August 29, 2026 - (Toronto, ON) A massive turnout of over 1,000 cyclists converged at the Prince Edward Viaduct Parkette in Toronto for a Critical Mass Ride. The ride was in support of bike lanes and in protest to the recent Court of Appeal for Ontario ruling that allows Premier Doug Ford’s government to rip out 19 kilometres of protected bike lanes in Toronto along Bloor St., University Ave. and Yonge St.
Toronto Mayor, Olivia Chow, was on hand as well former city councillor Mike Layton, who’s running again to represent his old ward, University-Rosedale, after a four-year hiatus from city hall.
Back in Nov. 2024, the province passed Bill 212, the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, which was challenged by advocacy group, Cycle Toronto, arguing that the bill violated the Charter-protected rights to life and security of the person, and in July 2025 Justice Paul Schabas agreed – read more here.
Yet the province appealed and in mid-August won, and now Cycle Toronto is reviewing their options with their legal team including whether to appeal to the Supreme Court. “It’s too early to say definitively, but we do intend to keep fighting this to the fullest extent of the law. We’re still reviewing with our legal team, but suffice to say, we don’t accept that this is over,” said Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto in a post-ruling interview with Toronto Today.
Longfield was also on hand at the Critical Mass Ride and thanked the organizers that put the ride together including The Biking Lawyer, ARC (Advocacy For Respect For Cyclists), Friends and Families for Safe Streets and others.
Chow noted her past dooring incidents before the bike lanes on Bloor were installed, and acknowledged the many advocacy groups that fought for bike lanes in the city. She also thanked Layton who played a key role in getting the Bloor St. bike lanes installed, while reminding Ford to leave Toronto matters like bike lanes, speed cameras and the island airport to city officials, and to focus on the challenging issues coming from south of the border.
Key organizer David Shellnut, (The Biking Lawyer), gave a final safety check and explained that the route would go by Councillor Brad Bradford’s office (who’s running for mayor against Chow and wants to rip out bike lanes on Bloor St. W), and then to Queen’s Park.
The battle for bike lanes continues in Toronto, and as noted by Ecojustice, part of Cycle Toronto’s legal team, “The facts on the ground have not changed. Removing protected bike lanes on Bloor Street, University Avenue, and Yonge Street puts people at risk, and the Ford government’s own internal documents confirm it. A government-commissioned report found that removal could increase collisions by 54% for all road users and would be unlikely to reduce congestion.” (read more here).
More Critical Mass Ride coverage on The Biking Lawyer here; on Two Wheeled Politics here; and on Biking in a Big City here.
