CUPE Local 2626 on Bill 212 …

CUPE Local 2626 on Bill 212 - Reducing Freedom, Wasting Taxpayer Money Act - Framework for provincial government overreach in municipal matters.

CUPE Local 2626 is the worker’s union representing student workers at the University of Ottawa. As workers in the core downtown of Ottawa, bike paths are an essential part of our daily commute to and from work and school. We educate and are the next generation of nurses, doctors, engineers, artists, lawyers, and psychologists, and we need the freedom to choose our method of safe transportation. Our bikes are our cars, they are what we use to get to work, do groceries, go to events, and socialize year round, even during the winter months.

According to Ratehub, the average cost of car ownership in Canada is $16,644 annually. According to Statistics Canada, the average APR on new car loans is 8.19%. For young people such as our members, buying and owning a car is not affordable.
This bill is another gross overreach of the provincial government’s powers, motivated by the Premier’s personal agenda against the City of Toronto and its municipal government. It will only encourage more cars downtown, increasing traffic congestion and making biking downtown less accessible and more hostile. In addition to pushing Ontarians into Car Poverty, Bill 212 will cost taxpayers millions by forcing cities to destroy good roads bringing more construction downtown, making roads inaccessible for everyone. That’s money that could be used to improve public transit infrastructure, fix our schools, fund our healthcare, build more affordable housing, or save the Ontario Science Centre. This is a short sighted attempt by the Premier to control a municipal policy so he can reduce his own commute. If he truly wishes to reduce his commute, we recommend that he make the healthy choice by biking and using public transportation rather than removing the freedoms of Ontarians.

Sincerely,
CUPE Local 2626 and the student workers of uOttawa.