At the November 18 Public Participation Meeting for the 2026 City Budget, Pillar CEO Maureen Cassidy spoke on behalf of the nonprofit sector. She acknowledged the real pressures facing Council, while also highlighting an important opportunity to recognize nonprofits as true partners, not just service providers.
Maureen welcomed new investments in housing and homelessness supports, which align closely with what nonprofits are already doing on the ground. She emphasized that organizations with deep, trusted relationships in the community must be included in designing and strengthening these supports from the start.
She noted that community safety is more than enforcement. True safety grows from programs that build belonging, purpose, and connection, which are the “quiet infrastructure” of safe communities, delivered every day by nonprofits across London.
Other key points in Maureen's speech included the importance of improving mobility within the city, not just between cities, and the need to keep library expansions front and centre. Libraries, she reminded Council, remain essential community hubs where people learn, connect, and access services.
Finally, Maureen called for protecting the Community Grants Program and ensuring nonprofits have a clear role in shaping and implementing budget priorities. Her message was simple: the City and nonprofits are already working toward the same goals, now is the time to strengthen that partnership.
Read the full speech here.