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← Councillor Ward 7

Dan Meinen

Candidate for Councillor Ward 7

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?

Meinen would use half the vacant-registry revenue to buy distressed downtown buildings for non-profit housing (Toronto MURA model).

  • Half the registry revenue funds buying distressed downtown buildings for non-profit housing
  • Modelled on Toronto's MURA model
  • Owners converting empty offices to housing pay nothing while they build
Show their words & source (one sentence)
“Half the registry revenue would fund a program to buy distressed downtown buildings for non-profit housing, following Toronto's MURA model.”

Source: Downtown London BIA — 2026 Municipal Election Candidate Survey Responses (Dan Meinen, Ward 7)

Confidence:High

Taxes & spending

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

Says taxpayers can see what their bill bought: fix what we own first, cut consultant spending, ledger every major capital project.

  • Asked how to prioritise infrastructure and pay for growth fairly, Meinen said Londoners aren't angry about the tax bill so much as when they can't see what it bought; he would fix what the city owns before buying new, stop paying consultants for what staff know, and ledger every major capital project.
  • Exception to growth-pays-for-growth: waive development charges on non-profit supportive and deeply affordable housing.
Show their words & source (a few sentences)
“On taxes: Londoners aren’t angry about the bill so much as when they can’t see what it bought. Fix what we own before buying new, stop paying consultants to tell us what staff already know, and put every major capital project on a public ledger.”

Source: London Chamber of Commerce — 2026 candidate survey (Dan Meinen, Ward 7)

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?

Would close LTC's 6,000-hour service gap for shift workers, finish BRT on schedule and add a northwest park and ride.

  • Asked how to improve transit and connections, Meinen said close the LTC gap (24,000 service hours identified as priority, 18,000 funded), which hits shift workers hardest, finish BRT on schedule and add a northwest park and ride.
  • Standard: frequency you can plan a job around, reliability you can plan a business around, with public reporting on service.
Show their words & source (a few sentences)
“The LTC identified 24,000 service hours as priority and funded 18,000. That gap lands hardest on shift workers, when buses run every 30 to 60 minutes or not at all. I’d close that gap, finish BRT on schedule, and push for a northwest park and ride, so one of the city’s fastest-growing areas isn’t car-only.”

Source: London Chamber of Commerce — 2026 candidate survey (Dan Meinen, Ward 7)

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.

Meinen supports the Downtown Reimagined direction but says 58 actions is a wish list until each has a cost, a lead, and a target.

  • '58 actions is a wish list, not a plan, until each one has a cost, a lead, and a target'
  • Fund what can be afforded now; defer the rest to the 2028 budget with honest price tags
  • Vacant-building bylaw gives the plan a revenue source; empty buildings should help pay for public realm work
“I support the direction of Downtown Reimagined. A River District, better public spaces, and a downtown people choose to be in are worth funding. But 58 actions is a wish list, not a plan, until each one has a cost, a lead, and a target.”

(several paragraphs)

Source: Downtown London BIA — 2026 Municipal Election Candidate Survey Responses (Dan Meinen, Ward 7)

Confidence:High

Meinen: multi-year agreements for proven organizations — 'stable funding isn't more spending.'

  • Pillar Nonprofit Network 2026 candidate survey — Q6: Biggest challenges facing the nonprofit sector & actions candidates would support.
“Uncertainty. Demand keeps rising, but many organizations can't plan past twelve months because city funding arrives one year at a time. You can't hire good staff, sign a lease, or build programs that way. London already budgets in multi-year cycles, and community funding should work the same way. I'd support multi-year agreements for proven organizations, tied to clear outcomes, with streamlined reporting. Stable funding isn't more spending. It's the same dollars, spent smarter and more reliably.”

(several paragraphs)

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

Confidence:High

Meinen: bring nonprofits in at the start, e.g. in Urban Growth Boundary neighbourhood design.

  • Pillar Nonprofit Network 2026 candidate survey — Q9: Ensuring nonprofits are included in decision-making.
“Bring them in at the start, not the end. Often nonprofits are consulted after the staff report is written, when the real decisions are already made. As we design the new neighbourhoods coming through the Urban Growth Boundary expansion, the organizations delivering childcare, settlement services, and seniors' programs should be at the table alongside planners. That's my infrastructure-first principle applied to people, not just roads and buildings.”

(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?

Would publish a public project ranking — unlocks growth, safety obligation, existing demand — and make growth pay for growth.

