this on-line meeting we will look at business cases that will be good for the environment, make buildings more energy-efficient, address the housing and homelessness emergency, improve public transit, and make life more affordable for Londoners.
Brendon Samuels* will show us how spending money now will save money later and help prevent catastrophic losses. He will talk about what matters for young people, who will face far in the future the consequences of the decisions we make now.
Dirka Prout** will speak about the need for tax increases to maintain infrastructure.
Skylar Franke *** will address the concern that seniors in particular may not be able to afford an increase in taxes. Better services will save money for seniors and Londoners in general.
A Q&A will follow.
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or email us at londoncouncilcanadians@gmail.com to get the link to the event
*Brendon Samuels is a PhD candidate in the Department of Biology at Western. Brendon works out of the Advanced Facility for Avian Research where he studies solutions for preventing bird-window collisions. Brendon acts as the Sustainability Coordinator at the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) at Western. He is the coordinator of Bird Friendly London, a grassroots community group he founded to further bird conservation efforts in London. Brendon also serves as Chair of the City of London Environmental Stewardship and Action Community Advisory Committee.
**Dirka Prout is a geotechnical engineer who was the President of the London Chapter of Spelling Bee of Canada from 2005 to 2021. She is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Unity Project for the Relief of Homelessness in London and is an activist with the London Regional Social Forum. A self-described poli-engineer, her experience as a two time federal election candidate and being a senior leader in engineering has led to her becoming a sought after speaker on women in STEM and political issues.
***Skylar Franke is the Councillor for Ward 11. Prior to becoming a City Councillor, she worked in London’s environmental sector and supported a wide variety of environmental projects in the city. She was previously the Executive Director at the London Environmental Network and worked for ReForest London.