Politics
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LORINC: Mayor begins to reveal her election cards
I’m not especially interested in carrying the beer (or wine) for a bunch of people who can buy super expensive homes. But Mayor Olivia Chow’s...
By John Lorinc -
Behind the Curtain: Rethinking the Role of the City Manager
In the intricate machinery of urban governance, one figure looms large but largely out of sight: the City Manager. Appointed by City Council, not elected...
By Erick Villagomez -
The Big Brutal Breakfast
Architecture and Design Film Festival 2025 hits Toronto, Nov. 12-15, Mumbai, Jan. 8-11, Chicago, Feb. 18-21. It features The Big Brutal Quiz, a...
By Derek DeLand -
When did we start describing opioid addiction as “delinquent” behaviour?
In a widely read, shared and commented upon column in Saturday’s Globe and Mail, columnist Robyn Urback asked a question that, I’d say, is on...
By John Lorinc -
The Costs We Don’t See
Vancouver’s proposed 2026 Budget arrives with a promise that feels, at first glance, like a reprieve: a 0% property tax increase in a year when almost...
By Erick Villagomez -
Nostalgia about neighbourhood retail is not a strategy
I have lived for many years less than 30 metres from what was once one of Toronto’s storied corner stores — a green grocer known locally as...
By John Lorinc -
UCS #75: Planning Department Disposals
See our Launch and Introduction about the launch of the © Urban Cartoon Syndicate and the announcement by CityHallWatch. *** Related Readings: Vancouver’s...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate -
LORINC: We built it, but now will we ride it?
As befits a fall when the Blue Jays have again become contenders, the $10 billion-plus question hanging over the soon-to-be-opened Crosstown LRT is...
By John Lorinc -
UCS #72: Democracy Detour
See our Launch and Introduction about the launch of the © Urban Cartoon Syndicate and the announcement by CityHallWatch. *** Related Readings: City...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate -
Four Projections, One Crisis
What happens when four different reports give four different answers to the same housing question? Every few months, a new report is released with a...
By Erick Villagomez -
Who Gets to Lobby?
When most people hear the word lobbyist, they think of expensive suits, closed-door meetings, and backroom deals. In Vancouver, as in most Canadian...
By Erick Villagomez -
UCS #71: Some Things Never Change
See our Launch and Introduction about the launch of the © Urban Cartoon Syndicate and the announcement by CityHallWatch. *** Related Readings: A Citizen’s...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate