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← Councillor Ward 3

Zak Rahim

Candidate for Councillor Ward 3

In their own words

This candidate hasn’t listed a campaign website or social account with the Town. That says nothing about them as a candidate — it just means less of their material is published online for us to summarise.

Where they stand

Every candidate in this race is shown against the same 16 issues, in the same order, whether or not we’ve found something for each one. Why we do it this way.

Housing

Will I be able to afford to live here?

Rahim wants faster housing approvals of all kinds, growth that fits neighbourhoods, and a push for provincial renoviction rules.

  • Asked how to increase housing supply and affordability, Rahim said he would cut the red tape slowing every kind of housing project so approvals that take months today don't take years.
  • He says growth must fit the neighbourhood it lands in with roads, parks and services to support it, and wants Council to lobby the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for stronger landlord-tenant rules beyond London's renoviction bylaw.
Show their words & source (several paragraphs)
“I’d cut the municipal red tape that slows down every kind of housing project, faster approvals for new builds, conversions, and infill, so a project that takes months today doesn’t take years. I’d also support housing that makes sense. Why do we approve a low-rise buildings in single family suburb homes, but reject high-rise building in areas of density? Growth must fit the neighbourhood it lands in, not get dropped on top of it without the roads, parks, and services to support it. And supply alone doesn’t fix affordability if renters keep getting pushed out along the way.”

Source: London Chamber of Commerce — 2026 candidate survey (Zak Rahim, Ward 3)

Confidence:High

Taxes & spending

What happens to my tax bill, and where does the money go?

Rahim wants wasteful spending found and cut before any tax increase, saying competitive taxes and growth aren't opposites.

  • Asked about paying for growth and keeping taxes competitive, Rahim said before asking taxpayers for more he wants the wasteful spending already in the budget found and cut.
  • He says competitive property taxes and keeping up with growth aren't opposite goals if the City prioritizes what's actually failing over what's easiest to announce.
Show their words & source (a few sentences)
“On paying for it fairly, before asking taxpayers for more I want the wasteful spending already in this budget found and cut. Competitive property taxes and keeping up with growth aren’t opposite goals if the City prioritizes what’s actually failing instead of what’s easiest to announce.”

Source: London Chamber of Commerce — 2026 candidate survey (Zak Rahim, Ward 3)

Confidence:High

Emergency services

When I call for help, will it come fast enough?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Transit

Can I get where I need to go without driving?

Rahim wants LTC schedules aligned with industrial shift times, with direct employer consultation built into transit planning.

  • Asked how he would improve transit, Rahim said Ward 3 industrial employers tell him LTC schedules don't line up with shift start and end times, so workers without cars can't take the job.
  • He wants the City and LTC to require direct employer consultation rather than running transit on a downtown-commuter schedule alone.
Show their words & source (several paragraphs)
“Employers in Ward 3’s industrial areas keep telling me the same thing, LTC’s schedule doesn’t line up with when their shifts actually start and end, so workers without a car can’t take the job. I’d push the City and LTC to require direct employer consultation all employers instead of running transit on a schedule built around downtown commuters/local suburb routes alone. On rail and air, London doesn’t control those links, but the City needs to be at the table pushing the provincial and federal governments for both freight capacity and passenger rail improvements, not waiting for other cities to make that case first.”

Source: London Chamber of Commerce — 2026 candidate survey (Zak Rahim, Ward 3)

Confidence:High

Government

Will decisions be made in the open, and will anyone answer for them?

This candidate has spoken about this issue more than once. Each statement is shown with its own source.

Rahim: getting the municipal tax burden under control is the most direct help City Hall can give.

  • Pillar Nonprofit Network 2026 candidate survey — Q10: The City's role in supporting nonprofit infrastructure.
“The City’s most useful role is getting out of the way of the people who’d otherwise have something to give. Every expansion of the municipal tax point is money that isn’t going towards someone contributing towards being a bigger citizen in their community. Getting the municipal tax burden under control is the most direct thing City Hall can do to help the people who'd otherwise have something to give.”

(a few sentences)

Source: Pillar Nonprofit Network — London 2026 Candidate Survey (candidate's own Q&A answers)

Confidence:High

Rahim would bring business people 'into the room before a policy decision gets made, not after it's already set.'

  • BIA knows 'what's actually happening on the ground downtown before City Hall does'
  • Give downtown workers a seat when decisions get made
  • Support Downtown Plan actions only with clear cost and measurable outcomes attached
“bring the people doing the work into the room before a policy decision gets made, not after it's already set.”

(a few sentences)

Source: Downtown London BIA — 2026 Municipal Election Candidate Survey Responses (Zak Rahim, Ward 3)

Confidence:High

Rahim: put nonprofit expertise on Agencies, Boards and Commissions where decisions get made.

  • Pillar Nonprofit Network 2026 candidate survey — Q9: Ensuring nonprofits are included in decision-making.
“Again, I would like to see expertise of non-profits at the Agencies, Boards and Commissions level where decisions get made. Additionally, the City Hall process adds a significant burden for small organizations that don;t have internal government relations expertise, or the resources to hire outside to navigate the process on their behalf.”

(a few sentences)

Source: Pillar Nonprofit Network — London 2026 Candidate Survey (candidate's own Q&A answers)

Confidence:High

Rahim: renewable multi-year agreements balance stability with council accountability.

