For a little over a month now, I’ve been knocking on doors and speaking with Ward 4 residents. In order to hear a range of voices and concerns, my volunteers and I have visited areas in the north, east, south, west of the ward. I plan to knock on every door at least once, and there are still a lot of people to speak with, but already themes are starting to emerge.
But before I get into issues, I want to talk about canvassing itself. First, I’m struck by people’s kindness – offers of water, a chair to sit on, handshakes. People are also generous with their time (even when supper is on the table). I anticipated that a lot of people would simply not come to the door. I wondered how tuned in people would be to the election this early in the campaign. But people are not only coming to the door, they are coming to talk. I have been impressed, humbled and touched by how ready people are to share their stories. People have told me about the loss of loved ones, about personal and family struggles, about where they grew up, about what brought them to London. I’ve sat on porches with home owners who have lived in the same house for more than 50 years. Some people have raised families in the very same houses they grew up in. I’ve also met folks who have just moved from other cities and other countries, who are still unpacking boxes, drywalling and painting, still getting to know their neighbours. And it is so heartening to see that in today’s age of social isolation, loneliness, and disconnection, many people do know who lives next door and feel a sense of belonging in their neighbourhoods and streets. But I am also seeing this feeling of belonging starting to fray. This is something I will come back to in my next post.
I have learned a lot about the careers in Ward 4. I’ve spoken with teachers, electricians, artists, business owners, coaches, door-to-door cosmetic sales people, clergy, students, city staff, health care professionals, bankers, landscapers, security professionals---the list goes on. I’ve also spoken with people looking for work, on long term disability, or about to graduate and worried about what employment opportunities will be out there. I’ve met so many young adults living at home with their parents because the cost of rent and food make getting an apartment next to impossible.
So what are people saying about the issues that matter to them? The same issues come up again and again: homelessness, public safety, affordability, property taxes, spending and budget transparency, the state of the downtown, development pressures – and questions about how we can grow as a city but maintain our neighborhoods. I also hear about issues with the delivery of services: snow removal, garbage pick up, traffic gridlock, hazard trees, garbage in parks, road safety (including cut-through streets, the need for traffic calming measures, and more four-ways stops and traffic lights).
The issues are big, and they are small, and they all matter. But there is something else that I hear that I can only describe as a shared sadness, a shared sense of loss: a feeling that London isn’t what it used to be, and it isn’t what it could be. I think this was best expressed by a young man I was chatting with last week in the south end of the Ward. When I asked him about the issues that were important to him, he talked about concerns for homeless people, the cost of rent, and the plight of downtown. He also talked about being unable get ahead, and his worry about the future. But then he said, “really, when it comes down to it, I just want to live in a city that I’m proud of.”
That got me. And it has stayed with me. And I think it speaks to something that goes beyond issues and something that we don’t talk about as much because we feel so pressed by the increasing uncertainties and immediate stressors of our current moment. The words ‘civic pride’ feel a little old fashioned—a hold over from another time. But what this young man articulated was something elseI hear (in different ways) in all corners of the Ward. People want to be proud of their city.
But what does pride in one’s city look like, where does it come from, and how do we get there? This will be the topic of my next post. In the meantime, please leave a comment or send an email to let me know what you love about London, what you take pride in, and your vision for a London you are proud of.