Expanded Community Hours for Hodgson Rink! I am happy to report that we have finally been successful in expanding community hours at Hodgson ice rink. While we were successful at getting a new rink built, there were many of us who weren't satisfied with the relatively few hours initially dedicated to the community. Since the [...]
Dear residents, Over the past year, we've accomplished so much for our Ward 22 community - and there's still much more to do. I'm truly grateful for the friendships we've made and the remarkable community we continue to build and protect together. We've also focused on providing necessary, thoughtful, honest and fiscally-responsible [...]
Proud to be Appointed City of Toronto Seniors Advocate During my first year as our city councillor, I initiated the City of Toronto’s Seniors Strategy: a proactive, holistic and inclusive initiative that seeks to create a truly accessible, respectful and age-friendly Toronto. Since its inception two years ago, 86 of the 91 recommendations have [...]
December 8, 2015 Dear Talon International Development Inc, I am writing to request that you change the name of your building, Trump International Hotel & Tower, on 311 Bay Street in Toronto. Donald Trump is a leading contender for the Presidency of the United States. During his campaign, he has made many remarks specifically [...]
September 18th, 2015
David Rider
The Toronto Star
Pushing for safe, legal skating on Grenadier Pond, councillors urged bureaucrats to balance their legal liability concerns with a need to let Torontonians enjoy their city.
Councillor Josh Matlow said a staff report recommending legal skating on the High Park pond only if the city launches a rigorous, expensive monitoring and safety program points to the need for a “rethink.”
“With the logic that has been followed on this, one could argue that we should have signs up saying you shouldn’t walk on our sidewalks because we don’t maintain our sidewalks perfectly ... so maybe somebody could have an accident, maybe we’ll be liable,” said Matlow, noting he skated on Grenadier as a kid.
“To simply have the default position, to just say ‘No you can’t’, I don’t think is the kind of city that we want to create.”
September 18th, 2015
Jennifer Pagliaro
The Toronto Star
A city councillor is requesting “accurate, reliable information” from staff on the Scarborough subway and other transit projects when they return to council for debate.
But just when those projects will be back on the table is now in question, with the necessary planning work behind the scenes delaying reports for what could be several months.
After controversy over whether council’s narrow decision to build a Scarborough subway was justified in the first place, Councillor Josh Matlow asks — in a letter to chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat — that this time, the public will be given all the facts.
Matlow, who argued against a subway in favour of a seven-stop light-rail line already fully funded by the province, pointed to a fluctuating ridership number in a report used to justify the subway plan championed by then-mayor Rob Ford.
September 14th, 2015
Robin Levinson King
Toronto Star
Slow down — starting today, speed limits on 387 kilometres of local city roads will be reduced to 30 km/hr.
The speed limit will be reduced from 40 km/hr to 30 km/hr on local roads within the Toronto and East York community council districts.
The change of pace was championed by Ward 22 councillor Josh Matlow and passed community council in June. A city report suggested it could help make streets safer, but also that changing the signs could cost $1.1 million.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Matlow said. Matlow said research makes it clear that reducing speed limits save lives, because if a pedestrian is hit by a car at a lower speed they are much more likely to survive.
September 14, 2015
Kendra Mangione
CTV News
Speed limits will be reduced from 40 km/h to 30 on residential roads in East York and downtown Toronto, starting with Ward 22 this week.
Coun. Josh Matlow, the representative for Ward 22 St. Paul's, told reporters Monday that 40 km/h signs will be replaced by 30 km/h signs starting in his ward.
Ward 22 is bordered by Eglinton and Broadway Avenues in the north, Spadina Road to the west, Macpherson Avenue and Southvale Drive to the south and Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue to the east.
The new signs will then be rolled out across the rest of the affected areas over the next year. The changes will affect 387 kilometres of Toronto roads in 12 wards, and will cost the city approximately $1 million. Limits in York, North York, Etobicoke and Scarborough will not be affected.
The speed reduction was unanimously approved by the Toronto and East York Community Council in June, but was proposed more than a year ago by Matlow.
