[Videodrome]

I wouldn't be upset if Crisanti won and we had a Ford free council.

 

[King of Kensington]

One reason to side with Matlow over Mihevc:

https://twitter.com/JoshMatlow/status/1043974688073027584

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

https://joshmatlow.ca/josh-at-city-hall/tenants/affordable-housing-crisis/

Such a hypocrite.

Crying about housing being a crisis and then doing everything in his power to block development of new housing in his (my) Ward (or former Ward, under the 25 model as it would happen).

What's that you say? He supports subsidized housing? How great that he wants my tax dollars to go to subsidizing housing for the bottom 5% of the population, while fighting every development in the neighbourhood that is looking to supply housing for the remaining 95% of us. Just a wild thought here, but maybe housing would be slightly easier for the lower income quintile if the remaining 95% of us weren't in bidding wars over 400sqft bachelors.

I'll fully admit that I would prefer Matlow over Joe "we don't need a Relief Line, we need to optimize existing TTC service" Mihevc when it comes to the transit portfolio, but I am not going to overlook Matlow's nimbyism and anti-housing militantism.

But like I said, I am now in Don Valley West. So instead, I look forward to taking down the Queen of NIMBYism and anti-housing champion, Jaye Robinson.

 

[Rufus8]

Regarding Chris Moise, his only claim to fame prior to getting on TDSB in 2016 was as a pet shop owner - he tried getting the public to embrace pet ownership as a social and political movement but realized he could get elected doing the "children are our future" crap, he's an opportunist and blows with the wind. The fact that he was elected is hilarious! As for Lisi on TDSB, why not? It appears to be the d-bag's plan B. Furthermore, it's important that the little darlings in North Etobicoke are taught to do their master's bidding regardless of personal integrity/accountability/morality. Also, that you can deal drugs in high school and still end up premier.
P.S I don't know if you have seen the results from the TDSB 2016 election but it's not much of a victory - out of 42, 719 eligible voters only 3,349 actually voted.

 

[steveintoronto]

How great that he wants my tax dollars to go to subsidizing housing for the bottom 5% of the population, while fighting every development in the neighbourhood that is looking to supply housing for the remaining 95% of us.

lol...I'm sorry, what is you point again? Are you Dougie's man in hiding? Here's a test question for you: 'Build in the Greenbelt, yeah or nay?'

Toronto to review definition of ‘affordable’ housing
By JENNIFER PAGLIAROCity Hall Bureau
Thu., July 26, 2018

The city of Toronto will review how it defines “affordable” housing in its next term after a debate on Mayor John Tory’s signature housing program, which has been criticized by housing advocates.

A successful motion from Councillor Josh Matlow at a council meeting this week asked the new city manager to review what the city considers affordable housing under its official plan.

“The definition of affordability according to our official plan doesn’t actually reflect the reality of affordability for many Torontonians,” said Matlow, who chairs the city’s tenant issues committee. “More and more people in our city don’t consider market rent affordable.”

The vote came as council approved 606 new rental units secured through the Open Door program, which offers land, tax and other incentives to developers in order to secure certain rents over several years. In 2017, when 1,224 rental units were approved, those incentives totalled at least $128 million.

The city currently defines affordable housing as anything at or below average market rent. That average market rent comes from an annual survey by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which looks at all occupied units. In 2018, the average market rent for a one-bedroom was $1,202 a month and $1,426 for a two-bedroom unit. The Open Door program secures a rent level for a period of time, typically ranging from 25 to 50 years.

Because the CMHC survey scans units that have been off the market for several years rather than the current asking price, setting rents at average market rent provides a modest discount. For example, in September 2017, the city reported that average market rent for a one-bedroom unit was $1,137, compared to the average asking rent, which was $1,614, meaning the difference in rent for a one-bedroom “affordable” unit in 2017 was $477. The different was $911 for a two-bedroom unit. [...]

https://www.thestar.com/news/city_h...-review-definition-of-affordable-housing.html

Do you actually have some substance to your barbs @WislaHD, or is your agenda sub-factual? Seriously, I'm perplexed at the source of your angst. I've searched a fair degree, and can find no basis for your claims. In fact, what's showing is quite the contrary. The more I read, the more I like the guy.

Is he 'left of my centre'? Yes, I believe in laissez faire solutions where possible, and housing markets in many nations and jurisdictions don't respond well to depressing the supply side by heavy handed intervention. But that's not really what has you upset from what I can discern.

You just don't like him, and are looking for reasons to justify it.

