Bill 212 labels itself "The…

Bill 212 labels itself "The Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time" Act, but a more accurate title would be the "Making Toronto Deadlier, at Significant Cost to the Taxpayer" Act.

This Bill boasts all the essential elements of a Doug Ford government:

Wastefulness, deliberate undermining of transparency, government overreach, a complete disregard for the lives and safety of anyone outside his immediate voter base, and most of all a spit in the face of facts, data, and sound governance.

Wastefulness: dipping into public coffers to remove bike lanes installed and paid for under his own party's rule.

Undermining of transparency: Under this Act, the government will have the green flag to continue their cloak-and-dagger manner of rule, seen most recently in the manner in which information pertaining agreements set in stone with Therme was withheld from the public, only seeing the light of day thanks to the efforts of investigative journalists. Bill 212 continues this exercise in anti-democracy by granting the government the right to hide from the public findings reported by a federal environmental assessment. What does Doug Ford and the Ontario government have to hide?

Government overreach: Jurisdiction over decision making when it comes to municipal infrastructure such as roads and bike lanes should be left to those on the ground, who oversee and work with these systems everyday: in other words, the Municipality!

Disregard for public safety: 2024 is not over, and yet already it has claimed the title as the deadliest year for bike riders in Toronto in its history: six deaths. For any government to even consider ripping out the only safeguards for biker safety in a city that is becoming more and more a personal-vehicle battle royale is irresponsible, unethical, and showing a complete contempt for Torontonians who together accounted for over SIX MILLION commutes by bike in 2023.

Facts and Data: the removal of bike lanes will do nothing to ease the congestion currently grinding our city to a halt. Toronto is in this moment the fastest growing city in North America, with an underfunded transit system that is at the mercy of a car-centric transportation grid and the continued undermining of alternative modes of travel, like bikes. As studies have shown time and time again, induced demand will inevitably funnel these new Torontonians into private vehicles and onto our roads, leaving us with the same gridlock-plagued city, but far deadlier and lighter in the pocket.

World class cities the globe over are embracing the future by implementing city-wide biking networks and investing in improved transit. Toronto is at great risk of missing the boat and once again finding itself in the position of being a relic in a new age.

For the love of God. Have a little foresight. A little vision.

Thank you.