While bike lanes have stolen…

While bike lanes have stolen most of the spotlight in this bill, I'd like to bring attention to a concerning provision tucked in:

SCHEDULE 2 BUILDING HIGHWAYS FASTER ACT
“A provision prohibits registered owners from applying under the Expropriations Act for the adjustment of the date of possession for land that was expropriated by the Minister for the purposes of a priority highway project.”

Think about what this means. If the government decides to take your land for a "priority" highway project, you’d lose the right to ask for more time to move or make arrangements. Farmers, homeowners, small business owners—anyone affected by expropriation—would be left with no say over when they’re forced to leave.

This provision erodes fundamental fairness, giving the government unchecked authority to expropriate land on its own terms, regardless of the consequences for those affected. Infrastructure projects should serve the public good, but they should not trample on the rights of the very people they are meant to benefit. Yet somehow, when a Conservative MPP father’s golf course was in the way of the Bradford Bypass, the route was conveniently adjusted. Ordinary Ontarians won't be afforded the same courtesy.

If this is how the government handles landowners today, what’s next? It’s time to call this out for what it is: an unnecessary and heavy-handed overreach.