November 12, 2024 - As the anti-bike lane legislation, Bill 212, races through Queen’s Park, we’re all wondering: what’s Toronto City Council’s plan? What’s the strategy? And what’s the timeline? Last week Cycle Toronto urged the city to take concrete steps to resist this unprecedented overreach that will put lives at risk. You can amplify our call?
Shortly after our deputation, the agenda for November’s City Council meeting dropped and featured two items focused on Bill 212, most notably item “CC23.1O – Respecting Local Democracy and Cities” from Mayor Chow. Details are scarce but the tone is promising:
The recent provincial Bill 212 seeks to overturn the decisions and work of our locally elected Toronto City Council. If passed, the Bill means one government would, at tremendous cost to the taxpayer and without collaboration, undo another government’s work.
As Mayor, it is my responsibility to stand up for the decision-making authority of City Council and the expertise of our professional public service which supports that decision-making. As such, I am working with City Staff to review the City’s options and will provide recommendations on this item prior to the City Council meeting on November 13, 2024.
A second motion, “MM23.14 – Provincial Overreach and Toronto’s Infrastructure”, from Councillors Saxe and Morley, also rejects Bill 212 as “another overreaching attack on the people of Toronto”.
It’s essential the Mayor and City Council are supported to push back against the province. And if the Mayor and Council are still working on their strategy, we’ve got some ideas:
1) Pass a motion at City Council this week conveying its opposition to the Provincial government’s Bill 212, and request the Province of Ontario to maintain municipal jurisdiction with respect to the installation and removal of bike lanes
2) Direct the General Manager of Transportation Services and Director of Planning, Design and Management to make a formal, data-driven submission to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy, Minister Sarkaria, and Premier Ford following the Ontario Professional Planners Institute’s statement that Bill 212 is a move away from evidence-based practices that will not reduce congestion and will increase risk to public safety and the Ontario Traffic Council’s urging that efficient flow of traffic should not come at the expense of cyclists’ and other vulnerable road users’ lives
3) Direct the General Manager of Transportation Services and Director of Planning, Design and Management to continue work on the Council approved 2024-2027 Cycling Network Plan including key projects like Parkside Dr., Dupont Ave., and Danforth-Kingston
4) Work to rally all 444 municipalities against Bill 212, along with the City of Kingston who have already adopted such motions, in solidarity with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO)’s statement that requiring provincial approval would be a significant overreach into municipal jurisdiction
5) Make it clear that the City of Toronto will refuse to comply in spite of the bill’s “requirement for the City of Toronto to provide support to facilitate the removal of the bike lanes”, and not allow a single metre or kilometre of bike lane to be ripped out under provincial decree
6) Commit to using the city’s full moral and legal authority to resist before and beyond should Bill 212 receive Royal Assent
Help us call on Mayor Chow and City Council to act, and to act now. Bill 212 will make it impossible for Toronto to achieve key cities policies like TransformTO climate action targets and VisionZero Road Safety goals.
This will likely be the last City Council meeting before Bill 212 reaches third reading and possible Royal Assent.
