This page is kept as it stood on election day, October 26, 2026, with the results added on top. Nothing on it has changed since, apart from corrections, which are listed on the updates page. Ward 12 today: your councillor and the record →
DECIDED · OCT 26, 2026
Ward 12, 2026
South London: White Oaks · Cleardale · part of Highland · Lockwood Park
Ward 12 is a three-candidate race: two-term incumbent Elizabeth Peloza against first-time challenger Ribal Zebian and Alexander Main. Nominations closed August 21, 2026, and the City certified the candidate list on August 24. This is London's southern gateway, the White Oaks, Cleardale, Highland and Lockwood Park area where many newcomers first settle, now living with the W12A landfill's approved doubling and two concurrent road projects: rapid-transit construction on Wellington Road and the Bradley Avenue Extension. IKEA has confirmed a small-format store opening at White Oaks Mall in fall 2026. The ward's exact new boundary lines were still unconfirmed at research time. Check the city's map before assuming yours.
Two candidates carry a prior election record. Alexander Main ran for Ward 12 council in 2022, finishing third with 466 votes (10.57%) of three candidates, per the City's certified results. Elizabeth Peloza, the incumbent, was re-elected in 2022 with about 77% of the vote, per the City's certified results.
The rest of the field: Ribal Zebian.
Who ran
Listed alphabetically, as on the ballot. Every card is as it stood on October 26.
QUESTIONNAIRE1 of 3 in this ward have answered
Narrow it downTap a name to hide or show them.
AMAlexander Main
EPElizabeth PelozaIncumbent Ward 12 councillor
RZRibal Zebian
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1 of 3
Who they are
Self-employed small-business owner who spent years leading teams and managing operations for a national retailer. Experienced homelessness at 16. Running on community safety, affordability and enforcement.
Ward 12 councillor since 2018, seeking re-election. Museum conservator and arts administrator. Running on community safety and wellbeing, infrastructure and transportation, and accountable, accessible leadership.
Western University civil engineering student and founder of Generous Homes, a modular housing company. Running on housing and affordability, economic opportunity and responsible spending, and modern city services and infrastructure.
Says solving homelessness takes a change in mindset, since those affected are community members. Understands residents who oppose supportive housing nearby, but says compassion is needed to fix the problem.
Wants housing, prevention and wrap-around supports when needed, with long-term investment from all levels of government. Says opposition to supportive housing often comes from fear of the unknown, so neighbours need better communication and real input.
Says the key is independence: helping homeless people earn an income so they stop relying on the system. Wants help tied to work, training, treatment or community contribution where appropriate.
What would they do about roads, traffic and transit?
Wants all modes of travel, bikes included, planned ahead, since the City cannot afford to keep redoing work. Says paratransit should have the same routes and access as buses.
Wants roads built right the first time, cycling routes included, since retrofits cost more. Wants intersection and signal upgrades, frequent transit to job areas, and paratransit wherever buses go.
Wants buses across London and 15-minute peak service on main routes, guided by ridership data and operator availability. Says barriers for buses or bikes on main roads add cost.
What would they do on addiction and mental health?
Would push for much more enforcement against open-air drug use, such as in bus shelters. Says children and residents should not have to see it, and residents have rights too.
Says open-air drug use must end. Wants proactive patrols and resident reports to support requests for more police, plus youth programs. Says treatment is provincial, with the City advocating.
Says drug use and crime mostly stem from lack of money and work, so favours paid youth City contracts over more police spending. Also backs better enforcement for safer communities.
Same five questions to every candidate.How it works→
No responseSent September 3
▶Read 5 answersReceived October 15, 2026
Q1 — The one thingFull question ▾Hide ▴
What is the one thing you most want to have changed in London by the end of this term? Tell us what a resident would be able to see in 2030 that shows you did it, and what you would be willing to give up to get it.
