A regional group representing construction and trade unions has come out in support of incumbent Mayor Josh Morgan ahead of the Oct. 26 municipal election.
The London District Building and Construction Trades Council, made up of more than a dozen construction and trade unions throughout London, St. Thomas and Woodstock, endorsed Morgan for re-election Friday at the United Association Local 527 training centre.
Matt Cooper, a member of the trade council’s executive board, said Morgan has been a champion for construction and infrastructure and the council is excited to continue working with him.
Cooper said the group did not endorse any candidate in the last election but decided to back Morgan this time because of what it saw as continued investment in London’s infrastructure over the past four years.
“I think there’s been a commitment to building infrastructure in the city of London, and further, there’s been a commitment to our guidelines and what’s important to us as far as fair wage, as far as inclusion of apprentices, as far as room for training and training centres in the city,” Cooper said.
In his speech to around 15 affiliate members, Cooper said that while construction in the city may be difficult to navigate at times, infrastructure is paramount to ensuring London meets the needs of tomorrow.
“London is expected to reach a population of 1 million in the next 30 years. For this, we need to make sure we’re ready. On top of that, we need to make sure we have a trained and skilled construction workforce ready to meet the needs of these demands,” Cooper said.
Morgan said he’s thrilled to have the endorsement, adding that he’s an advocate for the skilled trades.
“I really appreciate the work that they do. These are the people who are helping us build and grow the city, and what they do for the city each and every day is really important,” Morgan said.
In his speech, Morgan made four commitments to London workers: ensuring procurement policies create value for London, cutting red tape for training centres, keeping city-led infrastructure projects moving and rebuilding a culture of collaboration.
On procurement policies, Morgan said he will engage with city staff and work closely with the trades on policies moving forward.
“That could include the community benefits approach, recognizing the value of projects is more than just the dollars on the contract,” he said. “It’s about the jobs created, the apprentices trained, the businesses supported, and the opportunities created for Londoners.”
On cutting red tape, Morgan emphasized the need to reduce barriers that make it harder for training centres to operate and recognize them as educational facilities for apprentices.
On keeping projects moving, Morgan said he supports a proposal by Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis and Ward 8 Coun. Steve Lehman, who pledged earlier this month that, if re-elected, they would advance motions to give preference in city contracts to contractors willing to work until 11 p.m. on major road projects away from residential areas.
“We can look at different ways of doing things in the future that can speed up construction and provide more opportunities for more shifts and more labour to work on critical projects across the city,” he said.
On building a culture of collaboration, Morgan said there needs to be more regular meetings between the city and organizations such as the trade council, particularly getting their “feet out on the street together” to see what workers and employers are seeing and how the city can be a better partner.
Voters will head to the polls to elect their next city council on Oct. 26, with advance voting days on Oct. 1, 3, 8 and 10, plus Oct. 5-10 at city hall.
There are 81 candidates running for London mayor and the 14 ward councillor positions – read what most of them have to say, in their own words, right here.