It’s a big meeting — the last one before election season begins next week. To get you set for it, I’ve got a complete rundown of the agenda, with notes on the new colour-coded rental warning…

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In the City Hall calendar, we’ll take a look at a plan to spruce up Exhibition Place, the ongo…

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Speaking of big things, today I’ve brought you a new edition of LOBBYIST WATCH — my monthly summary of activity on Toronto’s lobbyist registry. I’ve got notes on the island airport, jet skis, smart speed bumps, self-driving taxis and more.

Plus: it’s a busy week on the City Hall calendar, so I’ve highlighted some of the most newsworthy items up for consideration by various committees. You’ll learn about transit signal priority, driver compliance rates with turn restrictions, and a heck of a lot about hot dog carts.

To mark the holiday, this issue is being sent FREE to everyone on the City Hall Watcher mailing list. It’s an election year. There’s a lot happening. If you want to get updates like this in your inbox each and every week, consider becoming a paid subscriber. You’ll get permanent access to the interactive Council Scorecard, plus great features like my Council Defeatability Index, Lobbyist Watch, and more. It’s just $6 a month or $60 a year, plus tax — a bargain and a deal.

✨ This issue runs long. If it gets cut off in your email client, read it on the web.

— Matt Elliott

graphicmatt@gmail.com / Archives / Subscribe

Lobbyist Watch for March 2026: Island airport lobbying, TTC talks security tech, Waymo moves forward

Lobbyist Watch is City Hall Watcher’s monthly summary of activity on Toronto City Hall’s Lobbyist Registry. In March 2026, I reviewed 492 registered lobbyist communications and 70 new subject matter registrations.

Disclaimer: Toronto’s Lobbyist Registry requires lobbyists to register and record all communications they have with politicians and staff, but it does not require them to provide much detail about the extent of those communications. As a result, a meeting noted below could be a long conversation with some deal-making or a passing chat of no real consequence. The data presented below is current as of April 6, 2026.

On the runway

Lobbyist Kim Wright topped the lobbying charts in March, flying high with 23 communications related to Billy Bishop Island Airport in addition to her usual bushel of communications on other files.

Wright is working for Nieuport Aviation, owners of the terminal building on the island. They’ve been the major force behind this latest push for airport expansion. It’s a bit of a departure from earlier expansion efforts that were primarily pushed by Porter Airlines.

Wright’s itinerary included three separate meetings with Adam Chaleff, the mayor’s Director of Legislative Affairs & Issues Management, on March 10, March 25 and March 26. She also logged notable meetings with CreateTO’s Director of Port Lands Asset Management Bryan Bowen on March 13, and Deputy City Manager for Development & Growth Services Jag Sharma on March 25.

Her councillor communication included meetings with Councillor Nick Mantas, Councillor Josh Matlow, Councillor Parthi Kandavel, Councillor Michael Thompson, Councillor Chris Moise and Councillor James Pasternak.

Hello Moto

Senior staff from the TTC logged a meeting on March 18 with several reps from the technology and communications company Motorola.

The company has, of late, been really pushing its security and safety products. That includes a line of body-worn cameras, an AI-powered service that “connects intelligence from the command center to the field and back”, and a whitelabel “personal safety application” that lets people report safety and security issues.

The TTC’s “SafeTTC” app is currently a rebadged version of a product from Elerts.

Helping Motorola with the lobbying effort is Motorola Account Manager Ryan Evans, a former constable with the Peel Region Police. He was part of the Motorola contingent that met with TTC staff. The company also sent General Manager Wayne Fasek, Account Manager Matthew Kernerman and Account Manager Ajwad Aniq.

The TTC side included reps from Constable Services, Cybersecurity Operations and Information Technology.

Prior to the TTC meeting, Evans, Aniq and Motorola’s Director of Government Affairs Matthew Swarney logged a meeting on March 3 with staff from City Hall’s Social Development division, including Associate Director of Violence Prevention Nicole Watson and Manager of Community Development John Smith.

Lobbyist-for-hire Saeed Selvam is also supporting Moto in their effort. He logged several emails in March.

Sailing for their life

Lobbyist Alex Chreston was paddling furiously all month trying to keep the Toronto Humber Yacht Club afloat.

The lobbying effort came following news that staff were recommending Council terminate the boat club’s land lease following several years of compliance issues and ecological concerns.

