The 2021 State of the City Address has been postponed due to the extension of the provincial lockdown.
The London Chamber of Commerce announced the event planned for January 26 will be rescheduled for a future date.
“We regret any inconvenience but out of an abundance of caution, we feel this is the best decision possible,” chamber CEO Gerry Macartney said in a statement.
The breakfast event attended by hundreds of local business leaders, community builders, and politicians each year, had already shifted from an in-person gathering at RBC Place London to a virtual address because of the COVID-19 crisis.
The annual State of the City gives the mayor an opportunity to layout his plans for the year ahead, while also discussing the local economy. In year's past it has been used to make large announcements such as new companies moving to London and the return of the city's airshow. Mayor Ed Holder used his first address in 2019 to announce the creation of his London Jobs Now task force which aimed to get 13,000 more Londoners working.
Holder said Tuesday he believes the chamber's decision to postpone this year's address was the right one.
"The situation across Ontario is dire, and the same is true here in the London-region," said Holder. "Under the circumstances, and in line with the directive issued today by Premier Ford, I am in full agreement with the Chamber of Commerce that this year's State of the City be postponed. My message to Londoners, in the interim, is a simple one: stay safe, and stay healthy.”