About
Hey, I’m Matt. You might know me as GraphicMatt on Twitter. I’m the guy with the hair. This is my newsletter.
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.
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.
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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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
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
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
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
Really loving the way @GraphicMatt is breaking down staff reports in his City Hall Watcher newsletter. Latest on photo radar. He’s reading stuff most journalists aren’t. Very worth the $5 a month.
— Jennifer Pagliaro (@jpags) July 8, 2019
We at @RyersonCBI are loving @GraphicMatt 's news posts @CityHallWatcher. It's a bargain subscription! #topoli pic.twitter.com/TDR03eAEWl
— Cherise Burda (@CheriseBurda) February 20, 2019
Hot tip: subscribe to @GraphicMatt’s City Hall watcher so you can be the first to know about nitty gritty details like the continuing efforts of lobbyists to build a “spa dome” at Ontario Place
— Daniel Rotsztain (@theurbangeog) September 3, 2019
As a neighbor of Toronto it's good to know what is going on so I just subscribed to the newsletter by Oakville lad @graphicmatt Elliott called City Hall Watcher. @GraphicMatt has his eye on the ball and his finger on the pulse of all things Toronto...https://t.co/wWIAvX19Je
— Rob Burton (@OakvilleMayor) August 6, 2019
Have been following @GraphicMatt for years and just found out I could subscribe to City Hall Watcher for a very reasonable sum. Happy to support his work. https://t.co/wh87hujdNl
— Lianne Doucet (@101Lianne) July 18, 2019
As someone directly affected by the decisions at city hall it was pretty easy to justify less than $5 per month for a year of Matt's newsletter. I then get to enjoy his incredible live tweeting of each meeting guilt free!#TOpoli https://t.co/UinW3XgRQL
— Evan Herbert (@evan_herbert) July 19, 2019
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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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If that describes you, fill out the form here and I'll activate your subscription before the next issue.
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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.
Cancellation Policy: You can cancel your subscription at any time by heading to graphicmatt.substack.com/account/ and clicking the cancel link. No questions asked.
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Missing an issue? Check your spam folder and try the email self-test at graphicmatt.substack.com/account/email-test. If you can't get the test to deliver to your inbox, get in touch with me.
Email Matt