London officials and opposition politicians are urging the province to declare a state of emergency as homelessness, addiction and mental-health pressures intensify across the city.
London North Centre NDP MPP Terence Kernaghan said the situation has reached a point where municipalities cannot manage without long-term provincial support. Speaking during question period on Dec. 9, he accused the government of failing to provide timely funding for housing and recovery services.
“People have been abandoned without housing or support,” Kernaghan said. “Small businesses are being forced to shoulder the consequences of provincial inaction. Ontario’s Big City Mayors are calling for urgent action.”
Kernaghan said deaths connected to homelessness have increased in London and argued that housing with wraparound supports would cost far less than leaving people unsheltered. He said declaring a state of emergency would acknowledge the scale of the crisis and allow municipalities to access faster funding.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack defended the province’s approach, saying Ontario has increased investments aimed at helping municipalities respond to local needs.
“We continue to work closely with our municipal partners,” Flack said in the Legislature. “More than $1.7 billion has been invested, and homelessness prevention funding is up 40 per cent.”
Local officials say those investments have not kept pace with the pressure on municipal services. London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said cities have exhausted what they can manage through local budgets and short-term emergency programs.
“Individual cities declaring a state of emergency has changed nothing,” Lewis said. “Municipalities have carried the ball as far as we can, we simply can’t do this alone.”
Lewis said the city’s winter response system, including overnight warming space at Boyle Community Centre, continues to face growing demand. He said long-term solutions require the province to fund mental-health treatment and addiction recovery beds, which fall under provincial jurisdiction.
Pressure from London comes as Ontario’s Big City Mayors continue calling for coordinated provincial action, warning that homelessness and addiction have become system-wide emergencies.
The province has not indicated whether it plans to declare a state of emergency or commit new resources beyond current funding programs.
The London City Hall sign on Nov. 11, 2025. (Hayden King/XFM News)
