Transit Champion of the Year: Josh Matlow

[caption id="attachment_8460" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Councillor Josh Matlow with TTCriders Executive Director, Shelagh Pizey-Allen[/caption]

As 2017 draws to a close, it’s time to recognize those who have been a strong voice for transit riders.  On behalf of TTCriders, I am proud to award Josh Matlow as our Transit Champion of the Year.  For not only is he the hardworking councillor for Ward 22 - St. Paul’s, he is one of City Council’s strongest transit advocates.

We thank him for his relentless pursuit of a value-for-money comparison of the 1-stop Scarborough Subway Extension, versus the 7-stop Light Rail Transit plan to replace the Scarborough RT. 

But after repeatedly rejecting conducting a value-for-money comparison, it is clear that the majority of City Council values political opportunism and the needs of developers, over the advice of city staff and the needs of transit riders in Scarborough and across Toronto.

Thus, we also thank Councillor Matlow for all the times he (literally) stood up to question the tunnel vision of City Council.

Outside of combative City Council meetings, Councillor Matlow posts extensive updates on his website and Twitter account about all things transit.  In fact, he has a separate section on his website for the Relief Line with maps, an infographic, and the names and contact information for all the Toronto councillors, MPPs, and MPs.

TTCriders is the voice of transit riders in Toronto.  Admittedly, we are not perfect transit advocates, but we continue to do our work because we care.  We will continue to fight the good fight for transit justice in 2018, and we will champion those who do the same.

Congratulations to Josh Matlow, TTCriders’ Transit Champion of the Year.

Helen Lee is the unofficial Queen of Tweets for TTCriders, and a member of their Board of Directors. 

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