Mayor's State of the City Address 2010
Below is the text of Mayor Anne
Marie DeCicco-Best's
State of the City Address presented January 20
at the annual breakfast sponsored by the
London Chamber of Commerce. In launching her Address, the Mayor
shared a "newscast video" featuring highlights of independent surveys that
identify London in the top tier of Canadian municipalities . For example,
MoneySense Magazine rated London 11th out of 154 Canadian
cities for "Best Places to Live" and Foreign Direct Investment (fDi)
Magazine ranked London 4th among small North American cities
for ‘Best Quality of Life." As well, Next Generation Consulting awarded
London 9th position among Canadian cities for "hotspots for young
people to live" while Macleans Magazine ranked London the 6th
"Best Run City in Canada." And, for the 33rd consecutive
year, Moody’s awarded London a Aaa credit rating - the highest financial
ranking possible.
From the airwaves across our city, the province and Canada, London is
making news around the world. We are a city with a mission and I can say
unequivocally, we are succeeding with that mission, as we stay the course.
City Council and City Administration have created a new direction to help
tread through challenging economic times, brought together varied views, and
set out an economic plan that is built for the future. There is much to look
forward to, and I hope you will feel connected in this call to action to
shape London’s future.
Ladies and gentlemen, it has been my privilege to be your Mayor for 10 years
now. During that time, much has improved, and changed. Challenges have come
up, but we have met them head on, and are better and stronger for them.
While the Mayor heads Council, it’s the team effort that is crucial. During
the past ten years, I have worked with many different elected officials and
administrations, all of whom have contributed greatly. What we all share is
a passion for our work, courage to face challenges and determination to
serve the public, even though we must often sacrifice family time.
In the past year, one issue - the economy - has been the main topic of
conversation, whether it’s over lunch in the office, in line at the grocery
store, or on the sidelines as soccer moms and dads watch their kids play.
When it comes to the state of the economy, the questions are many … will I
have my job tomorrow? What happens if the plant closes or lays off? How can
I look for a new job at my age? What’s the government doing to help? Will I
be able to keep paying my bills and credit cards? How will I buy food for my
kids? As a senior, will I lose my house if I can’t keep up with the
payments?
These are all serious questions being debated and discussed, as leaders from
all sectors, communities and countries have come together in different ways
to find the best ideas and strategies to deal with the effects of the global
recession.
There is no shortage of suggestions. Our economists say tighten your belts,
it will be a slow recovery. Futurists say you must look for the greatest
advantages you have as a city, and build on them. Labour leaders say protect
all local jobs as a priority.
Implementing our action plan
Our Council, working with the London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC)
and community partners, has also spent considerable time and effort mapping
out our made-in-London Action Plan. It is aggressive, visionary, do-able and
flexible enough to change with the times. Above all, our plan is founded on
a full consensus of what needs to be done, and notes that working together
is the only way to make a difference.
As such, it is my privilege to highlight this Action Plan, which was
unanimously approved by Council just a few months ago. Through it, we hope
you will feel confident and optimistic about everything the future has to
offer. But before we get there, we all know the global downturn has hit
Canada hard, putting hundreds of thousands of people out of work.
Our own unemployment rate has been one of the highest in Canada, but
fortunately, it is now rebounding. And, there are other signs of recovery,
with one recent example of General Dynamics hiring an additional 200
employees. But the climb up will be gradual, and no one knows how long a
full recovery will take.
Still, how we position our country depends very much on having strong,
vibrant cities. As members of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM),
we have always believed cities are the engine behind the economy.
In a report the FCM commissioned some years ago, entitled Our Cities, Our
Future, we made an undisputed case that to succeed Canada must build cities
that are international hubs for travel, trade and investment. This remains
relevant today and is even more important in this post-recession period.
The FCM report also states regional economic centres must be able to attract
labour and capital to support the global knowledge economy. And to do this,
jobs alone are no longer enough to attract skilled workers and growing
businesses. Countries must also offer safe and efficient road networks,
modern public transit, clean air and water, a protected environment,
sustainable energy resources, and world-class cultural and recreational
facilities. I would add that education, health care, and research and
development must also play dominant roles in our ability to succeed in
building a prosperous economy.
