City Hall Watcher

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Mayor Olivia Chow blasts through another budget
City Hall Watcher #319: A recap of Council's 2025 budget debate, with a special MINI SCORECARD of the major votes
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Matt Elliott
4
Council readies for kinder, gentler budget debate
City Hall Watcher #318: A recap of one Council meeting and a preview of another, with notes on new fees for road blockages, the 2025 budget, the new…
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Matt Elliott
2
A conventional Lobbyist Watch in unconventional times
City Hall Watcher #317: it's LOBBYIST WATCH for January 2025, featuring Convention Centre lobbying, Wal-Mart, delivery robots and more. Plus: new winter…
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Matt Elliott
4

January 2025

Reserving judgment as Toronto's budget nears the finish line
City Hall Watcher #316: Toronto's Budget Committee wraps up their work on the 2025 budget, with notes on swelling reserve funds, more winter washrooms…
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Matt Elliott
2
How property taxes work — and how they don't
City Hall Watcher #315: Guest contributor David Hains makes his City Hall Watcher debut to resurrect a classic about how property taxes REALLY work…
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Matt Elliott
7
The 2025 Budget Launch Spectacular
City Hall Watcher #314: It's Budget Day, so let's look at the many budget increases, the eight budget decreases, and the ongoing history of Toronto…
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Matt Elliott
Saying goodbye to all the City Hall lobbying of 2024
City Hall Watcher #313: And goodbye to a Prime Minister too, I guess. It's Lobbyist Watch for December 2024 — and the top ten Toronto lobbyists of 2024!
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Matt Elliott
5

December 2024

2024: the year in charts
City Hall Watcher #312: A look back at the data and plots that moved municipal government this year
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Matt Elliott
Council's chaotic Christmas meeting
City Hall Watcher #311: A look at what Council did at their December 2024 meeting, featuring votes on Bubble Zones, Rental Housing, and SmartTrack — but…
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Matt Elliott
3
City councillors get scored and shuffled
City Hall Watcher #310: The Council Scorecard RETURNS with a look at how often councillors are voting with Mayor Olivia Chow.
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Matt Elliott
8
SmartTrack flunks further, Ombudsman versus City Manager, and let's do the mid-term shuffle
The week at Toronto City Hall for December 16 to 20, featuring a look at the agenda for the final Council meeting of 2024
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Matt Elliott
7
Don't blame bikes: an intersectional analysis of what really causes Toronto traffic
City Hall Watcher #309: Guest contributor Damien Moule returns with a look at what's really responsible for our traffic woes. It's not bike lanes. Plus…
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Matt Elliott
2
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