Matt Elliott

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2026

Robotaxi and data centre lobbying set the stage for Council’s next term ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Drubbing? Comeback? Call Olivia Chow’s victory whatever you like. These numbers show it's unprecedented ↗ Star Another election, in charts ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Olivia Chow wins — but with serious warning signs for Toronto's progressive movement ↗ Star Hey hey, it’s Election Day: City Hall Watcher’s municipal election guide ↗ Newsletter Your vote today will affect Toronto streets, parks — and yes, even washrooms. So don't let it go down the drain ↗ Star Three little words explain Olivia Chow’s lack of grand vision — and one big idea could change it all ↗ Star The most disagreeable decisions of Toronto City Council ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Campaign cash rules everything around me ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Olivia Chow has a strong pro-police record — why isn’t she running on it? ↗ Star Olivia Chow's campaign is playing it safe. Why now is the time to be bold ↗ Star Where Toronto’s mayoral race stands today — and how it might change ↗ Subscribers Newsletter There’s no mystery behind Mayor Olivia Chow’s budget record — there’s just math ↗ Star All the wrong ways to talk about Toronto’s budget ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford can keep his endorsement. Toronto’s mayoral hopefuls really only need one thing from him ↗ Star Quantifying Council’s chatterboxes — and quietest members ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Who came out swinging? Our columnists score Chow, Bradford and Alexander in Toronto's first full mayoral debate ↗ Star Why are Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford ignoring what Toronto TTC riders actually want? ↗ Star Issuing lobbying report cards at the end of the term ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Celebrate 400 issues with a game of SimCouncillor ↗ Newsletter Toronto’s street litter bins are total garbage. That makes them an ideal election issue ↗ Star Following the money from the mayor’s property tax increases ↗ Newsletter Why Olivia Chow is building a council team for her second term — and why Brad Bradford is rolling solo ↗ Star Introducing City Hall Watcher’s Election Projection Section ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford used to rage against government waste. Now he’s behind Ontario’s biggest spending scandal ↗ Star The 2026 Council Power Rankings ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Pedestrians outnumber cars 2 to 1 at Yonge and Eglinton. This is the perfect solution — but why are we still waiting for it? ↗ Star Now loading: Data centre lobbying at Toronto City Hall ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Council closes term with debates on island airport, surveillance pricing and data centres ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Gord Perks left Toronto council with a bang. Why won’t his long-serving colleagues ever leave? ↗ Star A Billy Bishop expansion has been grounded — yet again. Time to end the dogfight over the island airport once and for all ↗ Star Council sets sail for final odyssey before election day ↗ Subscribers Newsletter TTC's crackdown on drivers blowing past stopped streetcars is long overdue. But we need action, not studies ↗ Star Toronto's slow streetcars — and the search for silver bullets ↗ Newsletter Breaking Brad: a look at Bradford's first batch of fix-it promises ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Lobbyist Watch lingers, Community Councils cram ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Council accepts big money from Queen's Park and Ottawa as part of blockbuster trade ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Other cities close streets to cars all the time. So why does Toronto get tripped up by the idea of a pedestrian street? ↗ Star What Toronto's handling of the World Cup says about how Olivia Chow is running the city ↗ Star The tardy list: Are some city councillors dawdling on election registration? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter How can Toronto debate the Billy Bishop airport expansion plan? Doug Ford doesn’t have a plan ↗ Star Are Council contenders ready for "big freaking deal" changes to the Official Plan? ↗ Newsletter Toronto gets 28 million visitors a year. We shouldn't need the FIFA World Cup to be good hosts ↗ Star Council Scorecard scores ahead of World Cup ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford are supposed to be election rivals. Why are they agreeing so much? ↗ Star Lobbyist Watch looks at moving up waterfront transit, Weston's park problem and World Cup prep ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto has a problem with 'squeaky wheels.' We shouldn't let it drive the Church Street conversation ↗ Star After marathon May council meeting, Olivia makes it official ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Council set to ponder pedestrianization, keeping cool, and — of course — the island airport ↗ Subscribers Newsletter We all have one thing to say about Doug Ford's ban on automated speed cameras: We told you so ↗ Star How do city councillors actually get around Toronto? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter We pay Toronto councillors to attend council meetings. Here’s who’s showing up — and who isn’t ↗ Star Celebrate the start of election season with Lobbyist Watch ↗ Subscribers Newsletter There’s even more at stake than usual in Toronto's municipal election this year. These two little words explain why ↗ Star The Final Countdown: What Council did before election season begins ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto may finally drop this 24-year ban this week. Why we should relish the moment ↗ Star As election season approaches, Council debates Fan Fest, hot dogs and Scarborough transit ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Potholes and the Taylor Swift problem: Why Toronto needs your biggest ideas right now ↗ Star How Toronto likes to move it ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why the Waterfront East LRT is a chance for Toronto to show Metrolinx the better way to build a transit project ↗ Star Yet another island airport lobbying effort takes flight ↗ Newsletter Upgrading GO train service should be a no-brainer. So why has it gone off the rails so badly? ↗ Star Council votes to ground airport debate, sink a yacht club, and pay you to shovel snow ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Will Toronto’s 2026 FIFA World Cup plans turn out be a game-changer or own-goal? ↗ Star Council gets set to march into debates on the island airport, Mamdani mania, a yacht club, and more ↗ Subscribers Newsletter How the numbers undermine Doug Ford's flight of fancy on Billy Bishop and jets ↗ Star Doing the bidding: How Toronto City Hall is spending money these days ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why Doug Ford needs to get over his obsession with Toronto and its waterfront ↗ Star Closing the scorebook on John Tory's story ↗ Subscribers Newsletter What Doug Ford’s ritzy new Science Centre is really costing us and our kids ↗ Star The winter of our lobbying content: lobbyists pitch sidewalk robots, EV charging upgrades, and AI-powered 311 ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why it will take Toronto 13 years and more than $50 million to recover from Doug Ford’s hasty speed camera ban ↗ Star Looking ahead to the hope and heartbreak that could come with Toronto's municipal election ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Council offers support for Chow's low-tax budget, as election looms ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The war for Scarborough: Why the east-end is shaping up as a key battleground in Toronto’s mayoral election ↗ Star Toronto police are doing less — but asking for more money. Why is Olivia Chow determined to give them what they want? ↗ Star One Council meeting after another ↗ Subscribers Newsletter When the Eglinton Crosstown LRT finally opens, they should offer us an apology, not a party ↗ Star Lobbyists start the new year with some yacht talk, Waymo wayfinding, and more ↗ Subscribers Newsletter A blizzard of housing data ↗ Subscribers Newsletter After Toronto’s snowstorm, the city should look at this wild idea to make clearing sidewalks easier ↗ Star The troubled Finch West LRT has made a lot of people angry. Here’s one thing Doug Ford can do to get it back on track ↗ Star Wedding bells, rooftop police drones, eco goats and other notes from Toronto's 2026 budget ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Olivia Chow’s low tax hike budget shows she’s skilled at ‘bare knuckle’ politics. There’s just one problem ↗ Star The 2026 Budget Launch Spectacular ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto’s new traffic 'czar' once unjammed this notoriously traffic-jammed city. Here's how he did it ↗ Star And 2025's busiest lobbyist award goes to... ↗ Subscribers Newsletter

2025

2025: the year in charts ↗ Newsletter Crime is down, rents are down — there are many reasons for Toronto to feel up about 2026 ↗ Star Council decks the halls with votes on a faster Finch, a luxury land transfer tax and a TTC guarantee ↗ Subscribers Newsletter A money-back TTC guarantee? Why this councillor’s mayoral campaign stunt is on the right track ↗ Star Council gets ready for festive debate about a faster Finch ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why dark clouds loom over Bike Share Toronto, despite its undeniable success ↗ Star Introducing the City Council Buddy System ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Waymo has its sights set on Toronto for driverless cars. The city's history with Big Tech suggests that's cause for alarm ↗ Star What an Olivia Chow re-election bid might mean for TTC riders and public library users ↗ Star Waymo looks at TO, and more stories from a month of lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Supersized speed signs, park profanity, and bringing on more bike lanes ↗ Newsletter What is the 'dead raccoon test'? And is Toronto passing or failing it? ↗ Star Handing out some housing report cards ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto’s streetcars are some of the slowest in the world. Here's how the city could speed them up ↗ Star Council comes to compromise on corner stores and — surprise! — disbands the TPA Board ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why Olivia Chow’s council allies are attacking John Tory’s World Cup bid – and not the scandal that caused him to quit ↗ Star Council looks to keep corner stores closed ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Gardiner repairs wrapped up 18 months early. How that big win reveals some much needed lessons for Toronto ↗ Star Lobbyists hunker down for long cold winter ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Blue Jays' World Series run shows Toronto is a baseball city. So why are there no batting cages left in our parks? ↗ Star Housing plans by the dashboard light ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Now, Toronto has noisy pickleball games in its crosshairs. Are we becoming the City That Fun Forgot? ↗ Star The parking spaces between us ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Council offers Ford a fast fact check on speed cameras ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Without acknowledging hard truths, Toronto’s traffic czar isn’t likely to get very far ↗ Star How the popping of the condo bubble led to a looming budget crisis in Toronto ↗ Star Gondola lobbyists pull up to City Hall ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford wants to kill speed cameras. Olivia Chow wants to save them. Here are three ways she could change his mind ↗ Star The condo crash comes for City Hall ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Introducing the new and improved Council Scorecard ↗ Newsletter A Toronto councillor is experimenting with direct democracy for residents. Doug Ford may have put an end to it ↗ Star When the car's not king ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Cash grab? If there’s a problem with Toronto’s speed cameras, it’s that they aren’t grabbing enough cash ↗ Star Why does Olivia Chow keep playing nice with Doug Ford? There's one big reason ↗ Star Here we are now, going to the Parkside ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Old friends, new lobbyists ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto's hunt for the Parkside camera vandal has come up empty-handed. But here's the real mystery ↗ Star Sorry, Doug Ford – gut feeling isn’t a good enough reason to end hybrid work ↗ Star Toronto vs Ottawa: the redux, the sequel, the final reckoning (maybe) ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Love Park broke the mould with its movable chairs. Toronto's other public spaces should take note ↗ Star The 2025 Council Power Rankings ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Yes, tech can be a force for good. Meet the people hacking Toronto for the better ↗ Star Olivia's opposition: a look at Chow's top critics ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Lobbying up to the bar ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The TTC is still short millions of riders. Fare capping could help bring them back ↗ Star The city planted dozens of trees to honour Pan Am Games countries. But the tribute hasn't worked out so well ↗ Star Gotta go fast — Council endorses RapidTO for Bathurst and Dufferin ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford helped usher in an era of outsourcing at Toronto city hall. Olivia Chow may be finally pushing back ↗ Star Council sits for summer for debates on transit, shelters, and snowfall ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Battling on Bathurst Street ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Lobbying Live & Unplugged ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Forget speed cameras. It's 'ghost cars' that Doug Ford, Olivia Chow and others need to focus on ↗ Star Toronto City Council nixes six ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Olivia Chow could do with a big idea to help her keep her job next year. Here are four ↗ Star Running through a sixplex debate with some woes ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Montreal beats Toronto badly when it comes to bike sharing. Here's how we can shift gears and grab the crown ↗ Star Taking Toronto to sixplex city ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Multiplexes in Toronto neighbourhoods were madness, said critics. Now the city should give in to the joy of six ↗ Star Scoring Mayor Olivia Chow's first defeat ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why Toronto’s streets keep ending up as a battleground — and what the fight should really be about ↗ Star Sixplexes for the Six, parking pondered, senior staff come and go, Tory turns up ↗ Newsletter Lobbyists join the battle of Bathurst Street ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto's 2026 World Cup games have just been given a yellow card. Olivia Chow needs to stand tough on the budget ↗ Star Toronto Council votes to inflate bubble zones ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Bursting the bubble? Council eyes protest restrictions, High Park shuttle, leaf blower limits ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Matt Elliott: There was a better way — 'transit hell' from streetcar detour is a cautionary tale ↗ Star Why is the TTC funding vastly underused parking lots? ↗ Star Toronto's multiplexes are multiplying — but not fast enough ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Driverless cars in Toronto could actually make the streets safer — if city hall does the right thing ↗ Star Simons says: lobby the mayor ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Carney crowned, McKelvie moves on, robot cars rise, leaf blowers may get banned ↗ Newsletter Council creates a congestion czar — but how many cars does Toronto even have? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City hall finally found a way to help ease traffic congestion — and bring in more money. Not everyone is happy ↗ Star Makeover, makeover: Toronto Council readies for debate on creating a pretty city ↗ Subscribers Newsletter It's the crisis the federal election can ignore — but the TTC can’t ↗ Star Spider-Man, a Big Red Monster, Santa (with a real beard) — and other tales from Council expense records ↗ Subscribers Newsletter How drinking in parks showed us the way to fight Donald Trump's tariffs ↗ Star A labour of lobbying love ↗ Subscribers Newsletter This 'colossal fail' made me think Toronto's city council needs to up its game, along with its pay ↗ Star Council approves Trump counterattack — and gets a pay raise ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Eglinton Crosstown LRT finally has an opening date — but the TTC’s service on the line may fall short for these two reasons ↗ Star Council to talk about coyotes, federal support for shelters, and a big pay hike ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why so much Toronto home construction is going nowhere — and what to do about it ↗ Star Toronto versus Trump ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto’s city hall has few weapons to fight Trump’s tariff war. But here’s one thing it should definitely try ↗ Star City Hall's Amazon addiction ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Olivia Chow’s greatest opposition has been revealed. Can she rise to the fight? ↗ Star Trash of the titans ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford says he has big plans to ‘get it done’ in Ontario. His track record in Toronto tells a different story ↗ Star Whatever happened to Vision Zero? ↗ Newsletter Doug Ford has money for $200 cheques and a 401 tunnel — where are the funds to address homelessness? ↗ Star Mayor Olivia Chow blasts through another budget ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Council readies for kinder, gentler budget debate ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Trump’s tariff threat sparked council’s ‘buy local’ campaign. Here’s why that move rings hollow ↗ Star Toronto has a lot of rich people. But there's a reason it's hard to tell ↗ Star A conventional Lobbyist Watch in unconventional times ↗ Subscribers Newsletter With campaign chaos looming in Ottawa and Queen's Park, Toronto should finally get this one thing that other major cities already have ↗ Star Reserving judgment as Toronto's budget nears the finish line ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Mayor Olivia Chow is spending big to make sure you notice Toronto’s parks are improving. But there’s one thing that won’t change ↗ Star How property taxes work — and how they don't ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Justin Trudeau wasn’t a perfect partner for Toronto. But it’s easy to imagine worse from Pierre Poilievre ↗ Star The 2025 Budget Launch Spectacular ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Most Torontonians say life in the city is getting worse. Here's how Olivia Chow can help change that ↗ Star Saying goodbye to all the City Hall lobbying of 2024 ↗ Subscribers Newsletter

