Josh Matlow has been re-elected for a third term as councillor of Ward 12 Toronto St. Paul’s through a platform of making the TTC safer, reducing the cost of groceries and improving the affordability and conditions of housing.

Matlow was first elected in 2018, and won this year with 67.6% of the vote. He will begin his next term in council on Nov 15. This year, he ran against Jenny Kalimbet, who got 18.9% of the vote, and David Cottrell, who had 4.6% of the votes.

The Green Line reached out to Matlow for comment, but didn’t get a response. So, we compiled promises and priorities shared during his campaign this election season, including through Know Your Vote T.O., the public library’s election guide. Here’s what you can look forward to:

• TTC improvements: Matlow plans to work towards reliable, affordable transit. He says he will push the TTC to fix slow zones and expand transit signal priority.

• Community safety: Matlow says he supports expanding mental health help through the Toronto Community Crisis Service, a faster 911 response time and police officers who are properly equipped to respond to incidents.

• Improved public services: Matlow promises to reduce costs of child care and advocate for students and schools around the ward. He also says he wants reliable maintenance for snow clearing, garbage collection and park maintenance.

• Less congestion: Matlow says he’ll advocate to stop “construction hoarding” on traffic lanes. He plans to better coordinate traffic signals and safe cycling infrastructure on the roads in order to address congestion in Toronto-St. Paul’s.

• Reduced costs of living: Matlow says the city should lower grocery costs by giving tax incentives to small grocery stores. He also plans to reduce fare capping to 40 rides. He says he will also push for more affordable and supportive housing on public land, with rents geared to income.

• Stronger renters’ protection: He promises to advocate for stronger enforcement of living conditions through RentSafeTO to keep buildings well maintained and reasonably priced.

Here’s how Matlow responded to election pledges shared by local organizations and advocacy groups:

• Matlow didn’t respond to  the Community-led Planning Pledge to fund community-led planning and center community voices. 
• He didn’t sign or respond to TTC Riders’ pledge to push for more reliable, affordable, accessible, frequent, fast and safe public transit.
• Matlow didn’t respond to Cycle Toronto’s pledge to improve cycling infrastructure in the city.
• He didn’t respond to demands raised by Toronto ACORN to give RentSafeTO teeth, stand up to Ontario and tackle heat and affordability. You can check the details here.
• Matlow signed the Toronto Environmental Alliance Pledge, which commits him to voting for a maximum temperature bylaw, plant trees in hot neighbourhoods, cut single-use trash at big events, pause approvals for big AI data centres and cut emissions.

What priorities would you like The Green Line to track and report on in the coming year? Leave a comment on this page.