Chreston, a former Ontario PC Party staffer and advisor to John Tory, focused his effort on conservative-leaning councillors, logging meetings and phone calls with Councillor Michael Thompson, Councillor Jon Burnside, Councillor Stephen Holyday and Councillor James Pasternak.

Wilson DaSilva, Vice Commodore for the yacht club, also opened up a lobbying registration before the March 26 Council vote, but never logged any communications.

Chreston’s lobbying effort was somewhat successful insofar as all the councillors he targeted supported renewing the lease. But it was less successful when you consider that their support wasn’t anywhere near enough to give the club a life preserver. Council voted 19-5 to end the lease. The club says their fight isn’t over.

Waymo watch

Self-driving taxi company Waymo added another in-house lobbyist in March as its push into Toronto continues to pick up speed.

George Ivanov, a veteran Google employee who is now Head of International Policy & Government Affairs for the autonomous cab company, got right to work, logging a very notable meeting on March 30 with senior staff from Transportation Services.

Ivanov met with the Director of Policy & Innovation Elyse Parker, as well as two other unnamed managers in the transportation department, on March 30. He followed up the next day with a meeting with Adam Chaleff, the mayor’s Director of Legislative Affairs & Issues Management.

StrategyCorp’s Aidan Grove-White and Alex Bernst remain on board, too. They both kicked in several emails and phone calls on behalf of Waymo.

Lobbying grab bag

• Jet ski rental service Jetti has hired Rubicon Strategy’s Mustapha Khamissa to lobby about “the use and regulation of rental PWC's along Toronto's waterfront.” Concerns about noisy jet skis have been picking up over the last year, with complaints last summer focused on Woodbine Beach. Personal watercraft were also recently cited as one of the reasons for shutting down the Humber Yacht Club’s lease. Khamissa logged a meeting on March 31 with Spencer Julien, the mayor’s Legislative Affairs & Implementation Liaison. Jetti CEO Raj Mehta also attended the meeting.

• Working on behalf of the Rail Deck Development Corporation, the partnership between Ferngate and LiUNA that plans to build atop the rail corridor downtown, StrategyCorp’s Aidan Grove-White has been texting and calling staff in Mayor Olivia Chow’s office, requesting a meeting.

• G&S Group of Companies, a development and property management conglomerate, has taken a sharp and sudden interest in extending the Sheppard Subway westwards. They’ve hired StrategyCorp’s Aidan Grove-White, Marco Bianchi, Lorraine Huinink and Alex Glista to lobby about “Sheppard West Subway Extension (Line 4 Extension) and station locations.” No communications yet.

• Pickleball purveyor Fairgrounds has hired lobbyist Chris Rickett in an attempt to return serve on a big property tax bill they recently received for their courts at 8 Rosehill Drive, near Yonge & St Clair. The courts are a temporary use for the vacant site, which will eventually become home to a 50-storey tower. But the Pickleball company says they were recently hit by a $500,000 increase to their property tax bill — a result of a zoning change necessary to make way for the project. Rickett wants to talk about a fairer property classification system for temporary uses. So far, he’s organized a grassroots communication effort, encouraging disappointed pickleballers to email Councillor Josh Matlow.

• On behalf of NAIOP Greater Toronto, the advocacy group for commercial property owners, lobbyist Natalie Dash logged a meeting on March 27 with senior staff from Social Development and Shelter & Support Services to talk about “safety issues in the downtown core.”

• Pharma company Sanofi Vaccines Canada, which has proven quite adept at inoculating itself from any development near their factory on Steeles West, sent Public Affairs Lead Doug Daniell to a meeting on March 5 with senior staff with Economic Development & Culture.

• Advocacy group Environmental Defence Canada has hired Claire Malcolmson to lobby about the City’s mid-rise avenue studies and design guidelines. Topics for discussion include “pre-zoning for Mid-rise; reducing fees and charges for Mid-rise buildings; [and] reducing the approvals timeline by a year.” Malcolmson logged a meeting on March 18 with Chief Planner Jason Thorne.

• How about some McLobbying? Steven Caron, Senior Manager of GR and Public Policy for McDonald’s Canada, logged a meeting on March 16 with Councillor James Pasternak to talk about single-use packaging bylaws.

Tech 4 sale

• With the list of the tools the City can use to slow down traffic getting shorter, Swedish company Edeva is betting City Hall might have some interest in their Actibump product. It’s effectively a smart speed bump. Paired with a radar, it drops a few centimetres when speeding cars are detected, giving drivers some real-time feedback that they’re going too darn fast. Edeva Marketing Manager Karin Wiklund is on the file, with no communications yet.

