A couple of recent events have me thinking again about remaining in London rather than looking for work back in Toronto. To be a little more accurate, I was verbally offered a job by a friend and now that he's won the by-election in Toronto Center there's a stronger chance of that job becoming a reality. However, 6 weeks after speaking with this person, I'm not sure going back to Toronto is the right choice for me.
I've also applied for a job at a small web development firm who do some great work both for their customers as well as the community partners they assist as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility plan. And there are other self-generated possibilities to find happiness, challenge and reward as well.
I have a world of debt right now. Its a fairly daunting thing. London makes sense in this regard because, a) living is cheaper here and b) lots of free meals with the folks c) incomes aren't that much higher in Toronto relative to the cost of living and d) I really can't afford the amenities that Toronto offers anyway. I'd rather drive 2 hours to the rare concert I can't afford to go to if I live in Toronto.
That said, its all kind of abstract and academic if I can't find work or figure out how to earn a living in London. There are simply more jobs in Toronto for my background in politics and then government-focused business development. But I've also come to the conclusion that while I love politics, I don't enjoy Party politics and may indeed lack the party loyalty (blind allegiance) to work in that world.
So what to do?
The events I referred to above were TVO's Agenda Camp (which I didn't actually attend but watched on Twitter and online) and Wednesday night's Geek Dinner. I love my hometown for a variety of reasons but I make no bones about my frustrations with London Ontario. This is a white bread community.
But I wonder what I can do to try and change London. London is not poised well for the challenges presented by a post-Carbon economy. From its sprawling subdivisions to a lack of Creative Economy jobs and the sort of Big Box suburban commercial development that makes an Urbanist want to commit suicide, this City is in trouble the minute we hit the back end of Peak Oil.
So it is with those things in mind that I ask: How can I help? How do we get Londoners more engaged in their City? Londoners are active in community organizations but few of these present the opportunity to bring together people of diverse interests and lifestyles - its mostly people who sing from the same hymn book.
London is surely not alone in being a suburban City. How can we learn to grow inwardly and exploit the resources and infrastructure we already have? How do we unite people and interests and build the capacity of our City - socially, economically, culturally?
I take much of my inspiration from authors/economists like Jane Jacobs and Richard Florida. Community is more than a collection of homes and employment opportunities. It is diversity and tolerance and people with different ideas clashing and communicating to grow.
I hope you'll reach out. If there are community leaders I should speak to or you know, let me know. I want/need to become more active. Ideally, this leads to some kind of paying work too!
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Saturday, November 28, 2009
An Open Letter to London Ont'ers re Density and Taxes
Dear London,
This I think is part 1 in an ongoing series of posts/articles about London Ontario and its development patterns, public spaces and the community in general. Perhaps this will grow into a more significant undertaking but that has more to do with my own personal search for meaningful employment (perhaps self-employment.)
Love sometimes means being tough. It means looking at truths square in the face and confronting them. It means telling it like it is and letting the consequences fall as they will.
I love my hometown. When I grew up, I remember watching the population gradually climb through the 200,000-300,000 plus mark. I left when I was 27, freshly graduated from Western and ready to tackle Toronto. I returned almost exactly a decade after I left it at the age of 37 - 2 weeks shy of a 10-year love affair with that big "Center of the Universe", Toronto. My time in Toronto included a 7 year stint working for a City Councillor (and being paid more than any sitting member of London City Council I might add.)
I love being back here save for one big fat factor (well, maybe 3.) The big fat factor is that I currently reside in Westmount. About a block away from Southdale Road and 5 away from Wonderland near Farnham Road. When I say blocks, I mean typical city blocks, not sets of traffic lights which in this case would be 1.
Moving from Toronto's west-end, High Park area has made for a significant cultural change. But its also made me quite angry about the way this City has been managed. More specifically, I'm angry at the way London has grown and continues to grow in the face of global trends.
Its often been said that cities grow organically. That is to say that they are naturally occurring phenomena and that density occurs quite naturally over time. However, the growth of the post-war period has been skewed by inexpensive gas, a change in farming techniques and food production and of course through globalization. Recently traditional types of employment, from manufacturing to book-selling to service jobs, such as those in banks have been moved around the globe, out-sourced or made redundant through technology.