  • Asked how to prioritise infrastructure and pay for growth, Meinen said publish the project ranking against three questions: does it unlock approved growth, is it a safety or maintenance obligation, is it already carrying demand.
  • Growth should pay for growth; wants realistic forecasts, the province to backfill its exemptions, and phased release of 1,476 new hectares tied to servicing.
Show their words & source (several paragraphs)
“Ranking projects should be public, against three questions: Does it unlock approved growth? Is it a safety or maintenance obligation? Is it already carrying demand? Publish the ranking and the reasoning.”

Source: London Chamber of Commerce — 2026 candidate survey (Dan Meinen, Ward 7)

Confidence:High

Economy

Will our main streets and local jobs thrive?

Meinen would bring a vacant-commercial-building bylaw with escalating fees so owners lease, sell, or redevelop empty floors.

  • Vacant commercial building bylaw within first six months, modelled on St. Catharines and Oshawa
  • Escalating annual fees so owners lease, sell, or redevelop instead of leaving floors empty
  • Active-construction relief: owners converting empty offices to housing pay nothing while they build
Show their words & source (several paragraphs)
“Within my first six months, I'll bring forward a vacant commercial building bylaw, modelled on St. Catharines and Oshawa, with escalating annual fees so owners lease, sell, or redevelop instead of leaving floors empty.”

Source: Downtown London BIA — 2026 Municipal Election Candidate Survey Responses (Dan Meinen, Ward 7)

Confidence:High

Environment

Is the candidate protecting the nature we live in?

Calls the 200-action climate plan a 'wish list' off pace for 55% target; would rank actions by cost per tonne and report publicly.

  • Asked about the Climate Emergency Action Plan, Meinen called the 200-action plan a 'wish list' — emissions down 22% against a 55%-by-2030 target and 'nowhere near on pace' — and would rank actions by cost per tonne reduced and report publicly.
  • Prioritises actions that cut emissions and save money: finishing BRT, closing the LTC service gap, City-building energy retrofits, stormwater capacity and tree canopy.
Show their words & source (a few sentences)
“Start with the number nobody at City Hall likes saying out loud: emissions are down 22 per cent from 2005, against a target of 55 per cent by 2030, and this spring’s audit confirmed we’re nowhere near on pace. A plan with 200 actions that misses its headline target is a wish list.”

Source: London Chamber of Commerce — 2026 candidate survey (Dan Meinen, Ward 7)

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?

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

Meinen: tie homelessness spending to quarterly targets with an active homeless list below 1,000; fund by results, not ambition.

  • Every homelessness budget line to carry a target and a quarterly public report
  • Active homeless list below 1,000
  • Supportive housing in transit zones and a rent bank to prevent evictions
  • Programs should be delivered in supportive housing built in transit zones, not concentrated downtown
“I will push for every homelessness budget line to carry a target and a quarterly public report:, and a active homeless list below 1,000.”

(a few sentences)

Source: Downtown London BIA — 2026 Municipal Election Candidate Survey Responses (Dan Meinen, Ward 7)

Confidence:High

Meinen: nonprofits are economic infrastructure — childcare, settlement, mental health services let people work.

  • Pillar Nonprofit Network 2026 candidate survey — Q11: The nonprofit sector's role & what success looks like.
“Nonprofits are economic infrastructure. They employ thousands of Londoners, train volunteers into workers, and deliver the childcare, settlement, and mental health services that let people take jobs and keep them. With unemployment still among the highest of any major Canadian city, we need that engine running at full capacity. Success looks like proven organizations on multi-year funding agreements, community services planned into new neighbourhoods from day one, underused city space converted into working nonprofit hubs, and more of our neighbours moved from crisis into stable housing. Measurable outcomes, published openly, so Londoners can see the results.”

(several paragraphs)

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

Confidence:High

Think we’ve got this wrong?

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?

Treats music and creative industries as an economic export sector, not a plaque — they fill hotel rooms, restaurants and storefronts.

  • Asked about the role of arts and culture in economic development, Meinen said music and creative industries fill hotel rooms, restaurants and storefronts and often keep Western and Fanshawe grads in town — 'treat them like the export sector they are.'
  • Favours one front door for venue/festival licensing and permits, protecting small venues, and putting every cultural dollar on a public ledger.
Show their words & source (a few sentences)
“Music and the creative industries fill hotel rooms, restaurants, and storefronts, and they’re often the reason a Western or Fanshawe grad decides to stay. Treat them like the export sector they are.”

Source: London Chamber of Commerce — 2026 candidate survey (Dan Meinen, Ward 7)

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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