Dear residents, As I promised you last week, here's my latest update for your review. I hope you find it interesting and informative. Please know that you are always welcome to contact me if I can ever be of support to you or your family. Best regards, Josh Protecting our Neighbourhoods: Lowering Speed Limits on [...]
April 22, 2015
Metro
Luke Simcoe
Whither our Wi-Fi?
While cities as small as Stratford, Ont. and as large as New York push forward on municipal Wi-Fi initiatives, plans for anything similar in Toronto continue to move at dial-up speed.
“When I brought the issue to City Hall, I found myself hitting a huge brick wall,” said Coun. Josh Matlow, the architect of a failed pitch to add Wi-Fi to municipal parks and squares in 2013.
After having his proposal “punted” from committee to committee, Matlow had to contend with the “anti-Wi-Fi lobby,” a group of residents concerned about the potential health effects of wireless Internet.
April 21, 2015
The Toronto Star
Jennifer Pagliaro
Food truck vendors have made a bit of progress in their fight to increase the places they’re allowed to set up shop to sell tacos, rotis and other fast-food delicacies.
On Tuesday, the city’s licensing committee agreed to dial back the most contentious restriction, one that dictates how close a food truck can park to a standing restaurant.
The six committee members voted 5-1 to approve a motion introduced by Councillor Josh Matlow to change that distance from 50 metres to 30 metres. Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti was the only member to vote against the motion, which still needs to be approved by council in May.
Dear residents, I was preparing an e-newsletter for you on an array of local and city hall issues but there is a one specific reason I'm writing to you this evening. I will send my regular update to you on Monday. I am very saddened to share with you that Lois Lilienstein, [...]
April 14, 2015
The Toronto Star
Betsy Powell
Unless there is widespread public opposition, the speed limit on hundreds of local residential roads in Toronto and East York will soon be lowered from 40 km/h to 30 km/h.
“From the residents that we’ve heard from, the vast majority are strongly in support of safer roads in our neighbourhoods,” Councillor Josh Matlow said Tuesday after the move was unanimously approved by Toronto and East York Community Council.
He emphasized that the change doesn’t affect main streets or collector roads.
A pedestrian hit by a vehicle at 30 km/h versus 40 km/h is “literally the difference between life and death."
Kids in the Davisville Village area will be able to go out to play along a spider’s web one day...soon.
St. Paul’s councillor Josh Matlow unveiled plans for the Sharon, Lois and Bram Playground inside June Rowlands Park on Wednesday, Mar. 25, with a variety of areas and activities named after songs by the famed children’s entertainers.
Features will include the Splish Splash splash pad and the Itsy Bitsy Spider Music Garden complete with musical instruments, climbable elephant sculptures and more.
“It got unanimous positive feedback from the community,” Matlow said. “It really animates the park in a family-friendly way.”
Dear residents, I hope you find my most recent update to you below interesting and informative. City Council just concluded a three day meeting that was productive but clearly demonstrated to me a need to improve the way council conducts our city's business. I share Mayor Tory's interest in raising the level of civility and [...]
April 4, 2015 Click here to see my interview with CP24 regarding rail safety.Click here to view a PDF version of the letter.
The number of seniors living in Toronto will increase dramatically during the next decade. As a strong advocate for seniors, I'm pleased to support the Toronto Council on Aging in their plans to create an Age-Friendly Business Assessment plan for the Deer Park area. Please visit my website to read the recent press release put out by [...]