A bigger, more potentially dangerous trend to our way of life comes from the loss of cheap, abundant non-renewable energy sources and our growing awareness to its damaging effects. We've become obese, in some cases isolated and in short, the 'Canadian dream' is not turning out the way many had hoped. Our taxes are high, our public debt is growing and our infrastructure is crumbling. In the face of these pressing problems we can chose two courses. We can continue to grow as we have or, we can make a decision to be smart about the way we use resources. From gas to water, from sidewalks to land, the choice is ours to continue to be wasters, the second largest consumers of energy in the world, and threaten our own sustainability, or we can learn from mistakes of the past and vow to change them through vision and action.
Our city covers an immense amount of Land. Threatened by greedy development practices and pro-development review, our city leaders have chosen in the past to gobble up surrounding communities through annexation. This practice, while topping-up current revenues through development charges, has created a vast city with very low densities.
It doesn't take a Jane Jacobs to understand the consequences of our growth patterns. At the same time as we've grown out, we've lost chances to increase the value of inner-City property and already-developed land. We now see city planners scrambling to intensify downtown through massive tower developments, suitable in a city like Toronto. This all-at-once development style threatens to create its own new problems.
The problems associated with London's post-war development patterns are apparent all over and not just in the residential sector of development. Residential sprawl has gone hand-in-hand with commercial sprawl, with a majority of London's arterial roads lined with low density housing and commercial development. In many cases, Londoners have little choice but to use their cars. However, the choices we make, about shopping, about where we new businesses are located, about the people we elect are everyone's responsibility; we can all make a difference as individuals.
Wharnecliffe and Wellington Roads in the south end are prime examples of how problematic poor development can be. The most obvious sign to us should be the number of curb-cuts providing access from properties fronting on these roads. This causes the need for further widening where possible or the need to simply learn how to live with traffic tie-ups and the resultant smog.
These types of low-density development, particularly on major arterial roads create the need for increased subsidies for public transit and worse, make us all car dependent. Low density has lead to unsafe neighbourhoods, including the downtown area and in the suburbs. News of muggings,'jumpings' and fights seem to be frequent leading City Council to consider closing public walkways in some cases or to install more cameras.
Another prime example of the unseen cost of sprawl is the vacant strip-plazas and malls, like Westmount which now are being re-purposed or changed to be more like their 'power' or 'smart' center cousins. If ever there were a reason for a law against misleading commercial nomenclature, its the 'smart center', possibly the dumbest style of commercial design we've yet to come up with.
But the big problems are right in front of your eyes anytime you get a property tax or water bill in your mailbox. Often people will complain about incompetence at City Hall without taking a look at where they live, how the shop, the problems we face as a city and the level of service we desire and need. We seem not to want to ask ourselves the tough questions, like 'how did we get here' or 'why are there problems when my taxes are as high as a Toronto homeowners on way less assessment?"
London's population density is somewhere in the low-to-mid 800's/km sq. Toronto's is about 5 times that number, just under 4,000 people per square kilometre. While in some instances, the number and cost of services will increase with density, the vast majority of a City's costs are related to hard infrastructure like roads and sidewalks, water and sewers, and costs that can increase by geography such as policing, garbage and fire services.
In the municipal context, sustainability is not just about the environment, though it's a nice and beneficial side-effect. In this context, it's about social, economic and fiscal responsibility and stewardship.
Put it in your own personal context to get a simpler understanding; If you own a home and can't afford to heat it, would you then build an addition to it?
So...who's with me to start making a more sustainable city by increasing the amount of information and providing voters, residents and consumers with the power of ideas.
This I think is part 1 in an ongoing series of posts/articles about London Ontario and its development patterns, public spaces and the community in general. Perhaps this will grow into a more significant undertaking but that has more to do with my own personal search for meaningful employment (perhaps self-employment.)
Love sometimes means being tough. It means looking at truths square in the face and confronting them. It means telling it like it is and letting the consequences fall as they will.
I love my hometown. When I grew up, I remember watching the population gradually climb through the 200,000-300,000 plus mark. I left when I was 27, freshly graduated from Western and ready to tackle Toronto. I returned almost exactly a decade after I left it at the age of 37 - 2 weeks shy of a 10-year love affair with that big "Center of the Universe", Toronto. My time in Toronto included a 7 year stint working for a City Councillor (and being paid more than any sitting member of London City Council I might add.)