“By the end of the 2026–2030 Council term, I would like to see continued progress on the health and homelessness file. The need continues to outpace available resources, and London’s population continues to grow. This work requires collaboration, investment and advocacy across all levels of government and can be slow.
If London continues to invest without comparable support and investment from municipalities throughout the region and throughout Ontario; people in need will continue to come to, or be directed to, London for services, placing further pressure on our local resources.
At the ward level, I will continue to be accessible to residents, meet with them on-site to understand their concerns, and advocate for timely action on issues within the City’s jurisdiction. This includes pavement and sidewalk conditions, streetlight outages, garbage and litter, park maintenance and cleanups, non-compliant dumpsters, untidy properties and vacant buildings. These everyday quality-of-life issues matter to residents, and I will continue working with City staff to ensure concerns are heard, addressed and followed through”
Q2 — Getting it throughFull question ▾Hide ▴
A councillor is one vote of fifteen, and staff write the reports council votes on. Tell us about a time, in any part of your life, when you needed a decision from people who mostly disagreed with you and got it. Who did you have to bring around, what did you change in your ask, and what did you give up?
“Sometimes it's incremental asks, sometimes it's reminding others "what's in it for them./ their residents", and if someone is indifferent it's clearly articulating the impact that decision can positively have on someone else.”
Q3 — What council can't decideFull question ▾Hide ▴
Name one thing the people you'd represent will ask you for that city council cannot actually decide. Say plainly what you would tell them, who does hold that decision, and what you would do to move it anyway.
“I have been asked about improving health care and building mental health facilities, improving student support and ratios in school classrooms and immigration assistance; none of which are in a municipalities jurisdiction . In those cases, we discuss the issue and I share the contact information of the MPP or MP in our area that they can reach out to. I have advocated as part of a regional delegation during an Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference for funding to the Middlesex London Health Unit that's on par with other regions. I work with local school board trustees on safety issues that involved city infrastructure and I attend school events to share information and answer parents questions”
Q4 — Where you're tornFull question ▾Hide ▴
Pick the issue you most want to be known for. Where do you feel torn on it, and what is the strongest argument against your own position?
“I want to advance community safety issues and the city's strategic pillar focused around creating a safe London for women and girls. One of the largest barriers is, as a community, we need to acknowledge the issues- femicide, London being along a human trafficking corridor and intimate partner violence- followed by an evolving, transparent plan to address the issues with diverse community partners and residents with allocate funds to address key areas.
Arguments against this issue are- what about the men and boys?
Inherently- if a city is safe for the most vulnerable- it becomes safer for everyone.”
Q5 — The receiptFull question ▾Hide ▴
Point us to one thing you have already done for people in London, before this campaign, that a reader could check and that shows how you would do this job. A web address is welcome.
“South London Canada Day
I have been volunteering for 10 years with the Community Council of White Oaks who's main event is the South London Canada Day celebrations on July 1st in White Oaks Park. I also volunteered in my children's school, Victoria Public School, on the PTA and the Hot Lunch Program while they attended and volunteered as a Scouter with Scouts Canada in a Cub Pack.”
No responseSent September 3
Chamber of Commerce
Economy, the Downtown Plan, housing and taxes. Twelve questions.londonchamber.com→
No endorsements · Same rules for every candidate · Sources linked · London Decides questionnaire answers published word for word · How this is researched →
What Ward 12 was wrestling with
The issue cards as they stood during the campaign. The current versions are in the issue files, linked from the ward page.
■ CITY DECIDES
Two more years of Wellington Road construction
Wellington Road carries one of London's three bus-rapid-transit lines, and construction runs through the Wellington/White Oaks stretch of the ward toward a planned transit hub at White Oaks, with lane restrictions expected through fall 2026. The work is not winding down: a re-check of the city's project page on August 2, 2026 shows a Phase 2B pre-construction information session still to come, and Phases 3 and 4 still ahead.
