East London: Argyle · Hale–Highbury · former Psychiatric Hospital lands
Ward 2 is a four-candidate race. Nominations closed August 21, 2026; the City certified the list on August 24. The race is about who manages a fast-changing east end, headlined by roughly 8,400 homes planned for the old psychiatric hospital lands and a final phase of East London Link construction on Dundas Street that the city expects to run to about 2028. Ward 2 now takes in all of Argyle, while Old East Village goes to Ward 1, and the ward's boundaries were redrawn for this election, so parts of the new Ward 2 have not previously voted in this seat's races.
Two candidates carry a prior election record. Alexandria Hames ran for Ward 13 council in 2022, receiving 349 votes (7.63%), per the City's certified results. Shawn Lewis, the city's Deputy Mayor, is the incumbent, first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022 with 89% of the vote, per the City's certified results.
The rest of the field, in alphabetical order: Zack Ramsey and Steve Reed.
Listed alphabetically. Identical treatment for every candidate. That's the deal.
Ran for Ward 13 council in 2022: 349 votes (7.63%), per the City's certified results.
Sent out September 3, 2026. Answers are posted here word for word when they arrive. Anything back within a week goes up September 10.
Re-elected Ward 2 councillor in 2022 with 89% of the vote, per the City's certified results.
Received September 5, 2026
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.
“It can't be one thing. Councillors have address multiple priorities and respond to changing circumstances in a term. Key items for me; property taxes back closer to inflation levels, community safety perception and stats improved, progress on homelessness/addiction issues with senior levels of government whether they fund it and we deliver or they deliver directly we cannot fix this with property taxes alone, a more diverse local economy including UNESCO City of Music and Film Office opportunities. And at the Ward 2 level specific results to; upgrade the Kiwanis Park splash pad, get Third St. rebuilt, and working with Old Oak ensuring well planned and well paced development of the former Psych Hospital lands has progressed over the term and continuing to work with the Argyle BIA on business retention and attraction in the area.”
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?
“As the current Councillor, I am the only Ward 2 candidate with a legitimate record of bringing together councillors to move items through the process to get things done. People should also understand quorum rules mean you cannot talk to the majority of a committee or of council ahead of any given vote. On Council, you have to work with everyone, and I can say I have worked with all 14 other members and helped them bring forward items. A specific example in for Ward 2 the repaving of Dundas St. last summer. Staff resisted doing this until sometime after the 2028 budget. The businesses, and residents could not wait. I had to bring a motion forward to direct staff and bring the evidence to council and focus not on councillors I could expect to be supportive, but on those who might not be and got it passed.”
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.
“Unlike some candidates and councillors, I have a proven record of being straightforward about what Council & Councillors can and cannot do. I do not believe in giving people false hope or false expectations. As examples: Fix homelessness! The city can assist on homelessness, mostly on housing supply, we cannot solve it. We cannot change Criminal Code policies on drug use (Federal), cannot change OSDP rates or set rent controls (Provincial). We can advocate to other levels of government as councillors as well as through AMO and FCM and we do, but I remind residents that they elect their MPs/MPPs and need to take those concerns to them directly. Tax vacant commercial buildings/make them housing! We cannot under provincial law implement such a tax, or change Ontario Building Code realities between commercial and residential requirements.”
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?
“The issue I want to most be known for is being the Councillor from Ward 2 who got results for the area of the city he calls home, both on the bigger issues like infrastructure renewal and new and improved recreational spaces, but also on the smaller issues as a councillor who helps residents when the garbage wasn’t collected, or a permit got tied up in red tape. Who will try, even it isn’t always the answer or outcome someone wanted. Because at the heart of municipal politics should be representing where you live first and foremost. Recognizing that Councillors can only create the conditions, we can’t directly get shovels in the ground, I also want to be known for having made a difference on the housing file, something I’ve already had a big impact on working several affordable housing projects and improving multiple planning policies with more to do.”
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.