I love being back here save for one big fat factor (well, maybe 3.) The big fat factor is that I currently reside in Westmount. About a block away from Southdale Road and 5 away from Wonderland near Farnham Road. When I say blocks, I mean typical city blocks, not sets of traffic lights which in this case would be 1.
Moving from Toronto's west-end, High Park area has made for a significant cultural change. But its also made me quite angry about the way this City has been managed. More specifically, I'm angry at the way London has grown and continues to grow in the face of global trends.
Its often been said that cities grow organically. That is to say that they are naturally occurring phenomena and that density occurs quite naturally over time. However, the growth of the post-war period has been skewed by inexpensive gas, a change in farming techniques and food production and of course through globalization. Recently traditional types of employment, from manufacturing to book-selling to service jobs, such as those in banks have been moved around the globe, out-sourced or made redundant through technology.
A bigger, more potentially dangerous trend to our way of life comes from the loss of cheap, abundant non-renewable energy sources and our growing awareness to its damaging effects. We've become obese, in some cases isolated and in short, the 'Canadian dream' is not turning out the way many had hoped. Our taxes are high, our public debt is growing and our infrastructure is crumbling. In the face of these pressing problems we can chose two courses. We can continue to grow as we have or, we can make a decision to be smart about the way we use resources. From gas to water, from sidewalks to land, the choice is ours to continue to be wasters, the second largest consumers of energy in the world, and threaten our own sustainability, or we can learn from mistakes of the past and vow to change them through vision and action.
Our city covers an immense amount of Land. Threatened by greedy development practices and pro-development review, our city leaders have chosen in the past to gobble up surrounding communities through annexation. This practice, while topping-up current revenues through development charges, has created a vast city with very low densities.
It doesn't take a Jane Jacobs to understand the consequences of our growth patterns. At the same time as we've grown out, we've lost chances to increase the value of inner-City property and already-developed land. We now see city planners scrambling to intensify downtown through massive tower developments, suitable in a city like Toronto. This all-at-once development style threatens to create its own new problems.
The problems associated with London's post-war development patterns are apparent all over and not just in the residential sector of development. Residential sprawl has gone hand-in-hand with commercial sprawl, with a majority of London's arterial roads lined with low density housing and commercial development. In many cases, Londoners have little choice but to use their cars. However, the choices we make, about shopping, about where we new businesses are located, about the people we elect are everyone's responsibility; we can all make a difference as individuals.
Wharnecliffe and Wellington Roads in the south end are prime examples of how problematic poor development can be. The most obvious sign to us should be the number of curb-cuts providing access from properties fronting on these roads. This causes the need for further widening where possible or the need to simply learn how to live with traffic tie-ups and the resultant smog.
These types of low-density development, particularly on major arterial roads create the need for increased subsidies for public transit and worse, make us all car dependent. Low density has lead to unsafe neighbourhoods, including the downtown area and in the suburbs. News of muggings,'jumpings' and fights seem to be frequent leading City Council to consider closing public walkways in some cases or to install more cameras.
Another prime example of the unseen cost of sprawl is the vacant strip-plazas and malls, like Westmount which now are being re-purposed or changed to be more like their 'power' or 'smart' center cousins. If ever there were a reason for a law against misleading commercial nomenclature, its the 'smart center', possibly the dumbest style of commercial design we've yet to come up with.
But the big problems are right in front of your eyes anytime you get a property tax or water bill in your mailbox. Often people will complain about incompetence at City Hall without taking a look at where they live, how the shop, the problems we face as a city and the level of service we desire and need. We seem not to want to ask ourselves the tough questions, like 'how did we get here' or 'why are there problems when my taxes are as high as a Toronto homeowners on way less assessment?"
London's population density is somewhere in the low-to-mid 800's/km sq. Toronto's is about 5 times that number, just under 4,000 people per square kilometre. While in some instances, the number and cost of services will increase with density, the vast majority of a City's costs are related to hard infrastructure like roads and sidewalks, water and sewers, and costs that can increase by geography such as policing, garbage and fire services.
In the municipal context, sustainability is not just about the environment, though it's a nice and beneficial side-effect. In this context, it's about social, economic and fiscal responsibility and stewardship.
Put it in your own personal context to get a simpler understanding; If you own a home and can't afford to heat it, would you then build an addition to it?
