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Matt Elliott

@graphicmatt.com.bsky.social

City columnist, contributing to the Toronto Star & writing the award-winning City Hall Watcher newsletter. A lot about Toronto Politics and then some nerd stuff. Humber College prof. (he/him)

8,703 Followers  |  117 Following  |  3,607 Posts  |  Joined: 18.07.2023  |  1.9095

Latest posts by graphicmatt.com on Bluesky

Statement from Zeus Eden, Press Secretary, Office of Mayor Olivia Chow
“Bike lanes keep thousands of people safe. Everyone should be safe as they travel to work, school and around our city. Since 2023, 78 cyclists have been killed or seriously injured in collisions on the road.
 
Mayor Chow maintains that the City of Toronto and its elected council should be the ones making decisions about municipal infrastructure. Toronto City Council has voted to formally oppose the province’s plans to override the City’s authority and remove the lanes. 
 
Every person cycling takes another car off the road. We are also tackling the root causes of congestion by hiring 100 traffic agents, speeding up construction by increasing fees for closing lanes, and improving subways, streetcars and buses so more people take public transit. 
 
The City is reviewing the court decision and the impact on our ongoing discussions with the province.”

Statement from Zeus Eden, Press Secretary, Office of Mayor Olivia Chow “Bike lanes keep thousands of people safe. Everyone should be safe as they travel to work, school and around our city. Since 2023, 78 cyclists have been killed or seriously injured in collisions on the road. Mayor Chow maintains that the City of Toronto and its elected council should be the ones making decisions about municipal infrastructure. Toronto City Council has voted to formally oppose the province’s plans to override the City’s authority and remove the lanes. Every person cycling takes another car off the road. We are also tackling the root causes of congestion by hiring 100 traffic agents, speeding up construction by increasing fees for closing lanes, and improving subways, streetcars and buses so more people take public transit. The City is reviewing the court decision and the impact on our ongoing discussions with the province.”

Statement from Mayor Olivia Chow on Cycle Toronto’s big win in court: "Mayor Chow maintains that the City of Toronto and its elected council should be the ones making decisions about municipal infrastructure."

30.07.2025 18:43 — 👍 54    🔁 9    💬 3    📌 0
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NEW: Looks like CycleToronto won in court. Justice Schabas finds Ontario's law (AND version 2) to remove bike lanes infringe S7 of the Charter and is not saved by S1, in large part because the govt had no evidence to back up its claims.

30.07.2025 16:50 — 👍 366    🔁 114    💬 8    📌 28

This column is a follow-up to my tree thread from earlier this month. The column includes some new details from the city about when they plan to replace the dead trees and find the missing plaques. (Not exactly working at lightspeed, alas.)

bsky.app/profile/grap...

29.07.2025 16:09 — 👍 5    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Matt Elliott: The city planted dozens of trees to honour Pan Am Games countries. But the tribute hasn’t worked out so well What’s happened to the 41 trees is emblematic of the city of Toronto’s problems with long-term maintenance.

My @thestar.com column: In 2015, 41 trees were planted in Toronto as a tribute to the Pan Am games. A decade later, it’s a sad tribute — a lot of the trees are dead or missing.

The hacked-off stumps stand as a sad example of city hall’s maintenance problems.

www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

29.07.2025 16:07 — 👍 34    🔁 7    💬 2    📌 1
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Gotta go fast — Council endorses RapidTO for Bathurst and Dufferin City Hall Watcher #342: Your complete recap of the July 2025 meeting of Toronto Council, featuring debates on RapidTO, shelters, housing and more. Plus: the Quotable Council.

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #342!

Your complete recap of the July 2025 meeting of City Council, featuring decisions on RapidTO, shelter sites, and housing. Plus: the Quotable Council.

toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/gotta-go-f...

28.07.2025 19:47 — 👍 11    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

Community: You got that new rail corridor rendering for us?