Post Edit: Still searching...and here's as neutral as I can find:

Why the Toronto municipal election could be all about affordable housing
OPINION: Transit politics have consumed Toronto city hall for the past eight years. It may be housing’s turn, writes John Michael McGrath

Published on Aug 08, 2018
by John Michael McGrath

John Tory’s four years in office have been pretty calm — at least relative to the four that preceded his election as mayor. Under the pugnacious (and scandal-plagued) Rob Ford, city council was frequently the scene of unfriendly fire. Under the more sedate Tory, many formerly acrimonious disputes have subsided, and we now have something more like a cold war.

When it comes to the transit file, for example, Tory’s critics (most notably, Ward 22 councillor Josh Matlow) have repeatedly used what little leverage they have to remind people that the Scarborough subway extension is bad policy — but they’ve done nothing to substantially reverse or even delay the project. So what’s the lightning-rod issue going to be as Tory heads into an election he’s heavily favoured to win?

If Jennifer Keesmaat gets her wish, it’s housing affordability.

At her first formal campaign event, on Tuesday, the former chief city planner — who jumped into the mayoral race at the last minute not quite two weeks ago — made housing affordability the centerpiece of her campaign.

“Rental housing in Toronto is at a crisis point,” she said. “The issue of affordability is too important to ignore for another four years.”
[...]

https://tvo.org/article/current-aff...lection-could-be-all-about-affordable-housing

Do you hold Kismet to the same test of pulling the sword from the cured concrete?

Post-Post Edit:

Is this your beef?

By TESS KALINOWSKIReal Estate Reporter
Mon., Oct. 3, 2016

They are just one of the downsides to growing the city up, but Councillor Josh Matlow is so fed up with those A-frame sidewalk signs advertising condos, he folds them up and stacks them beside the nearest garbage bin.

“I find it cathartic,” said Matlow (Ward 22, St. Paul’s), who posts pictures on social media showing the signs he has collected.

He says that sometimes other pedestrians, fed up with jostling for sidewalk space, cheer him on, high-five him or have what Matlow calls “guerilla activist moments when people come and help me pick them up.”

“The development industry has so much power in this city and this province, where they are routinely having the Ontario Municipal Board ignoring the city’s official plan. (The signs are) disrespectful to local residents and the community,” he said.

“It sure feels good to pick up one of their signs and pitch them in the garbage.”

The signs are legal in Toronto, but developers have to apply for a permit and pay a fee to stand them on public space.

Developers can receive a permit for up to 10 signs per project. They pay $218 per sign. Only five signs, no higher than 1.2 metres, can be displayed in a 10-metre area at any given intersection. If it’s a busy corner for building, developers get that space on a first-come, first-served basis.

The city doesn’t issue fines for signs that violate the rules. But it does seize them. Sign owners have to pay a fee to get them back, but they are seldom retrieved, said Mark Sraga, director of Investigation Service for Municipal Licensing and Standards.

Condo signs can be a problem, but increasingly, realtor open house signs are drawing complaints, he said.
[...]
But pedestrian advocates agree with Matlow.

John Fischer, a member of the Walk Toronto steering committee, has called the city with specific complaints about signs in his Chinatown neighbourhood and been told that enforcement must be triggered by complaints.

Fischer said he was told that a city official would then explain the rules to the offending business and they would be given a few weeks to comply with the sign bylaw. Seeing no enforcement, Fischer said he called the city again and left a message but received no response.

“As Toronto city staff seem unwilling or unable to properly enforce the bylaw, Toronto should follow the lead of Mississauga and let citizens enforce it,” said Fischer, referring to a 2008 bylaw in that city that permits residents to remove “litter” from hydro posts and other city surfaces.
[...]

https://www.thestar.com/business/20...ashes-sidewalk-signs-littering-sidewalks.html

He's well to the Left of me...but I like the guy, a lot, and I like his activism. And so do many voters which is why he did so well in the (soon to be) former Ward 22. In fact, I'd offer to help him clear the clutter on the sidewalks. They're meant for pedestrians. What a concept...

 

[Avenue]

https://www.cp24.com/news/former-rob-ford-associate-sandro-lisi-running-for-tdsb-trustee-1.4105399

This is for the TDSB, but Sandro Lisi!

I guess Fords have run out men in the family so they are making the driver run for stuff now? He should have followed Michael's example and changed his last name to Ford as well. For all we know he might be the eventual mayor or future Conservative Premier.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

@steveintoronto Matlow is a known quality around here, he has been one of most talked-about city councillors on UrbanToronto (and elsewhere online) for the last 8 years. In addition, he has been my city councilor for the past 8 years, and my school board trustee for the decade before. I have voted for him in the past, and have had the pleasure to meet him a half dozen times. He is overall a great city councillor for all his faults.

