Ward 7

“When I was involved in student politics at BUET, I was part of a group pushing for critical repairs to our mechanical engineering labs. The university administration had drafted a budget report prioritizing a centralized printing facility instead. The senior faculty and staff flatly refused to alter their plans. To bring them around, I changed my strategy. I dropped our secondary request for extended cafeteria meal hours entirely to respect their strict budget ceiling. Then, instead of arguing for student convenience, I used maintenance data to prove that the broken lab machinery was an immediate physical safety hazard. By sacrificing the meal program and reframing the lab repairs as a critical safety necessity, I secured the agreement needed from the decision-makers to get the repairs approved.”

“People will ask City Hall to fix problems with mental-health and addiction treatment that the City does not control. I would tell them honestly that London cannot create provincial health-care services on its own. The province and the health system have that responsibility. That does not mean doing nothing. I would push our local MPPs and the provincial government for the services London needs, bring local evidence to those discussions, work with hospitals and community organizations, and use the City's responsibilities around housing and homelessness to support people where we can. I would rather tell someone the truth about who has the power to act than promise something Council cannot deliver.”

“The issue I most want to be known for is getting growth and infrastructure to keep pace with each other. Where I feel torn is housing. If we make the process too restrictive or insist that every piece of infrastructure be finished first, we can slow housing construction and make homes even more expensive. The strongest argument against my position is that cities also have to grow. New development brings jobs, tax revenue and new housing, and waiting for perfect infrastructure can mean waiting forever. My answer is: better sequencing. Where major growth is approved, there should be a clear plan for the roads, transit and services it depends on, with the funding and timelines made public.”

“Before this campaign, I was already involved in community service in London through the Hyde Park & District Lions Club and the Rotary Club of London Hyde Park. I have also supported youth sports and other community initiatives. That experience matters to me because community work is not about making promises; it is about showing up, working with other people and getting practical things done. That is the same approach I would bring to Council. My background and community involvement are described here: https://afmkamrulahsan.ca/”

“In my role as a Business and Zoning Coordinator with the City of London, I often need to reach an agreement with managers when interpreting and applying different by-laws and legislation. In one instance, I was working to approve an application, but my managers did not agree with my proposed approach. After some back and forth, rather than continuing to argue my position, I met with them to better understand where their concerns were coming from. Based on that discussion, I adjusted my approach. Instead of insisting that every detail be addressed in the same way, I identified the areas where consistency was actually necessary to achieve compliance and maintain safety, accountability, and customer service standards. This allowed us to find an approach that addressed management’s concerns while still meeting the requirements of the application.”

“One thing I expect residents will ask me about is access to family doctors and health care. I would be straightforward with them: City Council does not run Ontario’s healthcare system and that that area is the responsibility of the Province of Ontario. As a councillor, I would push the province for our fair share of healthcare resources, work with local health-care providers and physician recruitment efforts and look at what the City can do within its own authority. My answer to residents would be: Council cannot make that decision, but I can make sure the people who can make it are hearing from us and I can use every tool the City does have to help move it forward.”

“The issue I most want to be known for is investing in the infrastructure, improving our roads, strengthening public transit so people can move around the city more efficiently, and investing in community spaces, including the development of a new community centre that gives residents access to recreation, programming, services, and a place to come together. Where I feel torn is between the urgency of these investments and the financial reality of delivering them. The strongest argument against my position is funding. My approach would be to aggressively pursue funding from every available source. I would lobby the municipal, provincial, and federal governments for greater infrastructure investment while also exploring responsible opportunities for private investment and partnerships, including ways for London residents and the local business community to invest in the future of their city.”

“Before this campaign, I applied to legalize a third unit in one of my residential rental properties in London. The unit is 700 sqf, has existed since 1972, and the City had been aware of its existence, but the previous owner had never formally legalize it. No new construction was required, yet the process still required a lengthy and expensive rezoning application. Rather than simply going through the process, I appeared before London’s Planning and Environment Committee and argued that the City needed a simpler pathway for situations like this. My position was if an existing unit can meet building, and fire requirements without major construction, we should be making it easier not harder to bring those units into compliance. The City of London has since moved in that direction, including expanded permissions for Additional Residential Units and a streamlined approval process for certain minor zoning amendments.”

“As president of Huron’s WUSC committee, I helped secure more support for refugee students. We brought students and administrators together by proposing shared funding: students would contribute if Huron matched it. I gave up asking the institution to carry the full cost, and the compromise expanded scholarships.”

“Residents may ask for more family doctors, but healthcare is primarily a provincial responsibility. I would be honest about that while advocating to the province, working with healthcare partners, identifying space for clinics, and removing municipal barriers.”

“I want to be known for financial accountability and clear public reporting (for example, Madrid - City of Madrid Open Budgets) . The tension is balancing affordable taxes with needed services. The strongest argument against my position is that excessive restraint can delay investments and cost more later. Responsible budgeting must protect essential services while eliminating spending that does not deliver results.”

“Before this campaign, I helped lead a Huron University initiative that increased support and scholarships for refugee students. We built agreement between students and the institution around shared funding. It shows how I work: listen, build coalitions, and turn advocacy into measurable results.”

“As a City of London building inspector, I make calls that contractors, builders and developers disagree with, sometimes calls that cost them upwards of $100,000 to fix. I have the authority to order the work, but forcing it creates friction, delays and a worse outcome for the community. I bring people around instead. I start by explaining the reason behind the rule, not just the code requirement. Then I change my ask: rather than insisting on a specific fix, I tell them what the code needs to achieve and let their engineer or designer propose how to get there. Where it's safe, I let work continue elsewhere on site while the issue is resolved. What I give up is control over the method. What I don't give up is safety. Results, not effort, are what matter, on a job site and at the council table.”

“At the door, people talk about homelessness: cleaning up our streets and our downtown core. I tell them plainly that much of the answer isn't council's to decide. Mental health and addictions care are healthcare, funded and run by the province, not the city. What council can do is make London's case to Queen's Park, loudly. We're spending $454 million on bus rapid transit, with about $176 million from the province and Ottawa, while the core issue goes unsolved. It's like bringing a new couch into a burning house. Our house is on fire, downtown is uninvestable, and we're decorating. With London's unemployment rate hitting 9.1% this spring, the highest in Canada, homelessness isn't just a social issue. It's pushing our economy in the wrong direction. We need to address the actual issues, not the symptoms of the issues.”

“I want to be known as a common-sense councillor: someone who backs policies that help the whole city and make London more liveable for everyone, including the generations after us. Where I feel torn is on where supportive housing and hubs should go. I lived through the proposal to turn the Lighthouse Inn and Black Pearl on Fanshawe Park Road into a homeless hub. Many neighbours learned about it days before the vote. People need help, and it has to go somewhere. But when a neighbourhood is left out of the decision, nobody wins. The strongest argument against me is that "common sense" is what every candidate claims, and it can mean whatever the speaker wants. Voters deserve more than a slogan. That's why my platform has clear proposals, not just slogans.”

“I served in the Canadian Armed Forces, including a deployment to Afghanistan with the infantry. My decorations include the Sacrifice Medal, awarded for being wounded in combat, as well as the General Campaign Star (South-West Asia) and a Commander-in-Chief Unit Commendation. Service taught me to put my country's values ahead of myself: duty, accountability, and looking after the people beside you. After the military, I came home to London and kept serving, first in the trades and now as a City of London building inspector, making sure the buildings Londoners live and work in are safe. That's how I'd do this job: mission first, results over effort, and accountable to the people I serve. Details: danmeinen.ca/about”