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Josh in the Community
My Staff and I are here to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have about your neighbourhood and/or your home. We’re working every day to make our community safer while improving Midtown’s parks, main streets, and the many valued services we rely on including recreation, childcare, and waste collection. I hope to see you out in our community soon!
Josh at City Hall
On your behalf, I am advocating for a more thoughtful, creative, and responsible approach to policy issues at City Hall. I take very seriously the responsibility to make informed decisions that are based on evidence, community consultation, and the merits of arguments – rather than partisanship. I will continue representing our community at Council meetings on transit, tenant concerns, childcare, green space, and other issues that matter most to Midtown residents. Or, you can reach us by phone at 416 392-7906.
Current News Updates
City Hall and Community Update for December 11, 2015
Proud to be Appointed City of Toronto Seniors Advocate [...]
My Letter Requesting Trump Tower Name Change
December 8, 2015 Dear Talon International Development Inc, I [...]
Toronto Star: Toronto councillors want legal Grenadier Pond skating
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.”
Toronto Star: Councillor calls for all the facts ahead of delayed transit reports
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.
Newstalk 1010: City staff to report on offering free Wi-Fi in city parks, TCHC
Toronto's Economic Development committee has voted unanimously to have city staff re-visit the idea of offering free Wi-Fi at city parks, civic squares and for interested Business Improvement Areas. Staff will also examine free Wi-Fi for the more 164,000 tenants of Toronto Community Housing.
Toronto currently offers free Wi-Fi at city libraries and is in the process of rolling it out at all TTC stations in 2017.
Councillor Josh Matlow is convinced that a more widespread free Wi-Fi program is possible by forging public-private partnerships.
