City Hall Watcher

News and analysis about the municipal issues that matter -- delivered straight to your inbox. For just $6 a month. (Plus tax.)

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About

Hey, I’m Matt. You might know me as GraphicMatt on Twitter. I’m the guy with the hair. This is my newsletter.

Matt moderates a panel with Toronto City Manager Chris Murray and other senior managers of Ontario municipalities

Toronto’s municipal government in nerdy detail. With charts.

I’m an award-winning journalist. I’ve covered the stuff Toronto City Council does for eight years. I was the first person to start fact-checking Mayor Rob Ford’s claim to have saved Toronto one billion dollars, a fact-check that drew international attention. I track Council votes so you know what your city councillor is up to. After starting as an independent blogger, my work appeared in Metro News for six straight years. I currently contribute a weekly City Hall column to the Toronto Star, and make occasional radio and television appearances with CBC Toronto.

This newsletter is for people who want an extra level of insight and want to support my work.

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Delivered every Monday at 5 p.m.

City Hall Watcher comes to your inbox (and also the web) every Monday, right around 5 p.m. It includes deep dives into the reports on Council’s agenda, providing much-needed context for whatever the hell it is politicians in this city are trying to do.

You’ll learn about evolving transit plans. You’ll stay informed about the city’s budget process. You’ll see so many charts you might literally email me and ask me to, please, stop sending you charts. You’ll be sick of the charts. But the charts will continue.

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Just six bucks a month — a bargain and a deal

You can sign up for City Hall Watcher for just six bucks a month, plus tax. An annual subscription is even cheaper — just $60 a year, plus tax. The newsletter is managed by Substack and payments are securely processed by the experts at Stripe.

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Sample issues

Every issue jam-packed with local news

City Hall Watcher subscribers include mayors, city councillors, senior level staff at City Hall, provincial and federal representatives and hundreds of other engaged GTA residents who use this newsletter to stay informed. In addition to news and analysis, readers also get access to these regular features:

Lobbyist Watch

Lobbyist Watch

What are they up to?

Each month, Lobbyist Watch takes a close look at Toronto's Lobbyist Registry, letting you know the issues and people getting lobbied hardest.

Council Scorecard

Council Scorecard

Tracking the votes

How often is your councillor voting with the mayor? Who's on the losing end of important votes? The scorecard keeps track — with a colourful spreadsheet

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The Week at City Hall

Agendas, Minutes & Reports

Each issue includes a weekly calendar that takes a deep dive into important agenda items and points to stuff that might have otherwise gone overlooked.

What people are saying about City Hall Watcher

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I want to ensure City Hall Watcher gets read by the people who need to read it. Free, limited-time subscriptions are available for those who are:

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Recent newsletters

Matt at the podium at the Innovation Corridor Summit

Contact Matt

You can subscribe to City Hall Watcher via Substack. Group subscriptions are available for teams with four or more people. You can also buy gift subscriptions for friends and/or enemies. If you have any questions, shoot me an email at graphicmatt@gmail.com.

Discounts for large team subscriptions are available. Send me an email and we'll work something out. If you need me to generate an invoice in advance of payment for corporate approval, I can absolutely do that. Other special requests will also be accomodated to the best of my ability.

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