2020

Dec 30 2020: the year in charts ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Dec 28 The pandemic helped transform Toronto streets in an instant. Let that be a lesson for 2021 ↗ Star Dec 22 Thanks for the Christmas cash, Ford and Trudeau. Now keep it coming ↗ Star Dec 21 Good riddance - Council caps off 2020 ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Dec 15 Eglinton West RT debate shows that subway boosters have learned nothing from their epic failure in Scarborough ↗ Star Dec 14 Council talks taxes, tents and transformations ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Dec 8 Tax them and tax them hard — Toronto shouldn’t be timid about people who let homes sit vacant ↗ Star Dec 7 One hundred issues, more lobbyists ↗ Newsletter Dec 1 Toronto is quick to ticket for parking violations. Why was it so slow with shutting down Adamson Barbecue? ↗ Star Nov 30 Council's November reign ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Nov 24 People working from home will change Toronto’s downtown long-term. Here’s what to do with all that vacant office space ↗ Star Nov 23 Council to talk traffic and toilets ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Nov 17 Doug Ford’s repeated COVID-19 fumbles have allowed Toronto to score public health points. But no one should be cheering ↗ Star Nov 16 Scorecard watching ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Nov 10 The city refuses to clear snow and ice off some downtown sidewalks. That will make for a dreary, dangerous COVID-19 winter ↗ Star Nov 9 Lobtoberfest ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Nov 2 Tricks, treats and three-day Council meetings ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Oct 27 COVID-19 has cut through red tape for curbside dining and bike lanes — why not for permits for firepits in Toronto parks during a pandemic winter? ↗ Star Oct 26 The not-so-constant Gardiner ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Oct 20 Think Toronto’s $1.5 billion budget shortfall is a symptom of COVID-19? Think again ↗ Star Oct 19 Metrolinx Crosslinx Hyperlinx ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Oct 13 🗂 Report round-up ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Oct 13 Seven days that demand answers: Why did the province dawdle on city’s request to close bars and restaurants? ↗ Star Oct 5 The fall of lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Oct 3 The rush to reopen inside seating in bars and restaurants was a mistake — and now we’re paying for it ↗ Star Sep 29 There’s only one correct way to fill Jim Karygiannis’ city council seat: democracy ↗ Star Sep 28 A cornucopia of consultants ↗ Newsletter Sep 21 It looked like Toronto had a chance to beat the pandemic in August. We blew it ↗ Star Sep 21 Jam-packed week ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Sep 15 ‘Ugh. More condos’: How to fix what’s wrong with Toronto’s condominium boom ↗ Star Sep 14 State of the city ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Sep 8 Lobbyist's Labour's Lost ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Sep 7 Let’s save the Ex — and keep it as an old school nostalgic throwback ↗ Star Aug 31 Pandemic power rankings ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Aug 31 The Danforth bike lanes were a success, even before they were completed ↗ Star Aug 24 Bike Share Toronto is finally thriving (and those electric bikes are awesome, too) ↗ Star Aug 24 Grand Theft Bike ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Aug 18 COVID-19 was a ‘four-alarm fire’ for Toronto’s finances. The province’s bailout does nothing to douse the flames ↗ Star Aug 17 Need for Speed III: Pandemic Rush ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Aug 11 Toronto’s trees provide more than just shade. So why are city council’s tree removal debates so absurd? ↗ Star Aug 10 Two decades of condos ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Aug 4 Scoot over, lobbyists ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Aug 3 Foolproof solution for drivers who hate Toronto’s new photo radar cameras — slow down ↗ Star Jul 27 Arresting questions about the police budget ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Jul 27 Metrolinx needs people to trust its plans to transform neighbourhoods with transit — they keep screwing it up ↗ Star Jul 21 There’s been a torrent of data released during the pandemic. Here’s what it’s telling us about Toronto ↗ Star Jul 20 Toronto gets those Trudeau bucks ↗ Newsletter Jul 14 Condos are shrinking and COVID-19 is less likely to spread outside. So why does Toronto still ban booze in parks? ↗ Star Jul 13 Scoring Council's votes on cops and COVID ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Jul 7 Road tolls on the Gardiner? Some ways Queen’s Park can help Toronto with its $1.5B pandemic budget crisis ↗ Star Jul 6 Lobbyist Watch: the musical ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Jul 2 A scorecard for Council's police debate ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Jun 29 Budget cut a blunt instrument that could signal Toronto Council is serious about police reform ↗ Star Jun 23 Thousands of cyclists are hitting Toronto’s streets during the pandemic. No one should be surprised ↗ Star Jun 22 A legacy of lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Jun 16 Toronto is making it easier for restaurants to create and expand patio spaces. Why is it so complicated to begin with? ↗ Star Jun 15 Cop these charts ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Jun 8 Black voices are speaking out about Toronto’s police budget. City hall should listen ↗ Star Jun 8 Two months 'til retirement ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Jun 2 COVID-19 hot spots shouldn’t make us rethink cities. They should make us rethink poverty ↗ Star Jun 1 May the lobbying be with you ↗ Subscribers Newsletter May 25 A good news cycle for cyclists ↗ Subscribers Newsletter May 25 Toronto’s starved for green space. So why no footbridge to the Islands? ↗ Star May 19 A sad series of charts ↗ Subscribers Newsletter May 18 Time’s running out for Toronto’s pandemic bailout — what’s taking so long? ↗ Star May 12 Forget Sidewalk Labs. Here’s how the Port Lands could now fuel Toronto’s post-COVID recovery ↗ Star May 11 Where the Sidewalk ended ↗ Newsletter May 5 It took a deadly pandemic to get Toronto to embrace a faster way to build affordable housing ↗ Star May 4 Lobbying in the time of COVID ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Apr 27 Need for Speed II: School Zone Speedsters ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Apr 26 Where should lanes be closed for pedestrians and cyclists as the city comes back to life? We crunched the data ↗ Star Apr 21 Help Toronto and you help the country: Why Canada needs an ‘Urban Marshall Plan’ ↗ Star Apr 20 Speaking with the Speaker ↗ Newsletter Apr 16 The Data-Driven Case for Closing Lanes in Downtown Toronto During COVID-19 ↗ Storeys Freelance Apr 14 A double dose of data ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Apr 14 The hit to Toronto’s finances from COVID-19 is scary. Here’s what it means for the average homeowner’s property tax ↗ Star Apr 7 Toronto’s neighbourhoods will feel the loss of every shop that fails from COVID-19. Here’s what needs to be done ↗ Star Apr 6 Pandemic can't stop the Lobbyist Watch ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Mar 31 COVID-19 could mark the end of Toronto’s Airbnb era, and good riddance. Here’s how to keep it that way ↗ Star Mar 30 COVID-19 councillor check-in ↗ Newsletter Mar 24 COVID-19 outbreak lays bare the problems — and possible solutions — to Toronto’s homeless crisis ↗ Star Mar 23 Taking attendance at City Hall ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Mar 16 Need for Speed: Open Data edition ↗ Newsletter Mar 16 Toronto’s COVID-19 response shows the value of a well-funded public health department. So why the push to cut funding? ↗ Star Mar 10 Right turns on red lights may save gas and time, but Toronto should ban them anyway ↗ Star Mar 9 Big budget Council Scorecard ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Mar 3 More and more Lyft and Uber drivers are hitting Toronto streets. In-car training should be mandatory ↗ Star Mar 2 A leap year Lobbyist Watch ↗ Newsletter Feb 24 Council speedruns the 2020 budget ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Feb 24 Toronto’s storefront businesses are getting a raw deal from the city’s construction boom. Here’s how to fix it ↗ Star Feb 18 John Tory speaks before Council's budget debate ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Feb 18 Toronto budget makes big bet on improved relationships with Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau ↗ Star Feb 10 John Tory makes good grades on the Council Scorecard ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Feb 10 TTC fare enforcement crackdown doesn’t feel all that fair ↗ Star Feb 4 Speedy city council meetings don’t prove Doug Ford was right ↗ Star Feb 3 Wrestling with Ontario Place's future ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Jan 27 Rail Deck may be flashy, but if you like green, think ravine ↗ Star Jan 27 Some revealing budget briefs ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Jan 20 They say I'm technologically hip ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Jan 20 We can’t afford to have free parking at GO stations ↗ Star Jan 14 Toronto’s 2020 budget would be improved with a tax on vacant homes ↗ Star Jan 13 The 2020 budget launch spectacular ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Jan 6 New year, same lobbyists ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Jan 6 Toronto's infrastructure costs don’t end once construction is done ↗ Star Jan 2 The year in charts ↗ Subscribers Newsletter