Weekly Regional Business Intelligence | | | Written by Kieran Delamont, Associate Editor, London Inc. | | | Indwell acquires Bob Hayward YMCA for supportive housing development YMCA of Southwestern Ontario and Indwell announced today that the former site of the Bob Hayward YMCA on Hamilton Road has been sold to Indwell for more than $2 million to establish approximately 100 units of supportive housing across two developments. “The sale of this property to Indwell is part of our ongoing commitment to support the well-being of Londoners of all backgrounds, and we are both confident and excited about the positive impact Indwell will make as a respected expert in this work,” said Andrew Lockie, CEO of YMCA of Southwestern Ontario. Indwell plans to add a new building on the site, while converting the existing structure into housing units. It also plans to maintain the property’s gymnasium for community use. The Bob Hayward YMCA closed in 2024. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and take approximately 18 months. The upshot: Indwell has a strong presence in London, with four operating supportive housing projects and two more in development. In April, Indwell and partners opened its first local property retrofit, Coves Landing, a 50-unit supportive housing development enabled by Developers for Change and supported by the Health & Homelessness Fund for Change on the site of the former Elmwood Place Retirement Home. According to Indwell, over $3 million in funding originally given by the Fund to the Coves project was saved during construction and will be redirected to kickstart the Hayward redevelopment project. “There is significant need in London for all types of housing, and we continue to see the pressure the health and homelessness crisis places on the entire community,” said Indwell’s executive director, Natasha Thuemler. “This housing project represents renewed hope for people seeking health, wellness, and belonging and ensures an exciting reanimation of the property.” Read more: YMCA SWO | | | The Little Beaver suddenly shuttered The Little Beaver, a long-time (and beloved) diner in Komoka, abruptly closed last week, with little explanation. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will unfortunately be closed until further notice,” the restaurant posted on social media last Friday. “We appreciate all your patience during this time and we hope to see you again soon.” The restaurant had been operating for nearly 50 years, and left residents interviewed by The London Free Press in a state approaching shock. “We were both very sad and more shocked, actually, because it’s been around since we were kids,” said Audrey Hunter. The vice-president of the Komoka-Kilworth Business Association Sue Cates mourned the loss as well, saying they were “a longtime staple in our community,” and added that “I hope things get back on track for them soon.” The upshot: The suddenness and lack of any further information is probably the most confusing part about this, and the Little Beaver hasn’t said anything else publicly about the reasons for its closure — although in Facebook comment, they did say that “we kindly ask that there be no rumours or speculation surrounding our closure. The truth is simple, being a small business in this economy is hard, point blank.” With strong population growth in that neck of the woods it’s hard to imagine they were lacking clientele, but it’s also not like things have been easy for anyone in the restaurant biz lately. There’s likely more to the story here, so we all may have to wait and see whether the Beaver will rise again, but for now it’s a bummer for the community and for the diner’s long-time staff, many of whom are locals, Cates said. “You gotta wonder how their lives have now changed. The people who work there are all fantastic, and the food was great,” she said. Read more: London Free Press | | | LHSC records largest hospital deficit in Ontario LHSC’s $153-million deficit in 2024-25 was the largest in Ontario, states a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The report, commissioned by CUPE, found that a deepening funding gap at Ontario’s hospitals is harming patient outcomes. LHSC was “one of the worst hit” hospitals in the province, said CCPA researcher Andrew Longhurst. LHSC certainly isn’t alone — the report found that 55 per cent of Ontario’s hospital’s ran deficits last year, with many of those deficits ballooning in the post-Covid period (LHSC, for instance, saw its deficit rise from $45 million in 2022-23 to $153 million in 2024-25). The report is calling for an additional $3.2 billion for the province’s hospital sector, plus annual increases of six per cent to account for population growth, an aging population and inflation. “There is a capacity crisis, and that is due in large part to the funding that is determine provincially,” Longhurst told CBC News London. The upshot: The report didn’t have much of a rosy outlook, either for LHSC or for the rest of the hospital sector in Ontario. Despite reductions in staffing, both at the administrative and nursing level, Longhurst told CBC the deficit at LHSC is expected come in at just over $130 million this year — a gap that is likely too large to be made up by cuts and belt tightening alone. And for the rest of the province, Longhurst said that “upwards of 70 per cent” of hospitals will be posting deficits for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Provincially-appointed LHSC supervisor David Musyj has tried to be optimistic about the financial outlook for the hospital, saying it has “taken meaningful steps to improve our financial health,” referring to management restructuring and staffing changes, but the CCPA report suggests that structural funding issues remain. The Ontario government dismissed the CCPA report as “misguided,” and pointed to a $1.1 billion funding increase for hospitals. Read more: London Free Press | CBC News London | | | Council rejects Jarlette care home and housing project London city council voted 10-5 on Tuesday to deny a rezoning application for a long-term care home at 945 Bluegrass Drive, near the intersection of Sarnia and Hyde Park roads (rendering pictured). Jarlette Health Services’ proposal for a four-storey, 224-bed long-term care home