THORNHILL – Ontario Premier Doug Ford says a court decision declaring his law to remove three Toronto bike lanes unconstitutional is the “most ridiculous” ruling he has ever seen.
Ford has already said his government plans to appeal, even as it works on a compromise with the city to both keep the bike lanes and add extra lanes for vehicle traffic.
He says he has faith that the Court of Appeal will overturn the lower-court ruling, but in the event it does not, he did not rule out using the notwithstanding clause to save the law.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Paul Schabas ruled the lane removals would put people at an “increased risk of harm and death” and violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Ford made the removal of bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue a campaign issue during the snap election he called and won in February, and he says the judge’s ruling tramples on people’s democratic rights.
Schabas noted that the government had received advice from experts, reports from Toronto officials and evidence from the city and elsewhere that removing bike lanes “will not achieve the asserted goal” of the law to reduce traffic.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2025.
