London City Councillor salary could increase by over 35% Their overall budget might go from just under $5 million to almost $8 million - a 50% increase - and this number does not include the cost of City Staff who supports them, or the mayor’s budget as well. Right now a city councillor makes $67,420 per year and the mayor makes $163 thousand dollars and change. The task force is recommending a pretty substantial increase that would begin in 2027. Depending on their role, a councillor would be making between $94,000 to just over $100,000 at the beginning of next term and , in 2030, would top out at between $104,000 and $113,00. The mayor would be making $181,000 at that point too. London City Councillor Corrine Rahman voted against the task force recommendations and she’s joining us on this episode to tell us all about it. It's an age-old story. City Council’s in Ontario have had to decide their own wages and London is no exception. So, to say that this is an uncomfortable position to be in as a member of council is an understatement. It’s the third rail of municipal politics. It’s like being between a rock and a hard place while living in a fishbowl. Ironically, every member of council takes an oath of office at the beginning of their term - they promise to declare any fiduciary conflict of interest and they abstain from any vote that could benefit them monetarily - except for deciding their own pay. That’s what is happening now. A task force has studied London council’s work load and has come back with a series of recommendations. These include significant increases for council, beginning right after the next election as well as a potential increased budget to contract staff to do constituent work - that one has been referred to committee for review - and a severance package that would be available to them if they lost their seat in a future election. It was difficult to pull these numbers together and I could not find information that was readily available about the cost of benefit packages or the mayor’s expenses. Nor could I easily find information about the costs of staffing support provided to council by civic administration so I didn’t add in the costs associated with adding another assistant in the council office - which was another recommendation from the task force. This one has been referred to committee for review. Nevert-the-less, I’m confident the numbers I’m sharing with you are accurate and paint an apples to apples picture of the situation.

This episode is an abridged version of a Newsmakers episode - the show I host on Rogers Television. Shannon LayHay is the brand new Executive Director for the Humane Society of London and Middlesex - An organization that has a long history and one that has experienced a lot of positive change over the past little while. You’re likely familiar with the name and the brand of this not-for-profit, but you might be surprised to learn about all of the programs and services that they offer as well as their vision for the future. Did you know that, “Human wellness is inextricably connected to animal welfare?” Neither did I, so have a listen and find out why.

Erik D’Haene died of a drug overdose in 2020. At the time, he was living in Vancouver - but - that event wasn’t his whole life and his surviving siblings, including his brother, Donald D’Haene are telling his story to the World by way of a documentary film called, Interpreting Erik. Erik was an artist and he left a lifetime of artifacts - writings, sketches and artwork that Donald incorporated into the film. Erik’s Story has travelled to film festivals around the world and it will be showcased here in London at the Forest City Film Festival this Sunday. Donald hopes that Erik’s Story will change the way society sees, and judges, homelessness and displaced citizens. He wants us to understand that displaced people have lived full lives and Erik’s tragic end, as well as the countless other people who experienced homelessness and addiction before and after him who suffer similar fates, should not define them. Donald wants us to appreciate that it’s no the displaced person’s fault and he hopes that, after viewing the film, a person will leave the theatre considering the possibility that any one of us could find ourselves caught up in a crisis or life altering experience well beyond our control and that we are only 6 degrees or less from meeting the same sad ending as Erik - alone, addicted and found on the street. We wouldn’t want our life to be defined by that last chapter - and neither did Erik. And, This is the show today - we’re going to talk with Donald D’Haene - about Erik’s Story, some of his other works, the upcoming Forest City Film Festival - and we’ll get to know a bit more about his as a real life person too.

Kelly Ziegner, CEO of United Way Middlesex Elgin joins me to tell us how financial stress is affecting our most vulnerable - well beyond their wallets. She’s here today to tell us about an alarming, Canada wide survey that has just been completed by Léger & United Way Centraide and was released today. It shows how many Canadians are just one unexpected event away from a financial crisis away.

