As a matter of concept and…

As a matter of concept and principle, there is a reason why decisions about the day-to-day functioning of cities is made at a municipal level and not by the province - local government is closer to the day-to-day realities of its residents and best able to respond to them. Municipal representatives are also more directly responsible to their citizens. The province should not be overturning the will of the people of Toronto as expressed through their elected representatives, not that it has stopped this government before. Perhaps significant matters of grave provincial and national import - such as ensuring the citizenry has enough housing - would warrant such an intrusion. I believe on this subject, however, that the Premier has indicated he believes municipalities know best. But apparently having enough houses so that people can live in Toronto is not as important as bike lanes on three streets in the city. If the Province really wants to reduce traffic in Toronto perhaps it can finish the many-years overdue Eglington Crosstown it is responsible for.

The Minister has repeatedly asserted that this is an "evidence-based" policy. Beyond some spurious and out of date census data, he has not produced anything of the kind. Meanwhile BikeShare Toronto continues to break records for daily use and tens of thousands of cyclists use safe, secure bicycle lanes every day. Also curiously absent from any discussion or debate on this matter is how many more Torontonians will die each year from avoidable bicycle accidents on account of the province's capriciousness. Perhaps that doesn't count as "evidence."

The purpose of a city is not to enable faster through-traffic for suburban commuters, it is to create a livable place for the people that reside it. This proposed legislation makes a mockery of this. I would suggest there must be some better culture war wedge issues the Premier and Minister can gin up to waste taxpayer money and make citizens lives worse, but I suppose they are already trying a bunch of those too. This is is a disgrace.