London’s Strategic Plan, which I have shared with you in past presentations,
has prioritized eight sectors. That plan is succeeding, and I thank you for
playing a part in building healthy neighbourhoods; having a renewed interest
in Downtown London, Old East Village and Richmond Row; supporting our most
vulnerable; embracing initiatives on the importance of the environment;
finding ways to connect young emerging leaders with good jobs, so they stay
in our city; providing programming and facilities for our young at heart to
maintain active, healthy lifestyles; and keeping London well-rounded, so
investment in the arts, culture, diversity and heritage is as important as
investment in bricks and mortar.
Yet, even though these are all vital ingredients, it will be our new
economic blueprint that will fuel renewed investor confidence in London. The
economy did not fall into decline overnight, and it will take time, proper
planning and a willingness to take action for the economy flourish again. We
must be bold, if we are to build on a foundation of the past, and ensure a
long, lasting legacy of prosperity for years to come.
Strategically
moving ahead
As Londoners, we are blessed with a diverse economy and numerous resources
and advantages that enable London to compete with the rest of the world.
Advantages like our strategic location between two metropolitan centres -
Toronto and Detroit - and several border crossings; easy access to national
freight and passenger rail service; a busy truck hub along three major
highways; and an international airport that has expanded air services by
over 60% in the past decade. In fact, Council is in the midst of updating
local transportation needs for the future, and I encourage everyone to get
involved in Smart Moves, through the City of London website.
We plan to aggressively promote London as a regional hub, and the London
International Airport as a cargo gateway with free trade zone status. As
such, we’ll participate in the movement, logistics and creation of
value-added goods through the air, road and rail system.
Thanks to a major investment by the Federal Government, in partnership with
the Airport Authority and City Council, we are moving ahead and will break
ground shortly, to build a full service cargo facility that will cater to
all cargo products and players.
The international air freight terminal will have full air and truck
intermodal links to attract, bundle and channel movement of cargo to and
from points in North America and the rest of the world. This opportunity
will provide access to billions of dollars of investment and new jobs, which
is particularly important because trade between Ontario and Europe
represents $35-billion and annual trade between Canada and Europe is worth
$84-billion.
Not to mention, this part of the province accounts for 25% of Ontario jobs
and we are at the centre of Canada’s trade with the United States, worth
more than $750-billion dollars a year, the largest bi-national trading
relationship in the world.
Potential businesses will come to London for all these reasons and more.
Foreign manufacturing firms are looking for cost-effective gateways into the
United States / Mexican marketplace, and our Airport will provide duty-free
tax relief, while offering low business operating costs.
By coming through London, exporters avoid U.S. tariffs and new inspection
costs slated for this year. We also have available land in our industrial
parks, including space in and around the airport at reasonable costs; and
our airport and runways are in operation 24/7.
Attracting new investment
Not many cities have these combined advantages, but because of them, London
has also received support from the Southwest Economic Alliance (SWEA) to
develop a regional transportation strategy, so we can all attract new
investment to our region. The Alliance brought this message loudly and
clearly to Queens Park recently, as SWEA Mayors joined together to make a
strong pitch. And, we’ll be vigilant in staying on the radar of higher
levels of government to ensure they understand we have plans and projects
worthy of tangible support.
As part of this priority, Council is being encouraged to think long-term
about the creation of a new 401/402 interchange at Wonderland Road, and to
consider bringing on additional serviced industrial lands at the 401 and
Veterans Memorial Parkway (VMP). At this location, you will soon see
dramatic changes to the landscape, with a series of monuments and landscape
projects to honour the men and women who have made such vital contributions
to our city and country.
The VMP initiative will add an important aesthetic flare, as a gateway into
our industrial area. In particular, Innovation Park now houses success
stories like Hanwha, The Original Cakerie and CT Innovation. Already, a
number of these companies are looking to expand and I am confident we will
soon have more good news on this front.