We have 2 guests today. Both of them are long time veterans with our London Police Service and they are here to tell us about the work that they do in their current divisions. One topic is a favourite one for Londoners to talk and - sometimes - complain about. The other is a program that might be news to you. There are multiple career paths that a member of the London Police Service can take - it’s one of the exciting parts of what is a really difficult job. Mike's career path is a good example of this. Like most officers, Staff Sergeant Mike Anderson started working in Uniformed Patrol before being transferred to the Major Crime Section. Mike worked in Major Crime for 4.5 years before being promoted to Sergeant. He returned to Uniform Patrol for about 12 months when he then moved back to Major Crime, this time serving as a Detective for 4 years. Recently he recieved a promotion to Staff Sergeant and, earlier this year, Mike was transferred to the Traffic and Safety Division where he now supervises a Sergeant and 15 Constables as they work to keep London roads safe for all of us. Also joining us in this episode is Constable Julia Piening, a 20 year veteran with our London Police Service. Julia teaches part time at Fanshawe College, speaks French and Spanish and has two, as she refers to them as, “wonderful kids” - and I’m sure they are! She also tells me that she owes a lot of her grit and perseverance to her mom. Like Mike, Julia started in Uniform Patrol. She has served as the Missing Person Coordinator, she’s worked on a joint project with Guns and Drugs and in Corporate Services for Special Projects, Julia has also served in the Forensic Digital Evidence Unit, as a School Resource Officer. These days, Julia is member of the Community Services Division where she coordinates a program called “Project BUILDS”, a project designed to build trust and create positive connections between police and the London's youth and all residents. In this role, she facilitates a program called “Youth In Policing Initiative”, or “YIPI” for short and that's what she tells us about in this episode.

Graham Henderson, CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce joins me to discuss how big investments in Music Arts and Culture can make our local economy stronger while at the same time making London a great place to live. He’s studied this for years and has "walked his talk". In Toronto, he developed a Music Arts and Culture Strategy that has been implemented in large Cities around the world. He argues that London needs to do more so we get more, and he explains why he thinks city council is not doing enough to get us where we need to be.

Presently, a small but important portion of the Medway Trail system is in question. Residents from the Attawandaron Neighbourhood (a neighbourhood in Northwest London, just off Wonderland Road) attended a planning committee meeting last week and lobbied for the Type 3 trail (an accessible trail) that is planned for the City property behind their homes and abutting Medway Valley be stopped. Remarkably the planning committee agreed with them and voted unanimously (5 - 0) to pause construction and possibly cancel the pathway altogether. the recommendation goes to council on Tuesday, August 26th for debate and decision. Although the neighbours had the opportunity to share their perspective with the Planning and Environment Committee, no one was able to provide the decades long history of this project or express their concerns from an accessibility lens. Jay Menard, the immediate past chair of the council appointed committee set up to provide them with advice about accessibility issues, joins me on the podcast with the hope that his perspective is heard before city council makes their final decision.

Jim Graham is a business owner, community volunteer, commercial pilot and he is the founding and immediate past chair of the board of directors for Airshow London which was established as a not for profit organization in 2015. You'll learn some interesting history, fun facts, how they kept the show going during the pandemic, what in store this year as they celebrate their 10th Anniversary.

Chris Moss, the Executive Director of London Cares joins us to share information about the organization she leads and how London Cares works with other Community Parters to address London's Homelessness Crisis. Listen for "Housing is Healthcare". Please reach out and let me know what you think: TheMattBrownPodcast@gmail.com Thanks for listening!

Hello, London. This is the final version of episode 1 of The Matt Brown Podcast. The first version was a beta, a combination of this podcast and the test interview that I did with Mario Circelli as part of my training for "Newsmakers", a 30 minute news program that I am hosting for Rogers TV beginning this fall. This version has theme music and better sound. Also, Thank you to The Bicycle Cafe for coming on board as the podcast's first sponsor. Thank you and Congratulations on your decision Andrew McClenaghan!

Welcome to The Matt Brown Podcast! In this episode, I make an announcement about an opportunity that was too good to turn down. You'll get a sneak peek about what's to come.