This is not a left vs right wing thing (fun fact, Josh Matlow used to identify as a libertarian back when he was a school board trustee). Matlow is probably one of the more centrist city councilors in Toronto city council (one of the reasons why in his first term as councillor he did not have any allies until opposition around Ford crystalized) and in the political centre is where I reside myself. My issue with Matlow is not personal, ideological or political, but purely policy-based (and at that, only partially as I take issue with him only around housing).

Matlow talks good game when it comes to affordable housing as you pointed above in the articles. He also talks good ground game when he supports every NIMBY group in Midtown against housing developments, vocalizing their outrage using political and planning language at every statutory public meeting and vowing to fight each and every development in the area. He did so dishonestly over the years, knowing that he could direct council to reject every application and appease the NIMBY groups that vote for him, then shrug his shoulder and publish "I tried but..." in his community newsletters when the OMB inevitably overturns the council's rejection of the development application.

More often then not however, he succeeds in reducing developments heights and densities by a good 10-30% even at the OMB. Which I find gravely disappointing because that means during our ongoing housing crisis, that translates to thousands of residents and families who could have called Midtown their home (as should happen at the intersection of two major rapid transit lines) now being shut out of our neighbourhood, resulting in higher housing costs.

He is so transparent about his desire to prevent development in our neighbourhood that he is quite proud of the fact that he listed 258 buildings in our area on the heritage registry as a blatant anti-development measure.

And of course, his most crowning achievement as councillor (despite it being all the work of the provincial Liberals) and the one that I am sure he is probably personally most proud of, is his effort in demolishing the OMB. I know that topic is contentious amongst urbanist circles, but I for one was quite pleased that the OMB existed to overrule city councillors playing NIMBY to developments. Criticisms of demolishing the OMB can be found articulated in the appropriate UrbanToronto thread.

So you see, my issue with him is that he talks a good game but is a dishonest nimby-ist anti-development politician. Which, should be pointed out, hardly makes him unique among our city councillors, or make him an overall poor councillor. I am merely calling things out as it is.

Do you hold Kismet to the same test of pulling the sword from the cured concrete?

Keesmaat? Her affordable housing strategy is an absolute farce and any urban planner or person involved in development industry knows it is an empty election promise. That being said, so was SmartTrack and I still ended up voting for Tory. This time around I will likely vote Keesmaat despite her farcical housing strategy, but that is a discussion for the other thread.

 

[Allandale25]

Joe vs Josh battle update (update: sorry, just realized the link to the tweet had already been posted).

 

[steveintoronto]

@steveintoronto Matlow is a known quality around here,.

Then post some actual reference or links. At some point, your personal view, or anyone else's counts for nought, save your personal vote.

I've Googled, evidence of your claims may exist, they're not showing, so the onus is on you to find them and link them.

Evidence based discussion.

Keesmaat? Her affordable housing strategy is an absolute farce and any urban planner or person involved in development industry knows it is an empty election promise.

What an odd contention. I work with architects, some very noted ones...and her views may be contentious, but none of them make claims anywhere near as reactionary as yours.

But then again, you didn't (gist) "hear of the Notwithstanding Clause until third year university". I leave it at that, I guess I'm a lot older and more worldly...

Edit to Add: On the topic of architects, and some amazingly diverse views amongst them, one holding a strong hand is to *not densify at all*! The far right is leaning so far it meets the far left on this.

Part of that may be driven by the distaste many of them have for high-rise developments. I'm not in a position to deconstruct their rationale, but continue to be fascinated by it. It's counter-intuitive. And it's about preserving and reinforcing existing neighbourhoods.

Some in the "development industry" hate that. Keesmaat makes sense to quite a number of them in terms of using brownfield instead of greenfield, or ripping down neighbourhoods to put up high-rise. Those who favour the latter overlook the need to increase services exponentially. I leave it at that, save that Keesmaat makes a lot of sense to people well referenced, educated, experienced and connected.

And *most* (not all) "developers" hate that...

 

[Avenue]

Her name is not 'Kismet'.

 

[steveintoronto]

Her name is not 'Kismet'.

No kidding. Glad you got it. It's a literary licence, somewhat poetic, but with a dash of lemon juice for the acidic afterbite:
kis·met
ˈkizmit,-ˌmet/
noun

1. destiny; fate.
   "what chance did I stand against kismet?"

