Ben’s Campaign Platform
Ben Durham’s Platform
for Ward 3
Ben’s been knocking on doors and talking with thousands of residents all across Ward 3 since May 1st and jotting down everyone’s concerns.
This Platform’s four main pillars haven’t changed, but the actionable sub-goals have been updated steadily to reflect the amazing conversations and ideas of residents who have taken the time to talk with Ben and his campaign volunteers at the doors.
Smarter Traffic, Safer Streets
We already have solutions to fix traffic, so let’s fast-track them.
Financial Accountability
Identify the leaks and stop wasting money so we can spend it where it matters most.
Tackle Homelessness Now
Neighbours are falling through the cracks. We need a better way to help them without over-taxing you.
Better City Communications
Clear talk from our leaders, so you hear about changes before they happen.
GET A SIGN
Show your support for Ben’s Campaign
Smarter Traffic, Safer Streets
FACT: the majority of residents in Ward 3 mention traffic-related issues as a major concern.
It’s frustrating, dangerous, inefficient, and costs everyone time and money.
So, how can we legitimately “solve traffic” and make our streets safer for Londoners?
If elected on October 26th, I will work to…
(*note: I will adding details to these sub-items but have been out canvassing 6-days per week, which takes a LOT of time!)
Being stuck in traffic or waiting at red lights when there’s no cross-traffic is unacceptable. It’s 2026 and we really can do better.
If elected, I will push these three main solutions to improve traffic flow:
Smart Lights (short-term)
Update traffic lights with smarter software in 2027 and 2028 using current embedded hardware (no tearing up pavement). When there’s no cross-traffic, lights should change quickly and frequently so people don’t have to slam on their brakes or interrupt their trip and wait minutes for nothing.
Clearer Signals (medium-term)
It’s frustrating to always be wondering if traffic lights know we’re waiting at intersections. Simply adding an “acknowledgement light” and a longer countdown timer lets all road users know what to expect. Our streets are safer for everyone when things are predictable.
Better Designs (long-term)
Replace inefficient intersection and road designs with roundabouts (where feasible) because they prevent full stops and decrease average commute time, while actually being safer for everyone.
When roundabouts aren’t feasible, make sure we have enough left-turn lanes to keep traffic flowing.
1.2 – Improve Transit Service
When walking or biking is a difficult or unsafe choice, Londoners choose to drive (or are forced to), which just creates more traffic for all Londoners.
We need an “AAA” (All Ages and Abilities) network that is safe and enjoyable for kids, seniors, commuters, and recreation alike so that those who can (or want to) choose to leave their car at home actually can.
If elected, I’ll be committed to prioritizing the connection of our AAA network through:
Closing the Gaps
No one should have to navigate a path that starts-and-stops abruptly (just like how roads don’t stop and start abruptly), so I will work to ensure London’s Active Transportation Network is fully connected so that trips (especially locally) don’t always require a car out of necessity.
True Separation
Make sure that when closing the AAA Network’s gaps, we require physical separation between vehicles and vulnerable road users (bicycles, mobility scooters, pedestrians).
We can’t complain that “no one’s using the bike lanes!” if we’re asking risk-averse residents (like children) to ride on a painted lane (unprotected) next to high-speed traffic.
Seamless Curb Designs
The skull-rattling transitions at every intersection need to be fixed to make our streets accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Not only are smoother transitions more enjoyable, it’s important for those using mobility scooters who currently face serious hazards from uneven surfaces.
London has a 144-page, multi-million dollar, multi-year, community-vetted Mobility Master Plan (MMP) that was approved by City Council in 2025 to guide our transportation needs through to 2050.
Problem: Current Council tends to start from scratch every time a new traffic or transit decision comes up, and individual councillors often ignore the MMP based on personal preference or short-term political pressure.
Solution: Councillors need to stick to the plan and be the leaders we need them to be (not second-guess the process we all already paid for).
If elected, I will work to…
Lead by Example
If London’s City Councillors want to ignore or deviate from the MMP, they need to explain why in great detail. I’ll commit to using the MMP as my guide for every transportation vote, ensuring we’re building the future Londoners asked for (throughout years of community consultation).
Enforce MMP Alignment
Push for a formal requirement that all new transportation-related staff reports and motions brought to council must include a section explicitly stating how they align with (or deviate from) the approved MMP.
Prioritize MMP Action Items
The MMP contains a comprehensive list of interconnected strategies which must all be pushed forward for the entire plan to work throughout the following decades. The plan also includes actions that were developed to achieve specific expected results. I will advocate for budgeting and staffing to prioritize these already-approved action items over new, unplanned pet projects.
