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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
Keeping You Informed & Engaged: My Analysis of the SmartTrack Proposal Before Council this Week
Dear residents,This week, Council will decide whether to proceed [...]
City Hall and Community Update for October 7, 2016
Dear residents, As always, I hope you find my latest [...]
Toronto Star: Province proposes limiting powers of Ontario Municipal Board
Review of powerful appeals body aims to give more consideration to local planning process.
October 5, 2016
Jennifer Pagliaro
The Toronto Star
Attorney General Yasir Naqvi, whose department oversees the Ontario Municipal Board, said there is little agreement on how best to reform the land use planning process in the province but that it should centre on “healthy, sustainable and safe” communities. (ANDREW FRANCIS WALLACE / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)
The province is proposing putting new limits on the controversial and powerful appeals body that oversees land use in Ontario.
After launching a review of the Ontario Municipal Board earlier this summer, Minister of Municipal Affairs Bill Mauro said Wednesday the review will address criticism that the board often ignores planning decisions made at the local level.
“We are going to try as best we’re able through the proposed changes that we’re putting forward to show more deference for local, municipal decision-making,” Mauro said at a news conference at Queen’s Park.
Toronto Star: Scarborough subway might already be off track
TTC boss warns $3.2-billion budget and timetable are in danger as city works to finalize route.
October 5, 2016
Ben Spurr
The Toronto Star
TTC head Andy Byford waits for the subway to slow down at the Bloor-Yonge Station earlier this year. (NAKITA KRUCKER / TORONTO STAR)
The head of the TTC is warning that the Scarborough subway project that council voted for less than three months ago is already at risk for delays and cost increases.
In an exclusive interview with the Star, Andy Byford said it’s still possible to complete the one-stop extension by 2025 and at a cost of $3.2 billion, “but we’re flagging it’s a red, as in danger.”
Metro: Toronto councillor trashes condo signs littering sidewalks
A-frame signs advertising sales offices are a hazard, says Coun. Josh Matlow.
Councillor Josh Matlow is sick of developers' A-frame signs, so he's taken to piling them up at Toronto's garbage bins.
They are just one of the downsides to growing the city up, but Councillor Josh Matlow is so fed up with those A-frame sidewalk signs advertising condos, he folds them up and stacks them beside the nearest garbage bin.
“I find it cathartic,” said Matlow (Ward 22, St. Paul’s), who posts pictures on social media showing the signs he has collected.
Torontoist: DineSafe Worked for Restaurants—and It Will Work for Landlords, Too
Renters undergo a slew of background checks before they move into an apartment. Who's checking out the landlords?
September 22, 2016
Yale Fox (Guest Contributor)
Torontoist
Photo by ben marans from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
Toronto has a food scene like no other. In a city where 51 per cent of the population hails from somewhere else, a cultural synthesis of flavours works to offer the best of everything. Hailed by no less than Vogue magazine as a paragon of cool, it wasn’t always this way. Back in 2000, an investigative series focused public attention on the truly dirty underbelly of Toronto’s (then nascent) foodie revolution: rodent and cockroach infestations, filthy food preparation surfaces, and unsafe food storage and handling. Compliance with health and safety regulations was as low as 42 per cent, and enforcement was opaque. A chronic offender faced almost no penalties: fines were rare, closures even rarer. And the public was kept in the dark.
