GraphicMatt.com Archived MetroNews.ca columns and blog posts by Matt Elliott

ArchiveAugust 2017

Margaret Atwood and her fellow Annex alarmists must learn to share: Elliott

In a letter to the Toronto & East York Community Council, author Margaret Atwood cites concerns about privacy, the health of six trees, and the city-wide precedent that will be set by allowing this development. If you live in a great neighbourhood, you ought to want to share it. That’s doubly true if you’ve been lucky enough to settle somewhere that ticks all the boxes of good urban policy:...

Toronto police choose authority over visibility: Elliott

Toronto police say the new design “achieves a balance between visibility — with white doors, reflective lettering and emergency lights — and professionalism.” Last year, Police Chief Mark Saunders faced public backlash after he unveiled a new, stealthy, dark grey design for Toronto police cars. In response, Saunders withdrew the design and launched a survey process to collect feedback...

Seeking relief from the property tax corkscrew: Matt Elliott

Yonge Street business south of Bloor are struggling under the pressures of tax increases. Around the world, most major cities have access to a range of revenue sources. They’ve got a Swiss Army knife of options available to them: income taxes, sales taxes, road tolls and other fees. But in Toronto, most of these tools are off-limits. Our local government’s Swiss Army knife holds pretty much...

Chrome cows, giant ducks, robot battles: Let’s embrace weirdness in our cities

In addition to being a piece of art rooted in the local history of Markham, Ont. — before she was a statue Charity was a very famous milking cow — the cow sculpture is gloriously weird, writes Matt Elliott. I need to defend a cow. In recent weeks, a shiny metal cow sculpture named Charity has drawn all kinds of headlines. First because residents of the Markham, Ont., neighbourhood Charity calls...

GraphicMatt.com Archived MetroNews.ca columns and blog posts by Matt Elliott

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