At our new city council’s inaugural meeting, my colleagues and I excitedly assembled with family and friends to celebrate our achievements, look forward to the new term and to honour a day full of tradition and dignity. Then Don Cherry, dressed in a theatrical, bright pink jacket, opened his mouth. Canada’s celebrity coach was invited [...]

At 9 a.m. on Dec. 1, my freshly hired staff and I arrived at a City Hall office with a nameplate reading “Josh Matlow, Councillor Ward 22, St. Paul’s.” For a fleeting moment, I wondered to myself, “Could I truly be a Toronto city councillor today?” I decided it would be best not to question [...]

Councillor Josh Matlow DAVID COOPER/TORONTO STAR Today the Toronto Star welcomes Josh Matlow, a fresh-off-the-ballot member of Toronto City Council, to these pages as an occasional columnist. His diary will offer a unique perspective on life at city hall, through the eyes of a new councillor coping with the surprises, challenges and joys of serving [...]