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graphicmatt.com
City columnist, contributing to the Toronto Star & writing the award-winning City Hall Watcher newsletter. A lot about Toronto Politics and then some nerd stuff. Humber College prof. (he/him)
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absolutely brutal reporting from @jackhauen.bsky.social about the collapse in ambition of GO rail expansion happening under this government www.thetrillium.ca/news/the-tri...

submitted 1 day ago • 9 comments

On next week's Executive Committee agenda: staff have found ten money-losing city-owned parking lots. Collectively, the land is worth $100+ million, but the city parking loses $2 million a year. Report recommends shutting down the lots and finding better uses. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

submitted 1 day ago • 2 comments

My @thestar.com column: Critics said multiplexes were madness. It turns out they provide cheaper and larger places to live. (No major parking problems, either!) With the kind of data they've got, Toronto council should have no doubt: sixplexes are the sensible move. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

submitted 2 days ago • 3 comments

Check your inbox: it's City Hall Watcher #335! The COUNCIL SCORECARD returns, with a look at where councillors stand — and Mayor Olivia Chow's first recorded loss. Plus: a too-early look at what the data could say about next year's municipal election. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/scoring-ma...

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Excellent column by @graphicmatt.com discussing why Toronto's street fights - whether it be for #BikeTO lanes, #TTC priority lanes, or #WalkTO friendly spaces - keep on happening despite the overwhelming evidence supporting people friendly streets. #TOpoli www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

The novelty cheque could have been made proportionately smaller, at least.

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

Chow needs to deliver some change that people can see. Strong interventions that makes public space better: seating, shade, cooling stations, ice cream, beer gardens, *something*. The right in 2026 will argue that government is useless and needs to be starved and beaten. Prove them wrong.

submitted 5 days ago • 9 comments

I do think Chow would benefit from something akin to Tory's kids-ride-the-TTC-free policy from early in his first term. Some sort of high-impact, (relatively) low-effort, broadly-popular change. Dunno what it could be, though. Any ideas?

submitted 5 days ago • 13 comments

The Leger poll I write about in today’s newsletter also includes some notable numbers on the Science Centre and Ontario Place. 59% of Toronto residents oppose moving the Science Centre. 51% have unfavourable views on the Ontario Place plan. leger360.com/wp-content/u... (PDF)

submitted 5 days ago • 2 comments

There’s a busy week at City Hall coming, so I’ve put together a special FREE edition of my City Hall Watcher newsletter, with a look at looming debates on sixplexes, the parking strategy, some TTC trends and more. Also: some very early electioneering. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/sixplexes-...

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Things I learned about the new TTC CEO today: - Never been to Toronto before - Still mastering good mic technique - His age is a mysterious secret www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc...

submitted 6 days ago • 7 comments

Notable back-and-forth between @lanrickbennett.bsky.social and Councillor Paula Fletcher here. Lanrick makes good argument for protected bike lanes on Jones Ave, as previously approved by council. Fletcher says that plan takes away too many parking spaces. beachmetro.com/2025/06/05/i...

submitted 6 days ago • 9 comments

Report to next week’s Planning & Housing Committee recommends allowing six-unit multiplexes city-wide. Max height permissions will increase from 10 metres to 10.5 metres, to allow for better windows in basement units. But no other changes to the size of buildings. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

submitted 7 days ago • 2 comments

New agenda item alert: tomorrow’s meeting of the Toronto & East York Community Council will see a vote on whether to permit the continued existence of this makeshift Lemonade Stand in Dovercourt Village. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

submitted 7 days ago • 5 comments

Centre island instantly becoming the most used bikeshare station. Lol. City council slowly picking that low hanging fruit.

submitted 8 days ago • 7 comments

Report on next week’s Infrastructure Committee agenda recommends replacing a bunch of pedestrian crossovers (orange flashing overhead lights) with full-on traffic signals. Drivers have become pretty terrible at stopping at the crossover signals in my experience. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

submitted 8 days ago • 2 comments

"Tory, who was dressed in a white shirt and grey blazer, added that during his time as mayor he 'never read what the papers were saying' about him, preferring to stay out of the political hubbub." That’s… not how I remember it. www.torontotoday.ca/local/politi...

submitted 8 days ago • 10 comments

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #334! LOBBYIST WATCH for May 2025, featuring lobbyists for Summerhill Market battling against Bathurst Street, the rise of robot lobbying, some tiny shelter trouble, and much much more. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/lobbyists-...

submitted 9 days ago • 1 comment

Did he ever stop running? www.qpbriefing.com/news/brad-br...

submitted 12 days ago • 22 comments

Is the Esplanade not, like, the canonical ideal of the “side street” where the anti-bike crowd say bike lanes should go? There’s no appeasing these people. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

submitted 14 days ago • 26 comments

My @thestar.com column this week: There’s a year to go before kickoff, but Toronto’s FIFA World Cup 2026 hosting budget is already getting a yellow card. There’s no way this event ever amounts to a fiscal win for city hall. It’s time to focus on limiting the damage. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

submitted 16 days ago • 2 comments

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #333! Your May 2025 Council meeting recap, featuring a scorecard of Bubble Zone votes, Quotable Quotes from the meeting, and reports to watch for. Also: library stats show a digital borrowing boom. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/toronto-co...

submitted 16 days ago • 0 comments

Especially galling because, as far as this vandal is concerned, it’s working. Photo radar charges on Parkside between November (when vandalism started) and March were down 78% year over year. datawrapper.dwcdn.net/i8uxn/1/C

submitted 19 days ago • 4 comments