• Andrew Hill, Regional Manager for parking reservation app SpotHero, logged a meeting on March 11 with the Toronto Parking Authority’s VP of Business Development Adamo Donatucci. The software company wants to discuss a “possible collaboration.”

• California-based tech company Automotus has registered to pitch City Hall on their “automated curb management” technology. No communications yet.

• Darwin O’Connor, maker of the very useful TransSee webapp, has registered to talk about “providing or generating real-time transit data.” He sent an email to TTC staff on March 13.

Familiar faces

• Developer Sud Group deployed a pair of former councillors in an attempt to win Council support for their “Beach House” development at Queen East and Kingston Road — the site of the popular Murphy’s Law pub. Both Joe Mihevc and Peter Milczyn were working on the file in March, with Milczyn logging a meeting with local rep Councillor Brad Bradford on March 20 and Councillor Gord Perks, the Planning & Housing Chair, on March 26. The two former councillors also logged a flurry of emails in support of the proposal for a ten-storey development. They were successful in convincing Perks and a majority of the Council to support the development, but Bradford was a harder sell. At last month’s Council meeting, he unsuccessfully moved to refuse the application and voted against a Perks motion to approve it.

• Former chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat opened a trio of new lobbying files in March, as part of her gig as CEO of Collecdev Markee. She’ll be talking to City Hall about her plans for 3377 Bayview, 275 Merton Street and 86 Lynn Williams. She hasn’t logged any communications yet.

• Rachel Hillier, a longtime staffer to the late Jaye Robinson, has returned to City Hall as a lobbyist. She opened five new registration files in March as part of her work for Sussex Strategy Group, working on behalf of clients Cadillac Fairview, The Boulevard Club, Redpath Sugar, Alberici Constructors and Emblem Developments.

Toronto’s top lobbying charts for March 2026

Most Lobbied Officials: Adam Chaleff, Mayor’s Office (29 communications); Jennifer Chan, Mayor’s Office (12); Tom Gleason, Councillor Shelley Carroll’s Office (10); Councillor Stephen Holyday (10); Councillor Jon Burnside (10); Councillor Dianne Saxe (10)

Lobbyist Watch will return in May.

More from Matt: on the shocking failure of the GO electrification project, and the put-up-or-shut-up opportunity with the Waterfront East LRT

📰 For the Toronto Star last week, I wrote about the news that the GO electrification project has likely been delayed and scaled back. It’s the biggest bang-for-the-buck transit project in the GTA, but successive provincial governments have spent decades screwing it up.

📰 For the Star this week, I’ve got a piece reacting to the very good news that the Waterfront East LRT is now a funded project. It’s also good news, I argue, that Metrolinx won’t be delivering this one. After much grumbling about the provincial transit agency’s track record, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate that there’s a better way to build transit. I just hope the City doesn’t whiff on it.

The week at Toronto City Hall

MONDAY: 🐣

TUESDAY: 🚧 The Infrastructure & Environment Committee is meeting today. They got an update on the City’s Congestion Management Plan. According to the Transportation Department, there are three pieces of good news to report:

• Downtown travel times in the 2025 “construction season” were down by 12% compared to 2024.

• The average construction-related road closure in 2025 was 2.4 days shorter than the average closure in 2024. The City credits new fees that “incentivize construction crews to limit their lane use.”

• Round-trip travel times on the Finch West LRT have been reduced by 20 minutes after “improved signal timing” was activated.

The plan includes some details on the continued rollout of enhanced transit signal priority and AI-powered “smart” traffic signals. The report includes this handy map showing 2026 signal priority installation locations:

For more on the AI-powered signals, the Star’s Mahdis Habibinia has a good story.

The report recommends hiking some of the fees the City charges when contractors close traffic lanes. Reps from advocacy groups NAIOP Greater Toronto, RESCON and BILD Toronto aren’t loving that idea, submitting letters arguing that such fees only add to the cost of building new housing.

Also on the agenda:

• The decades-long effort to improve car traffic at the intersection of Eglinton West & the Allen Road Expressway continues. A new report says there’s been some recent improvement due to, well, fewer pedestrians getting in the way of cars. Pedestrians who previously crossed at street level are now using a new pedestrian tunnel that was installed as part of the Cedarvale Station construction. Prior to the tunnel, pedestrians were hitting the button to cross 88% of the time in the morning period. That’s now been reduced to 55%. The report also includes a rather dispiriting stat about the rate at which drivers comply with turn restrictions: overall, just 60% of drivers complied with a series of turn prohibitions introduced last December in the area around the intersection. At one intersection, Dufferin Street & Livingston Avenue, the compliance rate was just 28%.