The honest numbers ▾
The project widens roughly 6 km of Wellington Road/Street between downtown and Highway 401 to add continuous transit-only lanes, with a transit hub at White Oaks Mall and a proposed park-and-ride near Highway 401. The city's page, checked August 2, 2026, says construction of the remaining phases is expected between 2024 and 2027, and advertises a Phase 2B pre-construction information session for August 12, 2026. Phase 2A construction (Base Line Rd. to Wilkins St.) began May 6, 2026 and runs into early 2027; full BRT service is not slated until 2028. City of London — Wellington Gateway ↗
Put them on the record
Name one concrete thing you'd do for Wellington Road residents and businesses during two more years of construction.
□ SHARED: CITY + PROVINCE
The W12A landfill is doubling
London's provincially approved expansion plan will roughly double the W12A landfill's capacity and widen its service area to a six-county region. The landfill sits inside Ward 12.
The honest numbers ▾
Approved April 25, 2024: landfill height raised roughly 25 metres, life extended to 2049, service area expanded to six counties (London, Huron, Perth, Elgin, Lambton, Middlesex). Ontario.ca — W12A Landfill Expansion Project ↗
Put them on the record
What exactly should Ward 12 get in return for hosting a six-county landfill?
■ CITY DECIDES
What happens around White Oaks Mall
Big changes are proposed around White Oak Road and Dingman Drive. Westdell Development Corp acquired White Oaks Mall and has proposed a hotel, sports and entertainment facilities and new retail, while a city environmental assessment recommends widening Dingman Drive from two to four lanes with a roundabout at the Dingman/White Oak Road intersection. One piece of it now has a date: IKEA has confirmed a store at the mall for fall 2026.
The honest numbers ▾
IKEA Canada announced on April 9, 2026 that the first of a new small-format store type will open in fall 2026 at White Oaks Mall (1105 Wellington Road), at about 43,000 square feet, roughly one-fifth the size of IKEA Burlington, stocking more than 2,000 home essentials for cash-and-carry. Westdell's wider plans for the site (hotel, sports and entertainment facilities, restaurants, national retailers) carry no published opening dates or approval milestones. IKEA Canada newsroom (April 9, 2026) ↗
Put them on the record
What conditions should council attach to redevelopment around White Oaks Mall and Dingman Drive?
■ CITY DECIDES
A second construction project on the same corridor: Bradley Avenue
The Bradley Avenue Extension is being built at the same time as the Wellington Road transit work, and it hits many of the same White Oaks-area residents. It is a two-part job: a brand-new four-lane road from Wharncliffe Road South to White Oak Road, and a widening of existing Bradley Avenue from two lanes to four between White Oak Road and Jalna Boulevard.
The honest numbers ▾
The city says the project runs from Wharncliffe Road South to Jalna Boulevard, began in June 2025, is expected to be mostly finished by fall 2026, with paving and final cleanup planned for 2027. When finished the corridor is to be a four-lane complete street with sidewalks, in-boulevard bike lanes, street lighting and landscaping, built in coordination with Phase 1 of the White Oaks Tributary Complete Corridor. The eastern limit is Jalna Boulevard: no funded work extends east of Highbury Avenue. City of London — Bradley Avenue Extension ↗
Put them on the record
Two big road projects are running at once here. What would you do to keep access to homes and businesses through the overlap?
■ CITY DECIDES
Budget and property taxes
Not unique to Ward 12, but directly tied to this race: the incumbent currently chairs the city's Budget Committee, so this ward's councillor sits at the centre of the citywide tax-rate debate.
The honest numbers ▾
Council adopted the 2026 budget on November 26, 2025 with a 3.4% property tax increase. On the average home (assessed at $252,000) that is about $130 more in property tax, plus about $12 for water and about $18 for wastewater, roughly $160 in total. The forecast for 2027 is 4.7%, and it is a forecast, not an adopted number. Note on the figures: reporting cites both 3.6% and 3.4% because they are different moments in the same process. The Mayor's October 27, 2025 budget update landed at 3.6%; Budget Committee trimmed it to 3.4% on November 20; council adopted the amendments November 26 and the mayor declined to veto on December 1. 3.4% is the approved number. CTV News London (Nov. 26, 2025) ↗
Put them on the record
What tax increase is acceptable to you over the next term, and what would you cut to hit it?
