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These are city hall's new $1.2M pandemic-recovery ideas for London

Five new ideas to help London recover from COVID-19, with a total price tag of $1.2 million, are on the table.

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Five new ideas to help London recover from COVID-19, with a total price tag of $1.2 million, are on the table. City politicians will weigh up business cases that outline each strategy — everything from seasonal markets to a made-in-London food delivery app — on Tuesday. Council has set aside $10 million, and spent or earmarked a little less than $2 million so far, for recovery efforts.

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SUPPORT LOCAL

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Cost to taxpayers: $760,000

Who’s leading it: Tourism London

This proposal would include city-wide promotion of local tourism and small businesses, not just to appeal to customers but to “create a sense of community.” Think hotel deals, holiday gift guides and markets, an interactive digital map with activities to do and stops to make in the Forest City, and a London trail to experience a number of participating shops. Here’s another example: London’s five business improvement associations would receive 400 pre-paid credit cards with a $25 balance to use in contests. The goal? To “encourage Londoners to get out and explore their own backyard” and drive tourism, once COVID-19 rules have relaxed.

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CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Cost to taxpayers: $249,000

Who’s leading it: Goodwill

Taking donated old clothes and upcycling them into something new while creating jobs for marginalized people hard-hit by the pandemic. That’s part of the pilot project Goodwill hopes to get off the ground, in partnership with Fanshawe College. It’ll mean shredding textiles and creating new products, like cleaning rags, soil fertilizer, plus items for purchase such as tote bags and hats. The organizations hope to create 90 living-wage jobs, both full and part time, for those who have been shut out of the labour market, a portion of the population that’s long driven concern in London. Based on past programs, Goodwill estimates 20 to 30 per cent of those workers would move on to higher-paid jobs each year.

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GOOD FOODS PROJECT

Cost to taxpayers: $9,800

Who’s leading it: Reimagine Institute

An alternative to UberEats and other cellphone food delivery apps that stick restaurants with enormous charges, the Good Foods Project would be a web-based platform featuring mom and pop restaurants. It’ll be run by a new not-for-profit group that formed out of a desire to compete with the tech giants. “This is a solution created by Londoners, for Londoners, which will provide an opportunity for small businesses to participate in food delivery at a much more affordable rate,” according to the business case headed to politicians. The group aims to start small, with 10 downtown and Old East Village restaurants in its first year, and expand across the city after that. Another long-term goal is to get food restaurants aren’t selling to hungry or homeless Londoners.

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INNOVATIVE VENTURES

Cost to taxpayers: $180,000

Who’s leading it: TechAlliance

TechAlliance wants to harness the power of technology and London’s entrepreneurs to solve problems highlighted by pandemic lockdowns. The plan is to run summer and winter challenges, in which “creative innovators” build an app or some kind of tool to fill in gaps or needs in the city. It builds on similar competitions run by TechAlliance, such as its Design Challenge that drew more than 175 applications and awarded two winners $20,000 each.


EMPLOYMENT TRAINING

Cost to taxpayers: $135,000

Who’s leading it: Employment Sector Council

Employment professionals — they’re the ones who help recruit workers, beef up resumes and connect people with jobs — need to stay on top of how COVID-19 is changing the world of work. The Employment Sector Council is suggesting three training workshops be created for workers in that sector to get everyone up to speed on pandemic-related programs and recovery resources and ensure they can “respond to a new and dynamic regional labour market.” They predict 600 or more will participate in those workshops during the next three years.

All our coronavirus-related news can be found at lfpress.com/tag/coronavirus.

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