So...who's with me to start making a more sustainable city by increasing the amount of information and providing voters, residents and consumers with the power of ideas.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
London's Obsession with Tall Buildings
I've lived in Toronto for 10 years. I have no problem with Tall buildings per se. In dense areas, height is necessary to pay for the land it sits on. London however, does not have such a problem.
One of the biggest chicken-and-egg questions in Economics is whether Tall buildings cause high land values or if high land values cause tall buildings. As with all things economic, the human nature of developer greed is left out of the equation all together. So too is the ineptitude of local politicians and their aspirations of greatness.
London has seen its share of tall buildings in the downtown core. Unfortunately, London City Council seems to have failed to learn the lessons of the negative effects of too much development on any given site. Take for instance what should have been learned from the building of One London Place, a 42-storey commercial building that sucked all pressure for redevelopment out of the downtown core by adding a vast amount of Gross Floor Area.
One London Place was built in the late 1980's, just prior to the marvelous recession that hit in 1987 and lasted until about 1991. As a result, there are more surface parking lots and empty malls, run-down apartments and vacant buildings than one could possibly attempt to shake a stick at! Nothing sucks life off a street like a surface parking lot.
Turn the page to today, 15 to 20 years later, in the midst of a deep recession and we see the beginnings of another upswing. In tough times, developers buy land knowing that prices will only begin to rise back to pre-recession levels and climb steadily after that. One new condominium tower has been built at the corner of Ridout and King Street and continues to have units for sale. That building is 27-storeys and sits by itself, a sort of sore thumb saying 'look at me', refusing to be a team player in the pattern of urban development in downtown London.
Today's London Free Press has on its front page (never a sign of rational development review) a picture of a new condominium to be built on Dundas Street East, in an area known as the East Village, on the site of the old Embassy Hotel. Like so many potential heritage buildings in London, The Embassy was razed by fire a few months ago. It now sits as, you guessed it, a vacant lot. Vacant lots offer developers a fantastic revenue opportunity in themselves, requiring nothing more than a shovel to begin construction.
On the Embassy site is proposed an entirely suitable and desirable development, an 8-storey, loft-style building built up to the street line, most likely with retail opportunities on the ground floor, apartments above (since there's still a great deal of commercial space available closer to the core.) This site should be the model for redevelopment in London. By building a shorter building new housing will be offered without overwhelming the surrounding neighbourhood. This building will have 150-units.
Unfortunately, the other part of the story is not so rosey. On the south side of Dundas Street in a block bounded by King Street to the south, Lyle Street to the west and Hewitt Street to the East is proposed a podium and tower style building that could have just as well been built in Liberty Village in Toronto by its developer Medallion Development. In fact, I think that's precisely what they've done. In a City starving for downtown renewal, this building will feature two towers, one 21-storeys tall and the other 24-storeys tall. It will contain 600 units.
I have a major beef with this development. Unfortunately, due to the swooning, non-critical nature of the article in the London Free Press, one really doesn't get an understanding of where this development is in the approval process though an indication that foundations will be built as early as this fall gives me a shudder to think it's already been approved. A note says "Also working on two businesses that face Dundas Street" - in the midst of the development's site that will actually front onto King Street to the south. So two huge towers will sit on the south side of the street casting significant shadow on Dundas Street, particularly in the shoulder seasons of Spring and Fall, when sunlight is most desired. The shadow will presumably fall directly on the nice, 8-storey building facing Dundas, one of London's prime downtown streets.
It's difficult to tell too from the pictures included with the article, an artists rendering that appears to show one solid frontage onto a two-way street. Unfortunately, King Street is a one-way thoroughfare that lacks the kind of pedestrian activity shown in the sales-picture. The map and the pictures don't really make any sense and the article fails to take one glancing look at the appropriateness of the urban planning considerations. Instead of asking whether its a fitting way to add density, it seems to fawn like people in a small town would over the new mall with its first escalator!
With 750 new units of housing one has to wonder where or when the next development will occur. Will these new buildings sit amongst a still mostly two-storey neighbourhood for the next 30 years? Surely, with other buildings still having vacant units, this must start to create questions about the pattern of development in the downtown core. Another peaky building to stand alone - with its twin tower, if its built at the same time, though one suspects it will be a phased development and that a second tower may be as fictitious as the second building planned at One London Place.