2024

2024: the year in charts ↗ Newsletter Olivia Chow made a wish on Christmas Eve 34 years ago. She's still working to make it come true ↗ Star Council's chaotic Christmas meeting ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto Islands are a pricey, taxpayer-subsidized ghost town in winter. Here's how Olivia Chow can fix that ↗ Star City councillors get scored and shuffled ↗ Subscribers Newsletter SmartTrack flunks further, Ombudsman versus City Manager, and let's do the mid-term shuffle ↗ Newsletter TTC ridership downtown is surging. Here's why I'm worried the transit agency is going to drop the ball ↗ Star Don't blame bikes: an intersectional analysis of what really causes Toronto traffic ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Police budget on the rise, rideshare licenses may get capped (again), Hotel X2 faces uncanny delay ↗ Newsletter Toronto’s neighbourhoods may be about to get their first new corner stores in more than 50 years. Here's why it took so long ↗ Star Lobbyists bring the noise and perhaps the funk ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford wants you to focus on bike lanes and beer — and pay no attention to this, his biggest failure ↗ Star 'Tis the season for another police budget debate ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Police celebrate hiring plan, City trucks recommended for retrofit, a plan for safe shelters ↗ Newsletter Council attempts to cycle through bike lane blockage ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Council opposes Ford's bike lane busting bill, renoviction rules coming, Don Trail problems ↗ Newsletter Doug Ford wants a Toronto designed for cars. His own housing plans reveal why that’s a mistake ↗ Star How many people commute by bike in Toronto? More than Doug Ford thinks ↗ Subscribers Newsletter How Don Valley West was won, Mayor fights Ford, Council funds FIFA, police review use of force ↗ Newsletter How Toronto’s switch to a new blue bin program led to multimillion-dollar sticker shock ↗ Star Election stressing you out? Try the soothing sounds of Lobbyist Watch ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Anthony Furey wants to be mayor. Why that might be bad for city council ↗ Star The slow process to snap streetcar door speedsters ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The arts in Toronto are in dire need of more money. Airbnb may be able to help fix that ↗ Star Doug Ford says he wants data on bike lanes — the good news is we've got lots ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Ford blocks bike lanes, glossy plans for the economy and culture, water meters break bad ↗ Newsletter After some turbulence, Council lands on airport compromise ↗ Subscribers Newsletter To cut waste, Mayor Olivia Chow needs to unleash the city hall watchdogs ↗ Star Island airport gets some runway, vacant tax isn't vacated, AG finds parks staff parked ↗ Newsletter Billy Bishop airport's 40-year lease needs a much closer look before we clear it for takeoff ↗ Star Three hundred issues, more lobbyists ↗ Newsletter Doug Ford’s 401 tunnel fantasy is a distraction from what Ontario should be spending money on ↗ Star Constructive feedback on Toronto's construction ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford has a tunnel vision, TTC cuts the wifi, City Hall posts surplus ↗ Newsletter There’s one proven cure for Toronto’s traffic woes. Here’s the surprising reason the city won’t touch it ↗ Star Taking a drive through a very congested City Hall calendar ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Job one for the TTC's interim CEO: Take Metrolinx for relationship counselling ↗ Star A pedestrian surge on the waterfront ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford hasn't let Toronto use cameras to get traffic moving. The city should do it anyway ↗ Star City Hall's looming renoviction decision — and the brewing police budget battle sequel ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Dead animal pick-up, the beginnings of the police budget, and the value of old buildings ↗ Newsletter Live Nation lobbyists play the hits at City Hall ↗ Subscribers Newsletter With a lot of pot shops going up in smoke, city hall needs a new plan for vacant storefronts ↗ Star Trash bin inspectors, Rogue RVs and additional avenues ↗ Newsletter Toronto City Hall's Committee of Adjustment could use some adjustment ↗ Subscribers Newsletter A quiet revolution for safer and cheaper bike infrastructure ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Railing against the rail path, and City Hall's island airport debate prepares for takeoff ↗ Newsletter Toronto has the bylaws and it has the staff. So why doesn’t it enforce the rules? ↗ Star The 2024 Council Power Rankings ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Lobbyists fight taxes and uplift the airport ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto council sped up construction work on the Gardiner. Why won't it do the same for the TTC? ↗ Star Push. Pray. Walk: After yet another death, should Toronto replace these dangerous pedestrian crossovers? ↗ Star Council scorecard goes for gold ↗ Newsletter Council speeds on the Gardiner, sails on electric ferries and weathers the storm ↗ Newsletter A year ago Toronto’s budget was a dumpster fire. Now the city’s running a surprise surplus. What happened? ↗ Star Sun's out, Council's in — and ready to debate the Gardiner, the Science Centre, and rats ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Better transit is coming for the 2026 World Cup. Why not also for those of us who pay for it? ↗ Star Executive Committee executive summary ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City hall spends a staggering amount of time talking about housing. Maybe it's time to cut the chatter ↗ Star Lobbying leads to by-election reunion ↗ Subscribers Newsletter A wooden building, a Quayside proposal, our solo city, and a troubling office market report ↗ Newsletter They blinded us with the Science Centre ↗ Subscribers Newsletter With Science Centre closure, Ford government sticks to absurd notion that buildings can’t live past 50 ↗ Star Council backs rentals, fights renovictions, and goes forward with Sankofa ↗ Newsletter Yonge-Dundas or Sankofa: Whatever you want to call it, a name change is the least of its problems ↗ Star Council's in for summer ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Olivia Chow's opposition rises in the west ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto Island ferries are a disaster. It's time to finally fix the problem ↗ Star Olivia Chow is about to face the biggest threat to her mayoralty. Overcoming it won’t be easy ↗ Star EHON and beyond — what's next for Toronto housing policy ↗ Subscribers Newsletter TTC spares us a strike ↗ Newsletter Ambitious bike lane plans make sense. So why are Toronto's stuck in low gear? ↗ Star Lobbying is a Virtue (and a Morgan Rielly) ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford promised to pay Toronto for any shortfall caused by his housing rules. Here’s how that's going ↗ Star Council allows density, bans e-scooters and fights Ford ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto City Hall embraces its density ↗ Newsletter Paying a minimum for maximum security ↗ Newsletter Please, spare us the outrage over allowing more apartment buildings and townhouses in Toronto ↗ Star Toronto Council gets set for major debate about major streets ↗ Newsletter Bike Share is a key part of Toronto’s transit future. Slashing its expansion makes no sense ↗ Star Toronto City Hall's biggest road warriors ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Pieces of April lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter There's an effective way to ease Toronto's traffic woes. But it's up to city council to allow it ↗ Star Toronto City Hall keeps on trucking, but should it? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter TTC’s Bloor-Danforth line is on track for slower, less reliable service. Blame Justin Trudeau ↗ Star Unbreak my vacant home tax ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Blue bins get sold, more parks get beer, and the vacant home tax gets fixed — maybe ↗ Newsletter A trio of charts, with some help from AI ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Vacant tax crowds Council's agenda ↗ Newsletter Toronto's vacant home tax rollout has been a mess. There is a better way ↗ Star Walking on the Sunshine List ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall's lobbyists spring forward ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The city's plan for dangerous dog attacks is fatally flawed. Spending half a million dollars won't fix it ↗ Star The TTC is losing a staggering amount to fare evasion. Why a crackdown may make things worse ↗ Star Bye-bye parking, hello housing? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Booze in parks didn't bring about the apocalypse — what's next? ↗ Newsletter Toronto parking fines may shortly skyrocket. This is why we should embrace the cost ↗ Star Toronto's next chief planner will need a plan ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The 411 on the 311, and what was broken in Toronto in 2023 ↗ Newsletter Pedestrian and cyclist injuries and deaths are up. So why is Toronto set to spend less on making streets safer? ↗ Star Intersecting interests all across Toronto ↗ Newsletter City Hall's not-so-wild spring break ↗ Newsletter Why Hamilton may have the solution to Toronto’s soaring renoviction problem ↗ Star Lobbied about the levy but the levy was dry ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Kicking and screaming our way to the World Cup ↗ Newsletter Why Doug Ford may hold the key to unsnarling Toronto’s jammed intersections ↗ Star Checking the score after Olivia Chow's first budget ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall hunts for cash in vast parking lots ↗ Newsletter Mayor Olivia Chow budges a bit on her budget ↗ Subscribers Newsletter TTC signals there’s little room on transit for student field trips — and new ideas ↗ Star Mayor Olivia Chow's first budget is in the books — here's what's next ↗ Newsletter Olivia Chow's budget sets aside money to fix a broken Toronto. It's not nearly enough ↗ Star Police budget comes down to The Wire ↗ Subscribers Newsletter This week: printing costs. Next week: a $17 billion budget. ↗ Newsletter Olivia Chow is spending millions on Toronto renters in her budget. Here's why ↗ Star The hot fuzz on police budget lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Council toboggans toward budget time ↗ Newsletter City hall plans to dramatically ramp up 2026 World Cup spending. Olivia Chow now has the ball ↗ Star 90s nostalgia, Toronto city budget edition ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto Budget 2024 (Olivia's Version) drops next week ↗ Newsletter What cut? The Toronto police budget is going up — how much, we don’t even know yet ↗ Star What the dickens is going on with transit construction costs? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall revs up for annual budget deputation derby ↗ Newsletter There's a big property tax hike on tap. Toronto's water department shows how it can pay off ↗ Star The 2024 Budget Launch Spectacular ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto's 2024 budget comes to your windrow ↗ Subscribers Newsletter What good are new noise bylaws if Toronto doesn't enforce the rules it already has? ↗ Star 2023: the year in LOBBYIST WATCH ↗ Subscribers Newsletter A noisy start to a new year at Toronto City Hall ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The City Hall Watcher interview with Mayor Olivia Chow ↗ Newsletter Toronto Mayor Olivia 'The Impatient' must find a balance between speed and breaking things ↗ Star

2023

2023: the year in charts ↗ Newsletter Why fixing Toronto's construction mess shouldn't take a Christmas miracle ↗ Star A long December Council meeting ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why student housing may be key to unlocking Toronto's waterfront ↗ Star Toronto’s pricey and ineffective new plan for snow clearing is a warning about privatizing city services ↗ Star The rise of TTC delays, minute by minute ↗ Subscribers Newsletter With the Gardiner, Doug Ford buys a boondoggle — let’s at least make sure he makes it a nice boondoggle ↗ Star The police chief to mayoral candidate to lobbyist pipeline ↗ Subscribers Newsletter This week’s Scarborough byelection has big stakes for local voters, Mayor Olivia Chow — and the whole city ↗ Star New deal on the block ↗ Subscribers Newsletter TTC promises Scarborough ‘fast and reliable’ service to make up for missing SRT. Don’t count on it ↗ Star Mayor Olivia Chow's first Council Scorecard ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why Doug Ford could — and should — fund Toronto’s nonpolice crisis response service ↗ Star Council adopts big plans but still needs big money ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Massive overhaul of the Toronto Port Lands is already something to see. Just don’t plan to take the TTC ↗ Star Logging cabin lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter It's my party and I'll donate if I want to ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto’s ‘traffic agents’ may help cars move, but there’s a more effective way to ease congestion ↗ Star Putting the fun back in fundraising ↗ Newsletter How hard data — and blunt questions — could bring real change to Olivia Chow’s city hall ↗ Star Council puts a cap on it ↗ Subscribers Newsletter October's very own City Council meeting ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto’s vacant home tax once looked like an empty gesture — now it looks like a windfall ↗ Star Sad spectacle of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT may be the tip of the iceberg ↗ Star Uber's uberlobbying: a retrospective ↗ Subscribers Newsletter How Doug Ford’s new planning rules have made things worse for Toronto’s housing crisis ↗ Star The rush for the doors ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Uber, Airbnb impacts show it’s time for Olivia Chow to push back against Big Tech ↗ Star Toronto's toxic supply ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto’s last core services review was a disaster. So why do it again? ↗ Star Landing the financial plan ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Short-term lobbying on a long-term plan ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Olivia Chow must move fast to meet new affordable housing goal ↗ Star Rename Dundas Street? Host the World Cup? Axing those won’t fix Toronto’s budget crisis. Here’s what will ↗ Star Playter time for Intersection Inspection ↗ Subscribers Newsletter There’s a gravy train for corporations at city hall. Olivia Chow should put a stop to it ↗ Star How to dismantle a budget bomb ↗ Subscribers Newsletter How Mayor Olivia Chow could finally jolt Toronto Hydro into action on climate change ↗ Star Olivia's Eleven ↗ Newsletter Who's lobbying the new mayor? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Wanted at Toronto city hall: TTC board members who actually ride the TTC ↗ Star City Hall's short game: reserve funds pile up as Toronto struggles to spend capital budget ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Council moves onward to the Olivia era ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Refugees forced to live on the streets of Toronto is a national disgrace. Justin Trudeau’s Liberals should wear it ↗ Star A midsummer week's Council meeting ↗ Subscribers Newsletter As Olivia Chow takes office, John Tory leaves her with staggering budget baggage. But it’s not all bad news ↗ Star New mayor, same problems ↗ Subscribers Newsletter 🕵️ An investigation: John Tory and the case of the curiously-timed endorsement ↗ Subscribers Newsletter If Olivia Chow is going to raise property taxes, here’s why she should look toward her mayoral challengers for ideas ↗ Star A by-election, in charts ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Olivia Chow’s to-do list: Housing, a gaping budget hole — and dead raccoons ↗ Star Next stop: new mayor ↗ Newsletter Yes, Olivia Chow is a candidate from the ’90s. But that’s not a bad thing ↗ Star Meet TorontoBot: Torontoverse’s AI-powered municipal budget analyst ↗ Torontoverse Freelance The writing on the wall spells just one name ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why this neighbourhood’s fight over a modular housing site should be a mayoral election issue ↗ Star Go Bloor West, young cyclist ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Olivia Chow’s property tax plan might add up, but she needs to show us the math ↗ Star Behind the scenes of City Hall's quixotic quest to investigate two social media accounts ↗ Newsletter Why mayoral candidates banking on a ‘new deal’ for Toronto are doomed to fail ↗ Star Before you vote for the candidates, see how the candidates voted ↗ Subscribers Newsletter House league scores ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Which candidates for mayor are actually offering real talk on Toronto taxes? So far, too few ↗ Star Council’s debate on drinking in parks was silly. Here’s what that means for Toronto’s mayoral election ↗ Star Toronto Council and the multiplex of madness ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City hall is flush with success at getting park washrooms open earlier. Here’s what that might mean for the mayor’s race ↗ Star Council's chickens come home to roost ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Scarborough is about to get another raw deal on transit. These mayoral hopefuls should share the blame ↗ Star No vacancy (or at least less vacancy than everyone expected) ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Anti-bike lobby peddles misleading stats — and a bogus idea for fixing Toronto’s traffic ↗ Star High rents, hi homelessness ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why hundreds of TTC buses sit idle at rush hour despite millions in government funding ↗ Star Matlow's money and Bradford's bucks ↗ Subscribers Newsletter How much could becoming mayor of Toronto cost — ten dollars? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Pick a fighter: Toronto’s next mayor needs to do battle with Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau ↗ Star Doug Ford knows it’s not about ‘defunding the police’— it’s about keeping Toronto’s spending under control ↗ Star Here we go again ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Want to be Toronto’s next mayor? Show us your budget ↗ Star Let the sunshine in ↗ Newsletter Toronto’s tragic tale of trash: Why the city’s litter bins are often overflowing — or missing ↗ Torontoverse Freelance How much is a safer transit worth to the TTC? A little over a toonie ↗ Star Municipal Moneyball ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto city hall promised much better snow-clearing — so where is it? ↗ Star A good scorecard, not a long scorecard ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The number of parking tickets has plunged in cash-strapped Toronto. Why the lax enforcement? ↗ Star Last chance lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter TTC invites a ‘death spiral’ with its service cuts — but few at Toronto city hall seem to care ↗ Star Little boxes — and they all look just the same ↗ Subscribers Newsletter John Tory's parting shot ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Sorry, Doug Ford — Toronto has tried conservative governance at city hall, and it’s not working ↗ Star The big problem with John Tory’s budget? It’s short one John Tory and $1.5 billion ↗ Star The end of Tory's story ↗ Subscribers Newsletter If you really wanted to help Toronto, you’d buy a new home. Here’s why ↗ Star Vacant tax, crowded lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter TTC stations with fewer employees look like ghost towns. Is it any wonder transit violence increases? ↗ Star What's equity worth at Toronto City Hall? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto’s big gamble: The city is putting aside millions for World Cup 2026 — despite a cash crunch ↗ Star Revising, revolving and revolting revenues ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto’s photo radar program has generated a lot of money, but isn’t slowing traffic like it used to ↗ Torontoverse Freelance Forget Ford and Trudeau. City hall has only itself to blame for why Toronto’s roads are bad — and getting worse ↗ Star The 2023 Budget Launch Spectacular ↗ Newsletter John Tory’s reckless budget strategy risks giving Toronto a future with bad roads and less TTC service ↗ Star Budget announcements versus budget numbers ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The lobbyists who met the mayor ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Transit in Toronto has never felt so broken — it’s time for the TTC board of directors to demand better ↗ Star

