I have several comments on…

I have several comments on Bill 60. First and foremost is the government's proposal to limit municipalities' ability to create new bike lanes or other improvements or changes to existing roadways that remove traffic lanes. The government's own study determined that bike lanes do not cause congestion. Prioritizing cars at the expense of other forms of transportation only incentivizes cars and make traffic congestion worse. Municipal governments, elected by their constituents, are best placed to determine how to move people through their municipalities. Encouraging safe cycling with dedicated separated bike lanes, providing transit right-of-ways so that transit is faster and more reliable, and making sidewalks wider, more accessible, and safer, are proven strategies to reduce congestion. The facts and evidence that bike lanes do not cause congestion, not to mention that removing dedicated bike lanes will cause more injuries and deaths to cyclists, were included in the court ruling that struck down the section of Bill 212 that attempted to remove bike lanes. This government is not making meaningful investments to reduce traffic congestion, but attempting to score cheap political points with this move. It is the same with their legislation removing municipal speed cameras, which are proven to reduce speeds where they are located (https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/early/2025/07/23/ip-2024-045561 and https://www.sickkids.ca/en/news/archive/2025/automated-speed-enforcemen…). These policies demonstrate that Doug Ford and his government do not care for the health and safety of any road user not in a car.

As I said above, municipal, not provincial, governments are best suited to decide what public land, including roadways, are used for in their jurisdiction. Doug Ford had an opportunity to present his vision for Toronto when he ran for Mayor and when he has subsequently endorsed candidates for mayor in municipal elections. The people of Toronto and elsewhere overwhelmingly said "No". He should take that message and stay out of city planning. He clearly is not making evidence-based decisions with all constituents' health and safety at heart.

Prioritizing cars will also contribute to additional pollution in municipalities. Since the evidence overwhelmingly shows that more traffic lanes does not reduce congestion and instead just means more cars on the road, prohibiting bike, transit, pedestrian, and other forms of transport in favour of cars will only make pollution and air quality worse. Those cars won't move any faster. They will only create more noxious exhaust.

Another aspect of Bill 60 will lessen tenants' rights. With rents at all-time highs, if the government really wanted to reduce congestion, they would strengthen tenants' rights and establish real rent control on all rental units so that people could afford to live closer to where they work. Shorter commutes means less traffic which means less congestion.

A third aspect of Bill 60 "provides for the duties and powers of a water and wastewater public corporation, including the power to collect and impose fees or charges." This is the first step in privatizing public water utilities. This would be a disaster. As the government is already subsidizing the privatized electricity utilities to billions of dollars, the same would be occur for a private water and wastewater corporation. We know from experience elsewhere (for example: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/08/england-faces-extre…) privatizing water and wastewater utilities leads to deteriorating infrastructure, increased pollution from sewage leaking into the environment, and increased costs for consumers. Our water is precious and already under threat from industrial pollution and commercial exploitation, not to mention climate change. Adding to that through privatization will again threaten the health and well-being of Ontario's citizens and their environment. Building profit into the delivery of public services through privatization only makes them more expensive, not more efficient and does not benefit the population. These are the citizens' assets. The government should not be selling them off.

These are the highlights of my concerns with this bill. If the government really thought these ideas were worthwhile, they'd split the 16 sections of this bill into individual acts and debate them fully in the legislature as well as engage in meaningful public consultation. The fact the government is not doing this, is telling.