Weekly Regional Business Intelligence | | | Written by Kieran Delamont, Associate Editor, London Inc. | | | London Music Hall marks 20th anniversary with renovation and addition of new comedy club The London Music Hall (LMH) this week announced a major renovation project ahead of their 20th anniversary celebrations this fall. The venue has started work on what they are calling a “renovation project that will increase capacity, enhance the customer experience, introduce a new entrance off Dundas Street and welcome an exciting new addition.” That addition will take the form of a new comedy club, to be called Comedy & Co. The renovations are expected to wrap up by the fall, and LMH also announced it would be launching a 20th anniversary concert series that will run from September through December. The upshot: Since its inception in 2004, founder Mike Manuel has poured millions of dollars into LMH (the last reno in 2018 saw the ceiling raised to make room for 225 more seats in the balcony of venue) in support of downtown and the city’s music scene, so we’ll be curious to see what the Manuel family has cooked up for this project. There aren’t many details released publicly yet, although a press release describes “improved accessibility and visibility,” as well as an “expanded layout.” The new comedy club will also help fill the comedy void in town that has existed since the Yuk Yuk’s comedy club at the Western Fair closed (although it later moved to a small 250-seat venue at the Doubletree by Hilton). “As we reflect on 20 incredible years of unforgettable moments, we want to thank our dedicated fans, staff, artists, partners and sponsors, Tourism London and the City of London for making this journey possible,” said COO Demetri Manuel. Read more: Exclaim! | | | Jo-Ann Fisher, Dale and Mark Hunter announced as 2025 Business Hall of Fame inductees Jo-Ann Fisher, founder and principal at women’s fashion retailer Hangar9, and Dale and Mark Hunter of the London Knights, are set to be inducted into the London and District Business Hall of Fame this year. Established in 1990, the Hall of Fame supports the work of JA South Western Ontario and honours members of the London and area business community, past and present, for their achievements in business and community leadership. The trio will be feted at a gala induction celebration on October 23 at RBC Place London. The upshot: Deserving honourees here, and it’s probably tough to come up with a triad that has had a bigger impact on downtown commerce. Fisher, who began her entrepreneurial journey as a Mary Kay beauty consultant, opened her first boutique in 1985, and 40 years later her innovative approach to empowering women through personal style and confidence continues to advance the Richmond Row fixture as one of the country’s most influential independent fashion retailers. And needing little in the way of introduction, the Hunter brothers, alongside co-owner Basil McRae, rescued the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) franchise from the “Knightmare” era doldrums that included a 3-60 performance in the 1995-96 season and abysmal season ticket numbers. Since then, they’ve turned it into a team that fills a huge-by-OHL-standards rink almost every game, and which has brought home six OHL titles and three Memorial Cup trophies, including one this year. Read more: JASWO | London Free Press | | | Proposed 35-storey tower at Oxford and Richmond gets planning committee nod A 35-storey tower proposal at Oxford and Richmond streets (rendering pictured) was approved by the planning and environment committee this week. The 512-unit proposal, which will replace the site of the former Urban Outfitters unit (which is now vacant) and additional retailers, was approved four to one by councillors, and is likely to be approved by city council later this month. The project will be the Toronto-based Fitzrovia Group’s first purpose-built rental building outside the GTA and will be “geared mainly to students and young professionals,” according to CBC News London. As proposed, the building will also include two floors of commercial space. The upshot: The only issue that appeared to raise eyebrows at committee was that of parking. The building only plans to offer 77 underground parking spaces, which was a concern for some councillors as well as a few surrounding businesses, which pointed out that their own parking spots are often being “poached.” That’s a larger discussion to be had though ― changes made to the Official Plan in recent years have eliminated a lot of parking minimums for developments along transit corridors. You might expect some councillors to ask the developers to tinker with the parking numbers, but the project has a good deal of support around the council table, so expect this one to pass, and for demolition to begin by the end of the year. Read more: CBC News London | | | Western senate approves contentious Navitas contract Western’s Senate is recommending a proposal that would grant a contract to Navitas, an Australian private education company, to outsource some first-year education for international students. “The partnership model would expand our global reach, grow our international student population, generate incremental revenue to support core initiatives and strategic investments,” said provost Florentine Strzelczyk. Strzelczyk estimated the partnership could net the school an additional $120 million in revenue annually by 2034, as the school seeks to boost its international student recruitment rates, which are the lowest