2022

The year in charts ↗ Newsletter What you learn when you’re strolling (with a stroller) through downtown Toronto ↗ Star Help wanted: Toronto’s high cost of living means even city employees can’t afford to live here ↗ Star The factions for fractional rule ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The mayor’s new housing plan is a trap. Toronto councillors shouldn’t take the bait ↗ Star Mind the budget gap ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Audits derailed Doug Ford’s claims of a ‘gravy train’ at city hall. So why try to ride it again? ↗ Star Lobbying on new terms ↗ Subscribers Newsletter With Bill 23, the Clock is Ticking on Toronto Heritage Properties ↗ Storeys Freelance What would have happened if Rob Ford had ‘strong mayor’ powers? ↗ Star The quest for the Toriest place in Toronto ↗ Subscribers Newsletter John Tory’s affordable housing plan is in trouble. Blame Doug Ford, not city council ↗ Star Council begins with pomp, circumstance, and vastly expanded mayoral powers ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Enough with the bailout letters. Here are three ways John Tory can fix the city’s money woes ↗ Star Intersection Inspection and the case of the dangerous right turn lane ↗ Subscribers Newsletter This photo radar camera has been a cash cow for the city. Why hasn’t it sped up fixes to make the road safer? ↗ Star Two hundred issues, more lobbyists ↗ Newsletter Doug Ford’s new housing plan could be bad news for renters. Here’s why ↗ Star An election, in charts: part II ↗ Subscribers Newsletter An election, in charts ↗ Subscribers Newsletter John Tory has four more years, but zero excuses ↗ Star Slower Sales, Less Land Transfer Tax: Why That's a Problem for Toronto ↗ Storeys Freelance John Tory says low property tax increases are needed to protect seniors — but there’s already a program for that ↗ Star Spirit of the west ↗ Subscribers Newsletter A Gehry in every ward ↗ Subscribers Newsletter It’s bad enough Toronto feels broken, lack of transparency makes it tough to fix things ↗ Star Why is the Toronto Public Library facing service cuts? Ask John Tory ↗ Star Lobbying all the way to the ballot box ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Council votes this week on protecting an old soy sauce factory. Here’s what that says about affordable housing in Toronto ↗ Star Enter the Endorsement Matrix ↗ Subscribers Newsletter More people take GO Transit on weekends now than before the pandemic. That may not be good news ↗ Star Unfinished business at City Hall ↗ Subscribers Newsletter If Toronto wants to fix its traffic problem, it needs to charge drivers to access the city ↗ Star The one who knocks ↗ Newsletter To serve and to lobby ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Students are back in the classroom — the car chaos around our schools is back too ↗ Star Trees are vital to the city’s climate change fight. So why are they on the decline? ↗ Star The 2022 Council Power Rankings ↗ Newsletter Why these downtown Toronto wards may be a key battleground in October’s election ↗ Star Dr. No vs. the Invisible Man ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Intersection Inspection goes Danforth ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto really needs to upgrade its tech — and it’s bad at doing that ↗ Star The number of candidates in this year’s election has hit a record low. Here’s why that’s bad for Toronto ↗ Star Final scores ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Home cooked lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Bike Share Toronto has an electric future — more people (and corporations) should be taking notice ↗ Star Jets at Billy Bishop airport? Pierre Poilievre might be winging it, but Toronto Islands need to change ↗ Star Mayor used VETO! It's not very effective... ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto needs money — but who’s willing to pay for the city’s massive budget gap? ↗ Star Council's catastrophic conclusion ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Advanced stats for the Norway Maple Leafs ↗ Subscribers Newsletter How pricey is Toronto’s housing? Even the people who plan the city can’t afford to live here ↗ Star The lobbying landscape ↗ Subscribers Newsletter 311 is supposed to help fix things that are broken in Toronto. But what if it’s making things worse? ↗ Star A conflagration of consultants ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why Metrolinx has become such a dirty word in Toronto (and why it’s going to get worse) ↗ Star Penultimate warriors ↗ Newsletter Why are so many quitting city council? For some, it’s a tough job that Doug Ford made worse ↗ Star Game Preview: Blue Jays versus ActiveTO ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The pandemic wiped out almost four decades of business growth in Toronto. City hall’s tax cuts won’t fix that ↗ Star Lobbying out of left field ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The Saturday Debate: Should John Tory be seeking a third term? ↗ Star Complain all you want about your noisy neighbours in Toronto — no one is going to listen ↗ Star A trip to the Beach ↗ Subscribers Newsletter As the pandemic slows so does Toronto city hall ↗ Star Retiring numbers at Toronto City Hall ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto is about to slash funds for pothole fixes and playground repairs. So where’s the urgency from John Tory? ↗ Star Security in parks 👍, drinking in parks 👎 ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Booze-free pedal pubs and $300 fines for wine in the park: Toronto’s idea of summer fun ↗ Star Make like a tree debate, and get out of here ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford’s campaign bets big on building. But who gets stuck paying for running what gets built? ↗ Star All along the Lobbyist Watch tower ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Complaints about illegal fireworks in Toronto exploded during the pandemic. The solution may be more fireworks ↗ Star Election preparation ↗ Subscribers Newsletter From hub of the future to mushy mediocrity: How Toronto’s East Harbour development comes up short ↗ Star Toronto's 20 most dangerous streets ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Why cleaner air in Toronto buildings could save lives in the next pandemic ↗ Star Fast food tax breaks ↗ Newsletter The proposal to host World Cup games in Toronto is a sucker’s deal. The city should demand better ↗ Star Lobbyists get smart ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Forget about trying to beat John Tory. Here’s what Toronto’s left should do in this year’s election ↗ Star Electric city ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Critics cried fowl over Toronto’s backyard chicken program. Its success shows why the city should embrace new ideas ↗ Star Election expectations ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The 401 is an 18-lane monster jammed with cars. Doug Ford’s solution to this traffic mess? Make it bigger ↗ Star Spring break scoring ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto failed to collect more than $9 million in speed camera tickets. Just how serious is it about road safety? ↗ Star Lobbying in the deep end ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto’s crowded homeless shelters are no place for refugees fleeing war and persecution ↗ Star Crisis on finite earths ↗ Subscribers Newsletter How much tax could a car tax tax? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Post pandemic, Toronto’s downtown core needs be less nine-to-five and more 24/7 ↗ Star Build back better? Toronto’s 2022 budget opts instead for ‘fall apart gradually’ ↗ Star Budget before and after ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The lobbyist robot uprising ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Out in the cold ↗ Newsletter Public safety without bullets ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The iceberg cometh ↗ Subscribers Newsletter A good walk spoiled ↗ Subscribers Newsletter O City Tree, O City Tree ↗ Subscribers Newsletter

2021

The year in charts (and Toronto's 2021 lobbyist champ) ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Ending a streak, then starting another ↗ Newsletter Ban the robots, but free the cargo e-bikes to cut traffic congestion on Toronto streets ↗ Star A chart that looks like Pac-Man ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The Week at Toronto City Hall #8 ↗ Newsletter Ontario Line construction threatens to bring ‘car-mageddon’ to downtown Toronto. It doesn’t have to be that way ↗ Star If lamp posts could talk ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The Week at Toronto City Hall #7 ↗ Newsletter Toronto needs more affordable housing. So why is the city leasing so much of its waterfront to movie studios? ↗ Star One last score... ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The Week at Toronto City Hall #6 ↗ Newsletter Want to make Toronto condos cheaper? Stop forcing developers to build parking spots buyers don’t want ↗ Star Watching the dollars ↗ Newsletter The Week at Toronto City Hall #5 ↗ Newsletter Forget the ‘tech bros’ at Uber and Lyft. Toronto’s taxi and ride share system has long been in need of fixing ↗ Star Caught on camera ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford plans to spend billions on building highways. Here are three reasons that is absurd ↗ Star Branching out into tree journalism ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The Week at Toronto City Hall #4 ↗ Newsletter A plan to force developers to build more cheap rentals is a game changer. But does Toronto have the stomach for it? ↗ Star Ghosts, goblins and lobbyists ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The Week at Toronto City Hall #3 ↗ Newsletter Even businesses are OK with losing on-street parking. So why would Toronto undo curbside patios? ↗ Star Mr. Mayor and Mr. Rogers ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The Week at Toronto City Hall #2 ↗ Newsletter The need for ‘wartime speed’: Time is running out on using COVID as excuse for delays and reduced service at city hall ↗ Star Gimme shelter survey ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The Week at Toronto City Hall #1 ↗ Newsletter No room for debate ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The TTC wants to attract more ridership after the pandemic — they should try making transit cheaper ↗ Star Forget Doug Ford’s cut to city council. Toronto’s governing woes go much deeper than that — and need a bigger fix ↗ Star The lobbying zone ↗ Subscribers Newsletter $10-a-day child care made for a good campaign slogan. The hard part is turning it into an actual plan ↗ Star Supreme ruling ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto could have spent $2 million to house people — instead, it spent that much to evict them from parks ↗ Star The waiting is the hardest part ↗ Subscribers Newsletter 336,000 more people still need to be fully vaccinated for Toronto to hit its goal. Should we pay them to get the jab? ↗ Star The 2021 Toronto Council Power Rankings ↗ Newsletter Lobbyist Watch gets Frank ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto’s construction sites are a dangerous frustration for pedestrians — it’s time for tougher rules ↗ Star Toronto’s plan to give small businesses a tax break is a good idea with one big problem ↗ Star Reform school ↗ Subscribers Newsletter If Toronto police really want to ‘serve and protect’ during COVID-19, they should be fully vaccinated — or be fired ↗ Star Grand Theft Bike: Vice City ↗ Subscribers Newsletter There are two questions Toronto’s mayor should ask party leaders during the federal election. Hint: it’s about the money ↗ Star Cycle analysis ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Want to stop drivers from racing through Toronto’s streets? Expand the use of the city’s successful photo radar cameras ↗ Star Intersection Introspection ↗ Subscribers Newsletter A public process could have led to something spectacular — instead, Doug Ford’s new Ontario Place just offers more of the same ↗ Star Two dose summer of lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Vaccination passports are Toronto’s best way to avoid more lockdowns — so why is no one doing anything about it? ↗ Star What's the story, Team Tory? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Cracks are appearing in John Tory’s hold over city council. He should look at changing up his team as Toronto rebuilds ↗ Star City Hall's out for summer ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Spending millions to rename Dundas and other streets will not fix the real inequities in Toronto. Here’s an idea that might help ↗ Star Roomers versus doomers ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto finally changes gears on the clearly popular ActiveTO road closures — why’d it take so long? ↗ Star Summertime, and the lobbying is easy ↗ Newsletter Which vaccination clinic in Toronto is the busiest? These four charts show where the jabs are getting done ↗ Star Toronto has high temperatures and low taxes ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Hoping for a better recreation sign-up system, Toronto? The wait just got longer ↗ Star Toronto top shots ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Gimme shelter ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto city hall needs councillors like Gary Crawford who will stand up for affordable housing — and denounce fear-mongering ↗ Star New blue bin system will finally recycle Tim Hortons, Starbucks cups. But Toronto also needs to cut demand ↗ Star Lobbyists turning up the heat ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Free rides on the TTC. Food fairs on the Ex grounds. A car-free Yonge and Bloor. It’s time for the city to get creative about fun this summer ↗ Star Shelter ebbs and shelter flows ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Spring Scorecard ↗ Subscribers Newsletter They were blamed and vilified throughout the pandemic, but the youth are showing up in droves for vaccinations ↗ Star Mayor John Tory is 0-for-2 on big legacy projects. Here’s how to fix that dismal track record if he runs for office again ↗ Star Employment survey says ↗ Subscribers Newsletter It’s time for Toronto to think about whether the island airport should fly post-pandemic ↗ Star Lobbyist fantasy fair ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto’s city-run LTC homes had a peak mortality rate less than half that of for-profit homes. COVID-19 shows the value of keeping public services in public hands ↗ Star PayIt forward, PayIt back ↗ Subscribers Newsletter People already ride e-scooters in Toronto. City hall should not ban a much-needed alternative to the car ↗ Star Inspector Gadget ↗ Newsletter Trying to book a COVID-19 vaccine in a hot spot? It helps if you’re a robot ↗ Star RentSafe and sound ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford’s confusing colour-coded COVID system has been a dismal failure. Time to scrap it for good ↗ Star ActiveTO a go-go ↗ Subscribers Newsletter World Cup of lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Ontario should be guided by data — instead, it feels like Doug Ford is guessing ↗ Star Advocacy, not action: Toronto city council spends too much of its time making requests of higher governments ↗ Star The councillors with the worst inboxes ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Wealthy and white: ActiveTO made some progress in diversifying cycling, but more needs to be done ↗ Star The truth about cats and dogs ↗ Subscribers Newsletter To end the pandemic, 70 per cent of Toronto needs to get the COVID-19 shot. School vaccine data shows that will be a struggle ↗ Star Intersection inspection ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto’s vaccine effort needs to be 24/7, with no excuse for delay ↗ Star Cold-blooded lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter When condo-dwellers strike back: Foundry battle shows what happens when community flexes its muscle ↗ Star Artfully chartfully ↗ Subscribers Newsletter With its budget, Toronto council takes slow, careful steps toward police reform — but will it stay the course? ↗ Star Budget in the books ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Settling scores before the budget ↗ Newsletter Gardiner Expressway looms large as Toronto debates budget, but few at city hall want to talk about it ↗ Star For love of lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Seven years of shuttle buses. Scarborough, remember who led you to this ↗ Star Just $2 a year would keep Toronto’s trails and public toilets open all winter. Why that will never happen under John Tory ↗ Star Groundhog Council ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford’s government says the Dominion Foundry heritage site must go to create affordable housing. But where’s the plan — and the cash? ↗ Star Hotel Chicanery ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto predicts a budget shortfall of almost $1B this year from COVID-19. So why are property taxes only going up $22? ↗ Star 🚀 Budget launch ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford, take note: ‘stay home’ messaging under COVID-19 means nothing for workers without paid sick days ↗ Star Yonge Justice ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Forget the crystal ball: here’s what the lobbying registry says will be the big issues at city hall this year ↗ Star Lobbying in the new year ↗ Subscribers Newsletter

