The Toronto Parking Authority’s 2026 budget submission includes some AI-generated art that appears to depict some sort of dystopian future in which Green P takes over the entire city and rules with an iron fist. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

Vast majority of Toronto’s uses of “strong mayor powers" are the mayor sending written notice that she won’t be using them, thereby shortening the two-day waiting period for bylaws to be deemed passed after a council vote. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Driver who racks up between $300 and $400 a month in speeding and parking tickets feels like he’s "being bullied.” www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/arti...

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #350! And it’s FREE. A milestone issue to launch something new: my new and improved COUNCIL SCORECARD, covering 15+ years of Council vote data and analysis. Searchable, sortable and very, very nerdy. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/introducin...

Premier Doug Ford: "I know how to slow down traffic. ... There's different methodologies. You do the little circles, you do the speed bumps, you do the flashing signs.” www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

If this report is approved by council, starting next year, the city will start offering an 80% subsidy on rain barrels. Free delivery too. Hard to say no to an offer like that. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

New city report says city trucks have no choice but to drive on the grass to pick up garbage in 186 parks. Reasons cited include “remote bin placement” and "High Pedestrian and Cyclist Usage on Paved Pathways.” secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

Report to next week’s meeting of the Infrastructure committee finds that, while Yonge-Eglinton more than meets the criteria for a pedestrian scramble, the city’s implementation would actually result in longer wait times for pedestrians. Weird, right? secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

Also from me at the @thestar.com: One downtown councillor has been experimenting with direct democracy, letting residents vote on where to direct funds for things like public art, park seating and bike racks. A look at the promise & perils of participatory budgeting. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

My @thestar.com column from the weekend: the premier and others are calling Toronto’s speed cameras a “cash grab”, but the data suggests they’re ticketing less than 5% of all speeding cars. Not exactly the grabbiest. If anything, they’re too forgiving. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Good news, at last, re: the Finch West LRT, though I do gotta wonder if any of the TTC’s current lines could clear the bar of needing "to run problem-free for three consecutive weeks” that faces Finch (and Eglinton). www.thestar.com/news/gta/fin...

Interesting comment here from a Ministry of Transportation spokesperson. The Ford gov has already indicated they’re opposed to both removing car lanes *and* speed cameras. What “alternative tools to enhance traffic safety” are even left? Sternly-worded signs? www.thestar.com/politics/pro...

Good piece here on the problems with the Spadina streetcar, but this bit does a good job of underscoring a fundamental challenge with road design trade-offs: as a pedestrian, I really really hate multi-stage crossings, and wouldn’t want to see them on Spadina. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #349! OPEN DATA CHALLENGE returns with a look at where the city has seen the most bikes in 2025. Plus: intersections where the car is not king. Also: fence cops, bad neighbours, bridge lighting, and more. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/when-the-c...

My @thestar.com column this week: on the financial reality behind Mayor Olivia Chow’s friendly approach to Premier Doug Ford, even as the premier runs roughshod over Toronto. Her base was hoping for more of a fighter, but that’s not the game she’s playing. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Trying to come up with an equivalent to this speed camera story but for transit riders. Imagine if, in wake of hypothetical reports of people getting mad about fines and vandalizing Presto readers, the gov was just like, well, I guess we should stop fare enforcement. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #348! This week: the Parkside speed camera is gone again. A look at how much the cutdowns might be costing city hall in lost ticket revenue. Plus: Is John Tory back? Is Brad Bradford bat man? And more. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/here-we-ar...

My @thestar.com column: sure, the identity of the Parkside Drive speed camera vandal is intriguing, but here’s the real mystery: why is it taking Toronto city hall so damn long to redesign this street? On the city’s incredibly slow response to a speeding problem. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

There’s this weird psychological thing where some people, like this council candidate, look at a lane that isn’t actively choked with vehicles and declare it must be underused. But buses (and bikes) are *much* more space-efficient than cars. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

As you’d expect, the TTC’s program to make all its subway stations accessible has seen more delays, but 69 of 70 stations are expected to be complete by the end of 2026. Appears there’s trouble at the Old Mill, though. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

Congratulations to Scarborough’s Woburn Collegiate. They topped the charts as the school that made the most use of the TTC’s pilot project to provide free fares for student field trips taken via public transit. Hope it was fun. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

First glimpse of TTC CEO Mandeep Lali’s reporting style, via the new TTC Board agenda: I guess he likes pie charts. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #347! LOBBYIST WATCH returns, with notes on the mayor and a Harper cabinet minister, Michael Ford and school bus AI, a Gardiner lawsuit, and cabin communities. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/old-friend...

