I strongly oppose Bill 212…

I strongly oppose Bill 212. This represents a governmental overreach on the province's part, and is completely contrary to the principles of "small government". This is also completely contrary to the provincial government's commitment to red tape reduction. The Ministry of Red Tape Reduction's mandate is to: 1) Modernize legislation, regulations, and policies that can be burdensome, inefficient, and inflexible; 2) Work across government to reduce red tape; and 3) Measure and report publicly on how we have made it easier for businesses and individuals to work with government.

Bill 212 does not meet any of these mandates. This legislation is an additional burden that specifically targets Toronto, which is an inefficient use of legislation, and is inflexible by refusing to consider local needs. This legislation does not work across government to reduce red tape, in fact, it's a substantial increase in red tape foisted upon the municipal government by the provincial government. This legislation is not based on sound scientific evidence, and any measurements or public reports outlining the outcomes of this legislation will either be incomplete, flawed, or outright inaccurate, considering the evidence-based rationale for Bill 212 simply does not exist.

The premier should be ashamed of wasting taxpayers money on a proposal that will ultimately lead to 1) an increase in cyclists' deaths, and 2) an increase in traffic along the Toronto streets where bike lanes are removed. If Bill 212 is passed into legislation, then the premier must compensate every dead cyclist's family, as part of the province's unwavering commitment to making life easier and more affordable for people and families: after all, a death in the family makes life harder, and death is unfortunately an expensive process for families to go through (consider funeral costs, the costs of settling an estate, the loss of future potential income of a breadwinner). As well, if Bill 212 is passed into legislation, then the premier should increase funding for public transit substantively, or else be held accountable for the increase in traffic as former cyclists start commuting by car. Forcing residents to drive cars instead of biking results in 1) higher upfront costs as a car is exponentially more expensive to buy than a bike, 2) higher pollution levels that will cause more pressure in our medical system in the longterm, 3) increase in congestion which reduces the amount of time residents can be productive, due to being stuck in traffic (as opposed to actively generating economic output such as by working, shopping, dining, etc.).

Bike lanes should be a municipal decision, and Bill 212 represents gross interference by the provincial government. The provincial government is acting as a nanny state, is contravening the democratic will of the people as represented by our elected municipal officials, and is misusing taxpayer funds to serve the premier's personal needs (as the Toronto bike lanes specifically singled out are blatantly on the roads the premier uses for his own commuting purposes.

The provincial government should not spend taxpayer money on undoing municipal infrastructure projects and should instead focus on fixing the Gardiner, finishing the Eglinton LRT, and developing non-car-related methods for alleviating traffic in the city.