2020

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

2019

Toronto should ignore Doug Ford’s friendly new tone and seek payback ↗ Star Why I’ll miss Toronto’s old CLRV streetcars ↗ Star The City Hall Watcher interview with Mayor John Tory ↗ Newsletter City Hall Watcher #49: The decade ends with a Toronto Council meeting ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Here’s why you’re about to pay a lot more for garbage collection ↗ Star City Hall Watcher #48: Oh no, all the reports came out at once ↗ Subscribers Newsletter The mathematical truth about Toronto property taxes: raising them is the best option ↗ Star City Hall Watcher #47: A new hope for ranked ballots ↗ Subscribers Newsletter E-scooters are potentially dangerous and annoying, but Toronto needs them anyway ↗ Star City Hall Watcher #46: poverty, housing and governance - your November Council preview ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto council has a chance to move more people out of homeless shelters and into homes ↗ Star City Hall Watcher #45: That's a garbage budget ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Give downtown Yonge St. to pedestrians ↗ Star City Hall Watcher #44: So long, Jimmy K ↗ Subscribers Newsletter TTC fair discount program offers proof that cheaper transit can transform lives ↗ Star City Hall Watcher #43: Pumpkin spice lobbying ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Doug Ford has a long history failing to find government waste ↗ Star How Toronto can improve transit and road safety in days rather than years ↗ Star City Hall Watcher #42: The new kings of Kensington ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Under the circumstances, Toronto’s new transit deal is good — but the circumstances suck ↗ Star City Hall Watcher #41: An election night distraction ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #40: Toronto transit swap meet ↗ Newsletter Hey, where’s all the federal election talk about transit and housing? ↗ Star City Hall Watcher #39: A Matador, climate change & lots of e-scooters ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #38: Introducing the Council Power Rankings ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto city hall still throwing up roadblocks to road safety ↗ CBC City Hall Watcher #37: Website diverted, expect delays ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #36: What cities want from the federal election ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #35: The e-scooter war begins ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #34: Back to school, back to Lobbyist Watch ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #33: Let the pre-election funding announcements begin ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #32: The revenge of the return of Doug Ford's city budget cuts ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #31: What happens when Toronto has too much parking? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #30: Hot Lobbyist Watch summer ↗ Newsletter City Hall Watcher #29: Ontario Line - the good, the bad and the risky ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #28: The Council votes that mattered most ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #27: Cramming in a Council meeting before summer break ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #26: A photo radar finish ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #25: What City Hall lobbyists were doing in June ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #24: 1,500 page Sidewalk Toronto proposal tops our summer reading list ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #23: We The North ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #22: Ford is what happens when you're busy making other plans ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #21: Lobbyists get their kicks on Bill 66 ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #20: Fact-checking Ford, fiscally ↗ Newsletter City Hall Watcher #19: The most scathing report ever? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #18: Maybe we ain't that Yonge anymore ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Facing provincial cuts, fighting back might be Toronto's best and only option ↗ CBC City Hall Watcher #17: Who was lobbying who in April? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #16: Pie charts get thrown in public health battle ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #15: Walkerton this way ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #14: The Ontari-ari-ari-o Line ↗ Subscribers Newsletter For Toronto: park booze? Yes. Affordable housing? Uh, maybe later ↗ CBC City Hall Watcher #13: The wheels on the omnibus go round and round ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #12: The Relief Line's magical mystery tech ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #11: At Empire Club, John Tory strikes back ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto needs 1 thing in the federal budget — money, and lots of it ↗ CBC City Hall Watcher #10: Toronto employment is booming, except where it isn't ↗ Newsletter City Hall Watcher #9: Council approves a kinda sorta maybe balanced budget ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #8: Night gathers, and so my Lobbyist Watch begins ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #7: the triumphant return of the City Council Scorecard ↗ Subscribers Newsletter Toronto city hall struggling with snow — and 8 years of austerity ↗ CBC City Hall Watcher #6: Where the Sidewalk ends? ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #5: Toronto's housing crisis — in charts ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #4: The Toronto City Council post-game show ↗ Subscribers Newsletter City Hall Watcher #3: This city's budget is made of mystery meat ↗ Newsletter City Hall Watcher #2: TTC looks to raise fares, then figure out the rest later ↗ Newsletter How Doug Ford's entry into the Scarborough subway debate is creating more uncertainty for TTC riders ↗ CBC City Hall Watcher #1: Richmond & Adelaide are bike lane superstars ↗ Newsletter Coming soon: City Hall Watcher by Matt Elliott ↗ Newsletter Why Doug Ford's subway 'upload' could be Toronto's most contentious city hall story of 2019 ↗ CBC

2018

Messy, complex, risky: Toronto council deals with fallout from Ford's big cut ↗ CBC John Tory wins a commanding victory, but can he command the new council? ↗ CBC Why vote today? Because Toronto's future is still TBD ↗ CBC A series of questions to ask any city council candidate seeking your vote ↗ CBC Toronto's sailing toward a fiscal iceberg — so why aren't mayoral frontrunners talking about it? ↗ CBC Who won and who lost the 1st week of Toronto mayoral debates ↗ CBC The balance of power on Toronto council could rest on a handful of races ↗ CBC Does Ford's rationale for plunging city hall into chaos stand up to scrutiny? ↗ CBC Safer streets should be an election issue — especially in Toronto's suburbs ↗ CBC John Tory vs. Jennifer Keesmaat: campaign promises are expensive, attacks come cheap ↗ CBC If Toronto council is dysfunctional, don't blame the size — blame Giorgio Mammoliti ↗ CBC Ford government is already getting Torontonians engaged - and enraged ↗ CBC More flooding, more questions for Toronto politicians ↗ CBC Will Doug Ford's plan to shrink city council get more stuff done? Don't bet on it ↗ CBC Jennifer Keesmaat positions herself as a 'Ford fighter' in run against John Tory ↗ CBC One sentence in a budget report should terrify Mayor John Tory ↗ National Observer Freelance TORONTO CITY HALL INSIDER: Ford, Heads & Beds, subways for suburbs and the need for real road safety ↗ National Observer Freelance Brace yourselves, Toronto. Change is coming. ↗ National Observer Freelance Lack of Scarborough subway scrutiny makes way for a subway sequel on Sheppard Signal TOcore’s Great Streets plan can correct mistakes from the past, and help put Toronto on the road to achieving Vision Zero Signal Forget the mayoral race, it’s Toronto’s council races that will determine the shape of our city Signal Toronto City Council is pushing pause on our future Metro Report highlights hard-learned lessons from Toronto’s shelter crisis Metro Four years later, the most enduring Ford legacy is as a cautionary tale Metro 10 steps to marginal improvement for Toronto's pedestrians Metro Main streets should not be highways Metro Mayor Tory deserves credit for not bending on King St. pilot Metro The not-so-magical answer to Toronto's housing crisis Metro What we can learn from the tale of Penny's pool Metro Toronto's dangerous, icy, slushy sidewalks have got to go Metro Opposition to Annex homeless shelter might be peak NIMBY Metro Museum of Toronto is an idea long past due Metro Don’t let business complaints derail transit improvements on King Street Metro Toronto's shelter shortage is a crisis by design Metro Here's a New Year’s resolution for you — run for council, make a difference Metro

2017

Beautiful skylines, squirrel statues, goats and a profound love of Toronto Metro Welcome to Toronto's golden age of transit Metro Scarborough subway escapes scrutiny despite mistakes and missteps Metro With tax hikes off the table, Toronto city hall considers... fundraising Metro Before locking down city hall, politicians need to think about who they’re locking out Metro The time for time-based TTC transfers is now Metro Overhaul will have Toronto commuters crying 'long live the new King' Metro Austerity, status quo or city building: It's time for Toronto voters to pick a path Metro Why a 'zombie law' won't stop the 'killing and maiming' happening on Toronto streets Metro Toronto's 'city of the future' is being built next to a relic of our past Metro Enough with the data, we already know bike lanes work Metro Here's a safety tip for pedestrians and cyclists— walk or ride to City Hall Metro Toronto still playing catch up on car sharing — even as usage explodes Metro Woodbine bike lane opponents should look to the record Metro Tory's road to re-election runs straight through downtown Toronto Metro On booze and pot, Toronto could stand to chill out Metro Chief planner's replacement must carry the same torch for Toronto Metro Margaret Atwood and her fellow Annex alarmists must learn to share Metro Toronto police choose authority over visibility Metro Seeking relief from the property tax corkscrew Metro Streets are for people: Toronto deserves a permanent pedestrian street Metro Chrome cows, giant ducks, robot battles: Let’s embrace weirdness in our cities Metro Toronto Island is open, summer starts today Metro For safer streets, getting an Ontario driver’s license should be harder Metro Fact check: Giorgio Mammoliti is just plain wrong to call downtown Torontonians moochers Metro Halifax could have been home — but wasn’t: Matt Elliott on why Toronto is better Metro Toronto's Twitter bike cop a 'crucial' part of evolution into great cycling city Metro When politicians play nice, projects like the Port Lands are born Metro Go ahead, embrace construction: Toronto is fortunate to be a growing city Metro Technologically speaking, Toronto can't afford to keep living in the past Metro Wynne isn’t coming with cash, so Tory should demand new city powers Metro Toronto drivers are loud, cyclists and pedestrians should be too Metro Toronto’s transit problem isn’t about money — it’s about priorities Metro Toronto's cost-cutting council is not ready for climate change Metro Why is our boom town such a bust? Matt Elliott wants to know Metro Toronto needs hard infrastructure to produce real Vision Zero results Metro No hope for social housing found in Kathleen Wynne's budget Metro Ontario's budget shouldn't pass up golden opportunity on transit Metro Five reasons why Toronto is clearly better than Vancouver Metro At long last, Toronto has championship hopes — revel in it Metro Why we should give up on the detached home dream Metro John Tory's appeal for provincial help gets drowned out by his politics Metro It's time for Toronto's wealthy to step up for the city Metro Federal budget makes transit more expensive, and that's not what Toronto needs Metro Politicians finally say they'll prioritize tenants, and it's about time Metro Toronto's unique shops and concert halls are vanishing, but we can fix that Metro City halls need to match the fast pace of city life Metro Pity Toronto's poor, neglected streetcar riders Metro The OMB, while imperfect, helps protect Toronto against NIMBYism Metro Three ways to make sure Toronto's King Street overhaul doesn't get screwed up Metro It's time to strengthen Toronto’s sanctuary city pledge Metro Do Toronto city council a favour and buy yourself a house Metro Power to the cities: Wynne’s reversal on road tolls shows why cities need more power Metro Wynne's turnabout on road tolls is a betrayal Metro The campaign promise John Tory should consider trashing Metro A word to the wise from Toronto: activism works Metro Ep. 16: A very special episode Metro Instead of new powers for the TTC, how about super powers? Metro 2017 is the year John Tory needs to leave the phrase 'war on cars' behind Metro

2016

Tie a ribbon on my tithes — taxes in Toronto are a bargain Metro Ep. 16: Doing laundry in Guelph Metro All I want for Christmas is a Toronto sales tax Metro Ep. 15: I am not a NIMBY but… Metro Four reasons why Patrick Brown needs to steer clear of Toronto's plan for road tolls Metro City hall committees must reflect the entire city — including downtown Metro Ep. 14: The Little Easy Metro Tory’s plan to scrap vacant unit rebate is no empty gesture Metro Ep. 13: Fighting the urban parasite Metro Toronto's road toll plan is only as good as the things it will pay for Metro Ep. 12: The maximum number of cats Metro Renters are getting a raw deal as governments focus on homeowners Metro Ep. 11: Gold-plated cities Metro Welcome back, photo radar — Toronto’s most vulnerable road users missed you Metro Ep. 10: Unpopular Opinion World Metro John Tory’s SmartTrack strikes out as relief line sits on the bench Metro Speeding, reckless turns and hungry wolves: Stop blaming Toronto pedestrians for dangerous drivers Metro Ep. 8: Keep those billionaires in check Metro Cigarettes, icebergs and dark roads: Toronto’s fiscal future boils down to few scary analogies Metro Ep. 7: Flipping the Bird Metro Ep. 6: Dreamy Mayor Power Rankings Metro Ep. 5: Luke’s impression of a jet plane Metro Ep. 4: All those Silicon Valley jerks Metro Ep. 3: A field of extruded Jenga towers Metro Ep. 2: A shipping container in a Beer Store parking lot Metro Ep.1: A chill Poké pick Metro Call me an outlaw: I will keep breaking laws on Toronto's streets and I won't apologize Metro Toronto is better than this: 'Loon-ball' beer thrower needs to come forward and fess up Metro Toronto politicians banking too heavily on 'private sector magic' Metro If Presto is the TTC's future, the future doesn't look bright Metro I have met the enemy, and it is parking: Matt Elliott on Toronto's biggest barrier to progress Metro Sweaty subways, shabby sidewalks: Time to get angry about Toronto city council Metro Is Ontario’s road pricing plan HOT? It’s not Metro Trudeau’s federal transit funding is a big shift — so please, Toronto, don’t screw it up Metro For new condo buildings, forget about height – focus on design Metro Three numbers Toronto’s sweaty transit riders should remember Metro The Rob Ford crack video is here, and I don't care Metro Car parking can’t stand in the way of car sharing in Toronto Metro Instead of foreign homebuyer tax, how about Toronto builds more housing? Metro A bridge too far? The case for a pedestrian, cyclist link to Toronto Island Metro OK, you got your Scarborough subway - now pay for the rest Metro Immediate action needed to save lives on Toronto’s deadly streets Metro John Tory’s Scarborough subway divisiveness a failure of leadership Metro There is no Transit Santa: Expansion will require new taxes Metro A challenge to John Tory: support pedestrians and cyclists like you have the Gardiner Metro Safer road design must prioritize pedestrians, not cars Metro If Scarborough subway ridership can’t be improved, cancel it Metro If it takes more city hall politicians to achieve fairer representation, bring ‘em on Metro Busting Toronto's money myths: Report takes on budget misconceptions Metro Toronto transit projects are funded, but who will pay to operate them? Metro Toronto's taxi debate points to issues far bigger than Uber Metro Toronto's downtown residents lacking voice in city hall debates Metro Toronto’s Uber debate should be about urban mobility — it’s not Metro Poll: Is photo radar right for Toronto? Metro Arguments against ranked ballots just don’t rank well Metro Gardiner East: Infrastructure for the past will hurt Toronto's future Metro Trudeau's Liberals prove transit funding can just be about math Metro Rob Ford's legacy will last at Toronto City Hall Metro King Street relief transit should be a foregone conclusion in Toronto Metro The CUPE labour crisis has been averted, but peace is likely to be short-lived Metro How the UP Express threatens public trust in Toronto transit Metro We need to talk about the absurd cost of police in Toronto Metro Will city planners survive the politics and keep on calling the shots in Toronto? Metro Toronto is subsidizing its most wasteful people with garbage bin rebate Metro John Tory's transit plans aren't perfect, but they're a step in the right direction Metro Justin Trudeau’s next visit to Toronto needs to be more than just symbolic Metro City's laser sharp focus on small items not good for budget Metro The Year Ahead: Let’s make 2016 the year of #payingforstuff at city hall Metro