Certainly, our Industrial Land Strategy, initiated 10 years ago, has made a
difference in attracting thousands of new jobs and investment, and will
continue to be one of the most important initiatives for London’s future.
Specifically, in Forest City Industrial Park, you can drive by the 401 and
see dozens of new industries developed in the past decade, which continue to
grown and flourish. In fact, Brose from Germany - one of our first
operations in this Park - is making a key move to raise its profile
internationally, that will also strengthen London’s advanced manufacturing
sector.
I am proud to announce that Brose North America will invest $7-million to
add a highly automated gearbox/motor assembly unit, creating 10 skilled
technician jobs at the London plant to start. As a result, Brose London
becomes home to the Kombi line, one of the most advanced and automated
assembly technologies in the automotive industry. As well, Brose will be
sourcing over $2.5-million annually from local Canadian suppliers for its
leading-edge automated process.
This decision was made possible through a partnership with Brose, LEDC, and
the Province, and enables LEDC to support London and regional auto part
suppliers in achieving enhanced quality standards to potentially supply
Brose and other European automotive companies. Equally important, London’s
addition of the Kombi line means later this year, Brose is investing an
additional $20-million for new seat production projects that will result in
a significant amount of new jobs in London through 2011.
This is indeed exciting news, especially since it supports a battered
automotive industry looking to make a strong comeback. Joining us from Brose
are Joerg Roedel, General Manager of Brose Canada and his colleague Marco
Redwitz. We congratulate Brose Canada on its partnership with the Province
and LEDC.
Enhancing our knowledge-based economy
This brings us to another of the City’s economic priorities - a partnership
with the University of Western Ontario, Fanshawe College and the private
sector to create a specialized Advanced Manufacturing and Green Park.
Council has already designated 25 acres for Western and 10 acres for
Fanshawe, while the City retains 94 acres in Innovation Park. This
partnership will create leading-edge production facilities, integrated
research, training and workforce programs that target new opportunities for
green technology, such as solar, specialty heating, metals, composite
materials and equipment.
With our institutional partners already beacons of research excellence, the
creation of this Green Park demonstrates Council’s strong desire for
companies to bring their science to our community. It’s a first for London,
and an important step in enhancing our knowledge-based economy. In the
longer term, we also have a vision that London be recognized as a leader in
many green areas. We aspire to create a green technology validation centre,
where technology in water treatment, solar, geothermal and wind energy can
be validated at this site.
This would follow the development of a Green Tech Incubator that would
utilize biomass and recycling technologies, link with the private sector for
co-generation ideas and support our agri-food industry. This is extremely
important as entrepreneurial growth in this field is rapidly increasing, and
London is seen as one of the best locations in Ontario for supply and
process capabilities in agriculture and food processing.
Also, the local food movement in specialty and ethnic foods is driving many
opportunities is this fast growing sector. As such, we are working with
local industry, Fanshawe and the Province to determine if an agri-food
incubator could be built and supported here to provide space for new food
industries, while offering assistance with ever-changing regulations,
packaging and food safety standards.
Increasing prominence as a centre of excellence
You will see a common thread in many of the City’s priorities involves
various institutions. Our centres of excellence work year-round in their
respective areas to put London on the worldwide map, while achieving great
things in education, health care and research.
For instance, Western has received millions of dollars to establish the
world’s first hexagon-shaped wind tunnel. It’s capable of producing
phenomena such as cyclones and tornadoes to enable researchers to address
questions no one has ever been able to answer before about wind, the
environment and wind energy.
Western also recently opened two new centres. One is the University’s first
LEED-certified building, giving engineering students opportunities to
research green technologies. The other is a bio-fuel facility that converts
agricultural byproducts into fuels, chemicals and fertilizers.
Western has also joined us in partnership with Trojan Technologies to build
a world-class Wastewater Technology Centre, adjacent to an existing
wastewater treatment facility owned by the City. The vision is to become the
global leader and go-to site for Canadian and international businesses and
organizations to test their theories and technologies.
