39 Facts About Josh Matlow

Josh Matlow was a Toronto District School Board trustee between 2003 and 2010 before his election to council representing St Paul's.

Josh Matlow was elected to City Council following the 2010 municipal election, and was re-elected in 2014,2018 and 2022.

Josh Matlow ran for mayor of Toronto in the 2023 by-election.

Josh Matlow's father, Ted Matlow, was a federally appointed judge and his mother, Elaine Mitchell, was a retired high school teacher.

Josh Matlow studied political science at Concordia University and attended L'Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France.

Josh Matlow performed in festivals, did comedy improv and television commercials.

Josh Matlow was a co-director of Earthroots, an Ontario environmental non-governmental organization.

Josh Matlow worked for the Canadian Peace Alliance, organizing against the war in Iraq.

Josh Matlow has written articles for several local newspapers including the Toronto Sun and Toronto Star.

Josh Matlow hosted a call-in radio show on University of Toronto station CIUT, was a weekly contributor and co-host on Toronto talk-radio station AM 640 and CFRB.

Josh Matlow hosted a talk radio show called The City with Josh Matlow on Toronto radio station Newstalk 1010 and was a weekly columnist for the Toronto Star.

In 2003, Josh Matlow was elected to the Toronto District School Board as a trustee and re-elected to the same position in 2006.

Josh Matlow worked on a number of initiatives including installation of solar panels on school rooftops, keeping school pools open, and helping students to achieve 'economic literacy'.

In 2008, Josh Matlow spoke out against a proposal to create an Africentric school in Toronto.

Josh Matlow instead favoured the widespread implementation of a more 'culturally diverse' curriculum.

Josh Matlow was first elected during the 2010 Toronto municipal election as the councillor for Ward 22 St Paul's.

Josh Matlow criticized the city's public consultation process, and committed to holding town hall meetings with residents.

Josh Matlow was re-elected in the 2014 election with the highest vote count and highest winning percentage of any councillor candidate across the city.

Josh Matlow has been endorsed by the Toronto Star editorial board in the 2010,2014,2018, and 2022 elections.

Josh Matlow initially positioned himself as a political centrist during his first term.

Josh Matlow supported asking the province to declare transit an essential service, which would prohibit workers from striking.

Josh Matlow supported the repeal of a vehicle registration tax, calling for a reevaluation of financing relations with the province.

Josh Matlow expressed his dislike of the land transfer tax did not support a repeal as it would leave a large revenue gap in the city budget.

Later in his career, Josh Matlow shifted to the left, describing himself as a "pragmatic progressive" in 2023.

Josh Matlow has supported issues such as a judicial inquiry of encampment clearings, reducing the police budget, and increasing property taxes to offset a transit fare increase.

Josh Matlow refers to the LRT as the "evidence-based" transit option, arguing that it serves more people within walking distance and would have been fully funded, instead of requiring the city to take on additional expenses for a subway extension.

In February 2015, Josh Matlow raised a number of administrative inquiries relating to ridership, the cost of cancelling the LRT project, as well as proceeding with a subway extension.

In 2018, Josh Matlow called for a judicial inquiry to investigate what he described as "dysfunctional" transit planning, citing lack of information and misinformation that was provided to council.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Josh Matlow became the first known Canadian politician to go into quarantine on March 9,2020, after coming into close contact with a person who had tested positive for COVID-19.

In 2017, the integrity commissioner ruled that Josh Matlow breached the council code of conduct by making claims on a radio show that a city staff member had misled council in 2016.

City Manager Peter Wallace asked Josh Matlow to apologize after hearing the interview, which he subsequently did.

In 2018, TTC CEO Andy Byford submitted a complaint to the integrity commissioner, who later ruled that ruled that Josh Matlow again breached the code of conduct when he made comments on a radio show questioning the objectivity of staff's advice.

In 2023, the integrity commissioner ruled that Josh Matlow breached the code of conduct in two separate instances.

The second complaint was filed by Interim City Manager Tracey Cook, who Josh Matlow claimed made a "decisions to omit facts".

Josh Matlow announced on March 21,2023, his intention to run for mayor of Toronto in the 2023 by-election.

Josh Matlow noted a city report which identified a $46.5 billion in budget pressures over the next decade, promising to take meaningful action to address it.

Josh Matlow proposed increasing property taxes and introducing a two per cent annual "city works fund" charge.

Josh Matlow has said he intends to ask council to re-evaluate the plan to rebuild the eastern portion of the Gardiner Expressway, stopping its rehabilitation and replacing it with a less expensive boulevard option.

Josh Matlow proposed establishing a $115 million community health and safety fund, which would be spent on programs to combat the root causes of crime, such as through mental health supports.