  • Pillar Nonprofit Network 2026 candidate survey — Q8: Support multi-year funding & longer-term partnerships (Yes/No + why).
“Yes — Yes, however, I think the right model is a balance. Organizations can’t plan or stay consistent in their service delivery if they’re scrambling to find funding for the next 6 months or year. But funding locked in for so long that it outlives a term of Council is not accountable either, it forces future Councils to inherit commitments they never made. I’d support renewable multiple-year agreements, that balance both realities.”

(several paragraphs)

Source: Pillar Nonprofit Network — London 2026 Candidate Survey (candidate's own Q&A answers)

Confidence:High

Think we’ve got this wrong?

Roads & infrastructure

Will the things I use every day actually get fixed?

Rahim says infrastructure that's already failing goes first, citing sinkholes as warnings of deferred maintenance.

  • Asked how to prioritize infrastructure investments, Rahim said infrastructure that's already failing goes first: 'A sinkhole is a warning sign that maintenance got deferred past the point it was safe to defer.'
  • He says it comes down to whether the City funds its core mandates, calling broken sidewalks a red flag when the City spends on 'fancy bus shelters that have been smashed many times over.'
Show their words & source (a few sentences)
“A sinkhole is a warning sign that maintenance got deferred past the point it was safe to defer. That comes down to whether the City is funding its core mandates or items that fall outside them. If the City can’t afford to fix broken sidewalks because it spent too much on fancy bus shelters that have been smashed many times over, that’s a red flag worth recognizing.”

Source: London Chamber of Commerce — 2026 candidate survey (Zak Rahim, Ward 3)

Confidence:High

Economy

Will our main streets and local jobs thrive?

Rahim commits to cutting municipal red tape blocking building, so downtown conversion projects don't get stuck in slow processes.

  • Cutting municipal red tape 'one of my core commitments'
  • Downtown conversions shouldn't get stuck behind a slow process
  • More downtown residents + safer, cleaner public space brings people and payroll back
Show their words & source (a few sentences)
“Cutting municipal red tape that stands in the way of building is one of my core commitments, and downtown conversions are exactly the kind of projects that shouldn't get stuck behind a slow process.”

Source: Downtown London BIA — 2026 Municipal Election Candidate Survey Responses (Zak Rahim, Ward 3)

Confidence:High

Environment

Is the candidate protecting the nature we live in?

Rahim says London will miss its 2022 climate targets and wants an honest updated timeline, not more taxpayer money.

  • Asked which climate plan elements to prioritize, Rahim said London isn't going to hit the targets set in 2022 and the next council should publish an honest, updated timeline.
  • He says he won't support asking taxpayers for more money to chase a paper target, and wants agencies held accountable for green commitments already made.
Show their words & source (a few sentences)
“London isn’t going to hit the targets set in 2022, and pretending otherwise doesn’t help anyone plan around it. I’d rather see the next council publish an honest, updated timeline than keep citing a target everyone already knows it missed.”

Source: London Chamber of Commerce — 2026 candidate survey (Zak Rahim, Ward 3)

Confidence:High

Healthcare

Will there be a doctor and a hospital when we need one?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Growth & development

How fast should we grow, and who decides what gets built where?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Social & community services

Who looks after the most vulnerable residents?

Rahim wants needs-based policing measured against actual calls, paired with social supports proven to reduce repeat calls.

  • Fix the enforcement gap (charges in only 37 of 5,000+ trespassing/drug calls) before adding money
  • Visible, needs-based police presence tracked against actual calls and incidents
  • Pair enforcement with funding for social supports proven to reduce repeat calls
Show their words & source (several paragraphs)
“I support a visible, needs-based police presence downtown, tracked against actual calls and incidents instead of just announced, paired with funding for the social supports proven to reduce repeat calls in the first place.”

Source: Downtown London BIA — 2026 Municipal Election Candidate Survey Responses (Zak Rahim, Ward 3)

Confidence:High

Active transportation

Can I walk and bike safely around town?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Arts & culture

Does the candidate value what makes this place feel alive?

Rahim says London doesn't need new cultural facilities — it needs lower barriers for artists using the ones it has.

  • Asked how the City should support arts and culture, Rahim said London doesn't need to build more; it needs to get out of the way of people already creating.
  • He wants cheaper vendor licensing, simpler permitting and faster approvals so artists spend less time on City Hall paperwork and more on events.
Show their words & source (several paragraphs)
“London already has strong cultural anchors, Museum London, the Grand Theatre, and Canada Life Place, plus a designation most Londoners don’t even know we have: UNESCO City of Music, the first in Canada. The City doesn’t need to build more, it needs to get out of the way of the people already creating here. That means cutting the red tape that makes it expensive and complicated to put on a festival, run a pop-up, or open a small venue: cheaper vendor licensing, simpler permitting, and faster approvals. Every dollar and every hour an artist or organizer spends navigating City Hall’s paperwork is a dollar and an hour they’re not spending on the actual event.”

Source: London Chamber of Commerce — 2026 candidate survey (Zak Rahim, Ward 3)

Confidence:High

Data centres

Should energy-hungry data centres be welcomed here?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Water & waste

Is our drinking water safe and our waste handled?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Bylaw enforcement

Are the rules fair, and are they actually enforced?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Think we got something wrong?

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