London pushes province for housing, homelessness supports and infrastructure funding

London's mayor and city officials spent the past week in Ottawa pressing the province for help on some of the city's biggest challenges, from housing and homelessness to infrastructure and emergency services.

Mayor Josh Morgan led London's delegation at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference, which brought together more than 3,000 municipal and provincial leaders between August 17 and 20.

Morgan said the annual conference isn't about leaving Ottawa with immediate commitments, but about advancing key priorities.

"You don't walk into a delegation and come out with cheques, but you lay the groundwork for those things to happen in the future," Morgan told CBC's London Morning. "Depending on the issue, we're at different stages of the process."

He said London's team had constructive conversations with several ministers on infrastructure, housing, and health care.

LISTEN | Mayor Josh Morgan recaps AMO conference on London Morning:

One of the central topics was housing and homelessness, an area where London has repeatedly been pushing the province for more support.

Morgan pointed to the soon-to-open HART Hub, operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association, which will add 60 new spaces for people experiencing homelessness, along with 60 units of supportive housing. But the project has been delayed since its original April 1 target.

Morgan said the province told him it first prioritized cities where existing consumption and treatment sites were closing before finalizing agreements with new hubs like London's.

"The delay is unfortunate, but I'm focused on getting the spaces open," he said. "It's my understanding we are very close to being able to announce a date."

London has also asked for more provincial operating funding to sustain supportive housing. While the community has raised significant capital through the Fund for Change, the city needs provincial funding to cover ongoing service costs.

On the infrastructure front, Morgan said the city highlighted several "choke points" that need investment to unlock housing growth.

That includes a potential project in the downtown core that could open up as many as 6,000 housing units, and upgrades to wastewater infrastructure near Fanshawe College to expand capacity for new development.

London is also continuing discussions with the province about support for a regional emergency services campus, which Morgan said would benefit communities across Middlesex County.

"London is growing faster than ever, and that means we face both opportunities and challenges," said Morgan. "These talks help make sure Londoners have the housing, services, and infrastructure they deserve."