among Ontario’s top six universities. The Senate vote saw 49 yes votes, 38 no votes, and two abstentions. The upshot: The evidence from other schools that have partnered with Navitas is somewhat mixed: in general, students progress through the programs well, but the nature of the partnerships generate controversies around costs and resource allocation. At Western, the proposal is not particularly popular with faculty. Allison Hearn of the Faculty of Information and Media Studies disputed Strzelczyk’s modelling of revenues, suggesting that “the majority of universities who have partnerships with Navitas are still in the red.” Five faculty councils at the university, including the Faculty of Law, have passed motions of their own opposing the plan. The university is hoping to temper opposition at least partially by agreeing to use Western faculty to teach at the new international college, although the use of contract instructors is a perpetual issue for the faculty union outside of this Navitas deal. The school’s registrar, Marisa Modeski, stated that the school is treating the deal as more of a “10-year experiment,” stating that “if it works, it works,” and “if it doesn’t work, there’s a natural end to this.” It’ll now be up to the Western board of governors to decide whether to approve the partnership. Read more: Western Gazette | | | Two local medtech firms set to receive dose of provincial funding Two London companies ― and TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario member firms ― are set to receive up to $500,000 each in provincial funding as part of the Ontario Centre of Innovation’s (OCI) Life Sciences Innovation Fund program. Deep Breathe, a company that has developed AI-powered lung imaging technology, and Vessl Prosthetics, which makes adaptable prosthetic limb socket systems, will each get a cash infusion. “By backing home-grown med-tech, the Ontario government, OCI and TechAlliance are helping create skilled jobs in London and ensure life-changing innovation reaches patients sooner,” said Vessl Prosthetics co-founder Sydney Robinson (pictured, right, with co-founder Oleksiy Zaika). “This investment will speed our path to full-scale manufacturing of the Kinn system, the first prosthetic system that automatically adapts the socket to limb volume changes.” Raed Kadri, VP of strategic initiatives and business development at OCI, said that “by supporting domestic companies developing transformative medical technologies, we’re not only improving healthcare outcomes but also strengthening Ontario’s position as a global leader in the life sciences sector.” The upshot: Though the Life Sciences Innovation Fund is older than our current trade disputes with our neighbours down south ― it made its first investments in 2023 ― quotes from a variety of winners emphasizing home-grown technologies, local jobs and domestic manufacturing betray some of the strategic alignment with government interest in promoting domestic industry. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada statistics stats say that in 2022, 38 per cent of Canadian medical device imports, and 74 per cent of medical device exports, were to or from the U.S. “This renewed investment in Ontario’s LSIF empowers homegrown companies to bring health breakthroughs to market, create jobs and cement our global leadership in life sciences,” says Claudia Krywiak, president and CEO of the Ontario Centre of Innovation. “The Ontario Centre of Innovation is proud to support these innovators alongside the Government of Ontario.” Read more: TechAlliance | | | Hyde Park BIA expansion scaled back following lukewarm reception The Hyde Park BIA is hitting pause on an ambitious plan to expand its catchment area and rebrand as “Uptown London,” after most businesses basically said, “No, thank you,” according to Councillor Elizabeth Peloza. The initial expansion plan would have seen the Hyde Park BIA grow its area from what you would traditionally think of as Hyde Park to cover just about everything west of Wonderland Road and north of Oxford Street. It turned out there was little support for the idea, though ― only 52 businesses even responded to the survey seeking feedback, of which only 19 were in favour of the idea. There had been some concern when the plan was initially pitched that the big-box stores would start to dominate the voices of smaller retailers. There were also concerns around costs, with the owners of Sherwood Forest Mall noting in their opposition to the plan that it would incur over $85,000 in special tax levies for tenants of the mall. The upshot: The idea is not entirely dead: the Hyde Park BIA intends to pursue a smaller expansion that would still see the addition of Sherwood Forest Mall and the businesses at Oxford and Hyde Park. It will still probably be a tough sell, though. Sherwood Forest’s owners are already asking to be excluded from this reduced expansion plan, with Scott Disney of Canadian Commercial (Sherwood Forest) Inc. writing to the city, saying they “must again ask that Sherwood Forest Mall not be included in the boundaries.” Undeterred, the Hyde Park BIA isn’t quite ready to abandon its ambitions – they’ve even trademarked the “Uptown London” brand. However, with little apparent support from the businesses they are trying to woo, it’s a bit of a question mark as to why this idea hasn’t been shelved. Read more: London Free Press | | | Dispatch: June 13, 2025 A summary of recent business appointments and announcements, plus event listings for the upcoming week. View listings here | | | | |