October 13, 2026 - (Toronto, ON) As Ontario prepares to rip out bike lanes in Toronto today, cycling advocates held a press conference this morning near the planned first removals on Bloor St. W. in Etobicoke, to announce that they’re asking the Supreme Court of Canada to hear their appeal and weigh in on Ford’s planned bike lane removals.
“Today, we announced that we’re seeking leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada after the Court of Appeal for Ontario overturned our lower court victory that found the removal of 19 km of protected bike lanes unconstitutional,” reads the Cycle Toronto press release.
In July 2025, Justice Paul Schabas agreed with Cycle Toronto’s challenge to the government’s Bill 212 (the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024) that sought to remove the bike lanes. The advocacy group argued that it would put people at increased risk of harm and death, thereby violating section 7 of the Charter, which protects the right to life and security of the person.
But in mid-August 2026, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal for Ontario reversed the lower-court decision, allowing Premier Doug Ford’s government to remove 19km of protected bike lanes in Toronto along Bloor St., University Ave., and Yonge St.
“The facts are clear: bike lanes do not cause traffic congestion, ripping them out will put people’s lives at risk, and no network of side streets can replace the 19 (kilometres) of protected bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge, and University,” said Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, the advocacy group that brought the case.
The province’s own commissioned work: a safety analysis prepared for the Ministry of Transportation by the engineering firm CIMA+ estimated that removing the bike lanes could increase collisions among all road users, including cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers, by as much as 54%, and found no clear evidence that their removal would ease congestion.
Ontario healthcare workers, the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) and many others have denounced Ontario’s plans to remove bike lanes and urge the province to back down as the battle for bike lanes in Toronto continues.
A spokesperson for Mayor Olivia Chow said the city repeatedly shared designs with the province that would keep both vehicle and bike lanes intact reports the Globe and Mail. But Premier Doug Ford’s government walked away from several Toronto proposals and compromises to restore traffic lanes while preserving bike lanes.
“Neither Premier Ford nor Minister Sarkaria has answered why their government walked away from a win-win offer from the city and Mayor Chow that would have restored traffic lanes while keeping bike lanes,” states the Cycle Toronto press release.
“Ripping out these protected bike lanes against the will of Toronto city council is a colossal waste of $48 million of tax payers money,” added Longfield.
Cycle Toronto and its co-applicants are being represented by Ecojustice, an environmental law charity, and Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP.
“We are asking the Supreme Court to hear this case in order to provide clarity about the scope of the rights to life and security of the person protected by Section 7 of the Charter,” said Bronwyn Roe, a staff lawyer with Ecojustice, at the news conference.
Anyone who receives a judgment from a top provincial or territorial court can appeal to the Supreme Court, which only hears a fraction of cases.
Local cycling advocacy groups have planned an All Out protest ride on Oct. 13 at 5pm at Islington and Royal York to disrupt, or try to make difficult, the planned bike lane removal by the City at that location as per a Notice of Construction issued by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO).
The press release continues, “While we’re asking the Supreme Court of Canada to hear our case and defend our Charter right to “life… and security of the person” (s. 7), we encourage you to stand in solidarity with protesters and exercise your Charter right to “freedom of peaceful assembly” (s. 2(c)).
When: Tonight (October 13) 5 pm to late
Where: Tom Riley Park (Bloor & Islington)
We encourage Cycle Toronto supporters to come out and show their support. We also share this legal guide for activists from the Movement Defence Committee (their information is not intended as legal advice):
Movement Defence Committee‘s phone number is: 416-833-6137. You can reach them there if you’ve been arrested or need to report an arrest at a demonstration.”
The battle for bike lanes in Toronto continues.
