In my latest for The Local, I interview budget chief Shelley Carroll about what the 2024 budget will be like. Spoiler: the David Miller years are back, baby.
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Olivia Chow’s Financial Plan Takes Form
Last week, Olivia Chow’s brand-new Executive Committee unanimously recommended new revenue tools to stave off financial catastrophe. But can she get it past City Council—and what happens if she doesn’t? Read my latest for The Local.
A Leftward Tilt for the City’s Committees
Last week, Mayor Olivia Chow revamped City Council committees with her own slate of progressives, dramatically shifting the balance of power. Plus, the by-election churn continues in the wake of Scarborough councillor Gary Crawford’s resignation. Read my latest column at The Local. (And check out the nice interactive data visualization they made for me, too!)
What Can Olivia Chow Do About Climate Change?
My latest column for The Local is out! I discuss how climate change is pushing Toronto weather to extremes, Council’s patchy track record on going low-carbon, and the large and small things Olivia Chow can do to change that. Plus, the literal train wreck in Scarborough and two special upcoming meetings at City Hall.
Tracking Olivia Chow’s First 100 Days as Toronto Mayor
In Olivia Chow, Toronto has its first progressive mayor in 12 years. How will she tackle the city’s many critical issues? Will City Council’s power balance shift? My new column for The Local tracks Chow’s first 100 days. In the first installment, I look at how the mayor—and organizers on the ground—addressed the asylum seeker crisis that unfolded at 129 Peter St. Plus, a few key items from this week’s Council meeting.
The Local: How Toronto’s Mayoral Candidates Plan to Address the Housing Crisis
How Toronto’s Mayoral Candidates Plan to Address the Housing Crisis
Yet another municipal election is nigh. In my new piece for The Local, I analyze six top mayoral candidates’ housing platforms, which range from ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ to an ambitious return to the days of government-built mixed-income social housing on a large scale.
Just the numbers (this table is in the article, too):
| Saunders | Bradford | Bailão | Chow | Hunter | Matlow | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total cost | Unspecified | Unspecified | $49M | $404M | $1B | $407M |
| Source | Not taxes | Not taxes | City Building Fund (existing) | City Building Fund increase | Property tax increase, reserve funds | Cancelling Gardiner East, freezing police bucget |
| Units | Unspecified | At least 16,000 (as in original Housing Now plan) | HousingTO targets, provincial mandate of 285,000 | 10,000–25,000 | 22,700 | 15,000 |
| Affordability | At least some units in developments on city-owned land | 33% of housing on under-utilized city-owned land, 20% in office conversions | 40,000 affordable rentals and 4,000 affordable ownership by 2030 | At least 7,500 at 80% AMR, 2,500 at 30% AMR | 5,660 at AMR, 3,468 at 80% AMR, 2,108 at 40% AMR, 6,135 affordable ownership | 45% affordable rental (30% at AMR, 10% at 80% AMR, 5% rent geared to income, or at 30-40% AMR); subject to consultations |
The Local: Candidate Tracker
The municipal election is nigh. I’ve been working behind the scenes, contributing research for The Local’s Candidate Tracker. Check it out—you can read up on Council candidates’ backgrounds, see where they stand on issues like shelter, affordable housing, and police funding, and compare them to incumbent councillors’ voting records.
Municipal Budget 2017: Brace Yourselves, Budget Cuts Are Coming
As City staff gear up for the 2017 budget process, the mayor has declared that an above-inflation property tax revenue increase is off the table. Council has also successfully pushed off introducing any new revenue tools until next year. What does that mean for the budget? We read the City Manager’s latest report so you don’t have to.
City Council Preview: June 2016
On this month’s City Council agenda: inclusionary zoning, pot crackdowns in midtown, licensing landlords, and our financial future.
City Council preview: April/May 2016
This City Council meeting will be a busy one, with taxis, bike lanes, Rob Ford’s replacement, the TORONTO sign, and more. Read my full preview at Torontoist.