Meantime, Fanshawe College is creating a new Centre for Sustainable Energy
and Environments with two high profile projects underway: the first, a
partnership with London Hydro to create a system that will manage solar
output. The second, a partnership with Try Recycling to find new ways to
reuse heat, runoff and other byproducts created through compost materials
like grass, leaves and branches. Fanshawe has also begun work on its new
Centre for Applied Transportation Technologies, which will open in a year.
Research successes continue at Robarts Research Institute, Lawson Health
Research Institute and our hospitals. Scientists at Robarts have made a new
discovery that could lead to drugs that prevent obesity, while a new medical
cyclotron facility opened at Lawson, producing radioisotopes used in
diagnosing diseases like cancer. This technology will give patients the
chance for local testing, and researchers the ability to discover new
radioisotopes, which may eventually help to replace our reliance on Chalk
River.
At the same time, St. Joseph’s Health Care and London Health Sciences Centre
(LHSC) both continue to improve health care. Construction is now underway
for a new regional Mental Heath Care London Facility next to Parkwood
Hospital and two medical firsts at LHSC. First, introducing the Zeego, a
robotic machine located in the OR that can take 3D images during surgery and
will accelerate recovery time for patients, and second, a new procedure in
the treatment of lung cancer that is a Canadian first.
And, recently-established World Discoveries officially celebrated its first
year as a new business development arm of our extensive research network.
Six spinoff companies have been established, the greatest number produced by
any commercialization office in the country. One of the agreements was
signed with Trudell Medical for a swallow-assist device that will aid
patients with neuro-degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s.
When it comes to medical devices, London is a clear leader and those in the
field have been blunt in saying, ‘let’s own this area of expertise’. Where
else do you have stellar organizations like the Stiller Centre, World
Discoveries, LHSC, St. Joseph’s, Western and Fanshawe? Not only are we the
Centre of Excellence in Canada, let’s ensure everyone else in the world
knows it too.
This applies to a recent win for London. Last year, Lanxess, a $10-billion
German company, announced it was coming to London, and today, the company
will officially open its new global R&D lab, housed in the new Convergence
Centre at Western’s Research Park. London beat out Singapore, Germany,
Belgium and the U.S. for this project, which will be a flagship building,
housing Lanxess’s largest team of researchers anywhere. Joining us is Dr.
Ralf Schenkel, Head of the Lanxess Global Research and Development Unit.
Continuing revitalization efforts
Switching to a different aspect of the economic plan, we all know the
downtown has been a major focus, understanding that if the core is healthy,
so goes the state of the city. For a little more than 10 years, we have
implemented a plan of action to revitalize our downtown after years of
decline.
It’s definitely working, as each piece of the puzzle has come together, with
more residential units being built, the amazing the John Labatt Centre (JLC)
in our core, and continuing support of the local business, retail and
hospitality sectors.
In some cases, the longevity of anchors including Kingsmill’s and Nash’s,
combined with newer tenants like the Corporation of London moving some of
its offices into the refurbished heritage Capitol Theatre-Bowles Building,
owned by Farhi Holdings, gives rise to more people supporting the core.
Similar revitalization efforts have extended to Old East Village, where
Canada’s only member-owned Clay Arts Centre recently opened, and
construction continues along Dundas Street with multi-million dollar
residential towers being built by Medallion and Terrasan. Business is also
thriving along Richmond Row. But, our work is far from over and downtown
planning is not a one-time project. For a number of years, we have
implemented many programs to leverage private sector investment. As a
result, more people are now living downtown, working downtown and taking
advantage of the many restaurants, cafes, shops and entertainment.
The City’s next stage of improvement focuses on enhancing Dundas and
Richmond, and attracting more people downtown. This new vision is being
formed as we speak and I thank all of you who have taken the time to provide
input and ideas on the steps needed to achieve our goals. To complement
these efforts, Mainstreet’s new Downtown London brand and logo have been
launched, and recruitment efforts to fill space are gaining interest from
national chains and large independent businesses.
Another of our economic priorities would see a downtown campus created for
theatrical, technical and culinary arts. This would be an exciting
opportunity with Fanshawe College taking the lead, in collaboration with the
City, and extending to arts partners, including The Grand Theatre and
Orchestra London. This could also be expanded to support digital arts, which
only makes sense since London is home to the largest cluster of digital
gaming companies in Ontario.
Achieving important steps
As well, London has over 300 IT companies and is part of the Ontario
Technology Corridor, giving us an open door to national and international
developments. In fact, our knowledge-based economy is growing stronger
everyday. It’s great to consider companies like InfoTech have been adding
new jobs for months, as it looks to hire 150 people.
On the investment front, I am delighted to announce that NDS Americas, a
leading digital technology firm based in California, in partnership with
Harper Collins Canada, is investing in engineering resources and has chosen
London for its new office in North America. Part of the NDS Group of the
United Kingdom, and within the News Corporation family, NDS is the world
leader in Pay TV technology with more than 70 leading Pay-TV operators
worldwide relying on proven NDS solutions. As the business gets underway, it
will begin by providing 30 high tech jobs. We welcome the NDS Executive team
of Peter Lynskey, Stuart McGeechan, and Nelson Cooley.
It is encouraging company announcements like this that grab the attention of
our younger population, as we strive to retain our leaders of tomorrow, by
redefining the jobs of the future. London hit its stride being ranked 9th in
Canada as a top city for young professionals to live and work by Next
Generation Consulting. The ‘next gen’ is very savvy and has many choices
about where to live. These young people think about factors like how much
time they’ll spend in traffic commuting, if they can live near a park or
bike trail, and whether the city’s downtown stays awake after five.
Being recognized in the Top 10 in Canada is also a boost to our Emerging
Leaders. Next steps are to create a more permanent organization to support
projects and initiatives aimed at retaining and developing our young
leaders. In this regard, LEDC hosts its 3rd annual Student-2-Business
Networking event, where students from Fanshawe and Western learn what London
has to offer to influence their future career decisions.
This goal is also supported by our Great Near-Campus Neighborhood Strategy
designed to strengthen important relationships and neighbourhoods
surrounding both Western and Fanshawe. There are exciting opportunities
underway, but rightly so, the community will want to know how we’re going to
pay to turn good ideas into success.
Last year, both the Federal and Provincial governments joined municipalities
across Canada to implement a stimulus program, designed to put people back
to work quickly to kick start the economy, and bridge the gap to better
economic times, while investing in badly needed upgrades to infrastructure.
Through the stimulus plan, London secured over $100-million, split three
ways among levels of government. By doing so, we were able to advance
projects by almost three years, creating a capacity of $55-million available
to invest strategically in our future. And, City Council is now moving ahead
with the creation of the London Economic Development Fund to leverage
opportunities needed to boost our local economy.
Working together for the
The City’s relationship with higher levels of government has always been
tremendously important, and I thank our local representatives for their
commitment to work with us. Working together is essential, and there is much
left for us to do, especially when funding will be less available as senior
levels of governments turn attention to curbing their growing deficits.
Even so, the Big City Mayors’ Caucus has a clear message. The problems we
faced before the recession, from homelessness to climate change, are still
with us, yet with fewer resources to solve them. Also, with an outdated
funding system where municipalities only receive 8-cents out of every tax
dollar, it will be very difficult for cities to live up to their full
potential, without continued support.
As such, it would be wrong for higher levels of government to repeat the
mistakes of the 1990’s in dealing with the deficit. As municipalities, we
must ensure that Prime Minister Harper and Premier McGuinty recognize that
pushing deficits onto the backs of municipalities is not the right approach.
We are still feeling the damage done years ago, with crumbling roads,
crowded buses, aging recreation facilities, as a few examples of the growing
infrastructure deficit of $123-billon across our country.
Instead, we need the Chamber’s support and each of you to fight with us and
for us. With this in mind, the City is making key recommendations, including
indexing the Federal Gas Tax Fund against inflation; maintaining core
program spending for our infrastructure needs; avoiding offloading;
arranging cost-sharing for wastewater system upgrades and policing; and
developing national strategies for transportation and affordable housing.
It is in partnership that we can achieve lasting results, and we look
forward to continuing our work together. Our Council is very serious about
the financial state of London, and for years we have contained costs,
reduced our debt for capital projects and used surpluses to offset approved
debt.
In fact, our prudent financial management was the cornerstone in Maclean’s
Magazine ranking London Number 1 in Ontario and 6th in Canada, as a
best-managed city.
As well, Moody’s has once again recognized London as a leader, and for the
33rd consecutive year, has awarded us a Aaa credit rating. There are very
few cities that have achieved this repeated success, and our financial
division at City Hall must be given a great deal of credit for working with
Council to ensure we stay the course. I would especially like to recognize
Vic Cote. Vic will be retiring this March, and we extend our thanks for his
dedication to public service.
We are currently in the midst of our 2010 budgets. Our revenue sources and
assessment base are lower than past years, and the demands for funding have
grown dramatically. Therefore, the stresses and pressures people face in
their homes to meet their obligations must be front and centre as Council
deliberates.
Our aim is to once again achieve a reasonable tax rate, without cutting
essential services and programs. We have worked hard to create a strong base
budget, and this will be our 5th consecutive year of tax increases less than
3% and below most cities of comparable size in Ontario. Currently, we sit at
a 1.8% increase for 2010.
The economy can be defined by so many different things. We speak about it
primarily as jobs, new investment and industry. But, it’s equally important
to build a city that offers the very best to everyone. London has been
recognized repeatedly in different publications for aspects that make a good
city, even greater. For instance, MoneySense Magazine ranked London 11th out
of 154 cities - as one of the best places to live in Canada and in Regions
Americas, London was 4th in the small cities category recognizing best
quality of life in North America.
Building together, working in partnership
So what do all these numbers really mean to you and me? We all aspire to
leave a bright future for generations to come and I am proud of the work
already undertaken. It’s about ensuring strong neighbourhoods where we can
raise strong children. Here we see action, not just words, with initiatives
to build up the Kipp’s Lane and White Oaks neighbourhoods. It’s about caring
for our most vulnerable, so everyone has a home. Working in partnership with
all three levels of government and the non-profit sectors, London has built
over 1100 new affordable housing units.
It’s about embracing diversity and varied cultures celebrated around the
world, which are now taking root in our city, as evidenced throughout year
with festivals and celebrations where we are proud Canadians, sharing unique
traditions, food, music and art. It’s about respecting our heritage, as we
celebrate the history of our city in gems like historic Eldon House,
London’s oldest home, which is currently commemorating 175 years.
It’s about rolling out the red carpet to tourists, enticing them to visit
again and again, just as we saw with BMO Skate Canada. And this summer,
thousands will arrive for the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games and
thousands more next year for the Tim Hortons Brier.
It’s about being a safe community, where our police, fire and paramedics
respond quickly to save lives. This also means investing in proper
facilities as we officially open the new Police Headquarters addition in the
coming months. And, it’s about the responsibility we all have in being
champions of peace in our workplace, homes and amongst our friends,
colleagues and family. As such, the Mayor’s Task Force to End Woman Abuse,
the City and community partners have joined together to launch a
first-of-a-kind training tool to inspire City employees to stand together
against violence.
Being a safe city also means we need to deal with the harsh reality of the
social impact of lost jobs, where people no longer have an income, can’t
keep up mortgage payments or put food on the table. With the recession,
Ontario Works social assistance numbers have soared and more people are
moving into shelters or living on the street. Yet, our city has always been
a leader in finding solutions for these issues, while Londoners have
continued to show their overwhelming generosity. Thank you everyone for your
ongoing support of agencies like Mission Services, the Salvation Army,
United Way and the London Food Bank. With your help, hope has been given to
thousands and a remarkable difference has been made in people’s lives.
While quality of life includes the many social aspects already outlined,
sustaining our environment and designing our neighbourhoods go hand in hand.
As London continues to grow, several key distinctive areas are Council’s
priorities for development. They include SoHo and the South Street campus of
Victoria Hospital, the LPH lands at Oxford and Highbury, Meadowlily and the
McCormick Industrial area near Old East Village.
These new and regenerated neighbourhoods will put an exciting stamp on our
London of tomorrow. They will showcase innovative, creatively designed forms
of housing within communities that honour our built heritage and preserve
our natural environment. They will offer new opportunities for urban
lifestyles to attract the creative sector and give London a competitive
advantage over others.
With everything from live-work opportunities to community gardens, they will
be filled with environments that offer healthy living, green lifestyles,
recreational choices, vibrant entertainment settings and transportation
alternatives. Protecting the environment also continues to be a priority and
I have shared many of the exciting possibilities that exist. But I’m not
quite done yet.
Realizing our green potential
The Provincial Green Energy Act is giving this region more opportunities to
create new industry and jobs, and London is right in the mix. I am pleased
to announce that German Solar Corporation is building a 25-thousand square
foot solar panel facility in London. It’s a $1-million investment, creating
20 jobs initially, and will be one of the most advanced assembly plants in
solar array development. And, the news gets even better - German Solar is
already planning future expansions. In two years, it plans to triple the
size of its facility, creating another 40 jobs and investing $2-million
more. We welcome President and CEO Dennis German and his associates, Phil
Scarfone and Diane Roberts.
The Corporation of London also continues to think Green to Compete.
Maintaining our current energy-using habits is simply no longer sustainable.
Most of London’s energy needs are met by dwindling natural resources, which
also contribute to climate change. We need to ‘RETHINK’ how we live, how we
travel and how we work in London.
While we are designing a range of new programs, now is the time to hear from
you. We need your input on our proposed ideas, and your own suggestions
about what we can do in our homes, our communities, our transportation and
our economy. RETHINK Energy London is supported by a wide range of tools,
including an on-line discussion forum, web surveys, videos and a great tool
for measuring your carbon footprint, which was launched last year.
The City of London has partnered with Zerofootprint to provide you with a
Personal Carbon Manager tool to help devise your own personal climate action
plan. This is City Council’s most ambitious initiative dealing with energy
conservation and sustainable energy, as we ‘RETHINK’ how we live, travel and
work in London by taking steps today.
This vital effort supports ideas from the Mayor’s Sustainable Energy Council
(MSEC). Coming up, MSEC presents the third in its Lecture Series - this time
it will be a consumer forum focused on topics like Smart Meters and market
pricing. I encourage you to check out our City website to reserve your seat.
Also, I am pleased to recognize the first recipient of The Energy Saver
Recognition Award.
TD Bank Financial Group has been selected for implementing measures to
reduce energy use and improve quality of energy consumption. Specifically,
TD has invested $250,000 at one of its local branches to install an energy
efficient air conditioning system and on-site energy generation capability
through solar panels. Congratulations TD Bank Financial Group and thanks to
all the organizations that submitted a nomination.
Looking to tomorrow
Well, there is much to celebrate in the months ahead, so stay tuned.
Throughout this presentation, and through my 10 years as your Mayor, I have
strived to challenge each and every Londoner to think big about our
abundance of possibilities. To not hold back and to dream and believe we can
create a city that is the envy of all cities in the world. To trust that we
can be anything and do anything if we set our minds to it, work hard, hand
in hand, as a community.
Whatever the challenge, I have not wavered in my steadfast belief that
London is indeed the greatest city in which to live, work, play and visit,
and every moment, of every day, we have a chance to make it even better.
We have such amazing potential in our community, where we can dream bigger
than we ever have before; where, with renewed passion, energy and
determination, we can make all our possibilities a reality. Join me, and
let’s live, like we’ve never lived before. Together, let’s make London, more
than it’s ever been.
