Update · October 6, 2026
We came here for the same reasons you did
We Came Here for the Same Reasons You Did
Oct 5, 2026 · @Sean Hunt
The day CBC asked why I moved here
In September 2017, CBC London ran a week-long series called Home Values. One story asked why so many families were leaving London for Ilderton, Thorndale and Lucan. I was one of the people they asked.
My family had moved back to Ilderton from London about two years earlier. I told the reporter we found essentially the same house for less money, in a smaller place, with a far stronger sense of community. I also said I'd met more neighbours in two weeks here than in two years in our old London neighbourhood.
Nine years later, that's still true. It's a big part of why I'm running for Mayor.
What the story found in 2017
The CBC piece described real growth north of London, with an extra bump that year driven by hot markets in London and the GTA.
• Affordability was the draw. Middlesex Centre's director of planning and development services, Arnie Marsman, pointed to reasonable taxes, permit fees and development charges.
• Prices were already rising. A local realtor said average home prices in Ilderton, Thorndale and Lucan had all gone up over the previous year.
• Developers expected more. Sifton's Phil Masschelein said demand was increasing and would continue. Sifton had two new Ilderton developments planned at the time.
• People came for community, not just cheaper houses. Residents pushed back on the label "bedroom community." As I put it then: "It is a community into itself."
The prediction came true
The developers were right. The families kept coming, from London and, more and more, from other countries.
You can see it at our fair. This year was a record. More people, more cars looking for parking, more garbage to handle, more attention needed on safety. The fair is getting bigger because the community is getting bigger.
That's good news. But growth doesn't plan itself. In 2017 the question was why people were coming. In 2026 the question is whether we're ready for them.
Building the community we want, now
The things that drew my family here, affordability and belonging, don't survive growth by accident. We have to build for them.
• Facilities that fit the population. The arena needs to grow. The library needs more space and better resources.
• Trails and active travel. Kids should be able to walk or bike safely to school, and families should be able to get between our villages without a car.
• Housing for every stage of life. We need a diverse range of forms of housing for young people starting out and to allow grand parents to downsize without leaving the community the built. No family here should face that choice.
• Growth that respects tradition. New homes and new neighbours should strengthen what makes this place feel like home, not wear it down.
Middlesex Centre was never just houses on the edge of London. If we plan well, it never will be.
An open invitation
If you moved here recently, welcome. You came for the same reasons my family did. If you've been here for generations, you're the reason those of us who arrived later found a community worth joining.
Either way, I want to hear what you think this place needs as it grows. Get in touch, and please vote on October 26.
— Sean Hunt, candidate for Mayor of Middlesex Centre
Sources
• Paula Duhatschek, "Bedroom community boom: Why more buyers are looking beyond London", CBC News London, September 2017
— Sean