Metrolinx: Sure do boss, real bleak and strangely melancholy just like you asked

Community: what

28.07.2025 19:43 — 👍 70    🔁 16    💬 7    📌 0

Yep. Drives me nuts when I’m standing in a crowd waiting to cross only to realize no one has pressed the beg button. (Queen & Sumach is my nemesis for this.)

25.07.2025 14:59 — 👍 15    🔁 0    💬 5    📌 0
Can I cross the street during the pedestrian countdown timer?
If you’re a downtown Toronto dweller or frequent the area for work or leisure, you’re probably accustomed to the swarms of pedestrians crossing the street all at once, along with a few individuals running (or walking) across the road when the countdown signal has a few seconds left. 

If you’re guilty of doing this, you would be violating a provincial and municipal traffic rule. Under the Highway Traffic Act, you can get a $50 fine for this.

The countdown timer gives pedestrians a warning that the “Do not walk” signal is coming and you should have started your crossing and cleared the intersection prior to that starting, said Sgt. Murray Campbell with Toronto police’s traffic services. 

“If it is flashing, yes, you’re not supposed to enter the intersection there as a pedestrian,” he said, adding that the rule is enforced for pedestrians’ safety but despite this, violations “happen quite a lot” in Toronto.

Can I cross the street during the pedestrian countdown timer? If you’re a downtown Toronto dweller or frequent the area for work or leisure, you’re probably accustomed to the swarms of pedestrians crossing the street all at once, along with a few individuals running (or walking) across the road when the countdown signal has a few seconds left. If you’re guilty of doing this, you would be violating a provincial and municipal traffic rule. Under the Highway Traffic Act, you can get a $50 fine for this. The countdown timer gives pedestrians a warning that the “Do not walk” signal is coming and you should have started your crossing and cleared the intersection prior to that starting, said Sgt. Murray Campbell with Toronto police’s traffic services. “If it is flashing, yes, you’re not supposed to enter the intersection there as a pedestrian,” he said, adding that the rule is enforced for pedestrians’ safety but despite this, violations “happen quite a lot” in Toronto.

This remains a very silly law. Most pedestrian signals only show a very short walk sign before switching to a long countdown. Complying with the letter of this law would mean pedestrians have to wait a whole light cycle at almost every intersection before crossing. www.thestar.com/news/gta/e-s...

25.07.2025 14:52 — 👍 95    🔁 19    💬 18    📌 3
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A BlueSky thread by Matt Elliott on Skyview The end is nigh! Toronto Council meets today. It’s their final meeting before the summer recess. Mayor Chow has set the Bathurst & Dufferin RapidTO item as her key matter. It’ll be debated first. H...

Skyview’s Unroll works pretty well. skyview.social?url=https%3A...

25.07.2025 13:49 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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Subscribe to City Hall Watcher A weekly newsletter about Toronto City Council by Matt Elliott. Click to read City Hall Watcher, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.

And I will thank you for sticking with this thread. It was a long one.

If you enjoyed it and want to show your appreciation, consider a subscription to my newsletter, City Hall Watcher. People seem to like it. I bet you will too.

toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/subscribe

25.07.2025 02:00 — 👍 34    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

"We've done it!" says Mayor Olivia Chow, thanking staff and councillors for sticking it out. She wishes everyone a good August.

25.07.2025 01:57 — 👍 14    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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FINAL ITEM. Councillor Jamaal Myers, wearing a cricket jersey, asks council to support a donation for a cricket pitch at Milliken Park. They do! It CARRIES 22-0. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

25.07.2025 01:55 — 👍 13    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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Anyway, Holyday loses. Council votes 9-12 to REJECT his motion to send city legal staff to oppose the 250 Wincott Drive development at the Ontario Land Tribunal. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

25.07.2025 01:53 — 👍 8    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 1
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Councillor Holyday has prepared a slideshow. It's 9:50 p.m. He's showing slides. At 9:50 p.m. "I'm simply asking for council to have leverage on how this unfolds," he says.

