Commentaire 146 – commentaires et rétroaction

Terence Kernaghan

Dear Chair Justice Leitch and Commission members,

Thank you for listening to our community's concerns regarding the proposed redistribution. I am including information in this letter not to reiterate all my comments but to bring clarity to some concerns with visual materials and supporting documentation from the City of London.

I support the London-Fanshawe Riding Association's recommendations to maintain three wholly urban London seats.

Building from the Commission's proposal, the recommendations above take into account population density and population growth while keeping communities of interest, those with similar demographics and concerns, as well as historic and heritage districts whole.

Located east of Adelaide, Old East Village is an eclectic and dense neighbourhood. This traditionally working class and urban area has been a commercial and retail centre for decades and contributes greatly to the community's artistic and social fabric. The City of London considers the area spanning Dundas Street from Ridout Street in the west, past Adelaide, and through the OEV beyond Woodman Ave as a singular area of targeted urban development in its Core Area Action Plan.

Changing London Centre's eastern boundary will again separate the residents of OEV from these neighbouring similar communities. Years ago, residents in this vibrant community felt stigmatized and separated from the rest of downtown and the London community by Adelaide Street (known as east of Adelaide). I fear that returning this separation under the Commission's proposal will reopen historic injustice and stigma.

The Dundas Street corridor from Ridout to Woodman also comprises a substantial number of cultural heritage resources. The City of London's Old East Village Dundas Street Corridor Secondary Plan promotes the restoration and enhancement of these properties.

Please accept my thanks in considering this supplementary written material.

Best regards,

Terence Kernaghan