Kismet (/ˈkɪzmɪt, -mɛt, ˈkɪs-/, Turkish: kısmet, from Arabic قِسْمَة qisma) means "fate, destiny" in several languages, including Albanian, Bulgarian, Persian, Kurdish, Serbo-Croatian, Turkish, Urdu, Hindi.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kismet

Anyone care for the Nederlander origin?

Just doing some background checks on what Stintz has written. Highly entertaining retrospect here:
Scarborough subway plan is the right decision, says former TTC chair
By KAREN STINTZOpinion
Tues., Dec. 5, 2017
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/con...the-right-decision-says-former-ttc-chair.html

Wow...

Addendum: Just up
Doug Ford’s bombshell has left Toronto’s mayoral race in neutral
By DAVID RIDERCity Hall Bureau Chief
Sun., Sept. 23, 2018

https://www.thestar.com/news/toront...as-left-torontos-mayoral-race-in-neutral.html

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Then post some actual reference or links. At some point, your personal view, or anyone else's counts for nought, save your personal vote.

I've Googled, evidence of your claims may exist, they're not showing, so the onus is on you to find them and link them.

Evidence based discussion.

Not everyone has the luxury of time to pull source after source, Steve. Here is Matlow celebrating the end of the OMB.

What an odd contention. I work with architects, some very noted ones...and her views may be contentious, but none of them make claims anywhere near as reactionary as yours.

Keesmaat has neither the land nor the money to build 100,000 units of affordable housing. If she even manages to build 1/10th of that, I would consider it a success.

But then again, you didn't (gist) "hear of the Notwithstanding Clause until third year university". I leave it at that, I guess I'm a lot older and more worldly...

I'll ignore the personal jab and merely point out that just because university curriculum in the liberal arts may not be what they used to be, it does not mean that young minds are left idle.

 

[Videodrome]

I am still not happy with my councillor for supporting the 25 ward thing, but otherwise, he does a good job, so I might just vote for him.

 

[steveintoronto]

Here is Matlow celebrating the end of the OMB.

And so he should. Almost every municipality in Ontario did, for good reasons that seem to escape you.

Very first paragraph of the article you link:

A process that neighbourhood community groups have been fighting against for years is finally changing Tuesday, as the province officially replaces the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) with a less powerful body to hear appeals from developers.

From the Association of Ontario Municipalities, even before the legislation was tabled:

October 14, 2016

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario welcomes the upcoming OMB review. Municipalities across Ontario have passed resolutions calling for substantial reform of the OMB. Ontario’s land use planning system has evolved dramatically over the past thirty years, and municipalities have matured substantially to keep pace with the regulatory regime. However, the OMB retains significant power to overturn the decisions of elected officials. Now is the opportunity to transform the OMB to align its role and its powers with the capacity and maturity that Ontario’s municipalities have developed.

The OMB Reform: Maturing Roles Discussion paper serves as a discussion paper and provides brief history of the OMB, a brief description of its present-day form, a decision review of 195 OMB appeals between 2013-2015, and a jurisdictional scan of land use appellate bodies in Oregon, England and Wales, and New Zealand. The paper then provides some recommendations informed by the decision review, the jurisdictional scan, and municipal resolutions received by AMO to improve and reform the OMB.

The OMB Reform: AMO Recommendations outlines recommendations below for the five different provincial themes:

• The OMB’s Jurisdiction and Powers
• Citizen Participation and Local Perspective
• Clear and Predictable Decision Making
• Modern Procedures and Faster Decisions
• Alternative Dispute Resolutions and Fewer Hearings

AMO recommends that the OMB also review these and consult back with AMO for more information. We hope these recommendations will lead to more efficient and improved municipal management and planning, and thriving municipal cities, towns and communities.

AMO has also developed a OMB Review Quick Guide for responding to the Provincial Review of the Ontario Municipal Board for download.
[...]

https://www.amo.on.ca/AMO-Content/Policy-Updates/2016/OMBReview

The OMB arguably had a role as it was (albeit very dated), but the vast majority of elected bodies affected praise the changes. Matlow is in very good company.

And you lambaste him for that...and oddly keep expounding the case of Doug Ford et al, where the Province runs roughshod over municipal democracy and sense of community which was exactly the fault of the OMB.

 

[adma]

I wouldn't be upset if Crisanti won and we had a Ford free council.

Maybe even more so if the only Ford remaining is Tiffany.