25.07.2025 01:51 — 👍 10    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
Agenda Item History 2025.MM32.44 Agenda Item History 2025.MM32.44

Up now: Councillor Holyday wants the City of Toronto to oppose a City of Toronto affordable housing project at the OLT.

"I think that's bananas!" says Councillor Perks. "So I'm going to vote no. And I hope you do too." secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

25.07.2025 01:47 — 👍 8    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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Chernos Lin's motion to look at naming and shaming tree bylaw violators CARRIES via show of hands.

The part of her motion to request the province include the tree bylaw as part of permits issued under the Ontario Building Code CARRIES 18-2.

25.07.2025 01:44 — 👍 5    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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On an item about tree protections, Councillor Rachel Chernos Lin moves for a report on naming and shaming those who violate the city's tree bylaws. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

25.07.2025 01:40 — 👍 14    🔁 0    💬 3    📌 1

Anyway, the Scarborough Centre secondary plan report is APPROVED by show of hands. Another report coming this fall.

25.07.2025 01:30 — 👍 10    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

"Amidst this tremendous density, there needs to be greater consideration for the public realm," says Kandavel of the Scarborough Centre plan. He'd like to see something akin to Nathan Phillips Square or the space around Harbourfront.

25.07.2025 01:26 — 👍 6    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

All votes are just show-of-hand votes unless a councillor specifically requests a recorded vote.

25.07.2025 01:24 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Councillor Parthi Kandavel asks if planning staff intend to address the lack of green space in the Scarborough Centre plan.

Planning staff say there are 20 hectares of parkland in the plan.

25.07.2025 01:23 — 👍 9    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
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Up now: a secondary plan for Scarborough Centre. Councillor Parthi Kandavel puts this development map on the overhead projector. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

25.07.2025 01:18 — 👍 10    🔁 2    💬 2    📌 3
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Council needs to reopen the cycling plan item, because Pasternak has a motion. He wants staff to look at adding more sidewalks in Bathurst Manor. That CARRIES via show of hands. (I don't really get why this sidewalk stuff is lumped in with the cycling plan.)

25.07.2025 01:16 — 👍 10    🔁 1    💬 4    📌 1
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Councillor Saxe's motion for a report on whether fossil fuel ads are consistent with Toronto's TransformTO goals FAILS 2-19.

25.07.2025 01:13 — 👍 6    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 1

Councillor Holyday asks if Saxe's motion could mean that the City can't run ads for the TTC, because buses use diesel fuel.

Saxe says that kind of thing will be answered in the report.

25.07.2025 01:06 — 👍 6    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 1

Councillor Paula Fletcher asks Saxe what kind of ads would be considered fossil fuel ads. Like, ads for all plastic products?

Saxe says no. This is about ads that promote the burning of fossil fuels, she says. Fletcher still doesn't think the motion is clear enough.

25.07.2025 01:04 — 👍 8    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
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Up now: fossil fuel ads on City property. Councillor Dianne Saxe moves for a report on whether accepting fossil fuel ads is consistent with City Hall's TransformTO goals. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

25.07.2025 01:01 — 👍 5    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
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Councillor Nick Mantas moves to reinstate the paving company. Then Councillor Carroll moves to end debate. That CARRIES 16-6.

Mantas' motion to reinstate IPAC Paving (and another Corbo company, PAVE-1) as an eligible bidder CARRIES 19-3.

25.07.2025 00:58 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 3    📌 0
Agenda Item History 2025.GG23.2 Agenda Item History 2025.GG23.2

Up now: in 2012, Council suspended IPAC Paving from bidding on city work, because owner Sebastian Corbo pleaded guilty to making secret commissions. Now his son, John Corbo, wants the ban lifted. He says his dad isn't involved in the biz anymore. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

25.07.2025 00:53 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
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Moving on. Council votes 20-0 to APPROVE a report on the ongoing city economic response to Trump's tariffs. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

25.07.2025 00:51 — 👍 8    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

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