There seems to be no connection between the fact that so many parts of London remain underdeveloped, vacant and/or neglected. I'm convinced that these kinds of buildings will continue to create a City of peaks and valleys, unrelated to each other with no sense of cohesion. London City Council seems to have refused to ask why these buildings need to be so tall when they are being built on vacant lands, with very low land values in a City that is suffering to identify solid economic development opportunities for the future.
Instead of allowing too much density on singular sites, the City should pursue a more even redevelopment pattern that creates a gradual increase in building heights, forcing property values in the core to rise and putting pressure on other landowners to make changes, redevelop or sell their properties. In addition, this would be good for London homeowners whose homes are generally stagnant in value, rising only as fast as the rate of inflation. Density is good but not on singular sites that create their own problems. It also creates a less than pleasing pattern of urban design, with gaps of unowned, underdeveloped properties.
Clearly some developers understand this. Terrasan, the developer of the site on the North side seems to get it. But given that the Medallion property is approved for such ridiculous heights (what's wrong with 8 and 12 or 12 and 16-storeys?) it's clear that London City Council and its Urban Planners don't get it. And it seems that some developers in London are only too happy to take advantage of this ineptitude and get away with as much filthy lucre as they can.
When will London stop trying to be Toronto? When will they force new developments to be team players and form part of a consistent, denser urban core? These are questions Londoners need to ask instead of swooning. London clearly needs a new City Plan that calls on development to be part of an urban fabric, not stand-alone eye-sores borrowed from a much denser downtown Toronto.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
New Blog New Purpose
Welcome to my new Blog! Hopefully you've found your way here via Twitter or Facebook or perhaps even through a random search of Blogs related to London Ontario.
Let me introduce myself and explain what the Blog's purpose will be.
My parents:
My parents immigrated to Canada from England in 1966. While others turned back after a short time, Harold and Janet Peters made a home in London Ontario, living for a time on Stanley Street where my older brother Adrian was born in 1967. My maternal grandparents eventually followed their only daughter and came to London in 1969.
My mother worked at the Toronto Dominion Bank at the corner of Dundas and Wellington Streets in the early years. She later became a Tupperware dealer and manager until the late 80's when she 'went back to school' and entered the world of Life Insurance and Investments eventually becoming a Certified Financial Planner. I'm very proud of my mother's commitment to lifelong learning.
Soon after arriving and working on various large commercial framing jobs, my father and grandfather formed the Home Doctor Inc.. The Home Doctor has an outstanding reputation in London Ontario and is now frequently referred to by the City of London's Heritage Preservation staff for heritage restoration work. My Dad is an outstanding craftsman and artisan and I've got a few pieces of furniture as evidence.
The Home Doctor worked predominantly in aluminum siding installation; in 1975 my grandfather founded the London Area Siding Contractors Association to combat what he saw as undue regulation by the City of London. So I come by it honestly. The Home Doctor continued to thrive, working on homes throughout the City and surrounding areas and in particular in the downtown, Old North and Old South areas of London. The progress of my Dad's work has been impressive; from aluminum siding to custom storm doors and windows to full additions and now as my father continues to learn and hone his craft, he's done a built-in Wine Cellars (for my former Economics Prof Dr. Parkin), to built-in Bookcases and Custom Kitchens. My Dad's truly is a find for owners of London's finer homes and someone homeowners can trust with their largest investment.
Me:
Born: St. Joseph’s Hospital, London Ontario,
October 1, 1971
Schools Attended:
Woodland Heights Public School, k-8
Westminster Secondary School, 1985-1991
University of Western Ontario, 1991-1993, 1997-1998
I was born and raised in London. I lived in Berkshire Village until early in Grade 9 when we moved to Rington Crescent, just behind the London Gospel Temple (no relation, just so you know where). I did an extra year of High School as I did not feel prepared to go to University, nor did I want to start at the age of 18. I also had dedicated a significant amount of time and energy to basketball and wanted to be a 'starter', which would only occur the year after our City Championship. I stayed and we performed beyond expectations, went 9 and 6, made the playoffs and I had a pretty good year personally. I also managed grades high enough to get into Western, which was the school of my choice for financial reasons as well as academic.