• A report on the City’s EV charging strategy includes some notable data on how often the chargers installed by the Toronto Parking Authority are getting used.

WEDNESDAY: 🗂️ The General Government Committee meets. They’ll ponder a report suggesting the City must award sole-source contracts worth up to $17.5 million to support the City’s new pair of electric ferries.

🏡➡️ The Housing Rights Advisory Committee meets. Reps from the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto will be in attendance to talk about how co-op housing can help fight the housing crisis. Co-ops certainly seem popular. Their presentation notes that a new co-op near Queen East & Broadview saw 6,000 people put their names in a lottery for 26 available units.

THURSDAY: 📉 The Economic & Community Development Committee meets. Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog. At long last, the committee will consider whether to lift the moratorium on new hot dog carts and other sidewalk vending permits. It’s been in place since 2002, when I was still in high school.

When the moratorium was put in place, there were 134 vendors permitted to sell on sidewalks downtown. These days, that number has dropped to just 47. A survey suggests a majority of residents don’t feel like that’s enough. The report proposes allowing new downtown sidewalk vending applications for the first time in nearly 25 years.

In addition to the expected street meat, they also suggest allowing people to apply for permits to sell non-food items. In addition, if this report is approved by Council, buskers will now be allowed to sell CDs, vinyl records and cassette tapes to people who enjoy their performances. Uh, better late than never, I guess?

New vending opportunities won’t just be confined to sidewalks. A separate report to the committee outlines a plan to launch a test program this summer that will allow food trucks or food carts to sell food and drinks at a few select parks. Despite the City recently loosening up on the general prohibition on drinking booze in parks, this program won’t allow vendors to sell alcohol.

The list of parks is currently being refined and will be presented before the program begins on June 25, 2026, subject to Council approval.

Also on the agenda: the City is continuing its clean-ups of outdated bylaws. With this update, there will no longer be a specific business license for adult video stores operating in Scarborough. The City hasn’t issued a new license in this category since 2003. Time marches on.

FRIDAY: It’s Holy Friday for Eastern Orthodoxers. No meetings scheduled.

NEXT WEEK: The Police Board meets on Monday. The Planning & Housing Committee meets on Tuesday. Mayor Olivia Chow’s Executive Committee meets on Wednesday. The TTC Board meets on Thursday.

Weekly wrap

🪧 SIGNS OF THE TIMES: 1615 Birchmount: Tim Hortons; 145 King West: Scotiabank; 30 Mutual Street: Famo; 677 Queen East: Shoppers Drug Mart; 2329-2361 Brimley: Pho Non LA; 4228 Midland: Tim Hortons; 2005 Avenue Road: Firehouse Subs; 1980 St. Clair West: Honestly Good Chicken Fingers; 480 Front West: Playa Bowls; 40 Eglinton East: Jersey Mike’s Subs. (Sign Permit Applications since March 30, 2026)

📝 CONTRACTIONS: $243,624 to Grascan Construction Limited for “Repair of Lower Don Trail High Level Interceptor Blow Off Chamber” (non-competitive)

City Hall Watcher #378

Thanks for reading! The sign permit round-up is a fun addition, isn’t it? Let me know if you dig it.

If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, you can use the code above for a sneak peek at the Council Scorecard available to all City Hall Watcher subscribers. I’ll be adding new data ahead of next week’s issue — and changing the code — so look fast.

I’ll be back next week with a brand new issue, looking at Mayor Olivia Chow’s Executive Committee agenda and everything else making headlines.

Also: a quick look at how Mayor Olivia Chow’s office might approach toda…

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With so much up for consideration, I’m here to help. I’ve got a complete preview of the agenda, focusing on some of the more newsworthy and notable items. …

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There’s little on the agenda this week, and Mayor Olivia Chow’s schedule shows “No Public Events” today.

To fill the silence, I decided to build a process to analyze the last six months of purchase data on the City’…

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Tory confirmed as much last week, via an overlong statement. I’m confirming the same for me right now, via an overlong newsletter. Two peas in a pod, really.

Anyway, to properly close the book on Tory’s story, today’s issue includes an update of the COUNCIL SCORECARD …

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While we wait, here’s LOBBYIST WATCH. It’s got tales of a mayoral meeting, the potential development of a troubled apartment building, and a credit card company’s EV charging tech. Also: a lot of AI. A whole lot.

