East London: Hamilton Road corridor · Old East Village
Ward 1 is a two-way race: first-term incumbent Hadleigh McAlister against former three-term councillor Roger Caranci, after first-time candidate Janette Larocque withdrew. Nominations closed August 21, 2026; the City certified the list on August 24. The contest centres on homelessness, addiction, and public safety in east London. Old East Village is now part of Ward 1 after a boundary redraw.
Janette Larocque withdrew on August 7, 2026. Hadleigh McAlister was elected in 2022; Old East Village was added to Ward 1 in a December 2024 boundary redraw.
Roger Caranci served on London city council from 2000 to 2010. He ran for mayor in 2014, withdrawing from the race in October 2014; his name remained on the ballot, and he finished fourth with 1,190 votes (1.08%), per the City's official 2014 results.
Listed alphabetically. Identical treatment for every candidate. That's the deal.
Ran for mayor in 2014: finished fourth with 1,190 votes (1.08%), per the City's official 2014 results.
Identical questions go to every declared candidate. Answers are published verbatim; “no response” is reported plainly.
Elected Ward 1 councillor in 2022: 1,415 votes (37.71%) of nine candidates, per the City's certified results.
Identical questions go to every declared candidate. Answers are published verbatim; “no response” is reported plainly.
No endorsements · Same rules for every candidate · Sources linked · Answers published word for word · How we research →
Honestly told: the situation, the numbers, and what to ask the people who want your vote.
Old East Village's shelters and social agencies are now Ward 1's file. Business owners have raised concerns that the area is over-saturated with social agencies, council has repeatedly debated encampment policy, and a funding cliff arrived in spring 2026 as two federal programs ended.
As of December 2025 reporting, the city expected roughly $2.3 million less for homelessness services starting in spring 2026 as two federal programs ended, forcing a shift toward smaller, trauma-informed services. A May 2026 CBC reader survey found homelessness and visible drug use topping the issues likely to drive 2026 votes, with concern described as especially acute downtown and in Old East Village, now part of Ward 1. CBC News ↗
Name one specific change to homelessness services or their siting in Old East Village that you would vote for.
London and Middlesex county councils endorsed a refreshed Housing Stability Action Plan for 2026–2031 on May 12, 2026. It puts numbers behind what Ward 1 residents describe on Hamilton Road and in Old East Village: the count of known people experiencing homelessness has roughly doubled since 2021, while rents climbed faster than incomes. The plan runs to 2031, so the council elected in October decides how much of it actually gets funded.
The plan reports the By-Name List, the count of known people experiencing homelessness, growing 124% from 1,036 people in 2021 to 2,294 at the end of 2025. Average rent for a one-bedroom was $1,529 a month in 2025, which the plan says needs roughly $61,160 a year in household income to afford at the standard measure of 30% of income. Region-wide rents rose 22% between 2022 and 2025. City of London (Housing Stability Action Plan, 2026–2031) ↗
The Housing Stability Action Plan runs to 2031. Name the one part of it you would fund first, and say what you would cut or raise to pay for it.
People keep getting hurt on Hamilton Road: serious crashes, and pedestrian and cyclist deaths, in recent years. A redesign went to committee: three lanes with protected bike lanes and accessible sidewalks between Adelaide Street and Highbury Avenue. Since then a red-light camera went in at Hamilton and Highbury, and markings and lighting were upgraded. The full redesign is still a live file for the next council.
Do you support the three-lane redesign of Hamilton Road between Adelaide and Highbury, and by what date should it be built?
Hamilton Road at Gore Road has long been flagged by residents, and in CTV coverage, as one of the ward's worst intersections, and the city's answer is a roundabout. Earlier project material pointed to construction starting in spring 2026. That has moved: the project is in detailed design, and construction is now anticipated in 2027, subject to the city acquiring property first. The next Ward 1 councillor will be the one pushing on that timeline.
As of the city's project page on August 2, 2026: detailed design underway, construction anticipated in 2027, subject to property acquisition. Earlier documents had targeted spring 2026 construction. City of London (Gore Road and Hamilton Road project page) ↗
What will you do to keep the Gore and Hamilton roundabout from slipping past 2027?
Expect torn-up roads: the city's 2026 Renew construction program covers major roadwork, intersections, and underground infrastructure citywide. Listed 2026 projects include the Highbury Avenue South rehabilitation, which touches Ward 1's northern and eastern edge now that the ward extends to Oxford Street west of Highbury.
Roughly $385 million citywide (including $285 million in new capital projects), covering 100+ lane-kilometres of roadwork, 20 intersections, and 30+ km of underground infrastructure. City of London ↗
Which Renew roadwork projects in Ward 1 would you fight to keep on schedule?
The Highbury Avenue South rehabilitation on the ward's eastern edge is not a one-summer job. CBC reported on April 29, 2026 that the overhaul had begun and that the work spans two construction seasons, with the city's transportation head arguing the delays will be worth it. That means the councillor elected in October inherits the second season of it, plus the detour traffic it pushes onto nearby streets.
Confirmed as spanning two construction seasons; work began as of CBC's April 29, 2026 reporting. CBC News ↗
What will you do about detour traffic on Ward 1 side streets while Highbury Avenue South is rebuilt?
Housing supply and affordability feature in both Ward 1 candidates' platforms in some form. In August 2025 the province announced funding tied to London exceeding its housing-start targets.
London received close to $12 million from the province for surpassing its target for new home builds. CBC News ↗
Name one housing project or policy you'd vote for to get more homes built in Ward 1.
Ward 1 is taking in all of Old East Village, historically a higher-need, lower-income neighbourhood. We couldn't find any extra ward-level budget or staffing attached to that. If it exists, the city hasn't said so.
What specifically will you do for Old East Village in your first year?
Not unique to Ward 1 geographically, but raised during this campaign as a target for budget reallocation (by a candidate who has since withdrawn): policing the unofficial fall gathering has cost the city roughly a quarter-million dollars in past years.
Independently reported policing costs: $256,098 in 2021 and roughly $265,000 in 2022. CTV News (2021 figure) ↗
Should the city try to recover FOCO policing costs, and if so, from whom?
The ballot is one tool, not the only one. Between elections, the people who show up are the ones who get heard, and you can start today, not next fall.
None of it waits four years. The people already in the room are the ones who asked to be.
Only one is on your ballot; which depends on your school-support designation. The guide above explains.
You’ve read the ward. Ward races here can come down to a few hundred ballots, sometimes fewer. In a race that close, your vote is one of the ones that decides it. You don’t need to know everything. You just need to show up, informed.
You’ll need ID with your name and address. Full voting guide: where, what to bring, who can vote →