I enjoyed the first two years of University but took a fairly light course load. Unsure of what I wanted to ultimately pursue in life, I took 2 years off and moved into downtown London. I scraped by until in 1996, I returned to school with OSAP loans for the first time and had my best year. I finished my course work in May 1998. During that time I enjoyed some great relationships, made new friends and tried to become part of the London hipster/music scene (it exists.)
In September 1998, I was married to a woman I'd dated on-and-off since High School and that same month we moved to Toronto to pursue better career options. While we had a great friendship and generated lots of good memories, we separated in March 2005 and divorced one year later due to irreconcilable differences. After a great deal of introspection, counseling and the advice of others, I have accepted our failings and simply wish that we had waited longer before making such a substantial decision as marriage. We were 27 and 25 respectively and I now believe most people should wait until they are at least 30, particularly men. The man should always ask the woman to marry him too!
Career:
I have worked many jobs in my life. I began working at age 13, delivering Pennysavers and Seasonal Catalogues to residents in Berkshire Village. I was the student caretaker/groundskeeper at St. Michael’s And All Angel’s Anglican Church on Springbank Drive. At age 17, I worked as a Sailing Instructor at Boy Scouts London’s Lean-to-Sail Program at Lake Fanshawe, contributing back to a program that had given me many years of enjoyment. I worked for the London Tigers for 4 summers, both managing vehicle access and parking and selling tickets to the public. I started working in London’s Restaurants at Age 18 until I left in 1997.
In 1997 I became Manager of Promotions at CHRW Radio Western, eventually also taking over as Music Director. In September of 1998, at age 27, I moved to Toronto working first at Sam the Record Man’s on Yonge Street, then as a Camera Operator for an Animation studio.
In the spring of 1999 I followed my passion for politics and took a job at Toronto City Hall, where I began my work for Councillor Michael Walker. I progressed from entry-level Administrative Assistant to Constituency Assistant and eventually served as Executive Assistant between 2002 and 2005. Councillor Walker served as Chair of Administration Committee, Tenant Defence Sub-Committee and initiated a review of Campaign Finances based on a report that I authored on his behalf.
In early 2005 I left Councillor Walker’s office to take a position as Executive Assistant to first term Councillor Shelley Carroll. Soon after, Councillor Carroll was chosen to lead the City’s Works Committee, one of the most complex and demanding Committees of City Council. In 2006, I realized it was time for a bigger change and that I was ready to broaden my experience and perspective. In my time at City Hall developed a lasting impression and built many new friendships on all sides of the political spectrum. I believe I had a reputation as a straight shooter and someone with a high degree of integrity who served his bosses well (though I stand to be corrected!)
From late 2006 until August 2008, I served as Manager of Business Development for Skymeter Corporation. Skymeter’s GPS-based system provides a new way to finance roads and manage capacity, employing basic economic theory to transportation systems. My responsibilities included building a brand, a personal reputation, a network of industry contacts, assisting in the selection of a VP Business Development and providing strategic advice about the politics of road finance and approaches to government sales. Unfortunately due to lack of investment, time-to-market of such a ground-breaking, paradigm-shifting technology, I was laid off. I remained a consultant to Skymeter, attending the World Congress of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Association in New York City in November.
In early 2009, I worked on various short-term contracts as a Marketing consultant, including one for a Maryland company who made me an offer of employment as VP Marketing/Sales. Unfortunately, I could not accept due to US Visa rules and the uncertainty of getting a Visa. That has lead to a pursuit of freelance writing opportunities. In July 2009, I made a decision to return to London from Toronto. I am now hoping for a position with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Goals:
I am moving back to London after nearly 11 years in Toronto. I've had a great time here, made great friendships, enjoyed Toronto's great multi-cultural neighbourhoods, it's various attractions and the other benefits of living in a large City. Through my work I gained invaluable experiences and learned a great deal about Local Government as well as more about how the private sector operates. More specifically I understand the many challenges facing business, particularly those businesses that interact with government and new companies.
As much as I love it, Toronto has also run me down. I find it less hospitable than London, with vastly more distractions there seem to be less personal relationships. People are always on the go, always in a rush and overly scheduled. While I have found that great at the times that I was also in that mode, I have found it difficult to be single and meet the demands of Toronto living. My health is not good. I have lost about 20 pounds since my divorce 4 years ago, including significant muscle loss. I've let myself go. So a new fitness regime is definitely part of my plan. I may return to Toronto but I have many other options that I am going to pursue.
London offers so many recreational opportunities as well as a fairly tight-knit community, at least that's how I remember it. It's always possible to go out and see people you know or make time to go visit them. Unfortunately, I may need a car soon to get around from my parents house in Westmount where I'm landing for a short time until I am earning some money.
Career wise, I believe it is now time for me to return to London to see what kind of a difference I can make on my hometown. I want to engage Londoners in a new kind of local politics. I want to create linkages between the University of Western Ontario Local Government and Urban Development programs to re-imagine our City and create a medium-sized City of the future. If London acts boldly now, in partnership with the private sector, London can enjoy the kind of economic development advantages that it currently does in the years to come.
More political platform to follow. Please sign up, add as a favourite and I look forward to starting full bore on this Blog on Tuesday - my first full day back in London.
Let me introduce myself and explain what the Blog's purpose will be.
My parents:
My parents immigrated to Canada from England in 1966. While others turned back after a short time, Harold and Janet Peters made a home in London Ontario, living for a time on Stanley Street where my older brother Adrian was born in 1967. My maternal grandparents eventually followed their only daughter and came to London in 1969.
My mother worked at the Toronto Dominion Bank at the corner of Dundas and Wellington Streets in the early years. She later became a Tupperware dealer and manager until the late 80's when she 'went back to school' and entered the world of Life Insurance and Investments eventually becoming a Certified Financial Planner. I'm very proud of my mother's commitment to lifelong learning.
Soon after arriving and working on various large commercial framing jobs, my father and grandfather formed the Home Doctor Inc.. The Home Doctor has an outstanding reputation in London Ontario and is now frequently referred to by the City of London's Heritage Preservation staff for heritage restoration work. My Dad is an outstanding craftsman and artisan and I've got a few pieces of furniture as evidence.
The Home Doctor worked predominantly in aluminum siding installation; in 1975 my grandfather founded the London Area Siding Contractors Association to combat what he saw as undue regulation by the City of London. So I come by it honestly. The Home Doctor continued to thrive, working on homes throughout the City and surrounding areas and in particular in the downtown, Old North and Old South areas of London. The progress of my Dad's work has been impressive; from aluminum siding to custom storm doors and windows to full additions and now as my father continues to learn and hone his craft, he's done a built-in Wine Cellars (for my former Economics Prof Dr. Parkin), to built-in Bookcases and Custom Kitchens. My Dad's truly is a find for owners of London's finer homes and someone homeowners can trust with their largest investment.
Me:
Born: St. Joseph’s Hospital, London Ontario,
October 1, 1971
Schools Attended:
Woodland Heights Public School, k-8
Westminster Secondary School, 1985-1991
University of Western Ontario, 1991-1993, 1997-1998
I was born and raised in London. I lived in Berkshire Village until early in Grade 9 when we moved to Rington Crescent, just behind the London Gospel Temple (no relation, just so you know where). I did an extra year of High School as I did not feel prepared to go to University, nor did I want to start at the age of 18. I also had dedicated a significant amount of time and energy to basketball and wanted to be a 'starter', which would only occur the year after our City Championship. I stayed and we performed beyond expectations, went 9 and 6, made the playoffs and I had a pretty good year personally. I also managed grades high enough to get into Western, which was the school of my choice for financial reasons as well as academic.
I enjoyed the first two years of University but took a fairly light course load. Unsure of what I wanted to ultimately pursue in life, I took 2 years off and moved into downtown London. I scraped by until in 1996, I returned to school with OSAP loans for the first time and had my best year. I finished my course work in May 1998. During that time I enjoyed some great relationships, made new friends and tried to become part of the London hipster/music scene (it exists.)
In September 1998, I was married to a woman I'd dated on-and-off since High School and that same month we moved to Toronto to pursue better career options. While we had a great friendship and generated lots of good memories, we separated in March 2005 and divorced one year later due to irreconcilable differences. After a great deal of introspection, counseling and the advice of others, I have accepted our failings and simply wish that we had waited longer before making such a substantial decision as marriage. We were 27 and 25 respectively and I now believe most people should wait until they are at least 30, particularly men. The man should always ask the woman to marry him too!
