This week on What London Can Be, we revisit our first Vital Conversation event of the year; a panel discussion where our guest speakers discuss the unique housing challenges faced particularly by Indigenous, newcomer, and racialized communities. Hosted by chair of the LCF Vital Signs Committee, Dr. Jerry White, we’re joined by; Andrea Jibb, Director of Community Planning at Atlohsa Family Healing Services, Mariyam Zaidi MSW, RSW, Director of Services at Sakeenah Homes, and Dr. Valerian Marochko, Executive Director at Cross Cultural Learner Centre.

Episode length: 00:55:25

This week, our host Diane Silva is joined by Dr. Abe Oudshoorn, Associate Professor at the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing at Western University. A registered nurse who worked with homeless people in London, Abe has a strong knowledge of the history of homelessness in Canada, and in this episode he and Diane discuss how we’ve arrived at the housing crisis we see in London today.

Episode length: 00:27:48

As we return for Season 2 of What London Can Be, our host Diane Silva speaks again with Andrew Chunilall, CEO of Community Foundations of Canada, about the future of philanthropy, and the roles we all have to play.

Episode length: 00:56:45

In this episode of What London Can Be, our host Diane Silva speaks with Janet Tufts, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of London and Area. Last fall, Big Brothers Big Sisters was granted $51,056 through LCF’s Community Vitality Grant program. This grant will help support the creation of a new volunteer coordinator position which will help address the volunteer intake bottleneck and eliminate the waitlist of children in need of a mentor, which is especially important amid the stress of the pandemic. Listen and learn more about how Big Brothers Big Sisters is positively impacting the lives of so many children in our community.

Episode Length: 25:02

In this episode of What London Can Be, our host Diane Silva speaks with Skylar Franke, Executive Director of the London Environmental Network, about the environment, sustainability, and what groups and organizations are doing to keep our Forest City green and thriving.

Learn more about Green Economy London here.

Episode length: 00:30:14