“Ward 2 is where I live work and play and I’ve delivered practical, honest, and effective leadership in representing the area. From getting London Housing’s first new building in over 50 years opened and working half a dozen other affordable housing projects, bringing in the Renoviction By-Law to support tenants and helping create housing conditions that have led to a 7% rent decrease compared to 2024, I’ve made an impact on housing affordability. But I’m most proud of keeping my promises and getting results. In two terms I made 20 commitments, I delivered fully or partly on 18, failing to get council and staff support on only 2 prior commitments. I’ve secured more city investment than we had in the previous quarter century, over $35+ million dollars; getting 20 road and sewer renewal projects prioritized and done, improvements to recreation spaces, new sidewalks and crosswalks and new community partnerships. https://www.shawnlewis.ca/my_record”
Sent out September 3, 2026. Answers are posted here word for word when they arrive. Anything back within a week goes up September 10.
Sent out September 3, 2026. Answers are posted here word for word when they arrive. Anything back within a week goes up September 10.
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.
Phase 5 of the East London Link, the final phase, began March 16, 2026 and closed Dundas Street from McCormick Boulevard to Highbury Avenue, including Ashland Avenue. Final does not mean short: the city expects this phase to be complete in approximately 2028, so the disruption runs through most of the term of the council elected in October, not one more year. The link runs through and near the ward along Dundas Street and Highbury Avenue, connecting downtown to Fanshawe College.
Phase 5 (Dundas Street from McCormick Boulevard to Highbury Avenue, including Ashland Avenue) began March 16, 2026, and the city gives expected completion as approximately 2028. City of London (Phase 5 public service announcement) ↗
Name one concrete thing you'd do this year for the residents and businesses along the East London Link construction.
The 57-hectare former London Psychiatric Hospital site at 850 Highbury Ave. N., newly pulled into Ward 2, is set to become what the city calls the largest residential development in London's history, with a commercial "village core," parkland, and a planned direct connection to the East London Link. Build-out runs for decades; the next several councils will manage its phasing, infrastructure demand, and community impact.
Roughly 8,400 housing units across 10 towers, built out in phases over roughly two decades; four heritage-designated structures and a heritage tree allée are being retained. Council approved the enabling amendments in October 2024. City of London ↗
What has to be built before the first of the 8,400 homes on the hospital lands, and who pays for it?
The incumbent frames his two terms around correcting a "long-neglected" east end, citing roads, sewers, parks, traffic calming at elementary school zones, and the East Lions Community Centre (opened December 2021). The open question for 2026: do the newly added parts of the ward (Hale–Highbury, Culver/Parkhurst, the psychiatric-hospital lands) get the same investment going forward?
Candidate-stated figures from the incumbent's campaign materials, not independently audited: over $35 million invested, 20 road/sewer projects, 6 major park upgrades, and the $23.5 million East Lions Community Centre. Re-verified August 23, 2026; his site previously stated 17 projects and $21.5 million and now states 20 and $23.5 million. campaign site (candidate-stated) ↗
Which newly added Ward 2 neighbourhood needs infrastructure first, and what would you push for there?
Who oversees London Transit is unsettled. After three London Transit Commission board members resigned amid leadership concerns in early 2025, council voted to dissolve the LTC's board and put five councillors in charge as an interim commission while the oversight model gets reviewed. Incumbent Shawn Lewis co-sponsored the motion that started the change; he was not appointed to the interim committee. In June 2026 council accepted the governance review's recommendation to return to a mixed board, four councillors and three citizen appointees, with the changeover planned for after the October election; the councillor-run interim continues until then.
The committee motion passed 9–6; full council then voted 10–5 to dissolve the LTC board. CBC News ↗
What permanent oversight model for London Transit would you vote for?
The Ward 2 on this fall's ballot is a different map than the one voted on in 2018 and 2022. It loses Old East Village and gains the Hale-to-Highbury area, several neighbourhoods off First and Second Streets, the Culver Drive/Parkhurst area, and the psychiatric-hospital lands. The change takes legal effect November 15, 2026; check the city's interactive ward map to confirm which ward you now vote in.
Name one thing you'll do in your first six months for the neighbourhoods newly added to Ward 2.
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 →