Freelance opportunity · Ongoing
Write for City Hall Watcher
City Hall Watcher — the best and only independent newsletter focused exclusively on Toronto City Hall — is looking for freelance contributors.
The short version
Toronto-based writers, accessible and conversational tone, solid research skills. Pitches welcome on anything municipal. Rates start at $150 for a short piece, and I can cover research and FOI costs.
Who I’m looking for
Toronto-based writers who can pull off an accessible, conversational tone — with some jokes — while meeting deadlines and working mostly solo. Excellent research skills are a must. Experience working with charts and other data visualization would be real nice.
Past experience covering municipal politics and knowledge of how Toronto’s city government works could be an asset, but isn’t strictly required, so long as you’re a fast learner.
What to pitch
Get in touch with a brief pitch if you have an idea for a story about anything municipal: city financing, housing, transportation, transit, arts & culture, garbage, or — especially — trees.
What it pays
Freelance contributors are paid on a per-contribution basis at competitive freelance rates, starting at $150 for a short piece. City Hall Watcher can also cover costs related to research and Freedom of Information requests.
How to apply
Send your résumé and a few examples of relevant writing to Matt Elliott, publisher of City Hall Watcher, at matt@cityhallwatcher.com. If you have a specific story in mind, pitch it in the same email.
About City Hall Watcher
City Hall Watcher is the best and only newsletter focused exclusively on Toronto City Hall. Started by freelance journalist Matt Elliott in January 2019, it publishes weekly on Substack to an audience that includes members of Toronto Council, senior City staff, lobbyists, activists and a wonderful group of municipal government nerds. The newsletter is regularly cited for its reach and influence, and is a past winner of Best Editorial Newsletter at the Digital Publishing Awards.
About Matt Elliott
The publisher, editor and all-around everything for City Hall Watcher, Matt Elliott has a decade-long career as a freelance journalist covering City Hall. He has contributed to CBC, Metro, Spacing, Torontoist, Toronto Storeys and more, and currently writes a weekly column about municipal issues for the Toronto Star. He also teaches journalism at Humber College. He’s got one cat and one human kid.
$6.78/month or $67.80/year, HST included. Cancel anytime.