2015

Toronto's new 'salad bar' approach to budgeting could be just what the city needs Metro Toronto affordable housing math adds up to missed opportunity Metro New taxes for transit better mean improved transit planning Metro Tory ditches tax promise for something better: a vision for Toronto Metro How fighting climate change will make cities like Toronto better places to live Metro Go ahead, ground Porter's plans for jets at the Toronto island airport, see if I care Metro Can’t we ditch SmartTrack West and extend the Eglinton LRT already? Metro The city of Toronto has a police budget problem Metro Toronto's broken funding model, and why it has to go Metro Congestion pricing and HOT lanes: What I learned stuck in Toronto traffic with an economist Metro One year later we're still asking John Tory: What is SmartTrack anyway? Metro Toronto needed a new federal partner — now we have one Metro Middle class gets campaign attention as poverty looms in Toronto Metro Ranking the worst aspects of Toronto council's ranked ballot rejection Metro Irrelevant issues overshadow real needs in this election Metro Toronto needs civic pride right now, and Blue Jays fever can help give us some Metro There is no design that will make any Gardiner hybrid option a good idea Metro Toronto's garbage collection should be decided by numbers, not blind faith Metro Tolling the Gardiner and DVP will help solve two of Toronto's biggest challenges Metro The 2024 Toronto Olympics: Just one more big, vague idea Metro Toronto is gambling its budgets on the land transfer tax Metro Toronto needs to make good signage a priority Metro Toronto ward boundaries need to be redrawn Metro To fight for Toronto, John Tory needs to pick a side in the 2015 federal election Metro Toronto in a rare position as federal battleground. Let's take advantage of that Metro Want to cancel the Scarborough subway? Convince Queen’s Park Metro Forget a bid for the Games, Toronto should host a 'Fakelympics' Metro City Council Scorecard: Team Tory wins votes on Gardiner, gambling and police Metro Toronto Community Housing report took the easy route Metro Four things to remember as Toronto looks to regulate Uber Metro Hey Pan-Am pessimists: Look what Toronto got Metro Toronto's LRT mistakes could be Brampton's lessons Metro HOV lane lessons: Should we charge a fee to use all roads, all the time? Metro John Tory's SmartTrack: A relief line that doesn't provide much relief Metro Stop complaining about Waterfront Toronto and enjoy Queens Quay Metro Relax, lower speed limits in Toronto won't kill anyone Metro When it comes to carding, Mayor John Tory needs to stand on principle Metro Three lingering Gardiner questions that deserve answers Metro Toronto council continues to ignore the experts under John Tory Metro Mayor John Tory trades credibility for concrete with Gardiner decision Metro Fact-checking John Tory's Gardiner East talking points Metro Metro columnist Matt Elliott talks Tory, Gardiner Expressway and more on Reddit Metro Voters will forgive Mayor John Tory for changing his Gardiner vote Metro City Council Scorecard: Predicting the result of next week’s Gardiner debate Metro Tory seeks to cut 'inefficiency marbled throughout government' - good luck with that Metro SmartTrack, the Gardiner or subways? John Tory needs to drop one Metro Evidence demands Toronto tear down the Gardiner east, will council listen? Metro Tory lets 'common sense' overshadow facts on the Gardiner Metro Toronto's troubling history of job vacancies means a deficit in fulfilled promises Metro For whom the road's tolled: Non-resident Gardiner toll won't happen, so let's drop it Metro On the Gardiner, John Tory is heading in the wrong direction Metro Gardiner East FAQ: Making sense of another frustrating city hall debate Metro Toronto’s taxi licensing system is flagrantly unfair — but we can fix it Metro Three changes John Tory could make to tame city council meetings Metro Fact-checking the false budget claims Rob Ford sent to constituents Metro Why the fate of the Gardiner Expressway must rest on our heads, not our hearts Metro Subway or LRT? It looks more like Sheppard Avenue will get nothing Metro They may be clear to John Tory, but both budgets mystify me Metro City Council Scorecard: How often is your councillor voting with Mayor John Tory? Metro Federal budget's transit promises do little to help cities now Metro Let's get the facts straight, it's the suburbs that benefit from Toronto's amalgamation Metro Minnan-Wong's congestion remarks a worrying start to Gardiner debate Metro Four things to remember as Toronto (again) debates the Gardiner's future Metro Big data could be the key to unlocking Toronto's potential — but only if we listen to it Metro Toronto has no money to study future pedestrian scrambles? OK, I’ll do it Metro Mayor John Tory should consider lending his political endorsement to the province for cash Metro Charted: leading Toronto mayoral candidates received nearly $500K from 905-area contributors Metro Time for some real ideas on making T.O. a 'music city' Metro Could Tory not convince council on ombudsman funding? Or does he just not care? Metro Why do I hate the Sunshine List? It's just bad data Metro How a looming decision on the crumbling Gardiner affects Tory's SmartTrack plan Metro John Tory's first budget: Does he really know how hard the hard way is? Metro The push for fiscal responsibility in Toronto comes from council’s left Metro Toronto City Hall oversight is more important than ever — so why is John Tory cutting it? Metro Spadina cost overruns a cautionary tale for the Scarborough subway Metro The way we talk about Toronto's budget makes no sense — let's change it Metro Could Rob Ford really be a political threat to John Tory? Metro Skating rink funding saga reveals Mayor Tory's inexperience — again Metro Bay-Bloor scramble decision a glimmer of hope for a rational, factual Toronto Metro Toronto’s 2015 budget problems were easily avoidable Metro The separation between the TDSB and city government doesn’t make any sense Metro Why is council letting SmartTrack derail LRT plans for Eglinton West? Metro Toronto transit: Kill the half-baked ideas and get some real answers from council Metro 18 mayors can’t be wrong: Why Ottawa needs to do more for Canada's cities Metro Is it possible councillors didn't know the costs of cancelling the Scarborough LRT? Metro Flashy projects take priority over TTC station accessibility Metro Toronto vs. Ontario: If the city wants more provincial cash, the numbers better add up Metro Whoops! Toronto had an election that overlooked the city’s giant budget gap Metro Six ways Toronto could have avoided a provincial loan to balance the budget Metro John Tory using the I-didn’t-know-until-now excuse on TTC fares and budget loan Metro Budget 101: How Mayor John Tory (more or less) balanced the 2015 budget Metro Proposed Toronto property tax hike could be start of more to come Metro Toronto's 2015 budget will be Mayor John Tory first real test Metro Toronto needs a real strategy for the homeless, and a simple one is available Metro For the first time in four years, things are looking up at Toronto city hall Metro Council Scorecard: Tory has strong council support to start his term Metro Scarborough councillors lay track for ill-advised ideas in 2015 Metro If John Tory could bring 416 and 905 together, so much could be accomplished Metro

2014

A small resolution for Toronto in 2015 Metro Where does John Tory stand on Toronto's waterfront? Metro Potentially scary charts to keep in mind for Mayor Tory’s first budget Metro We must ask tough questions about the cost of public-private partnerships Metro The truth about Toronto's traffic problems: They can only be improved, never fixed Metro Union-Pearson Express fares seem fair, but ridership will tell the story Metro John Tory is a rookie when it comes to city hall politics — and it shows Metro Sheppard subway is a costly cautionary tale Toronto risks repeating Metro Tory’s executive committee sticks close to Ford formula Metro Rob Ford's one gift to the people of Toronto? Civic engagement Metro Tory starts strong with state of the city speech Metro Tory's LRT fence-sitting leaves door open for political opportunists Metro Two ways Toronto can deal with Uber cabs, without running them out of town Metro The biggest police budget question is how many cops does Toronto need Metro It's time Toronto started giving a tax break to businesses blocked by construction Metro Let's try for better mayoral debates in 2018 Metro Cities should team up to make transit a federal election issue Metro It's time to admit it: Toronto’s municipal government is broken Metro Ford Nation was faltering well before the crack scandal Metro How will John Tory get SmartTrack done? Compromise. Metro Five ideas to build a better progressive mayoral candidate for Toronto Metro It was a predictable election, now let's change the tone on 'Ford Nation' Metro It's election day in Toronto... thank God Metro What happens after Toronto’s election? More senseless transit debates, sadly Metro Toronto Voting 101: How to choose your city councillor Metro Rob Ford, Doug Ford, and the politics of exhaustion Metro Debate recap: Lekan Olawoye offers a "respectable voice" for Ward 12 Metro Toronto’s 2015 budget hole may throw a wrench into political promises Metro Debate Recap: Ward 16 candidate JP Boutros pushes for a sensible Scarborough transit plan Metro Olivia Chow has a very good platform, too bad it probably came too late Metro John Tory's SmartTrack plan could use a math check Metro Debate recap: Keegan Henry-Mathieu offers new hope in Mammoliti’s Ward 7 Metro The Fords painted a blurry picture on arts funding votes Metro Privatizing Toronto's garbage collection: What we can learn from Hamilton Metro Mapping how Mayor Rob Ford lost control of city council Metro Doug Ford sticks with the playbook of misleading voters Metro Metro burger poll: Matt Elliott takes on the Toronto mayoral candidates, in burger form Metro Forget about Toronto's mayoral circus and give council candidates some attention Metro Council Scorecard Final: How often did your councillor vote with Rob Ford? Metro John Tory's SmartTrack makes a poor fit for TIF Metro A disappointing end to the operatic tale of Mayor Rob Ford Metro John Tory’s greatest political threat is still John Tory Metro He’s out of the race, but David Soknacki made real contributions to Toronto politics Metro Why we should be looking to TIFF to fund Toronto's transit Metro Rob Ford's bad transit plan is based on illusory math Metro In defence of Toronto city council, a government that kind of (mostly) works Metro Raptors deal reveals Ford's inconsistency on recreation programs for low-income residents Metro Sarah Thomson: When she's not riding horses and taking drug tests, she actually makes sense Metro Take no drug tests, and other new rules for Toronto’s mayoral race Metro Running for mayor? You should support the TTC’s service improvement plans Metro What Olivia Chow needs to do to get back in the Toronto mayoral race Metro Why we should keep inflation out of Toronto's mayoral race Metro Rob Ford and the enduring myth of the 'dreaded car tax' Metro Debate overload: Let's spice up the Toronto mayoral election Metro Want to criticize Toronto spending? Try to at least be consistent Metro City Council Scorecard: How has your councillor been voting in 2014? Metro All mayoral candidates need to get serious about improving TTC bus service Metro Why I want to believe in the David Soknacki style of politics Metro Derailing old arguments for getting rid of Toronto's streetcars Metro Everything wrong with Olivia Chow's Toronto handgun ban idea Metro Council shouldn’t get to decide the ombudsman's future Metro John Tory finds the best approach for taking on Mayor Rob Ford Metro Toronto councillors need real consequences, not more phony apologies Metro Fact check: Is Toronto over budget on Pan Am Games projects? Metro Are you angry about Eglinton Connects? The Eglinton community disagrees Metro Toronto mayoral candidates should focus on beating Rob Ford, not calling for his resignation Metro How Rob Ford drags down the public debate and wastes everyone's time Metro No matter what Rob Ford tells you, his record isn't a very good one Metro There’s no reason for outrage over the cost of Waterfront Toronto's umbrellas Metro John Tory says Olivia Chow isn’t a ‘fiscal conservative,’ so let's check his evidence Metro Why Olivia Chow's shortened election campaign idea is only half the battle Metro Soknacki deserves credit for bold plan to tackle on-street parking Metro Ontario is not Greece or Detroit, nor inevitably on the road to fiscal ruin Metro The Ontario Liberal majority means Kathleen Wynne is out of excuses Metro Kathleen Wynne earns the right to govern, with a little help from Hudak and Horwath Metro Why Toronto voters should consider the Green Party Metro Three ways we can make cycling better in Toronto Metro Five questions Toronto’s mayor should ask provincial party leaders Metro Ontario Liberals need to be held accountable for Scarborough subway decision Metro Toronto mayoral candidates take note: It's time to get serious about streetcars Metro Five reasons why John Tory’s SmartTrack transit plan doesn’t seem very smart Metro Why not build condos at Ontario Place? Metro Horwath's plan to take HST off hydro bills makes no sense Metro Hudak’s plan to upload subways is a raw deal for Toronto Metro John Tory campaign still merely dabbling in substance Metro Visualized: Why Toronto’s swelling police budget deserves to be an election issue Metro Wanted: A party for the urban Ontario voter Metro On downtown relief line, Chow has facts on her side - but needs to push harder Metro Why did owners of vacant units in Toronto get $367M in tax rebates? Metro Rob Ford's absence the perfect opportunity to refocus on politics again Metro Let there be no political redemption for Rob Ford Metro Did Rob Ford save a billion dollars? For the billionth time, no Metro Cheers to corner-store beers in Ontario Metro Are Toronto’s LRT plans doomed to go nowhere? Metro Latest scandal yet another black mark on Rob Ford’s TCHC record Metro The rest of Ontario shouldn't pay for Toronto's transit? Says who? Metro Council Scorecard: how did your councillor vote on food trucks and the island airport? Metro It’s not city hall’s job to protect businesses from competition Metro Toronto transit funding needs to stop relying on Queen's Park and the feds Metro David Soknacki faces uphill battle against 'celebrity' in Toronto mayoral race Metro Six questions about Ford’s new spin on billion-dollar savings Metro Stintz's 'flip flopper' label may overshadow some interesting ideas Metro Olivia Chow's 'big tent' platform is missing the numbers Metro How John Tory's talking points betray him Metro Toronto's island airport debate should wait for Pearson train Metro If there's no Rob Ford arrest, what do his opponents do next? Metro Island airport debate: not a good day for Robert Deluce Metro Three Toronto mayoral campaign promises that are never kept Metro Opponents nervous as Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly builds support for Porter's island airport expansion Metro Meet Morgan Baskin: She's 18 years old and wants to be Toronto's next mayor Metro Olivia Chow off to a good start, but still a long way from city hall Metro Wynne backs off on transit funding, ending the 'adult conversation' Metro Rob Ford Accomplishment Tracker: Can the mayor really brag about building subways? Metro The power of magnets: Ford’s questionable claim of renewing faith in TCHC Metro Fact Check: Rob Ford voted against several of his listed 'accomplishments' Metro Toronto election: Which conservative mayor? Metro Gardiner East: Toronto only has one shot at getting this right Metro Mayoral candidates shouldn’t back off on revenue tools for transit Metro What Rob Ford can teach his rivals about campaign strategy Metro The Rob Ford Pledge-O-Meter: Has Ford really done 90 per cent of what he said he'd do? Metro Should Toronto clear your sidewalk? In our slippery city, it's worth thinking about Metro Don’t look too hard for a Rob Ford re-election strategy Metro Council Scorecard: Toronto’s 2014 budget debate shows just how few allies Rob Ford has left Metro Toronto election: It's time to sweat the small stuff Metro Let’s look at the future of the Gardiner expressway as an economic issue Metro Lots of blame to go around on decision to kill the Scarborough LRT Metro Rob Ford's unfortunate budget legacy so far Metro Rob Ford's secret motions go nowhere at Toronto council budget debate Metro Toronto city council: Expect lies, rhetoric and grandstanding at budget meeting Metro Toronto election to be a referendum on Rob Ford Metro Toronto Budget 2014: Rob Ford’s executive committee gambles on land transfer tax Metro The five stages of a Rob Ford scandal -- we know how this will go Metro Post-ice storm, the real damage has been done. By Rob Ford. Metro Ignore Rob Ford, let’s pay attention to David Soknacki Metro Toronto City Council Electability Index: can math predict council elections? Metro John Tory for mayor? Maybe he should stay right where he is Metro Does Rob Ford have a secret plan to find budget savings? Don't bet on it Metro Let’s judge elected officials on emergency preparation, not emergency response Metro Toronto's singin' the first-past-the-post blues Metro

