Councillor Josh Matlow's Community And City Hall Update And Season's Greetings

Last week, City Council debated how to engage with the Province with regard to Doug Ford’s proposed upload of our subway system. In a report to Council, the City Manager recommended that Toronto start a process to share information about the subway, including property holdings, with the Province.

While I’m pleased that Council voted in principle to support our interest in keeping the subway, along with its valuable land and air rights, in the hands of Torontonians, I am disappointed that Council supported moving ahead with the province’s imposed discussions about handing over our subway network. Premier Ford stated that his aim in this initiative is to ostensibly build rapid transit faster and create a more seamless commute from the 905. A more logical starting point for discussion is to pursue those stated aims.

That’s why I moved a motion to engage with the Province on terms that both parties can agree to move forward on:

1. City Council authorize the City Manager, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission to guide a discussion and information exchange process between the Province and the City to further the Province’s stated transit objectives, specifically:

a) more efficient and cost-effective construction of rapid transit projects; and

b) improved regional transit service across the Greater Toronto Area.

Unfortunately, my colleagues chose to share information with the province about uploading; accepting a premise that we have already rejected.

As I wrote to you in my e-newsletter earlier this month, I suspect that Premier Ford’s motive for taking over the subway system is to gain control of the lucrative air rights, and adjacent properties, owned by the TTC. If we lose control of the subways we risk losing control of transit planning, the connection between our surface routes and subways, as well as opportunities to build needed public amenities including affordable housing on public land.

I will continue to advocate for Toronto’s existing subway network to remain under the control of the residents of Toronto who own and paid for them.

For more information, please see this article.

Cannabis Sales Now Legal in Provincially-Licensed Retail Locations:

I do not believe that either option is suitable for Toronto. That’s why I moved a motion at Council last week to have City staff look at the feasibility of adopting the previous provincial government’s more responsible public retail outlet plan for Toronto. This initiative had the potential to provide us with more control over the number and placement of the retail locations, as well as providing revenue to support childcare, housing, transit, and other priorities.

Unfortunately, my motion narrowly lost. Cannabis retail stores will be legal as of April, 2019.

Toronto is becoming increasingly unaffordable for far too many residents. A report by the City Planning department that I requested as Chair of the Tenant Issues Committee found that rents for available units were over $1,800 a month in September 2017. Rents are no doubt higher now as Toronto’s vacancy rate is still below 1% .

“Diversity our Strength” is in danger of becoming a hollow motto if these trends continue. Earlier this year, I requested a comprehensive, cross-divisional strategy be developed to look at ways of making housing more accessible for all tenants because we are stronger when seniors, new immigrants, artists, and students are able to live in our city.

In the meantime, the City needs to move forward by using as much of our land as possible to build new affordable housing. That’s why I commend Mayor Tory for starting off the new term of Council by fast-tracking 11 surplus, City-owned sites for below market rate rentals.

One of the sites is a former works yard at 140 Merton in Toronto-St. Paul’s. The low-rise building on the site is currently home to SPRINT senior’s services. The redevelopment will provide needed affordable housing in our community, and expanded facilities for SPRINT and other social service organizations. However, this redevelopment will still be subject to a meaningful public planning process to ensure that the built form is appropriate for the site and respectful to the community.

For more information, please see this report.