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.
Listed alphabetically. Identical treatment for every candidate. That's the deal.
Ran for Ward 12 council in 2022: finished third with 466 votes (10.57%) of three candidates, per the City's certified results.
Identical questions go to every declared candidate. Answers are published verbatim; “no response” is reported plainly.
Re-elected Ward 12 councillor in 2022 with about 77% of the vote, per the City's certified results.
Identical questions go to every declared candidate. Answers are published verbatim; “no response” is reported plainly.
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.
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 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 ↗
Name one concrete thing you'd do for Wellington Road residents and businesses during two more years of construction.
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.
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 ↗
What exactly should Ward 12 get in return for hosting a six-county landfill?
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.
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) ↗
What conditions should council attach to redevelopment around White Oaks Mall and Dingman Drive?
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 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 ↗
Two big road projects are running at once here. What would you do to keep access to homes and businesses through the overlap?
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.
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) ↗
What tax increase is acceptable to you over the next term, and what would you cut to hit it?
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.
Should London expand its Urban Growth Boundary, or grow within the current one?
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 →