2013

City Council Scorecard: rounding out 2013 with votes on garbage, water and, yes, Rob Ford Metro What makes a great Toronto mayor? Compromise Metro Why covering Rob Ford is not as fun as it first appears Metro 3 Christmas wishes for Toronto city hall in 2014 Metro Remembering five non-Ford stories from city hall in 2013 Metro Visualizing (yet another) funding plan that might lead to transit expansion...maybe Metro Could a gas tax help fix Toronto transit? Remember, doing nothing will cost more Metro It’s worth taking another shot at getting Scarborough transit right Metro Three things Rob Ford lied about in his Conrad Black interview Metro Next election, let's make childcare the issue and the legacy Metro A tale of two mayors: Norm Kelly shows Rob Ford what strategy looks like Metro Way too many unknowns in Porter plan for island airport jets Metro Let's end Rob Ford's war on math Metro Budget 101: How Toronto’s staff-recommend operating budget was balanced Metro Norm Kelly has the power to turn the channel on Rob Ford reality show at city hall Metro Memo to tough-minded media: Five things Rob Ford says that aren’t true Metro Council Scorecard: Making sense of a renovated city council Metro How do we make sure Rob Ford never happens again? Bring in the parties Metro Council shows they don't need Wynne's help to deal with Ford crisis Metro Does Rob Ford even have an agenda outside of continuing to be mayor? Metro Toronto has to learn from the past or risk another Rob Ford Metro Let's play Rob Ford Apology Bingo! Metro Rob Ford scandal: Lies, consequences, and a mayor that needs to leave Metro Rob Ford report card: Grading Toronto's embattled mayor on the non-scandal stuff Metro Face it - Rob Ford is not going to resign. It's time to work around him Metro Rob Ford scandal: It’s not the crack video, it’s the cover-up Metro Finally announcing her mayoral ambitions, Stintz stumbles out of the gate Metro Understanding Toronto's budget: It's a whole lot more complicated than it needs to be Metro Council Scorecard: Yet another Scarborough subway vote, and putting a Ford foe on the executive committee Metro Despite non-stop cavalcade of scandal, opponents still need to beat Rob Ford on the issues Metro A TTC downtown relief line is 28 years overdue Metro With attention-grabbing sleeping city worker story, Mammoliti back to his old habits Metro Robocall this, Mayor Ford: Paul Ainslie was right Metro Scarborough subway: How your councillor voted and what should happen now Metro Last chance for LRT: Is there any chance the Scarborough subway is voted down? Metro Using property taxes to fund the Scarborough subway? Excuse me while I go throw up Metro Small-scale spending scandals distract from big time government screw-ups Metro Toronto’s condo boom: We blew it Metro It will take more than a Rob Ford defeat to clean up Toronto's messy politics Metro The sad legacy of the Scarborough subway debate Metro The Great Island Airport Debate: The unanswered questions Metro How would candidate Rob Ford judge Mayor Rob Ford on 'accountability'? Metro Toronto needs new transit, not new conversations on how to fund it Metro Attention TTC officials and municipal candidates: Here's a sensible transit plan for Toronto Metro Rob Ford is deeply unpopular in downtown Toronto -- and that will hurt his re-election chances Metro Sam the Record Man sign debacle another example of Toronto not protecting its heritage Metro No winners in Scarborough subway debacle, except maybe Rob Ford Metro It's a… trap? Does Rob Ford win even when he loses? Metro Fact-checking Ford's campaign-style Cambridge Club speech Metro Council's decision to appoint didn't have much to do with Rob Ford Metro Show me the the 2025 World Expo Metro Mayor Rob Ford's council attendance record still not-so-good Metro Media scrutiny of Rob Ford is fair game Metro Some DO's and DON'Ts for Toronto's new deputy mayor, Norm Kelly Metro Is there a good reason to hold a byelection to fill Doug Holyday's seat? Nope. Metro Much ado about yet another Rob Ford scandal, but it won't matter Metro Who will be Toronto's next mayor? Don't count out the underdogs just yet Metro Council Scorecard: The not-so-final word on the Scarborough subway, plus cutting council in half Metro Two City Hall stories that aren't about Ford scandals or Scarborough transit Metro Cynical subway strategy pays off for Liberals in byelection win—but what now? Metro Neither Ford Nation candidate deserves your vote in Etobicoke-Lakeshore Metro Hope endures for Toronto food trucks Metro Toronto's LRT plans need vocal supporters, but where'd they all go? Metro What we still don't know about the Scarborough subway plan Metro The real Scarborough subway vs. LRT debate lost in politics Metro Scarborough subway versus LRT: how did your councillor vote? Metro Visualizing Mayor Rob Ford's 30-year debt plan for funding the Scarborough subway Metro Waterfront Toronto: building the waterfront we deserve, and keeping our basements dry Metro Good transit planning gives way to pandering politics in Scarborough subway debate Metro After the floods, Toronto needs a renewed focus on infrastructure -- and fighting climate change Metro How soon before the 'Elect Karen Stintz' signs start popping up? Metro Rob Ford is finally boring -- and that's good for his political career Metro Time for council to finally give up on the Scarborough subway dream Metro Taking on TREB's take on the Toronto land transfer tax Metro Ford's inconsistent budget direction makes Toronto an easy target for provincial cuts Metro No cars on King Street: What have we got to lose? Metro City Council Scorecard: Playing catch-up with votes on transit funding, casinos, electoral reform and, um, showers Metro Real talk for real estate agents: Stop fighting the land transfer tax Metro Why permanent residents should get the vote in Toronto Metro Mayor Rob Ford's response to damning TCHC report falls far short Metro Back to busting Mayor Rob Ford's billion-dollar budget boast Metro De-amalgamation Nation? Not so fast, Toronto works better together Metro As the crack scandal lingers, what's the state of the Ford Nation? Metro Still asking questions about the Ford brothers' billion-dollar savings claim Metro How the Rob Ford circus is hurting Toronto city politics Metro Let's stop gawking at Rob Ford for a second and read this Metrolinx report Metro Doug Ford says critics 'can't go after our fiscal record' - challenge accepted Metro If I were Rob Ford, I'd have quit by now Metro The people behind 'the people's mayor' deserve a better response than this Metro Toronto's year-long casino debate finally comes to an end, but did we learn anything? Metro Rob Ford crack cocaine scandal: Will Ford Nation desert him? Metro How Toronto City Council came up $500M short in transit debate Metro Ranked Choice Voting: Toronto democracy fixed in three easy steps Metro City Hall's very messy transit fight leaves some hope for transit expansion Metro Do Scarborough councillors want a subway or just political cover? Metro More people should be talking about GO Transit's Scarborough potential Metro Taking on the Ford brothers' new favourite tax study Metro More questions than answers with revived Scarborough subway plan Metro Karen Stintz vs. Rob Ford II: The Reckoning. In theatres next week Metro Mayor Rob Ford's inaction on transit sparks council revolt - again Metro Knocking down common arguments against new taxes for GTA transit Metro BIXI Bikes: Failure is not an option Metro Can Rob Ford make his case for reelection, one insignificant issue at a time? Metro Council Scorecard Projection: Downtown casino now a dead issue walking Metro Toronto politics: An endless loop of the same issues, over and over again Metro Council Scorecard: How did your councillor vote on the island airport tax deal? Oh, and burgers, too Metro Casino Toronto: What's in it for Rob Ford? Metro This spring, get a bike in Toronto Metro Hamburgers vs. homelessness: Mayor Rob Ford & council struggle to define priorities Metro Vomit away, Mr. Mayor, but you still don't have a realistic plan to fund transit expansion Metro TTC's big streetcars are a big step forward for Toronto Metro Don’t let the Big Move overshadow needed small moves on transportation Metro There's only one reason to care about Rob Ford's personal life Metro Toronto transit: At least we've got Presto... Metro Karen Stintz, not Rob Ford, looks mayoral in response to federal budget Metro GTA transit revenue deniers don't deserve any more of our time Metro Stakes of a downtown Toronto casino still unknown Metro Olivia Chow and other would-be mayors should stick with current transit plans Metro Growth can only be a good thing for Toronto Metro So much to hate about the Sarah Thomson and Rob Ford story Metro Mayor Rob Ford stands in the way of GTA's transportation future Metro What the Death Star can teach us about civic engagement Metro City Council Scorecard: Emergency shelter debate, sanctuary city & enemies on executive Metro Teflon mayor? Whatever -- it's time for Rob Ford to get back to work Metro Homeless are dying on Toronto streets - and the solution is about more than just funding Metro Councillor revises history on TTC leadership change Metro No good arguments for eliminating Toronto land transfer tax Metro Ontario's new transportation minister needs to be prepared to make tough decisions Metro Can we stop talking about a downtown Toronto casino yet? Metro TTC fare-by-distance not fair to Toronto commuters Metro On first day, Toronto's new budget chair ponders digging big budget hole Metro Does Mayor Rob Ford's campaign spending audit really matter? Metro How Toronto chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat wants to fix our transit problem Metro Hitting the right notes on transit, Kathleen Wynne deserves a chance to lead Metro Advice for Mayor Rob Ford’s next chapter: Be super boring Metro Rob Ford keeps his job: Why that could be good news for Toronto Metro Debunking Ford Nation's favourite budget chart Metro Bottom line for budget chief Mike Del Grande: He deserved better Metro Toronto Council Scorecard: How did your councillor vote on Mayor Rob Ford's 2013 budget? Metro Budget 2013: Despite attempts at compromise, Ford can't claim victory Metro The GTA deserves better than a ‘hail mary’ on transit planning Metro Clarification needed on Mayor Rob Ford's budget comments Metro At appeal hearing, Mayor Rob Ford benefits from his own silence Metro The curious case of vanishing studies at Toronto City Hall Metro Mayoral by-election could be opportunity for Toronto conservatives to ditch Rob Ford Metro 2012 was a lousy year for Toronto cyclists -- and 2013 doesn't look any better Metro

2012

Toronto City Council Scorecard: plastic bag fees, police board appointments & garbage budgets in the year-end spectacular Metro Predictions: If we lose Rob Ford in 2013 Metro A Toronto city hall watcher’s Christmas wish list Metro Pretty much any candidate could pose serious threat to Mayor Rob Ford in by-election Metro Budget 101: Did Mayor Rob Ford's City Hall really tame the police budget? Metro Toronto budget 2013: Increasing arts funding should be a no-brainer Metro Mayor Rob Ford makes quick comment on budget, then skips town Metro Budget 101: Mayor Rob Ford's City Hall looks to asset sales, operating surpluses in capital plan Metro The Gardiner Expressway: A lump of coal in Toronto's stocking Metro Mayor Rob Ford wins his stay -- here are three things he should do next Metro Budget 101: How Mayor Rob Ford's City Hall (almost) balanced the 2013 operating budget Metro Chaos reigns at Toronto City Hall - and there’s no good way forward Metro Rob Ford finally gets some good news, but what happens now? Metro Mayor Rob Ford's apology comes far too late Metro Ousted until 2014, Mayor Rob Ford must decide if he wants to keep his job Metro Hoping for two more years of mayor Rob Ford Metro Toronto Wrap: TTC fares go up, cyclists under fire and Mayor Rob Ford's big week Metro Two observations about Mayor Rob Ford's libel trial Metro Olivia Chow for mayor? Not so fast Toronto Metro City Council Scorecard: TCHC sale, Metrolinx agreement & Accountability Offices Metro On Jarvis Street, a million dollars got us nowhere Metro Mayor Rob Ford gambling on Toronto’s future with casino debate Metro TTC bus saga highlights Rob Ford's communication problems Metro Charting Rob Ford's not-so-good council attendance record Metro City watchdogs should be Rob Ford's best friends Metro Toronto Wrap: LRT approved again, Ford steps out for football, disappearing Toronto jobs Metro Charting the increased lobbyist presence at Mayor Rob Ford's City Hall Metro Mayor Rob Ford’s fiscal record gets a ‘meh’ Metro Studied to death: TTC calls for Scarborough subway reports again Metro As repair bills mount, city should revive plan to demolish part of Gardiner Metro Time for an urban premier at Queen’s Park Metro Councillors and mayor must support a downtown relief line Metro Mayor Rob Ford wages weird war on section of planning act Metro Enough with the TTC funding fairy tales Metro Council Scorecard: Jarvis, one last time Metro Toronto casino arguments go bust Metro Mayor Rob Ford's council opposition looks weak and aimless Metro Toronto Wrap: Taxes for transit, more on Jarvis & keeping our zoo Metro Jarvis bike lane vote lost because councillors changed their minds Metro City and provincial budgets starve transit in Toronto Metro Toronto wrap: Ombudsman's report, shiny new streetcars, and the war for bike lanes Metro Peak Scandal: More gaffes won't shake Mayor Rob Ford's remaining support Metro In Mayor Rob Ford's media war, Toronto loses Metro Mayor Rob Ford goes to Chicago - and does his job again Metro Friday Wrap: Private transit operators, new housing plan, Museum of Toronto Metro Toronto still pedalling backwards with cycling plans Metro Debate Prep: Taking on Rob Ford's favourite talking points Metro Coach vs. Mayor: Rob Ford should stick to the job he’s good at Metro Is this the scandal that will end Rob Ford's career? Metro Rob Ford skips work to coach football Metro #Fordcourt vs. Ford fest, mayor highlights the divide Metro Transit vision drowns on Toronto's waterfront Metro Rob Ford's conflict-of-interest defence: laziness and incompetence Metro A back-to-school season wish-list for Rob Ford and Toronto City Council Metro Why kicking Rob Ford out of office would be bad for Toronto's future Metro Conflict-of-interest case shouldn't end Rob Ford Metro Forever Yonge: Don’t stop celebrating Toronto’s main street Metro Doug Ford's waterfront Ferris wheel, one year later—has anything changed? Metro Mapping Little Ginny: Do parents want to raise their kids in downtown Toronto? Metro Rob Ford: Distracted driver, distracted mayor Metro Boomtown Toronto: Trinity-Spadina accounts for 26% of recent population growth Metro Three things that need to happen before Toronto can take the world stage Metro Bringing the Olympic torch to Toronto Metro Toronto Police need to work to rebuild trust Metro New era of contracted-out trash pick-up won't help city's operating budget Metro City Council Scorecard: OneCity mania and a vote on guns Metro Rob Ford: The accidental progressive Metro All night anniversary: five more people who helped bring down Rob Ford Metro How a 14-year-old helped bring down Rob Ford Metro And then the Nazi thing happened: Rob Ford's weird ride Metro Rob Ford's tangled views on social programs for youth Metro Responding to gun violence: Ford holds meetings, gets nothing accomplished Metro Rob Ford has it right on social programs — almost Metro Off-the-rails Rob Ford continues to push for confusing ban on criminals Metro How many 407 highways would it take to build the OneCity transit plan? Metro Danzig shootings: after the mourning, what's next for Rob Ford and council? Metro OneCity, take two: let’s go regional Metro Five myths about the death of OneCity Metro The OneCity transit plan: What the hell happened? Metro One year later, still worth fighting for the Jarvis bike lanes Metro Going to the island: yay, getting to the island: boo Metro OneCity transit plan approaches zero Metro The unpopular Rob Ford: Three perspectives on the mayor's approval rating Metro Rob Ford's disastrous transit policies: a look back Metro Provincial government a bad partner on Toronto transit Metro Rob Ford owes Toronto an explanation on Pride snub Metro New OneCity transit plan could radically transform Toronto Metro Want safer cycling? Build cycling infrastructure Metro Quick reference: people who might run for mayor in 2014 Metro Oh, brother: Doug Ford remains mayoral liability Metro To deal with gun violence, take aim at poverty Metro Team Ford finally ready to talk about paying for transit Metro City Council Scorecard: Far too many votes about plastic bags Metro Sales tax now for Toronto's transit future Metro Rob Ford sets a new direction - and it's not completely terrible Metro In absence of leadership, council ignores the mayor and bans plastic bags Metro In wake of tragedy, Toronto stands strong - and Rob Ford acts like a mayor Metro Time to talk about building subways, again Metro Friday Wrap: Weight Loss sideshow continues, Jack Layton honoured & transit squabbles Metro Build waterfront transit now - or pay later Metro Rob Ford: The mayor who wasn’t there Metro Friday Wrap: Gardiner and Ford's poll numbers both falling Metro Five items for council's agenda (that aren't plastic bags or casinos) Metro The mayor of nickels and bags Metro Video: Rob Ford's dramatic PFLAG moment Metro City Manager: There isn't $100M in service efficiencies left in Toronto's budget Metro Council Scorecard Special: Council inches closer to magic 30 vote threshold Metro Subways won’t win Rob Ford Scarborough votes Metro Friday Wrap: Toronto shouldn't have to wonder if the mayor is a homophobe Metro Cheers and jeers for councillors as post-Ford agenda takes shape Metro Rob Ford's stupid and offensive radio show demeans us all Metro Friday Wrap: Rob Ford's war on credibility, Medical Officer threatened & Toronto's elephants on the move Metro Five perspectives on Angry Rob Ford's encounter with a reporter Metro Rob Ford's budget surplus no great departure from Miller era Metro Rob Ford's budget surplus isn't surprising or unprecedented Metro Friday Wrap: Subways Subways Subways & Tolls Tolls Tolls Metro Welcome back, Transit City - let's not screw this up again Metro Enough with the Rob Ford gravy slogans, it's time to really fix Toronto's fiscal foundation Metro Friday Wrap: Ford's popularity picks up, casino talk won't stop, pools and zoos threatened Metro Making the same mistake twice: will Rob Ford skip Pride again? Metro The Rob Ford pledge-o-meter: what's left on the mayor's agenda? Metro City Council Scorecard: council finds peace on the field, but remains divided on labour Metro With Ford's agenda stalled, Deputy Mayor rages against activists, unionists and cyclists Metro Toronto casino a cash cow? Not for City Hall Metro After Rob Ford reverses on fees for sports fields, why not fix other budget mistakes? Metro On the waterfront: swapping green space for development lands a lousy trade Metro Vaughan for Toronto? Carroll for Toronto? Who should run against Rob Ford in 2014? Metro As the battle for Jarvis heats up, a call for pragmatism - not necessarily bike lanes Metro Infographic: things we can learn from recorded votes on speaking extensions Metro Rob Ford's issues with women: Jaye Robinson quits executive Metro Scarborough MPPs play bad politics on transit Metro On labour, the Ford administration proves quietly effective - so why doesn't anyone care? Metro On labour, the Ford administration proves quietly effective – so why doesn’t anyone care? ↗ FFT The week that was: Ford loses major transit vote as Sheppard gets LRT Metro The week that was: Ford loses major transit vote as Sheppard gets LRT ↗ FFT Rob Ford can’t win Sheppard vote without a realistic plan ↗ FFT FAQ: Should we build a Sheppard Subway extension? ↗ FFT Forget building transit, let’s just talk endlessly and yell at each other ↗ FFT Playing the long-game: can Rob Ford win reelection in 2014? ↗ FFT An organized opposition versus a disorganized mayor: a look at the TTC ballot votes ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard: Rob Ford loses control of the TTC ↗ FFT After Ford rejects compromise, Karen Stintz moves to dissolve TTC board ↗ FFT Shocker: budget cuts can negatively impact services ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard Metro Rob Ford’s Toronto has a revenue problem ↗ FFT Tunnel Vision: four reasons we can’t have the subways Rob Ford wants ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard: Adding up the transit vote ↗ FFT Without Just Cause: Gary Webster gets fired ↗ FFT Down with Webster: Ford to spend half-million dollars because transit GM disagrees with him ↗ FFT Memo to the suburbs: pro-subway mayor wanted to cut your bus routes ↗ FFT Rob Ford’s Sheppard Subway plan: days late, a billion dollars short ↗ FFT Ford in decline: populist mayor is unpopular ↗ FFT Developers, businesses want mayor to back Queens Quay LRT ↗ FFT Here I go again on my own: three stories about Rob Ford ↗ FFT Notes on a Transit Plan ↗ FFT LRT for Toronto: Rob Ford loses bid to control Toronto’s transit future ↗ FFT Subways & LRTs & Operating Costs ↗ FFT Council revives Transit City as opponents run out of fresh arguments ↗ FFT Labour Crisis Averted ↗ FFT Why are some councillors set to vote against transit in their wards? ↗ FFT Labour Daze: work stoppage seems likely as city moves to force strike ↗ FFT No Sheppard Subway without road tolls, new taxes ↗ FFT Wasted Money: Putting Rob Ford’s Transit City cancellation costs into context ↗ FFT “Beyond comprehension”: Why is Rob Ford fighting a transit battle he can’t possibly win? ↗ FFT Mike Del Grande wastes a bunch of taxpayer money just for spite ↗ FFT Council Scorecard: Did council ever vote on Transit City? Yes, at least seven times ↗ FFT Toronto’s Transit Future: Responding to Rob Ford ↗ FFT Council builds a new transit plan: the pros and cons ↗ FFT That damn streetcar purchase: how Rob Ford made transit a budget scapegoat ↗ FFT Eglinton LRT resurfaces as Karen Stintz breaks with the mayor ↗ FFT Two ways Rob Ford’s budget comes up short (despite council’s victory) ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard: The night Rob Ford lost big ↗ FFT Budget Week 2012: What to Watch For ↗ FFT Toronto’s Library system is a model of efficiency (so why does Rob Ford want to cut it?) ↗ FFT In 2011, Council’s middle got less mushy, more lefty ↗ FFT “Radical” Rob Ford’s Sinking Budget ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard: How often did your councillor vote with Rob Ford in 2011? ↗ FFT Ford For Toronto Year One: A Look Back at 2011 ↗ FFT