and 54-unit apartment building was denied, despite city staff approval for the project, plus a prior approval from the planning committee. “The height of four storeys is not appropriate in the middle of this neighbourhood, and just as concerning is the use,” said Councillor Steve Lehman, planning committee chair. “You’re going to get shift work changes, delivery vehicles, maintenance vehicles, visitors coming and going, just a lot of noise and disruption, again, in this neighbourhood environment.” The vote was heralded as a major win for a group of residents, claiming to have “saved paradise.” An exasperated Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis didn’t think this was over, though — he expects an appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) and accused fellow councillors of “over-reacting to some neighbourhood opposition,” pointing out that the patch of land in question was “not a park.” (Although it does have soccer nets on it.) The upshot: One way you can tell that election season has kicked off is that councillors, particularly those running for re-election, are very keen to be seen as responsive to neighbourhood concerns over developments like this. On the surface, it seems like an oddly inconsistent decision from council to overrule city planning staff over a single additional storey (the site was approved for a three-storey plan in 2019). Many of the same councillors who voted to double parking minimums in residential neighbourhoods in March now voiced concerns about vehicle traffic to block this development. Still, Councillor Lewis believes this whole thing will still be built, and warned fellow councillors that, as we head into election season, going down the path of rejecting anything the public objects to is a dangerous game. “And a very expensive one when we start racking up legal bills at the OLT,” he added. Read more: CTV News London | London Free Press | | | London chases slice of World Cup pie Tourism London is launching an international marketing campaign ahead of next month’s World Cup matches in Toronto, hoping to pitch the city as an affordable alternative for fans priced out of Toronto. The campaign is running alongside a 30 percent Via Rail discount for World Cup attendees. “This is the biggest sporting event to come to Canada,” said Sport Tourism London’s Zanth Jarvis. “If you’ve never been to Canada, this is a chance to explore our city and learn more about the country.” Jarvis said that there will also be a free fan event held in early July in Victoria Park. Tourism London hopes the campaign will “drive overnight stays, increase international awareness and generate meaningful economic impact for local tourism operators,” (on top of a few “Oh, it’s just like the other London!” reactions). The upshot: The campaign is premised on the idea that come World Cup time, Toronto will be a pressure cooker: gridlocked, overpriced and overwhelmed — and smart fans might be wise to set up camp a short train ride away and try a different locale. That said, the broader demand picture for this World Cup is messy. FIFA had been claiming that tickets were totally sold out, but there are still over a thousand unsold seats (going for $2,300 a pop) for Canada’s home opener. Hotel figures have been a bit odd as well. FIFA cancelled thousands of hotel reservations in both Toronto and Vancouver (the latter saw 15,000 rooms open up) without much explanation as to why, suggesting that hotel reservations have not kept up with expectations. “It’s not ideal, and it’s happening in a lot of cities that are hosting FIFA,” said the president of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association. Whether that’s a price thing or a demand thing (or a bit of both) is hard to say, but it will be interesting to keep an eye on the overall tourism bump the region experiences. There have been persistent complaints about the sky-high cost of attending the World Cup in Toronto, so in any case, the affordability angle is probably the right card to play for London. Read more: CTV News London | | | Home County returns to Vic Park Home County Music and Arts Festival is making its return to Victoria Park this year as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. It’s an encouraging sign for the festival, which was cancelled amid financial and volunteer concerns in 2024, and only brought back as a stripped-down, one-day event in 2025. This year’s edition will be a bit larger — they’re going to two days and a second stage, in the form of the UNESCO City of Music Stage, which they’re operating in partnership with the London Music Office and which organizers say will feature artists from other UNESCO cities in Canada. “The community is really behind the festival. I think that it was really inspiring for the team to try to make it happen last year, and that filled us with a lot of confidence to tackle the 50th this year,” said artistic director Farrell Tremblay. The festival will also be partnered with the London Brewing Co-Op again, who told CTV News London they’ll be launching a new beer to mark the occasion “That will be coming out before the festival as well, so it’s a way to take a little bit home, and a portion of the proceeds will be going towards the festival as well,” said London Brewing’s Emma Maganja. The upshot: At first glance, this looks like a good balance for the various players here: Home County gets to celebrate a milestone year with a larger festival that’s more reminiscent of its former self without biting off more than it can chew financially, and the London Music Office gets a visible display of their work (recall that a few months ago, city officials were urging them to do a better job of promoting themselves). “While there might be a desire there to return to a three-day festival, we want to be mindful of our growth,” Tremblay told CTV News London. “We want to be mindful of sustainability and just be measured in that. Being the 50th anniversary, we thought it was important to go a little bigger this year and at least bring back a second day.” Read more: London Free Press | CTV News London | | | Dispatch: May 15, 2026 A summary of recent business appointments and announcements, plus event listings for the upcoming week. View listings here | | | | |