Tuesday 18 February 2014

Throwing the hat in the ring

This afternoon, I declared officially my candidacy in the Ward 6 council race.  You can read the press release below, and please share it widely!

-------------


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Mike Bloxam declares candidacy in Ward 6 council race

Business owner and active community volunteer, Mike Bloxam, declared his candidacy for London’s Ward 6 council seat on Tuesday.

Already familiar with City Hall by serving on council’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Bloxam feels he has more to contribute. He is passionate about London, his hometown, and believes strongly that living in a community means giving back – a belief and practice that he will continue through civic duty.

Bloxam wants to see community-focused urban planning and will apply his own experience to the office.

“My vision is a sustainable London where people want to live, work, play, and stay,” Bloxam said. “Striking the right balance between economics, community life, and the environment is critical to a successful city. My experience as a business owner and volunteer in London has helped me find that balance, showing me first-hand it is absolutely achievable.”

Bloxam owns and operates SunTap Technologies, a company specializing in renewable energy. Launching and sustaining a small business has given him crucial skills to represent Ward 6 on council. Mentoring co-op students through his local company has helped to convince Bloxam of the need to create opportunities for young people in our city.

“Instead of always looking outside our city for business investment, we need to encourage home-grown small businesses – not only to survive, but to thrive. These local companies will create jobs here and help London prosper,” he explained. “Mentoring and financial support are two ways to keep our highly-educated graduates in London.  We can foster their sense of entrepreneurship by giving them what they need.”

Serving for 15 years as a volunteer at the London Food Bank, where demand continues to rise, also strengthened his resolve to seek a council seat. He donates his time to various other community organizations, such as ReForest London and All-Breed Canine Rescue. Given the level of need in our city, Bloxam feels he can have even more impact, and improve quality of life for Londoners, as part of a more focused council.

London can be better because council can do better,” Bloxam said. “My commitment to represent the citizens and businesses of Ward 6 is to ensure that all views have the chance to be heard. I will listen to Londoners' ideas and issues – as I have in my career and community life – to help me make the right decisions for Ward 6 and our city as a whole.”   

Bloxam will celebrate his candidacy with a launch party in March, to be announced at bloxam.ca.

- 30 -

Mike Bloxam is running to be your next councillor for Ward 6 in London, Ontario. He aspires for a better London that is an ideal place to live, work, play, and stay.

Campaign hotline: 519-518-2273 | E-mail: mike@bloxam.ca | Web site: www.bloxam.ca | Twitter: @Mike_Bloxam

Tuesday 11 February 2014

Changing how London moves

In a couple of months, a significant change to the way Londoners get around the city will arrive.  While the first choice for people to move from point A to point B should be "active" transportation (walking, cycling, etc.), followed closely by public transit (the city bus in London's case), most elect to hop into their personal vehicle and drive to their destination.  Starting in April, drivers will have a new option when it comes to automobiles:  Community CarShare has announced they will open in London.  (Read their announcement)


Haven't heard of Community CarShare?  Ontario's first non-profit co-operative car-share service started in Kitchener-Waterloo in 1998, and essentially enhances the traditional car rental with the flexibility of using (and therefore paying for) the use of a vehicle only when you need it.

At the December meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Environment (ACE), we received a presentation from one of the co-op's representatives.  He told us that a car-share vehicle removes 5 to 15 cars from the road.  This means less traffic congestion and lower pollution levels as a city adopts the concept.  In addition, he informed us that the average car-share member drives 50% less with a shared vehicle versus owning one (they will choose to walk or take other transportation for close trips), translating into more exercise and improved health.

Many families will debate how "big" they should go:  purchasing the "largest" vehicle possible to suit all needs means having to take a mini-van or SUV everywhere, while its main purpose in size serves to deliver children to their activities (such as hockey, with all the equipment that needs transporting along with the player!), yet proves overkill for most other tasks.  A car-share program allows a family to choose the best vehicle to fit the needs of the day:  perhaps a sedan for groceries on Tuesday, a mini-van to transport to the arena or the performance venue on the weekends, or an extended-cab pick-up truck to move furniture for the university-bound student twice a year.

The average annual cost of owning and operating a vehicle in Ontario sits at about $10 500, while the average CarShare member will spend $1200 per year, including gasoline, insurance, and other incidentals.  Instead of purchasing that "second vehicle" that rarely gets used or exceeds the majority of a family's needs, a household can spend a tenth of the yearly costs for the same service and convenience with a shared vehicle.

The Community CarShare representative informed those of us at ACE that they only ask from the City of London a $150 000 line of credit for the next five to ten years (as a fallback: there is no plan to use the money unless necessary), and some subsidized or in-kind public parking spots.

Think your neighbourhood could use a shared vehicle?  Get in contact and flood them with requests:  you will put your street on their radar and may get your very own community-owned vehicle.