Protesters demand firm cancel Toronto bike lane removal contract with province

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Protesters gathered outside the Toronto office of an engineering firm Tuesday, calling on the company to cancel its contract with the Ontario government to help remove some city bike lanes.

Fridays for Future Toronto said in a social media post that protesters demonstrated at Stantec Consulting offices and police say two people were arrested for trespassing.

The advocacy group said in a letter to the company that its contract with the province is “completely irresponsible,” pointing to the company’s commitment to sustainability.

“Backsliding on bike lanes will leave us with unlivable cities and an unlivable environment,” the group wrote, alleging the removal will worsen congestion and endanger cyclists.

Ontario passed legislation in November that would effectively ban municipalities from adding certain new bike lanes by requiring them to seek provincial permission when they would remove a lane of vehicle traffic.

The government also moved to take away sections of Bloor St., Yonge St. and University Ave. bike lanes and restore them as lanes for vehicle traffic, citing congestion issues.

The province says it will move forward with removing the three Toronto bike lanes within weeks.

Premier Doug Ford said there is a court case coming up in April and if the judge sides with the province, the removals will begin.

“We’re just talking about three roads, so 97% of all bike lanes are staying,” he said Tuesday. “I’m all for putting these bike lanes on secondary roads instead of main arterial roads.”

A spokesperson for Stantec said the provincial government hired the firm for the first phase of the bike lane removal project in Toronto through an existing contract.

“In regard to this morning’s protest outside our office, we respect the right of community to voice their opinions through peaceful protest,” Colin Nekolaichuk wrote in an email.

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Nekolaichuk said Stantec is working with the Transportation Ministry and the city to develop technical drawings that meet the city’s design standards for a “small section” of the bike corridors spanning 1.5 km. After those drawings are complete, Stantec’s participation in the project will be finished, he said.

Cycling advocate and lawyer David Shellnutt alleged in a news release Tuesday that Stantec called the police during the protest.

Toronto Police confirmed that officers were called to a demonstration about bike lane removals.

Police said in a statement Tuesday that demonstrators entered a private business. They said two people were arrested for trespassing and released after being removed from the property.

Fridays for Future Toronto called the removal of bike lanes approved and built by the City of Toronto “a dramatic provincial overreach.

“Lane removal will put more cars on the road, worsening congestion and releasing more carbon dioxide in the middle of a climate crisis,” the group said in a news release.