Establish a Working Group
I will support the creation of a dedicated “Mobility Master Plan Working Group” to oversee the implementation of the MMP, ensuring accountability and progress tracking.
1.5 – Bring your destinations closer to home
No free downtown parking passes for City Councillors. If everyone else pays, so should they.
If other candidates and city councillors are serious, too, then they need to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
So, I’m committing to writing and introducing a motion that would require every city councillor (including me, if elected) to commute to City Hall using something other than a personal motor vehicle for at least 20 days per year (4 working weeks).
Other options could include walking, biking, taking transit, e-scootering, or anything else they might like to do, as long as it isn’t a personal motor vehicle (ie. car, truck) or a taxi/Uber.
If we’re serious about reducing traffic and supporting other transportation options, the people making the decisions should lead by example.
Financial Accountability
I’ll be honest: this one’s going to be difficult… and anyone who says otherwise is blatantly wrong. But over the course of a 4-year term, it’s possible to point us in the right direction.
The City of London needs to embrace the land that we already have and follow through with the intensification targets set out by The London Plan.
(*note: I will adding details to these sub-items but have been out canvassing 6-days per week, which takes a LOT of time!)
3.1 – Stop spreading London’s money too thinly
3.2 – Embrace environmental standards that save money
3.3 – Bring back funding for community services
3.4 – Demystify city finances
3.5 – Help Emergency Workers get back to their real jobs
3.6 – Look over police budget early (before it’s too late to change)
Tackle Homelessness Now
Not all houses are homes and not all homes are houses. More options for more people stops our neighbours from falling through the cracks of the system.
(*note: I will adding details to these sub-items but have been out canvassing 6-days per week, which takes a LOT of time!)
4.1 – Find (& implement) solutions to homelessness by talking with experts
4.2 – Proactively prepare homeless winter shelters
4.3 – Revive our neighbourhoods (making homes… homes)
4.4 – Say no to Tall Sprawl in Ward 3
4.5 – Say no to Urban Sprawl in Ward 3
Empty buildings can’t continue to be allowed to sit and rot for decades through Land Banking while our communities remain underserved. Ontario’s laws limit the ways we (the City of London) can tax Vacant Commercial Properties directly, but the same laws also give us the power to manage how those spaces are licensed and used.
So, if elected, I’d use that power to move things forward by committing to introducing a motion for a Mandatory Public Vacant Commercial Property Registry featuring mandatory routine audits.
This will identify:
- which buildings are sitting empty
- their current status
- any structural issues
- emergency entrances and exits
- any hazardous materials present
This is a critical safety tool for our first responders which can only exist by maintaining an accurate record of what (and who) is inside these properties. This would be a vital risk-assessment tool that would equip all our Emergency Service teams with the vital information they need to keep themselves safe while saving Londoners’ lives.
The entire cost of this program (including all legal, administrative, and staffing costs) will be funded by the owners of those Vacant Commercial Properties, not by your property taxes.
I support a temporary moratorium on new AI datacentre approvals until a robust, localized regulatory framework is established.
We need to prioritize and protect everyday Londoners from the rapid expansion of mega-corporations (whose internal mottos are often “move fast and break things”) and their projects that offer very few municipal benefits while, at the same time, strain our resources, infrastructure, budgets, public health, and environment.
AI-specific datacentres use 10 times more resources than “standard datacentres,” so this is an important issue that the next council term may need to make decisions on, on behalf of Londoners.
I have much more to say about this topic, and you can read more about that by clicking here.
Better City Communications
An interesting fact that seems to get brushed aside far too often is that the City of London and its employees are essentially (read: employed) hired by Londoners to keep the city functioning (and thriving, ideally).
But what I’ve heard over the last few years is an increasing disconnect between residents and their city.
Let’s fix that.
(*note: I will adding details to these sub-items but have been out canvassing 6-days per week, which takes a LOT of time!)
2.1 – Enhance communications between the city and its residents
2.2 – Revamp the City of London website and service portal
2.3 – Create a centralized accountability dashboard for Londoners’ concerns
2.4 – Release a “Ben Durham Report Card” every 6 months (*at minimum)
Support Ben’s Campaign for a Better London
Help us turn these goals into action with your meaningful contribution.
Contact Ben & Co.
Call or Text: 226-582-3470
Email: ben@bendurham.ca
Campaign Team: team@bendurham.ca