My @thestar.com column: Doug Ford says he wants all municipal workers ordered back to the office five days a week. But his RTO push seems to be based purely on vibes, and following through in Toronto could be very expensive — and might backfire. Vibes aren’t enough www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #346! One battle after another! The city is at odds with the federal government again over funding for the shelter system. A look at the latest data on shelters, refugees, and more — and what could come next. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/toronto-vs...

My @thestar.com column: When Love Park opened in 2023, it offered something new and a little daring (for Toronto): movable chairs. There were skeptics. But three summers in, all 45 chairs remain present and accounted for. A public space success story. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #345! The 2025 COUNCIL POWER RANKINGS! A look at where all 25 members of Council rank in terms of power and influence. Plus some updated data on who’s moving motions — and who’s good at passing them. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/the-2025-c...

Coincidentally, the CivicTechTO community is holding a conference THIS week at UofT St George campus! Come to Civic Spark if you're interested in the future of our public life. Join fellow community organizers, technologists, public servants, mutual aid networks, researchers, and designers.

My @thestar.com column this week: Civic Tech in Toronto turns ten! A look at some of the people getting together each week to hack away at our problems via @civictechto.bsky.social — and what City Hall could be doing to support their work. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Updated data from the city’s bike counter on Bloor West near Palmerston shows year-to-date bike ridership is up about 16% in 2025 versus 2024, despite some rough February weather. Record set on June 11 with nearly 7,500 bikes counted rolling by. datawrapper.dwcdn.net/XnXZq/1/

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #344! The COUNCIL SCORECARD returns with a look at how councillors voted on a sixplex compromise and transit lanes. Plus: a look at how Olivia Chow’s opposition has been voting. Also, I take attendance! toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/olivias-op...

My @thestar.com column: The TTC needs ridership growth. A recent report suggests a relatively simple change to fare policy could help. It’s time to finally scrap the ripoff Metropass and give loyal riders a better deal with fare capping. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Sure, a government study found building the 401 tunnel might cause roadway collapse and put the public in danger, but don’t worry: the premier has already forgotten all about it. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #343! LOBBYIST WATCH returns with a look at the fight against heritage designation for Toronto’s oldest bar, some newfangled robots, and a banned paving company’s move to smooth things over. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/lobbying-u...

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."

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.

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...

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...

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

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...

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. Here’s the livestream. I will post happenings in a long thread below. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecfM...

Late to the party in noting how darn beautiful Biidaasige Park is, so I’ll just give some props to these hutches for the park’s garbage and recycling bins. Nice upgrade over the city's “just toss some ugly plastic bins wherever” strategy in other parks.

My @thestar.com column this week: More than a decade ago, Doug Ford helped usher in an era of outsourcing public services at city hall. The private sector contracts for services like garbage pickup were supposed to save a lot of money. The numbers say they haven’t. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Please read this great piece by @graphicmatt.com about privatizing city services. It's super relevant to Toronto residents, but applies to any city that has outsourced public services since the 1990s. Privatization always ends up costing more. (Paging #healthcare) www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #341! Your complete July 2025 Council meeting preview, which will feature debates on transit, shelters, rats, coyotes, and snow. Plus: a thrilling look at land transfer tax revenue projections. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/council-si...

Seems pretty telling of Toronto Police's lackadaisical attitude toward traffic enforcement that an officer feels comfortable publicly calling speed cameras a "fucking scam." www.thestar.com/news/gta/the...

Check your inbox: it's City Hall Watcher #340! Ahead of the RapidTO debate, INTERSECTION INSPECTION returns with a special look at Bathurst Street traffic counts. Plus: a new library, new shelters, and a new land transfer tax shortfall. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/battling-o...

🌳🌳🌳 Welcome to Tree Thread: The Sequel. Ten years ago today — July 10, 2015 — Toronto kicked off the 2015 Pan Am Games. To mark the event, 41 trees were planted along a section of Front Street East — one for each country or territory. In this thread, again, I'll review the state of every tree.

Check your inbox: it's City Hall Watcher #339! LOBBYIST WATCH for June 2025, featuring Live Nation on tour, the waterfront gas plant, FOI software & more. Plus: aw, rats. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/lobbying-l...

My @thestar.com column: Data suggests about 25% of license plates snapped by Toronto’s speed cameras are obstructed. Forget these silly driver gripes about the cameras. The real scourge is scofflaws with illegal plate covers. Time for a crackdown on “ghost cars.” www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...