Subscribe to my City Hall and Community Updates!
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 April 27, 2015
Dear residents, As I promised you last week, here's my [...]
Metro: Toronto lags behind on public Wi-Fi: Councillor
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.
Toronto Star: A Small Victory for Toronto Food Trucks
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.
Lois Lilienstein- Our community is grateful
Dear residents, I was preparing an e-newsletter for [...]
Toronto Star: Community council moves to lower speed limits on East York, old Toronto streets
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."
