ANCT: Josh Matlow is the right choice for Toronto’s Armenian community


The Armenian National Committee of Toronto (ANCT) is endorsing Josh Matlow in his bid to be the next Mayor of Toronto. Matlow, a long-time friend of the Armenian community, has served on the Toronto City Council representing Ward 12 Toronto—St. Paul’s since 2010.

“All seven of the top candidates attended this year’s April 24 Genocide Commemoration, but one stands out with the longest record of always being there when we needed him,” read a part of the statement issued by the ANCT on May 5.

Before his election to Toronto City Council, he was a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee between 2003 and 2010. He was elected to City Council following the 2010 municipal election, and was re-elected in 2014, 2018, and 2022.

As a school board trustee, Matlow was a strong advocate for public education about the history of genocide. In 2008, he actively supported the introduction of the TDSB’s Grade 11 course on Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, which today is also taught at the ARS Armenian School. Since being elected to Toronto City Council, Matlow continued to stand with the community, being a strong voice for causes that matter to Toronto Armenians.

“It is through your active participation and engagement in this by-election that we can ensure that Armenian issues will not be forgotten in Toronto. Two specific foreign governments spend millions of dollars in Canada trying to undo the progress we have made together,” the ANCT said in its statement. The advocacy group also called on Armenians in Toronto to cast their ballots ahead on the June 26 election day by participating in advance voting, which runs June 8 to 13.

“Toronto today is a vibrant city made up of people from all around the world who have been able to find safe haven from prejudice and conflict back home. The city’s Armenian community is a deeply important part of that mosaic,” Matlow said in a recent letter addressed to members of Toronto’s Armenian community. Torontonians will vote on June 26 in what will likely be the largest by-election ever held in Canadian history.

You can hear Josh Matlow’s commitment to Toronto’s Armenian community from him directly in this year’s April 24 video message: