London Inc. Weekly

Written by Kieran Delamont, Associate Editor, London Inc.

Western University pushes pause on downtown campus

Western University will “review options” regarding its plan to convert the former Harrison Pensa building on Talbot Street (pictured) to a new downtown campus, the school said last week. “We have paused our development of 450 Talbot, given the impact of high costs and volatility in the current construction market,” a school statement reads. “We continue to review options for this site while ensuring that the university is a responsible steward of funds. It’s more important than ever that post-secondary institutions manage funds effectively and responsibly.” The school purchased the building in 2021 for $7.3 million, with plans to move some of the Faculty of Information and Media Studies to the downtown building. The project now remains in limbo, however ― it is still officially on the list of “projects for future consideration” the school intends to pursue, according to a board of governors reports from earlier this month, but there is no anticipated start date or funding plan for the project.

The upshot: City officials seem to have been taken by surprise by this announcement. “I want this building back on. It’s a great location, a great building,” downtown councillor David Ferreira told The London Free Press, suggesting that the school could “tap into the city and we can help with incentives.” Kristin Nielsen, board chair with Downtown London and vice-president of commercial property with BlueStone Properties added, “We would like to see this investment come to fruition. The core would benefit from having Western there. It’s a mutually beneficial path. We want them to reconsider.” All well and good, but don’t be surprised if the state of limbo drags on. With financial pressures hitting the country’s post-secondary institutions, Western is projecting a $7.7-million deficit in 2025-26, and of the approximate $130 million budgeted for new construction, just under half of that is earmarked for the new undergrad residence on University Drive.

Read more: London Free Press

Retrofit bill looms for city as Enwave decommissions more of its downtown steam infrastructure

Enwave Energy Corporation (formerly London District Energy), which provides steam and chilled water for heating and cooling purposes to several facilities in the downtown core and to hospital facilities north and south of the downtown core, has told the city it will be shutting down most of its medium-pressure steam lines under downtown, leaving the city with a potentially large retrofit bill. “Enwave has indicated that certain sections of the steam system are becoming increasingly unreliable and could present safety concerns in the future. The decision to decommission the medium-pressure line is based on assessments that determined continued operation is not sustainable,” a city staff report reads. Enwave said it will be shutting down the line by October 31, 2026. The announcement means 12 facilities, including City Hall, Centennial Hall, the Central Library and Museum London, will be affected. City staff estimate that the cost of retrofit would be around $5 million, depending on how the city decides to proceed. 

The upshot: It’s pretty much the bad news that was feared in August of last year when Enwave announced it was decommissioning its low-pressure line (it’s set to shut down by the end of this month, impacting 17 customers, including the Grand Theatre and the city-owned J. Allyn Taylor building at 267 Dundas Street). At the time, Enwave informed the city it was looking at the medium-pressure line. That look is done, and so too will be the medium-pressure line, it seems. The mayor wasn’t all that thrilled when Enwave decommissioned the first line, calling it “the equivalent of a large utility ceasing to supply a needed service,” but it doesn’t sound like the district energy system has been a high priority. The city said it will have to conduct investigations into what kind of retrofitting is feasible and cost-effective before it figures out which way it wants to go. “Based on our experience, it is likely the total cost to address this issue will exceed $5 million for all affected buildings,” city staff write in the report. “As the work to provide an alternative to steam heating is unplanned and not included as part of the adopted 2024-2027 multi-year budget, a source of financing will need to be identified for council approval to support the cost of this work.”

Read more: CBC News London

Doorways to Dreams capital campaign launches with $250,000 Canada Life donation

London’s Cross-Cultural Learner Centre (CCLC) launched its Doorways to Dreams capital campaign this week as it looks to being construction on a 247-unit apartment project in Old East Village at 773 and 763 Dundas Street (rendering pictured). The $2-million community campaign kick-off started with a substantial funding boost of $250,000 from Canada Life ― funding the CCLC says will help them leverage additional government monies. “This estimated $100-million-plus development is supported by government funding and will add more housing stock and availability to the local market at a time when it is desperately needed,” said CCLC’s executive director Valy Marochko. “We need local community dollars as the catalyst to leverage government funding ― and support London’s commitment to building more homes, quickly.” According to CCLC, the development will be largely geared towards newcomers to Canada, with 30 per cent being affordable units and 22 per cent being accessible. “Newcomers thrive best when they’re integrated with the larger community,” Marochko said. “This is a project where London could take the lead.”

The upshot: This project ― first unveiled last year ― is an ambitious one for an organization with limited experience in large-scale development. The project is set to be backed via a loan from CMHC’s Affordable Housing Fund; the $2-million community fundraising effort will help leverage upper-level government funding for the overall estimated $115-million project. “This development is a symbol of a collective promise to create a welcoming place that respects all Canadians, fosters prosperity in London and enriches the cultural fabric of our community,” said senior VP at Canada Life Amy Metzger. “Canada Life is proud to support Doorways to Dreams and the CCLC’s efforts to help new Canadians settle into homes where they can thrive and contribute to a strong, vibrant community.” Work is expected to begin on the buildings this fall. 

Read more: CBC News London | CTV News London

Fanshawe College tapped by Transport Canada to address shortage of aircraft maintenance engineers

Transport Canada has selected Fanshawe’s Norton Wolf School of Aviation and Aerospace Technology as an ‘Approved Training Organization’ to address a shortage of aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs), allowing them to license foreign-trained engineers here in Canada. “The Canadian aviation industry is growing at an unprecedented pace. The demand for a trained workforce continues to rise, and this Transport Canada initiative to open pathways for foreign-trained aviation technicians to become AMEs is both visionary and innovative,” said Larry Weir, dean of the aviation school. “These are trained aircraft maintenance personnel from other countries, who are currently working in Canada and are underemployed because their licenses from other sources have not been recognized in Canada.”

The upshot: Some welcome good news for Fanshawe, finally. Like many other blue-collar industries, aircraft maintenance is expected to undergo a “gray out” as older workers retire, Weir says. “There are an awful lot of individuals who were trained in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, who are now retiring and going into other areas,” he told CTV News London. This problem is still expected to get worse before it gets better, Louis Anderson, president of the AME Association of Ontario, said in a statement, but added that “a program like this could help foreign-trained AMEs get licensed faster in an industry where they are so desperately needed.” Demand for this program is expected to be fairly high, Fanshawe said, estimating the school will have 50 to 80 students a year or more. 

Read more: CTV News London

City planning committee green lights demolition of former Kent Brewery buildings

City politicians have approved a plan to demolish the old Kent Brewery and brewmaster’s house on York Street after York Developments pledged to repurpose elements of the original building into its new development. York said it would incorporate heritage artifacts from the old building into the new construction, as well open a brew pub (rendering pictured) on the site that will use elements from the existing building. “They will not go into a storage room,” York Developments president Ali Soufan told The London Free Press. “They’ll be front and centre in the development.” York has proposed a 216-unit student apartment building at 84-86 St. George Street and 175-197 Ann Street.

The upshot: On Wednesday, the city’s planning committee approved the demolition of the building, which won’t be welcome news to heritage preservation advocates who wanted to see the building preserved. Not all city officials are entirely sold on demolition ― Councillor David Ferreira said he was disappointed that York wouldn’t be willing/able to preserve the facades, while Councillor Anna Hopkins said that the community may not be on board with the demolition. All of which sets up a larger debate at an upcoming council meeting in early June, where council will make a final decision, although York has on its side both the mayor and the chair of planning, Councillor Steve Lehman, who said of the plan: “They want to actually resurrect and brew beer in this part of the city for the first time since 1917. What better way to celebrate heritage?”

Read more: London Free Press | CTV News London

PwC audit reveals mismanagement, unauthorized raises at TVDSB

An audit of the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) finances said it uncovered a number of instances of financial non-compliance and mismanagement related to pay bumps and promotions, which helped contribute to the deteriorating financial position of the schoolboard. A PwC audit, ordered after the brouhaha around the $40,000 retreat to the SkyDome hotel, found that the TVDSB had gone around its own rules in providing pay bumps to superintendents and overpayments of executive officers, while at the same time services for students were being cut. “When a school board is seriously strapped for cash and cutting programs for kids with special needs and slashing teachers, that’s what makes this particularly egregious and heartbreaking,” said education consultant Debbie Kasman, speaking to CTV News London. Craig Smith, president of the Thames Valley local of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, commented on the audit’s findings, and said, “I think we’ve drifted a bit away from [supporting students and teachers] and we need to use this as an opportunity.”

The upshot: Though much of the focus seems to be on the issue of executive pay, the audit in fact suggested that the overall cost of this was “relatively low” and that other structural issues ― in particular, the board’s ability to forecast enrolment numbers ― were also a big part of why the board is now running a projected deficit. The crux of the whole report was whether the province would be warranted in its move to put the school board under supervision, which it did in late April. Overall, some hope that this whole saga, from retreat to report, will prompt a culture change at the TVDSB. “This isn’t just one trip to Toronto that caused this,” Smith told CBC News London. “This has been a situation that’s been in the making for a number of years. I think as tough as it’s going to be for the next year or two for the board, it’s very critical that it happens and it happens right.” 

Read more: CTV News London | CBC News London

Dispatch: May 23, 2025

A summary of recent business appointments and announcements, plus event listings for the upcoming week.

View listings here

MORE FROM LONDON INC.