Career:
I have worked many jobs in my life. I began working at age 13, delivering Pennysavers and Seasonal Catalogues to residents in Berkshire Village. I was the student caretaker/groundskeeper at St. Michael’s And All Angel’s Anglican Church on Springbank Drive. At age 17, I worked as a Sailing Instructor at Boy Scouts London’s Lean-to-Sail Program at Lake Fanshawe, contributing back to a program that had given me many years of enjoyment. I worked for the London Tigers for 4 summers, both managing vehicle access and parking and selling tickets to the public. I started working in London’s Restaurants at Age 18 until I left in 1997.
In 1997 I became Manager of Promotions at CHRW Radio Western, eventually also taking over as Music Director. In September of 1998, at age 27, I moved to Toronto working first at Sam the Record Man’s on Yonge Street, then as a Camera Operator for an Animation studio.
In the spring of 1999 I followed my passion for politics and took a job at Toronto City Hall, where I began my work for Councillor Michael Walker. I progressed from entry-level Administrative Assistant to Constituency Assistant and eventually served as Executive Assistant between 2002 and 2005. Councillor Walker served as Chair of Administration Committee, Tenant Defence Sub-Committee and initiated a review of Campaign Finances based on a report that I authored on his behalf.
In early 2005 I left Councillor Walker’s office to take a position as Executive Assistant to first term Councillor Shelley Carroll. Soon after, Councillor Carroll was chosen to lead the City’s Works Committee, one of the most complex and demanding Committees of City Council. In 2006, I realized it was time for a bigger change and that I was ready to broaden my experience and perspective. In my time at City Hall developed a lasting impression and built many new friendships on all sides of the political spectrum. I believe I had a reputation as a straight shooter and someone with a high degree of integrity who served his bosses well (though I stand to be corrected!)
From late 2006 until August 2008, I served as Manager of Business Development for Skymeter Corporation. Skymeter’s GPS-based system provides a new way to finance roads and manage capacity, employing basic economic theory to transportation systems. My responsibilities included building a brand, a personal reputation, a network of industry contacts, assisting in the selection of a VP Business Development and providing strategic advice about the politics of road finance and approaches to government sales. Unfortunately due to lack of investment, time-to-market of such a ground-breaking, paradigm-shifting technology, I was laid off. I remained a consultant to Skymeter, attending the World Congress of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Association in New York City in November.
In early 2009, I worked on various short-term contracts as a Marketing consultant, including one for a Maryland company who made me an offer of employment as VP Marketing/Sales. Unfortunately, I could not accept due to US Visa rules and the uncertainty of getting a Visa. That has lead to a pursuit of freelance writing opportunities. In July 2009, I made a decision to return to London from Toronto. I am now hoping for a position with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Goals:
I am moving back to London after nearly 11 years in Toronto. I've had a great time here, made great friendships, enjoyed Toronto's great multi-cultural neighbourhoods, it's various attractions and the other benefits of living in a large City. Through my work I gained invaluable experiences and learned a great deal about Local Government as well as more about how the private sector operates. More specifically I understand the many challenges facing business, particularly those businesses that interact with government and new companies.
As much as I love it, Toronto has also run me down. I find it less hospitable than London, with vastly more distractions there seem to be less personal relationships. People are always on the go, always in a rush and overly scheduled. While I have found that great at the times that I was also in that mode, I have found it difficult to be single and meet the demands of Toronto living. My health is not good. I have lost about 20 pounds since my divorce 4 years ago, including significant muscle loss. I've let myself go. So a new fitness regime is definitely part of my plan. I may return to Toronto but I have many other options that I am going to pursue.
London offers so many recreational opportunities as well as a fairly tight-knit community, at least that's how I remember it. It's always possible to go out and see people you know or make time to go visit them. Unfortunately, I may need a car soon to get around from my parents house in Westmount where I'm landing for a short time until I am earning some money.
Career wise, I believe it is now time for me to return to London to see what kind of a difference I can make on my hometown. I want to engage Londoners in a new kind of local politics. I want to create linkages between the University of Western Ontario Local Government and Urban Development programs to re-imagine our City and create a medium-sized City of the future. If London acts boldly now, in partnership with the private sector, London can enjoy the kind of economic development advantages that it currently does in the years to come.
More political platform to follow. Please sign up, add as a favourite and I look forward to starting full bore on this Blog on Tuesday - my first full day back in London.
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