Let’s get right into it.

— Matt Elliott

graphicmatt@gmail.com / Ar…

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But they’re not the only heartbreaking thing. Politics can also pack a heart-wrenching punch, especially if you end up on the losing end.

To unpack the idea of losing a bit, this issue features the second iteration of what I’ve dubbed the COUNCIL DEFEATABILITY INDEX. It’s my attempt to quantify whi…

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But some things, at least, are firmly behind us! Like the City budget process. It wrapped up last week with a Council meeting. In this issue, I’ve got your complete recap, including the most quotable quotes, most votiest votes an…

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In this issue,…

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Instead, let’s do LOBBYIST WATCH. I’ve got a rundown of all the activity on City Hall’s lobbyist registry in January, with notes on Waymo’s Toronto tendency, some trouble at the old yacht club and more.

Plus: Mayor Olivia Chow has unveiled her new version of the b…

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If you’re looking for something to read in between shovelling sessions, I’ve brought you a municipal government newsletter. I’ve got the latest on the City budget process, an update to the Council Scorecard app with some new votes and a bunch of new housing data, plus… a seabus? C…

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In this issue, I’ve got a look at some tidbits and notes from the City’s draft spending plan, with a special focus on the ever-growing police budget, the question of whether this budget raids the reser…

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Also in this issue: the police board consid…

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…

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As is City Hall Watcher’s custom, today I’ve got a special year-end edition: the year in charts. I’ve combed through the archives for this newsletter’s seventh year and selected charts that define the issues we've covered. It’s a nerdy walk down memory lane.

A special year-end thank you to all who help keep this project going. I’m enormously grateful that this gets to be my job. Your continued readership and support are amazing, and I’ll never take this for granted.

If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, maybe 2026 is the year to give it a try. It’s an election year. The stakes will be high. The news will be relentless. City Hall Watcher, with its frothy mix of data and news and jokes, might help you get through it.

Subscribe now

✨ This issue runs a bit long. (There are a lot of charts!) If it gets cut off in your email client, you can read it on the web.

— Matt Elliott

graphicmatt@gmail.com / Archives / Subscribe

2025: the year in charts

Previous years, in charts: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.

January

The year started with a recap of all the municipal lobbying in 2024. Kim Wright took the top spot. Did she wear the crown again this year? We’ll find out soon.

The budget process occupied the rest of the month. I did a nice job putting a proposed 6.9% residential property tax increase into context. I also looked at City Hall’s reserve funds, where the cash continues to pile up despite some efforts to spend more of the money.

But the undisputed highlight of the month was David Hains’ very triumphant return to municipal politics punditry, with an updated version of his piece explaining how property taxes work. Worth re-reading in advance of the coming 2026 budget.

February

I looked at increases in the number of cyclists by month, showing an increased number of winter warriors. Speaking of warriors, the threat of U.S. tariffs ended up overshadowing Council’s budget debate. Benefitting from a rally-around-the-flag effect, Chow’s spending plan got passed with minimal drama.

Also, City Hall Watcher welcomed another guest writer, as Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher looked at City Hall’s Complete Streets strategies, and what the data tells us about their impact on safety.

March

Lobbyist Watch continued to report on various robot-related lobbying files. There’d be a lot of those in 2025. Meanwhile, I helped set the stage for City Hall’s response to U.S. tariffs by looking at where departments tend to spend their money. They buy a lot from Amazon, it turns out. I also took a look at new data on bike theft and previewed and recapped a Council meeting in which councillors asked for more Canadian flags — and gave themselves a big pay raise.

April

Lobbyist Watch looked at a flurry of lobbying activity that followed the winter snowstorms. Council expense records for 2024 dropped, which gave me another opportunity to chart how councillors get around the city. It’s always a revealing chart. Council prepared for a debate on making Toronto more aesthetically appealing, and finally got around to creating a car czar.

May

After some finance guy became the Prime Minister, former councillor Jennifer McKelvie got a new job too. Lobbyist Watch featured some bah humbugging about the Distillery Christmas Market. Guest writer Damien Moule looked at the data on multiplex construction in Toronto. They’re multiplying, but perhaps not fast enough. A report on the City’s capital assets gave councillors some capital-C concerns. And Council got trapped in a bubbly debate about bubble zones.

