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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 Centre Mirror: Sharon, Lois and Bram playground in June Rowlands Park
April 1, 2015
City Centre Mirror
Justin Skinner
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.”
City Hall and Community Update for April 2, 2015
Dear residents, I hope you find my most recent update [...]
Open Letter to Minister Raitt on Rail Safety
April 4, 2015 Click here to see my interview with [...]
Toronto Council on Aging is pleased to announce Neighbourhood-Based Age-Friendly Plan for Deer Park
The number of seniors living in Toronto will increase dramatically [...]
York Guardian: In Toronto, heritage protection – even when secured – still isn’t a sure thing
March 26, 2015
York Guardian
David Nickle
There are no plans to do anything with the two-storey brick building housing the Starbucks Coffee shop at the corner of Yonge Street and Davisville Avenue. But Josh Matlow isn’t taking any chances.
The councillor for St. Paul’s will be pushing to have the structure officially designated a heritage property. It sounds like there’s good reason. The building once housed a general store and post office owned by one John Davis — the same Davis that gave the name to the tiny, nearly-forgotten community of Davisville. The second floor lounge of the coffee shop was once home to the first town meeting of Davisville. Up the road, the Davis’ also owned a pottery business.
Sipping coffee on one of the old leather couches in the old town hall, Matlow calls the building “the heart of the area.”
“It’s not just because we get our coffee here,” says Matlow. “Its architecture defines the community — it is iconic. If it were to become a glass and steel condo, the heart of the community would be ripped out. It wouldn’t look like Davisville anymore.”
Public invited to have their say on Yonge and Eglinton area development
Mar 24, 2015
Inside Toronto
Justin Skinner
The Yonge and Eglinton area is facing mounting development pressures, but councillor Josh Matlow, the City of Toronto and a variety of local stakeholders are looking to get a leg up on any new proposals.
On Monday, March 23, residents crammed into a meeting room at Northern District Library to get a look at the public realm elements of the ongoing Midtown in Focus process, which will lead to amendments to a Secondary Plan that will shape development in the Yonge and Eglinton area.
City of Toronto planners Paul Farish and Helene Iardas highlighted “five place-making moves” that would redefine the Midtown Public Realm Character Area. Those moves included 12-metre setbacks from the street for new developments along Eglinton Avenue East, landscaping along Eglinton Avenue West, public squares at several intersections, a green promenade, traffic calming on Redpath Avenue and more.