■ CITY DECIDES
Build outward or build in?
Should London grow outward onto new land or build more within its current footprint? Ward 12 is one of the entry points for new development in south London, so the question is live both citywide and locally, and it is one of the few issues where a candidate position is on the record in this race.
Put them on the record
Should London expand its Urban Growth Boundary, or grow within the current one?
WHAT WE COULDN’T CONFIRM ▾
August 8, 2026 region audit: “Highland” qualified — the district splits 43% Ward 12, 31% Ward 10, 26% Ward 11 (checked with the City’s Planning Districts layer sampled against the official 2026 ward polygons (scripts/check-ward-regions.mjs)).
New Ward 12 boundary lines are not confirmed. The neighbourhood description here is an approximation from the old ward's identity; verify against the City's interactive ward map before relying on it.
A high-rise development near Westminster Ponds approved by council in April 2026 could not be confirmed as located within new Ward 12; it is excluded from the ward's issues pending verification.
Nominations closed August 21, 2026, and the City certified the list on August 24, 2026.
RESOLVED August 2, 2026: the 3.6% vs 3.4% confusion in 2026 tax reporting. Both figures are real and describe different stages: 3.6% was the Mayor's October 27, 2025 update, 3.4% is what Budget Committee trimmed it to on November 20 and council adopted November 26, 2025. The approved figure is 3.4%, about $160 on the average household once water and wastewater are included. Headlines and URLs citing 3.6% as the approved number are out of date.
RESOLVED August 2, 2026: the White Oaks Mall redevelopment now has one dated, confirmed milestone. IKEA Canada's own April 9, 2026 release puts a roughly 43,000 sq ft small-format store at the mall in fall 2026. Note that some secondary reporting has described the store as about 50,000 sq ft; 43,000 is the figure in IKEA's own release and is the one used here.
Westdell's broader White Oaks Mall program could not be pinned to dates. Westdell's own project page (checked August 2, 2026) lists a hotel, sports and entertainment facilities, restaurants and national retailers with no timelines, and the RENX coverage of the acquisition is from August 31, 2023. Claims circulating about two apartment towers fronting Bradley Avenue could not be confirmed from either source and are not asserted here.
The Wellington Gateway schedule could not be confirmed as entering a final phase. Characterizations that underground work is complete and the project is down to final paving and station installation (including nightly 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. work from June 1, 2026 and specific stops at Wellington/Southdale and Wellington/Wilkins) could not be verified against the city's project page on August 2, 2026. That page instead states construction of the remaining phases runs 2024 to 2027, advertises a Phase 2B pre-construction session for August 12, 2026, and still lists Phases 3 and 4. Treat 'final phase' framing as unverified.
The existing 'full BRT service not slated until 2028' line was carried forward from the earlier pass and was not re-confirmed on the city's page on August 2, 2026, which now frames remaining-phase construction as 2024 to 2027. Re-verify the service-start date before relying on it.
London Transit's construction overview (last updated June 19, 2026) dates Wellington Gateway Phase 2 as commencing March 16, 2026, while the city's page dates Phase 2A to May 6, 2026. The two are probably different scopes (whole phase vs. sub-phase) rather than a contradiction, but the phasing has not been reconciled document to document.
August 9, 2026 boundary audit: Cleardale is anchored by Cleardale Park (817 Nixon Ave), whose polygon centroid falls in Ward 12 per the official 2026 ward polygons; White Oaks planning district is 100% Ward 12 and Highland 43% (the "part of" phrasing holds), per the Aug 8 district audit. Lockwood Park could not be anchored: no city park, street, or school carries the name in the Open Data layers, so it rests on the ward research's original community list.
