London Mayor Matt Brown delivers his first State of the City address. January 27, 2015. Photo by Ashton Patis. London Mayor Matt Brown delivers his first State of the City address. January 27, 2015. Photo by Ashton Patis.
London

Mayor Confident About 2016

London's mayor predicts 2016 will be a year of action for city council.

As 2015 wound down, Matt Brown took some time to speak with BlackburnNews.com to reflect on the past 12 months while also looking ahead to 2016.

He describes 2015 as the "planning" year with the new year expected to bring real change to the city.

"Over a year ago, Londoners sent council a clear message. They elected 11 new councilors, they elected a new mayor, they were looking for a council who could work together to get things done," says Mayor Brown. "We have had a number of successes over the past 12 months, setting up plans - Shift, our rapid transit program, would be one example. 2015 was really about setting the stage, 2016 will be about executing these plans. Building a better city, not just for us, but for our children."

Council's first order of business in the new year will be finalizing London's first multi-year budget, which covers four years. Any financial adjustments that are needed will be reviewed on an annual basis. Only two other large municipalities run multi-year budgets – Calgary and York. Once the budget process is complete council will shift focus to its strategic plan.

"It really will shape how the city grows over the next 20 years, a little more inwards, a little more upwards and connected. That is the work we are doing with our Shift-rapid transit program," says Mayor Brown. "We will be working very hard with our partners at other levels of government, our funding partners, to make sure we choose the right system for London. London is the largest city in Canada without a rapid transit program, so there is no question that we need one. What we will be doing in 2016 is deciding exactly what it is going to look like so we can get started on construction as soon as possible."

As rapid transit comes closer to fruition, Brown admits there are still a lot of conversations to be had.

"All of these city building initiatives generate a lot of debate and they should. When we think about our plans for Back to the River, when we think about our plans for the downtown, when we think about the London plan, these are big ideas," says Mayor Brown. "Many of these plans, the Shift rapid transit plan for example, is the largest capital investment this community will have ever seen. So we need to take our time, ensure we are reaching out to all Londoners to ensure we are on the right track."

When Mayor Brown looks back at 2015, one achievement stands miles above all others as his proudest moment as mayor.

"Working with my colleagues to make sure London was ready to welcome Syrian refugees," says Mayor Brown. "They are arriving over the course of the next week and many months. We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure we welcome them with open arms."

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