2011

What the hell is happening with transit in Toronto? ↗ FFT Councillor Michelle Berardinetti doubles down on supporting the mayor ↗ FFT Notes on Rob Ford’s budget, written as it starts to fall apart ↗ FFT Karen Stintz and Rob Ford’s TTC problem: there are too many riders ↗ FFT RobFord.ca Was Not Hacked—But Someone Is Having a Bit of Fun ↗ Torontoist Freelance FAQ for councillors and citizens on the fence about Rob Ford’s 2012 budget ↗ FFT Budget 2012: A failure on two levels before it’s even launched ↗ FFT Visualizing 2012: How to manufacture a budget crisis ↗ FFT Everyone has fundamental beliefs: Janet Davis, Josh Colle & Josh Matlow on ideology and good governance ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard: Voting to take out the trash ↗ FFT Occupy Toronto: Where’s the mayor? ↗ FFT Denzil Minnan-Wong thinks Denzil Minnan-Wong is wrong on new overflow recycling policy ↗ FFT Layoffs, Lies & Statistics: Does the City of Toronto employ too many people? ↗ FFT Rebuilding Ford Nation: can a war with the unions save our unpopular mayor? ↗ FFT The Don Revelation: renegade valley may thwart Rob Ford’s underground transit vision ↗ FFT The unlikely (and welcome) return of the Fort York bridge ↗ FFT Calling 911 three times because there was a sketch comic in your driveway ↗ FFT Sorry Mr. Budget Chief, Rob Ford doesn’t have a mandate for a ‘tough medicine’ budget ↗ FFT Nothing noble about paying for your own office expenses ↗ FFT Council Scorecard Special: How your councillor voted on sharks & elephants ↗ FFT What contracted out garbage means — and doesn’t mean ↗ FFT Police Budget 2012: How Bill Blair beat Rob Ford ↗ FFT “Bargain basement” garbage contract smells a bit fishy ↗ FFT Catching Up: Provincial Election Fallout, TTC Customer Service, Library Cuts & Budget Blues ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard: How many library service hours will your councillor cut? ↗ FFT What they’re saying about Rob Ford in other municipalities ↗ FFT Ford stays out of provincial race as Ford Nation goes up in smoke ↗ FFT Transit City, rise from your grave! (Or, at least, let’s build something on Finch) ↗ FFT 10% budget reductions, fewer cops on the streets, and reluctantly defending Bill Blair ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard Update: Team Ford looks shaky with Port Lands & Service Review votes ↗ FFT Six Years of Budget Balancing Strategies: Rob Ford’s 2012 approach presents false choice ↗ FFT Special City Council Scorecard: Core Service Review votes reveal growing council opposition ↗ FFT Ford cuts his own staff, then suffers the consequences ↗ FFT No “Car Free Day” proclamation from Mayor Ford ↗ FFT A lack of leadership, coherence and action in aftermath of Marathon Meeting sequel ↗ FFT “The item as amended carries unanimously, 45 in favour” ↗ FFT Victory on the waterfront (for now) ↗ FFT Councillor Voting Records ↗ Torontoist Freelance The week Rob Ford unravels ↗ FFT Despite leading question, CUPE poll still bad news for Ford ↗ FFT What the city manager saved from the budget knife ↗ FFT On transit: keep cutting until ridership drops ↗ FFT The Port Lands vote: the first significant defeat for the Ford administration ↗ FFT Toronto’s unpopular mayor ↗ FFT 2012 Budget: Trading tax cuts for service cuts in Rob Ford’s Toronto ↗ FFT A visual journey through Doug Ford’s Port Lands ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard: How to save the Port Lands ↗ FFT Selling Toronto on a new vision for the waterfront, before selling the waterfront ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke Coda: “When are you going to tell us what kind of city you actually want to govern?” ↗ FFT Parallel Port Land Plans: No reason to abandon Waterfront Toronto ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “I am proud to pay taxes,” says Wendy Greene ↗ FFT The Fords have a terrible, no-good, very bad plan for Toronto’s Port Lands ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “That word—citizen—is very important to me,” says Vikki VanSickle ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “These are not gravy — they are the basics of a great city,” says Ernest Tucker ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “Our mayor knows the price of everything, but he values very little,” says Desmond Cole ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “Why don’t you admit that there is no gravy train?” asks Julie Beddoes ↗ FFT Quiet For Toronto ↗ FFT Toronto: “I am not one of the usual suspects,” says Christopher Salmond ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “Stop pitting the suburbs and downtown against each other,” says Michael Binetti ↗ FFT …Only Outlaws Will Have Panhandles: How The Sun got it wrong on poverty & panhandling ↗ FFT 29 year council veteran Holyday expresses total ignorance on critical budget matters ↗ FFT Layton ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “I was hoping you’d be better, but you’re worse,” says Dave Meslin ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “Trying to defend impossible campaign promises is getting kind of lame,” rhymes Brian Cauley ↗ FFT Ford administration demonstrates total incompetence with transit file ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “I couldn’t just stand by and watch the city get dismantled,” says Amy Casipullai ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “It is much easier to destroy something than it is to rebuild it,” says Miroslav Wagner ↗ FFT You always seemed so sure / that one day we’d be fighting / a suburban war ↗ FFT Ignoring Giorgio: Pay no attention to the magician’s assistant ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “If you want to fix a complex problem, have a clear plan,” says Sean Meagher ↗ FFT Listening to Toronto: On bikes, roads & sidewalks ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “This is how we solve the billion dollar deficit,” says HiMY SYeD ↗ FFT It’s always Sunny in Toronto: three questionable ideas to “improve” our city ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “You’ve been very arbitrary with your choices,” says Jason Adam Robins ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “I am fearful for what this city will look like in four years” says Gilary Massa Machado ↗ FFT City Budget: This isn’t about austerity & four other notes ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “You guys represent me, whether you like me or not,” says Alison Gorbould ↗ FFT Ford For Toronto on NewsTalk 1010 ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “I refuse to pit my public services against one another,” says Jennifer Arango ↗ FFT Is Rob Ford’s commitment to customer service actually doing more harm than good? ↗ Toronto Life Freelance PMO killed the YouTube star: fishin’ buddies Stephen Harper and Rob Ford (briefly) go viral ↗ Toronto Life Freelance Rob Ford’s mysterious meeting schedule released only to reveal something everybody already knew anyway ↗ Toronto Life Freelance The Pride is Back: once again, it’s about more than just a parade ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “The library is the one spot where I have my father,” says Miroslav Glavić ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “One building, one book, that’s all that it took,” sings Susan Wesson ↗ FFT Budgeting and the art of distraction ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “This is absolute heresy,” says David Owen ↗ FFT Things Margaret Atwood likes: libraries, book clubs, strong language; things Margaret Atwood does not like: Doug and Rob Ford ↗ Toronto Life Freelance Toronto Spoke: “I choose to feel hopeful,” says Kim Fry ↗ FFT City budget document pegs 2012 shortfall at $530 million (or less) ↗ FFT Listening to Toronto: On Transit ↗ FFT Manufacturing Toronto’s Budget Crisis ↗ FFT Toronto Spoke: “I think Torontonians know what they’ve got, and they’re willing to fight for it,” says Henry Faber ↗ FFT The 22½ hour budget meeting: nothing changed, except maybe everything ↗ FFT Cutting through 2012: Ten places the Fords might look for savings ↗ FFT The end of Toronto’s Rob Ford experiment? ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard Update: Jarvis Lanes and Public Health Nurses ↗ FFT The annotated Rob Ford: notes on the mayor’s interview with CP24 (VIDEO) ↗ FFT Toronto’s looming library cuts: what could happen, and how to stop it ↗ FFT Ford looks to fire GM, kill streetcars in push toward ‘joke’ of transit plan ↗ FFT No recommendations in KPMG reports ↗ FFT Minnan-Wong planning “significant” downtown transportation study; believes more roads can solve traffic problems ↗ FFT The incredible shrinking budget gap ↗ FFT Toronto [heart] Partisan Politics ↗ FFT Councillor Josh Colle misled constituents in lead-up to Jarvis vote ↗ FFT Rob Ford misinformed on critical budget issues ↗ FFT Searching for Council’s conservatives ↗ FFT The Jarvis vote: What the hell happened? ↗ FFT First Core Service Review report: cut snow-clearing, street-sweeping, fluoridation and recycling programs ↗ FFT On bike lanes, put up or shut up ↗ FFT Conservatives call for licensing for cyclists as bikes-versus-cars rhetoric ramps up (again) ↗ Toronto Life Freelance TTC inks an advertising deal—cue station naming rights bonanza (or not) ↗ Toronto Life Freelance Who to call & email to save the Jarvis bike lanes ↗ FFT Pier-less Burlington still waiting for its promised—but seemingly doomed—downtown waterfront attraction ↗ Toronto Life Freelance FAQ for Councillors considering the removal of the Jarvis Street bike lanes ↗ FFT Former TTC general manager David Gunn thinks Toronto’s transit plans are off the rails ↗ Toronto Life Freelance A gentle reminder of City Council’s recent commitment to cultural funding ↗ FFT Despite what Mammoliti says, there’s no reason to defund Pride ↗ FFT Ford For Toronto Life ↗ FFT Kristyn Wong-Tam is pushing an ambitious revitalization plan for Yonge Street—but will it fly at Rob Ford’s city hall? ↗ Toronto Life Freelance The name game: city councillors look to scrap “priority neighbourhood” label ↗ Toronto Life Freelance Nobody missed Rob Ford at Pride—but his absence is still significant for the city ↗ Toronto Life Freelance Opposition to local food part of a race to the bottom ↗ FFT Rider, can you spare 15 cents? TTC looks to charge for text notifications ↗ Toronto Life Freelance City infrastructure: something’s gotta give ↗ FFT Giorgio Mammoliti: Toronto’s Michele Bachmann? ↗ FFT Mayor Rob Ford skips every Pride-related event ↗ FFT How to Save the Jarvis Bike Lanes ↗ Torontoist Freelance Mammoliti on Jarvis Lanes: “Everybody has the right to use the road” ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard: How to save the Jarvis bike lanes ↗ FFT Ford skips Pride kick-off at City Hall, was at hockey rink ↗ FFT Mammoliti, other councillors face serious audit requests ↗ FFT Sheppard Subway plan a “big black hole of wasteful spending” ↗ FFT What we talk about when we talk about Jarvis ↗ FFT Scenarios wherein the mayor is not a homophobe ↗ FFT Does vote on public health nurses reveal the real Rob Ford? ↗ FFT Executive committee moves to cut out the private sector ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard Update: Selling TCHC homes ↗ FFT Ford’s transit plan: still unapproved, still lacking ↗ FFT Bike Plan to Nowhere: Three ways the new bike plan report falls short ↗ FFT Proud of Levy ↗ FFT Public Health Nurses? No fun ↗ FFT You get what you pay for ↗ FFT Arena deal reveals downside to contracting out ↗ FFT Name your price on naming rights ↗ FFT Whistle Blower Protection Policy a small victory for Ford ↗ FFT Our socialist roads and highways ↗ FFT The mayor who once mused about selling public housing to pay operating costs ↗ FFT Transparent government locked down ↗ FFT Doug Ford: Mayor is ‘Walking Pollster’ ↗ FFT Ford to skip another Pride event ↗ FFT ‘Construction chaos’ is chance for new administration to prove effectiveness ↗ FFT Candidate Rob Ford versus Mayor Rob Ford, on city’s revenue problem ↗ FFT City looking at 10% budget reduction ↗ FFT The cell phone mayor: “You have the wrong number” ↗ FFT TTC shortfall to be approximately $80m ↗ FFT ‘Ford Nation’ and Corktown: How the new mayor may impact a neighbourhood ↗ FFT Lame budget analogies ↗ FFT Doug Ford is whining about street closures ↗ FFT Holyday on Panhandling: How do you solve social issues without social programs? ↗ FFT Minnan-Wong’s work on bike lanes: pragmatic & inclusionary ↗ FFT Of expenses and Halifax trips: micromanaging the ‘gravy train’ ↗ FFT Presto Chango: TTC looks to adopt new fare card ↗ FFT Rob Ford, October 2010: “I will assure you that services will not be cut” ↗ FFT Something to be managed, not something to be built ↗ FFT City ends 2010 with $88m surplus, but no one’s finding fault ↗ FFT Ford’s approval rating down, weak support for Sheppard subway ↗ FFT There’s a hole in our budget ↗ FFT Credit to