A newsletter by Matt Elliott · Since 2019

Toronto City Hall, in nerdy detail.

Every Monday, City Hall Watcher lands in your inbox with the news, analysis and charts you need to understand what Toronto City Council is doing — and what it means.

400+

Issues published

Since 2019

Every week

Per month, plus HST

Award winner

Digital Publishing Awards

What you get

The stuff other outlets don’t have room for

City Hall Watcher digs into the agenda items, staff reports and voting records that really shape Toronto. Readers include members of Council, senior City staff, provincial and federal representatives, lobbyists, journalists and thousands of engaged residents.

Every issue

The Week at City Hall

A calendar of what Council and City Hall committees are set to debate, with a close read of the agenda items that need your attention — including the stuff nobody else noticed.

Regularly

Votes & scorecards

Key vote results with the numbers behind them: who voted how, who broke ranks, and how it fits the pattern of the term so far.

Monthly

Lobbyist Watch

A regular trawl through Toronto’s Lobbyist Registry to surface the issues and the people who got lobbied hardest this month.

Beyond the newsletter

Apps under the CHW banner

More about each →

The newsletter is the centre of City Hall Watcher, but wait, there’s more. We’ve got apps to help you understand what’s going on.

Council Scorecard

Subscribers

How often is your councillor voting with the mayor?

councilscorecard.ca ↗

City Hall Watcher LIVE

Free for everyone

Minute-by-minute coverage of the Council Chamber

live.cityhallwatcher.com ↗

Election Projection

Free for everyone

Breaking down the municipal election odds

projection.cityhallwatcher.com ↗

Lobbying Report Cards

Coming soon

Who’s been lobbying councillors this term?

From the newsletter

Recent issues

Full archive →

Sep 8 Celebrate 400 issues with a game of SimCouncillor Free Aug 31 Following the money from the mayor’s property tax increases Free Aug 24 Introducing City Hall Watcher’s Election Projection Section Subscribers Aug 17 The 2026 Council Power Rankings Subscribers Aug 10 Now loading: Data centre lobbying at Toronto City Hall Subscribers Aug 4 Council closes term with debates on island airport, surveillance pricing and data centres Subscribers

Updated automatically from Substack Subscribe to read every issue →

Recommended by

Writers who cover this stuff for a living

“A must-read for anyone following Toronto politics.”
Éric Grenier · The Writ

“If you care about Toronto you should be reading Matt’s stuff. He does the hard work of diving in deep in places others do not!”
Reece Martin · The Transit Brief

“(‘Graphic’) Matt Elliott’s weekly digest on City Hall is your best bet on staying briefed on Council proceedings and weird lobbyist stories. I trust him to tell it to me straight, cool graphics optional.”
Vass Bednar · regs to riches

“If you’re in Toronto or just have a focus on municipal affairs, Matt’s newsletter is the top read on Toronto city hall goings-on.”
Tom Parkin · Data Shows

“Consider Matt Elliott … he made a name for himself by drawing up detailed online charts of City Council voting patterns. With devastating clarity, they have documented the collapse of Mr. Ford’s support on Council.”
Marcus Gee · The Globe and Mail

“Without hyperbole, you’re one of the best political columnists at any paper in North America — such a rare ability to take complicated policy stuff and make it understandable and fun to read about.”
Daniel Dale · Legendary Fact Checker

Who writes it

Hi, I’m Matt Elliott.

I’m an award-winning freelance journalist who’s been covering Toronto City Hall for well over a decade. I started as an independent blogger, and later wrote weekly columns for Metro Toronto for six years. I have contributed to CBC Toronto, Toronto Life, Spacing, Torontoist and a bunch of others. I currently write a weekly column for the Toronto Star.

I was the first person to fact-check Mayor Rob Ford’s claim to have saved Toronto a billion dollars — a fact-check that drew international attention. In 2011, The Grid named me one of the 50 people who make Toronto better. I won two silvers at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards for my work at Metro. City Hall Watcher won Best Editorial Newsletter at the Digital Publishing Awards in 2022.

I have a cat and a kid. When I grow up I will probably cut my hair, but that has not happened yet.

Matt on Bluesky Email Matt

Matt Elliott on a panel at a civic leadership event

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