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

ArchiveDecember 2016

Tie a ribbon on my tithes — taxes in Toronto are a bargain: Matt Elliott

Next time you decide to gripe about property taxes in Toronto, remember the tax rate in T.O. is far lower than the average city in the GTA. In a season defined by giving and getting, it feels opportune to take a moment to reflect on what your city will be asking from you in the new year. For property taxes in Toronto, the request works out to — are you ready for this? — an additional eight bucks...

Ep. 16: Doing laundry in Guelph

Luke and Matt are joined by Metro’s own May Warren this week for a deep dive into everything that sucks about housing in Toronto! We discuss whether it’s really possible to continuously report on the unaffordability of housing without eventually falling into a pit of despair. May strains to find some bright spots to tell us about and we chat a bit about the virtues of renting. Later, we take a...

All I want for Christmas is a Toronto sales tax

Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa was quick to shoot down the idea of a municipal sales tax for Toronto. Metro's Matt Elliott says he needs to reconsider. Toronto City Council was full of surprises last week. Not only did the final council meeting of 2016 see councillors vote to move forward with Mayor John Tory’s plan for highway tolls – something unthinkable just a year ago – they...

Ep. 15: I am not a NIMBY but…

Reunited once again — and feeling so good — the Metropolis team is joined by planner Sean Galbraith, who recently came up with the idea to combine urban planning with pizza. Like pineapple and ham, it’s a weird combination but it seems to work. Sean tells us why he thinks his offer to host small groups of people to discuss the basics of planning has drawn so much interest, and what that says...

Four reasons why Patrick Brown needs to steer clear of Toronto's plan for road tolls

John Tory's plan to add tolls to the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway would create revenue for a dedicated infrastructure fund. Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown made it clear last week: he really, really doesn’t like Mayor John Tory’s plan to put road tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway. But I’ve got no time for Brown’s opinion on this, and neither...

City hall committees must reflect the entire city — including downtown

Mayor John Tory and Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam on the floor of City Hall. Wong-Tam has been critical of the lack of downtown councillors on important city committees under Tory. Over the next couple of years, city hall’s public works and infrastructure committee will make recommendations about bike lanes, road safety and other infrastructure in Toronto’s rapidly growing downtown. But there’s a...

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

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