Fresh from winning my first election to city council last year, I was approached by the Toronto Star to write a weekly column about city hall from a newly elected councillor’s perspective and to offer readers a unique and candid look into local politics. […]

Josh Matlow City Hall Diary The prospect of cuts to virtually every city service mobilized hundreds of concerned Toronto residents last week to make deputations to eight council committees considering the mayor’s core service review. […]

Josh Matlow City Hall Diary Most city councillors, aside from those in the mayor’s inner circle, are far too often sidelined when it comes to many of the big decisions at city hall. For example, last week city manager Joe Pennachetti, budget chair Mike Del Grande and a consulting firm recently hired by the city [...]

Josh Matlow City Hall Diary What you’re about to read might surprise you — Toronto’s city councillors are much less divided than you might think. Council meeting agendas typically contain hundreds of items each month; yet only a small number of them are covered by the media for the public’s consumption. And while most reporters [...]

Josh Matlow City Hall Diary Last week, I, along with many of my council colleagues (of every partisan orientation), attended a ceremony to watch the Rainbow flag being raised at city hall. Although it was a hot and sunny afternoon, this celebration of equality was soon overshadowed by the storm clouds of political controversy. [...]

Josh Matlow City Hall Diary Soon after winning election to city council, a number of my veteran colleagues warned me that I should expect to sacrifice much of my personal life attending meetings and community events. And that the loss of anonymity that comes with having a public profile means that whatever a city councillor [...]

Josh Matlow City Hall Diary When I was in Grade 1, there was another boy named Josh in my class. Every time our teacher called our name, both of us would respond simultaneously. This became very confusing for everyone involved. So our teacher came up with an idea that would cement our identities forever. My [...]

Josh Matlow City Hall Diary The ancient Mayan calendar anticipated the world will end next year. The Mayans were gifted astronomers and were guided by the sun, the moon and the stars. But is it possible that their predictions were also based on prior knowledge of Toronto’s fiscal situation? Like a street preacher wearing a [...]

Josh Matlow City Hall Diary While I struggled with the question of garbage privatization in the lead-up to last week’s council meeting, I thought of my friend and former Toronto Star editor, Alan Marshall, who passed away this month. Alan still guided me posthumously through a quote he was fond of, “When there is doubt, [...]

Josh Matlow City Hall Diary Nearly six months on the job and Toronto’s newly elected councillors don’t feel so new anymore. Our schedules have been hectic, our learning curve’s been steep, and there have been repeated attempts to divide us into either right- or left-wing camps. But despite our differences, we’re all still determined to [...]