Josh MatlowCity Hall Diary Now that I’ve been a city councillor for three months, it’s time to confess something I’ve only recently been able to admit to myself. I am a Twitter addict. I faintly remember a time when if something interesting happened in my life I would rush to tell my wife about it. I [...]

Josh Matlow City Hall Diary This panel of buttons is found on the council chambers desks of Toronto councillors and is used to ask questions and cast votes. PHOTO: JOSH MATLOW/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Perhaps the most important thing I’ve learned as a new city councillor is how to push the right button. I’m certainly [...]

Josh Matlow, City Hall Diary Two months into a new job as a city councillor, life feels like a perpetual motion machine.At City Hall, there’s a busy schedule of committee meetings that go on for hours. Behind the scenes, councillors and their staff visit each others’ offices daily to seek support for motions, discuss issues [...]

Josh Matlow City Hall Diary If you live in Toronto, drive or bike, use public transit, utilities or recreation centres, have a social conscience or pay taxes, the decisions made at City Hall affect your life. Although some of the most seasoned reporters and politicians have told me that how council actually makes its decisions [...]

Josh Matlow’s City Hall Diary, Toronto Star To suggest that the Toronto Police Service has had a challenging year is an understatement. Between serious questions left unanswered surrounding its actions during the G20 and its recent request of City Hall for a substantial increase to it’s nearly $billion budget, our police suddenly replaced the TTC [...]

At a local café in my ward, I recently met with a bike-riding, midtown resident and supporter of Toronto’s arts and culture community who admitted that she voted for Rob Ford. Why, I asked her, did she make such a choice? She told me that although Mr. Ford’s politics weren’t typically her cup of tea [...]

After a long election and then starting a busy job at City Hall, I enjoyed the holidays with family and friends. Here are some of my highlights: SANTA FORD The day before City Hall shut down for the holidays, Mayor Ford visited each councillor’s office handing out Caramilk bars. I ate mine, and some cookies [...]

The evening before our most recent city council meeting, I drove home up Avenue Rd. during rush hour. For many months, traffic has moved painfully slowly in midtown Toronto due to a major water main replacement project; consequently I had plenty of time to consider the current issues making the headlines at City Hall. I [...]

Soon after I was elected to city council, a reporter called me to find out whether I support subways or streetcars. I responded by inquiring into what route I was being asked about. “I just want to know what side of the debate you’re on,” the reporter replied. I explained that I wasn’t aware of [...]