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Post City: City purchases defunct Davisville bowling club from developer
Historic green space to become public park after two years of battles.
January 28, 2016
Samantha Peksa
Post City Toronto
Councillor Josh Matlow and local resident Derek Tilley stand on what remains of the lawn bowling club
The fate of the 92-year-old Glebe Manor Lawn Bowling Club has finally been decided, following two years of battles arduously fought by its shareholders, the Davisville community and the local councillor. But some questions surrounding the validity of the sale may remain.
The now defunct lawn bowling club was originally founded in 1923, but due to a dwindling membership, club members, led by president Phillip Foubert, resolved to sell its land in 2013.
Now, Ward 22 councillor Josh Matlow has announced that the city has purchased a parcel of the land at 196 Manor Rd. E. from developer Michael Volpentesta, who allegedly beat the city to the punch in a bid to purchase the property in 2014.
CP24: Toronto residents examine power of OMB at town hall meeting
January 26, 2016
Paul Johnston
CP24
A view of the city of Toronto's waterfront is seen from Lake Ontario on Sunday, June 25, 2000. (The Canadian Press/Kevin Frayer)
A town hall meeting looking to end the Ontario Municipal Board’s stranglehold on development decisions was held in Toronto Tuesday night.
Organized by Coun. Josh Matlow, the meeting held at North Toronto Collegiate Institute brought together area residents to examine the functions of the board, and whether it should be reformed or eliminated altogether.
The OMB is an unelected provincial body that currently has the final word on all development-related projects across the province, including Toronto. Many contentious development projects initially rejected by the city have later been greenlit by the board, overruling the city’s Official Plan and angering residents and councillors alike.
Globe and Mail: Scarborough subway would shrink under plan to extend Eglinton Crosstown
January 20
Oliver Moore and Marcus Gee
The Globe and Mail
One of the most controversial transit debates in Toronto is heating up again with a new plan to radically revamp the $3.5-billion Scarborough subway heading to city council.
The plan by city staff, which is expected to be released Thursday morning, involves cutting short the subway and using the extra money to add a 12-kilometre extension of the Eglinton Crosstown light rail line, taking it to the University of Toronto campus in Scarborough.
Mayor John Tory was refusing to comment on the specifics of the report, a copy of which was obtained Wednesday by The Globe and Mail, other than to say that a plan that would better serve the east end of the city was coming. But some councillors who had fought tooth and nail over whether the original project should be subway or LRT were lining up to praise the new proposal.
Toronto Sun: Councillors predict the budget fights ahead
January 9, 2016
Shawn Jeffords
Toronto Sun
Group portrait of Toronto city council 2014-18 at City Hall in Toronto on Thursday December 11, 2014. (Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun)
TORONTO - When Toronto’s 2016 budget hits the council floor in February councillors will have to duke it out to make sure their priorities get the cash.
The Sun asked four councillors what they predict will be the biggest budget battles next month.
Toronto Star: Councillor takes on Toronto’s chief planner over ‘flawed’ subway numbers
Emails reveal conflict between Josh Matlow and Jennifer Keesmaat over seemingly inflated Scarborough ridership projections.
December 17
Jennifer Pagliaro
Toronto Star
Toronto's chief planner, Jennifer Keesmaat, has acknowledged the figures produced by city staff before council did a flip-flop on a Scarborough subway were produced in a rushed process. Photo: CARLOS OSORIO / TORONTO STAR
As the public debate over the Scarborough subway continues, behind the scenes, the city’s chief planner and the most vocal opponent of the project on city council have been sparring over “flawed” numbers.
The war of words between Ward 22 (St. Paul’s) Councillor Josh Matlow and chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat escalated last month, during a back-and-forth obtained by the Star.
Their letters highlight continuing criticism over the justification for a three-stop, $3.56-billion subway. But they also draw attention to concerns over the part senior staff played in seeing a seven-stop, fully funded, $1.48-billion LRT cancelled.
Matlow first sent a public letter to Keesmaat on Sept. 18 about the numbers that influenced council’s 2013 subway decision, which followed on a memo sent by Keesmaat to all councillors about upcoming public consultations.
“I am writing you in advance of these meetings to request that Toronto residents and council are provided with accurate, reliable information with which to assess these transit projects,” Matlow wrote.
Post City: Developer pledges to work with community on 42-storey condo plan at Yonge & St. Clair
November 20
Angela Hennessy
Post City Toronto
Josh Matlow stands in front of the proposed site
Terracap developers were told to go back to the drawing board last month after Toronto and East York Community Council rejected their proposal for a 42-storey building near the southeast corner at Yonge and St. Clair.
Their original proposal called for a mixed-use building with 420 residential units, two levels of retail space and 136 parking spaces.
The proposal was refused largely because of the height and density, as well as the narrow setback that would have taken away sidewalk space.
“It would have just felt like a big wall on Yonge Street,” Ward 22 councillor Josh Matlow said.