Thompson for considering police layoffs ↗ FFT For whom the road tolls ↗ FFT Ford appeals campaign audit request, despite having nothing to hide ↗ FFT For Ford, credit when credit is due ↗ FFT Ford will have to institute road tolls to pay for promised subway ↗ FFT When will council get to vote on transit plans? ↗ FFT Is Doug Ford good for Toronto? ↗ FFT Jim Flaherty praises “boondoggle” waterfront development ↗ FFT Mammoliti pretends city can withhold Pride funding if QuAIA participates ↗ FFT Setting policy by imagined consensus ↗ FFT The mayor laughed heartily ↗ FFT City Council Scorecard: Garbage, Bridges, Committees & Sewage ↗ FFT Berardinetti doing all she can to fly under the radar ↗ FFT Ford’s friendless folly ↗ FFT Having achieved his vision for Toronto, Ford looks to abolish ‘bag tax’ ↗ FFT The Cover of QuAIA: Why is Rob Ford avoiding Pride events? ↗ FFT The second city of the British Empire ↗ FFT Burning bridges at Fort York ↗ FFT Rob Ford’s next target: Jarvis Street bike lanes? ↗ FFT The mayor’s bad day ↗ FFT VIDEO: Giorgio Mammoliti on Drag Queens ↗ FFT Why don’t Etobicoke residents recycle? ↗ FFT Council moves to take out the trash after 32-13 vote ↗ FFT VIDEO: Rob Ford opens garbage debate, declares “people are sick and tired of tax and spend socialists” ↗ FFT The Fort York Bridge: it’s now or never ↗ FFT Campaign audit: What’s Ford thinking? ↗ FFT Does anybody really believe in Ford’s transit plan? ↗ FFT Fiscally conservative, but not when it comes to the police ↗ FFT Ford Nation, Assemble! ↗ FFT Carroll for Toronto ↗ FFT Trash of the Titans ↗ FFT 70% of Toronto loves Rob Ford ↗ FFT Police contract sets the tone, 2012 budget hole gets deeper ↗ FFT Private sector waterfront development is short-sighted, says private sector ↗ FFT The Mayor might be too busy to march in the Pride parade ↗ FFT Will anyone care about Ford’s campaign financing problems? ↗ FFT Stintz versus Stintz, on Presto ↗ FFT What does the Mayor want from the Federal Government? ↗ FFT What has Waterfront Toronto done for us anyway? ↗ FFT Council Scorecard Update: How did your councillor vote on city boards, bottled water and service reviews? ↗ FFT Rob Ford’s schedule a closely held secret ↗ FFT What did and didn’t happen in Toronto last night ↗ FFT Ford endorses federal party that offers nothing for Toronto ↗ FFT Trash talk: debate is about process, not outcome ↗ FFT On public housing: why vouchers aren’t a quick fix ↗ FFT Our new city-building strategy: sell downtown ↗ FFT Provincial money for Sheppard Subway derailed by Ford’s demands ↗ FFT Citizen voices silenced at city hall ↗ FFT The upside to libertarian leadership: better food carts ↗ FFT “Vaughan amendment” wreaks havoc on city boards and agencies ↗ FFT City Hall Secrecy ↗ FFT No Waterfront Gravy ↗ FFT Pride and Prejudice and Revisionist History ↗ FFT Road to privatized garbage skips past council ↗ FFT The mayor wants to sell the waterfront ↗ FFT The high road: QuAIA withdraws from Pride Parade ↗ FFT Listening to people by shutting down citizen committees ↗ FFT New expense rules: “Harmonious community” no more ↗ FFT Team Ford loses vote, takes ball home ↗ FFT One Ford silent on election issues as other canvasses for Tories ↗ FFT The budget knives come out for waterfront development ↗ FFT Civility, Responsibility & Opposing the Mayor ↗ FFT Solving all our problems through councillor expense reforms ↗ FFT Replacing the gravy train with a crazy train ↗ FFT Public housing isn’t just about dollars and cents ↗ FFT Tumbleweeds in Toronto as federal election looms ↗ FFT One-man board Case Ootes breaks his word ↗ FFT A shrug on Sheppard ↗ FFT TTC chair continues to be surprised by mayor’s transit plans ↗ FFT As Toronto looks to privatize everything “not nailed down…” ↗ FFT Transit City: What We Lost (aside from 49 million dollars) ↗ FFT Pop will sell itself ↗ FFT Transit City is dead; long live Transit City ↗ FFT A ploy named sue: Lawsuits over lawsuits over lawsuits ↗ FFT City sued for alleged “war on cars” ↗ FFT Ford’s media relations strategy mirrors Stephen Harper’s ↗ FFT Tapdancing Josh Colle ↗ FFT The problems with privatized services ↗ FFT Appealing billboards ↗ FFT The federal election and our missing mayor ↗ FFT Waterfront ‘gem’ is no hologram ↗ FFT When it’s time to party we will party hard ↗ FFT Pleasure Island ↗ FFT Rob Ford still working at Deco Labels ↗ FFT Ideology and partisanship are okay ↗ FFT Unspecified lessons to be learned ↗ FFT Bless this mess ↗ FFT Finding waste: Hurry up please it’s time ↗ FFT Sheppard subway a two (hundred)-step process ↗ FFT Vision matters ↗ FFT The Rob Ford pattern ↗ FFT Public-private Sheppard Subway is a “dumb idea” ↗ FFT Memo to Councillors: Stop the gravy train, turn off data roaming ↗ FFT Family matters at City Council ↗ FFT Ford: Pretty quiet for a cycling advocate ↗ FFT How the TCHC vote went down: A City Council Scorecard Update ↗ FFT Trust us: we’re not going to do what we’ve said we’d like to ↗ FFT Deputy Mayor: “Seizing control” of library board would be “great” ↗ FFT Gunn in the first act ↗ FFT Compare and Contrast ↗ FFT Council’s middle gets organized ↗ FFT Whipped votes: who broke ranks on Wednesday night ↗ FFT All that jazz hands ↗ FFT Smile and vote with the mayor ↗ FFT TCHC board dissolved in expected 25-18 vote ↗ FFT The commercial property tax question ↗ FFT The taxpayer isn’t here ↗ FFT What Rob Ford voted against on Wednesday night ↗ FFT Getting all messed up on TCHC: a ten-point guide ↗ FFT Is Your Councillor Part of Ford Nation? ↗ Torontoist Freelance Shepherding Sheppard ↗ FFT “Just do what Rob Ford wants and no one gets hurt” ↗ FFT Board out, Ootes in ↗ FFT End of the Urban Affairs ↗ FFT Ex-TCHC board member Mammoliti: in my defence, I skipped all the morning meetings ↗ FFT Is your councillor part of Ford Nation? Introducing the City Council Scorecard ↗ FFT TCHC as an ‘ambitious property developer’ ↗ FFT Changes to paid duty program something all of council can agree on ↗ FFT Ford For Canada ↗ FFT One of Canada’s Top Employers: putting the TCHC scandal in context ↗ FFT Should have seen the signs ↗ FFT TCHC: What happens after everyone gets fired? ↗ FFT Doug Holyday & Bill Blair suggest police are the answer to homelessness ↗ FFT Stalled Transit plan has 160 city workers in limbo ↗ FFT Ford enjoys a 60% approval rating, says terribly misleading poll ↗ FFT Ford vows to campaign against McGuinty if City isn’t given money it apparently doesn’t need ↗ FFT Giambrone: the forever disappointment ↗ FFT Miller’s surplus is the gift that keeps on giving ↗ FFT Speaking instead of the mayor, not for the mayor ↗ FFT TCHC spending scandal distracts from important issues ↗ FFT A short summary of Rob Ford’s voting record on HIV/AIDS ↗ FFT Ford sought $150 million from province to fix city with “spending problem, not revenue problem” ↗ FFT Toronto’s mayor votes against funding for STI screening ↗ FFT When the oversight office isn’t ideological enough ↗ FFT 2011 budget rich with symbolism, but not much else ↗ FFT Horse trading at city hall ↗ FFT We need to talk about 2012 ↗ FFT Budget debate at City Hall ↗ FFT On transit, we’re weighing a new fantasy versus an established reality ↗ FFT Toronto Council Curveball: Amendment to budget would retain services ↗ FFT An idea, not a plan ↗ FFT No gravy at City Hall ↗ FFT The ins and outs of the city’s new transit plan ↗ FFT Budget Chief Del Grande admits city has revenue problem ↗ FFT Pretty well everyone thinks mayor’s subway plan is stupid ↗ FFT Budget committee proposes three fiscal futures: doom, gloom or more doom ↗ FFT Strategy in the mayor’s office: identify subversive elements and crush them ↗ FFT Subtext: Metrolinx refused to compromise with Mayor’s office ↗ FFT What pushed Doug Ford to publicly call for a strong mayor system? ↗ FFT For sale: Sheppard Subway extension, lightly used ↗ FFT Tiny magic unicorns set to finance city’s subway extension ↗ FFT “What’s wrong with running a city like a business?” ↗ FFT Eglinton LRT is top priority, says Metrolinx board member ↗ FFT A leader’s responsibility to talk to the media ↗ FFT New Toronto streetcars to add significant capacity to downtown routes ↗ FFT One Cent Now & Again: Canadian cities need sales tax revenue ↗ FFT Privatizing garbage collection: still not about cost or efficiency ↗ FFT A look back at Mike Del Grande and Sue-Ann Levy’s imaginary city budget ↗ FFT Doug Ford might be provincial ↗ FFT Immigration Service Agency vote reveals ‘Team Ford’ ↗ FFT Toronto Council makes grandstanding gesture, calls it sacrifice ↗ FFT All the best policies are motivated by revenge ↗ FFT Developers hopeful that new mayor will let them do whatever they want ↗ FFT Invisible mayor ↗ FFT Mayor’s office is in total disarray but believes itself incredibly effective ↗ FFT Member of mayor’s football team finds support in city-funded shelters ↗ FFT Province won’t ask for council vote on new transit plan? ↗ FFT TTC union’s no-strike vow recalls unfortunate history ↗ FFT Jan Wong, ace reporter, tries to track down the mayor’s wife ↗ FFT Last word on bus route cuts ↗ FFT A boring story about council salaries ↗ FFT Bus route cuts are a customer service issue ↗ FFT Caught in the headlights of new LRV storage yard ↗ FFT Government is not a business ↗ FFT The Phoenix Saga (of libraries) ↗ FFT A great deal of effort to accomplish little ↗ FFT Local councillor knows little of existing transit plans for his ward ↗ FFT TTC to announce that some bus routes will be spared cuts ↗ FFT City’s budget problems not about council meals or expenses ↗ FFT Mayor touts elimination of proposed fare increase in rare sit-down interview ↗ FFT Still trying to kill that pesky library ↗ FFT TTC Chair Stintz not involved with new transit plan negotiations ↗ FFT Levy: Privatizing garbage will let us throw more stuff away ↗ FFT Doug Ford wants to cut everything ↗ FFT Holding Ford to campaign promises just makes sense ↗ FFT Lobbying from student groups led to car tax repeal, says Ford ↗ FFT The only thing the budget committee cut: oversight ↗ FFT TTC to 250,000 riders: sorry about your bus route ↗ FFT Ford’s revised “subways” plan delayed ↗ FFT Ontario Transit Commission ↗ FFT “Ford walked away” ↗ FFT Meanwhile, in the thrilling world of commercial property tax rates… ↗ FFT The City of Toronto budget explained with three simple charts ↗ FFT We don’t need oversight because we’re not going to make mistakes ↗ FFT TTC Chair Stintz hints reworked transit plan includes Sheppard Subway ↗ FFT Cutting a lot to save a little ↗ FFT Fighting gravy with gravy ↗ FFT Goodbye Kouvalis ↗ FFT TTC essential service designation benefits no one ↗ FFT Are we ready for some football? ↗ FFT Just making sure they don’t have fatal health problems ↗ FFT No mandate for Ford’s transit plan ↗ FFT Talking to the media is for suckers ↗ FFT Brother’s Keeper ↗ FFT GO goes electric ↗ FFT Going Downtown ↗ FFT Can’t reduce costs by getting mad at them ↗ FFT Serious, structural problem with transit funding in Toronto ↗ FFT Taxes make ‘for a healthier, better and more equitable city’ ↗ FFT Critics of city’s past spending should speak in specifics ↗ FFT No reservations ↗ FFT Such a cliché ↗ FFT Sustainability, growth and Toronto ↗ FFT “The hand we were dealt” ↗ FFT Cut gravy, not programs ↗ FFT TTC chair Stintz: “Reconsidering these route changes” ↗ FFT TTC points to Fall 2011 bus service improvements ↗ FFT Proposed TTC route cuts impact 2,600 riders per day ↗ FFT Sign of the times ↗ FFT Trading transit for highways ↗ FFT Couldn’t find the original Word document? ↗ FFT Finding money all over the place ↗ FFT Ford the Candidate versus Ford the Mayor ↗ FFT Selections from the TTC Capital Budget Report 2011 ↗ FFT Setting a standard for transit ↗ FFT Transit Cuts Deferred to February Meeting; City operates via longhand ↗ FFT Budget Visualized ↗ FFT Capital Ideas For the TTC ↗ FFT Cut tha Police ↗ FFT Respect for a certain kind of taxpayer ↗ FFT Shocker of the year: No TTC fare increase coming ↗ FFT With my freeze ray ↗ FFT “Mr. Ford varies from day to day” ↗ FFT Going round and round on bus service ↗ FFT Hardly Fare ↗ FFT Let’s get fiscal ↗ FFT The only surprise this morning ↗ FFT Battle lines ↗ FFT Battle of the Books (3) ↗ FFT Fight! Fight! Fight! ↗ FFT Government is fun and easy ↗ FFT Oh, nevermind ↗ FFT Battle of the Books ↗ FFT Battle of the Books (2) ↗ FFT Blunt Address ↗ FFT Come to Roncesvalles, Wear Black ↗ FFT Whoa ↗ FFT Bagging on TEA ↗ FFT Big Words, Small Plan ↗ FFT More on Transit ↗ FFT This week’s other battle ↗ FFT A Shocking Turn of Events ↗ FFT Figurative Gravy, Literal Trains ↗ FFT Transit Matters ↗ FFT Gravy Fighter ↗ FFT Politics of Transit City ↗ FFT Stinks to high heaven ↗ FFT Fit to be labelled ↗ FFT More on bags ↗ FFT Most effective mayor ever ↗ FFT Now you downtowners can afford to drive! ↗ FFT Oh no! Road Construction! ↗ FFT Plastic bags ↗ FFT Sports Analogies and Exaggerations ↗ FFT Was going to attend but heard it was dry ↗ FFT