June

The debate over whether to install transit lanes on Bathurst Street was bolstered by a bunch of lobbying — and some AI. Meanwhile, I charted some of the TTC’s troubling trends and updated the Council Scorecard with a look at which councillors might be voting in ways contrary to their constituents. I also spent a lot of time previewing the contentious Council debate on sixplexes. In the end, as they often do, Council embraced compromise.

July

Lobbyists for Magna’s robot car pilot continued to dominate the lobbyist charts. I got ready for Council’s debate on the Bathurst Street bus lanes with a special edition of Intersection Inspection. Council’s July meeting also featured a fractious debate on six new shelter sites. In the end, Council compromised on the Bathurst bus lane plan but held firm on the shelters.

August

The annual Council Power Rankings brought the usual share of controversy to my inbox, plus one of my favourite charts of the year — a look at which councillors are moving the most motions, and how many of those motions are successful.

Also in the month: Lobbyist Watch chronicled more robots. I looked at the five councillors forming Mayor Olivia Chow’s main opposition. And it looked like we’d be getting a battle between Chow and new PM Mark Carney over shelter space. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.

September

Lobbyist Watch featured a visit from our old pal (?) John Baird. The provincial government’s move to ban speed cameras prompted me to speed through some analysis of the Parkside Drive speed camera, where many tickets were issued — and traffic was slowed — before some people took a literal axe to it. I also looked at the growing number of Toronto intersections where pedestrians and cyclists outnumber cars. And the future arrived with the new Council Scorecard. The month ended with some data showing how the condo crash was taking a big bite out of expected City revenue through development charges.

October

The gondola lobbyists pulled up in Lobbyist Watch. Council returned from their summer break to make an attempt to save the speed camera program from Premier Doug Ford. Spoiler: it didn’t work. I looked at the Toronto Parking Authority’s emptiest parking lots and attempted to build a better dashboard for tracking Toronto’s progress building new housing.

November

The Blue Jays almost did the thing, but, alas, it wasn’t to be. I soothed my sadness by covering some lobbying activity. Council, meanwhile, found yet another way to compromise — this time on neighbourhood retail. They also — surprise! — disbanded the Toronto Parking Authority Board. I tried to figure out why, and concluded it’s probably mostly a money thing. Meanwhile, each councillor got a housing report card, and we all had a good laugh about the sheer size of the new speed limit signs provided by Queen’s Park.

December

Waymo drove into the lobbyist registry, prompting some hype and handwringing about self-driving cars. I introduced a new feature to the Council Scorecard: the Council buddy system. And I previewed and recapped the final Council meeting of 2025, featuring a festive debate about a faster Finch LRT. The meeting delivered a seasonal mix of exciting gifts and lumps of coal.

Charted: Council’s longest 2025 debates

In 2025, for the first time ever, I produced a chart after every Council meeting with approximate debate lengths. So I figured, hey, why not combine them into one mega-chart? Everyone loves mega-charts.

Across 100 debates I tracked, the longest debate of the year was, of course, the 2025 budget debate. The second spot goes to the May 2025 debate on whether Toronto should have a “bubble zone” bylaw restricting protests. Taking the noble bronze? The October 2025 discussion on speed cameras.

You can view the complete list here.

More from Matt: on feeling optimistic about Toronto’s future, despite the doom and gloom

📰 For the Toronto Star over the holidays, I tried to push back against some of the algorithmically-generated doomerism I’ve been seeing about Toronto these days.

Yes, the city still has big problems to figure out, but the data is showing positive trends on crime, homelessness, and rent prices. There’s hope in the numbers. Believe in them.

The week at Toronto City Hall

No meetings scheduled.

City Hall Watcher #364

📊 Council Scorecard access code: LONGDECEMBER  

Thanks for reading — both today and all year long. After a break to recharge the batteries and count backwards from ten, I’ll be back at full power next Monday, with LOBBYIST WATCH, including a chart of 2025’s top lobbyists.

In this issue, I’ve got a recap of the final Toronto City Council meeting of 2025, with notes on debates about making a faster Finch, a new land transfer tax rate increase targeting those who may live a life of luxury, a TTC money-back g…

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In this issue, I’ve got your full preview of the December 2025 meeting of Toronto City Council. They’re set to debate ways to speed up the very unspeedy Finch West LRT, a new tax on luxurious homes, not-quite-luxuri…

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Anyway, enough of this gooey show of emotion. We’ve got a newsletter to do. This week, I’ve got the first major update to my n…

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