The City of London is currently in their Public Engagement phase of the Downtown Plan and there is an opportunity for Londoners to get involved and help shape the core of their city. As this plan is created, the City relies on Londoners and London businesses to provide input into what changes and improvements need to be made in order to enhance the downtown’s economic capacity and residential appeal. This plan will address issues that the downtown area is currently facing such as commercial vacancies and aging infrastructure.

 
One of the many ways that the City is planning to address this is through various loan and grant programs such as the Office-to-Residential Construction Conversion Grant. This program offers a per-unit loan of up to $35,000 for eligible office-to-residential conversions. The latest project to take advantage of this grant is at 685 Richmond St. with 41 new residential units in a former office space being developed on top of the existing retail space. Along with two other projects that are receiving this grant, the total office-to-residence conversions would represent 150 new units at over 185,000 square feet which will help to reduce the current office vacancy rate of 32%.

After nearly a year of prorogation, the 45th Parliament of Canada under a newly elected government convened on May 26 and is set to rise for the summer before the end of June. In that short window, we’ve seen major speeches, high-stakes votes, and the tabling of five new pieces of legislation by the new government. 

At the London Chamber of Commerce, we are a nonpartisan organization. We applaud the government when it deserves applause and offer respectful criticism when warranted. Our goal is to support public policy that strengthens the business environment, economic growth, and quality of life for Londoners. This month offered reasons for both optimism and concern, and we’ll share our perspective on both.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab has released their 2025 Q2 Business Conditions Report detailing business sentiment and economic data over the last quarter. 

Unfortunately, this report marks the fourth straight quarter that overall business sentiment has dropped. This trend continues mostly in trade-exposed industries due to the ongoing trade war. 

While the leaders gathered at the G7 meeting, any proposed resolution to the dispute will still take some time before confidence returns to normal levels. 

In better news for our city, London’s Business Expectations Index increased to 95 up from the first quarter of 2025 when the metric was at 87. However, this is still below the baseline of 100 meaning that business sentiment is still deteriorating, just not as quickly as before. 

This legislation signals a long-overdue step toward unlocking economic potential across the country. Businesses have been ready for years - what we’ve needed is a coordinated framework to move major projects forward with confidence.

We commend the federal government for recognizing the urgency of the moment. For too long, internal trade barriers and regulatory delays have stalled investment, growth, and job creation. Nation building infrastructure projects are essential to expanding our trade and strengthening Canada's competitiveness.

Note: We've heard from some members who are concerned about the London Chamber of Commerce’s support for Bill C-5, introduced by the federal government (An Act to Enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act).

We want to clarify that our support is specifically for the federal Bill C-5. Some confusion may have arisen because the Ontario government has also tabled a Bill 5 (without the “C”), titled the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act. That provincial legislation has faced criticism for its potential impact on environmental protections and treaty rights.

To be clear: the Chamber’s recent policy statement refers exclusively to the federal Bill C-5, not the provincial Bill 5