5 Headlines To Know For November 7, 2023…
What you should know today;
- Power outages planned throughout London: London residents may experience power outages as beer tankers move through the city today. The slow-moving trucks will be coming to the Labatt Brewery from a habour in Sarnia. The tankers left Sarnia on Monday and are expected to arrive this afternoon. Outages will only occur through parts of the city expecting to begin 12 pm Tuesday to 11 pm Wednesday. The affected areas will include Fanshawe Park Road West, Fanshawe Park Road East, Stoneybrook Crescent, Highbury Avenue North, Hamilton Road, and Horton Street. In a statement, the city said “People driving are advised to expect delays and use alternative routes when possible as this massive load, which measures 33.53 metres in length and 6.62 metres wide, will likely occupy two lanes of traffic while travelling at reduced speeds through these areas,” Londoners can visit London Hydro’s outage map or call 519-661-5503 for more information.
- Homeless hub plan changed as CMHA backs out: The Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services, which was set to operate two of the homeless hubs in London, has backed out. The CMHATV announced in a statement Monday “Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are no longer able to proceed with the execution of our proposal. It is with great disappointment that we announce our decision to withdraw our proposal for the Hub at 705 Fanshawe Park Road and 566 Dundas Street,”. The CMHATV was approved for 20 transitional beds at the Lighthouse Inn and 10 overnight respite beds at My Sisters’ Place for women. These locations were planned to be the first of 15 homeless hubs. Ward 7 Councillor Corrine Rahman, who voted against the proposed locations, said she received hundreds of emails from concerned residents and businesses about the impact the hub will have on the community. The hubs proposed at 329 Richmond Street, 800 Commissioners Road, and 550 Wellington Road by Youth Opportunities Unlimited and Altosha will continue as planned.
- London employment rate improves in October: Statistics Canada released its October’s unemployment rate numbers last Friday and London’s figures dipped to 5.8 per cent last month. In September it was 6 per cent which was the first time in five months the rates did not go up. According to Stats Canada, about 2,000 jobs were added to the London market last month. The London area saw a population jump of 1,800 which brought the population number to 493,700, resulting in a 0.2 per cent increase in working-aged people employed or looking for work. Ontario’s unemployment rate rose to 6.2 per cent from September’s 6 per cent number.
- Ontario deficit rises to $5.6B: According to the Minister of Finance, balancing Ontario’s budget may take some time. On Thursday Peter Bethlenfalvy delivered the Fall Economic Statement which projected a $5.6 billion deficit for the 2023-24 fiscal year. This is four times the $1.3 billion budget estimated in 2023. Earlier this year Bethlenfalvy said the budget would be balanced by 2025, but due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and terror attacks against Israel, these numbers have been pushed to 2026. Ontario saw a population growth of almost 500,000 this year which corresponds to the 170,000 job increase. Included in the statement was Premier Doug Ford’s gas and fuel tax extended to June 30, 2024. The complete statement can be found here.
- WSIB to sponsor New Year’s Eve in the Park: After urgently looking for a title sponsor, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board has agreed to sponsor London’s annual New Year’s Eve bash in Victoria Park. Organizers of the event were worried that if they could not secure a title sponsor, they would not be able to hold the annual event so many Londoner’s look forward to. In a statement, WSIB President and CEO Jeff Lang said “When we saw the call go out for a title sponsor for New Year’s Eve in the Park we knew this was the right thing to do,”. The family friendly event takes place every year in Victoria Park which brings together thousands of Londoner’s celebrating and bringing in the new year. Attendees can expect hours of live music, skating, a countdown followed by a fireworks display. More details will be released later this month.
