More than 100 cyclists protest bike lane removal in Toronto, 2 arrested

On Monday, a large group of cyclists assembled at the engineering firm tasked with removing bike lanes on behalf of the Ontario government.

Cycling advocate and lawyer David Shellnutt said the group wanted to have a conversation with employees at Stantec about the importance of keeping the infrastructure intact for the safety of cyclists.

The protest, led by Fridays For Future TO, resulted in employees at Stantec calling in Toronto police, and two protesters were arrested for trespassing.

“Thankfully, the large group of people on bikes (125 of whom had ridden down from Queen’s Park) were outside the office and ensured these two people were not harmed and were released on scene. Our office provided legal support, ensured TPS did not hurt anyone, and abided by their obligations under the law,” Shellnutt said.
The protest follows Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s recent moves against bike lanes.

The looming bike lane removal date

In November 2024, Bill 212 was passed in Ontario, giving the province the authority to restore vehicle lanes on Bloor Street West, Yonge Street, and University Avenue—drawing criticism from cycling advocates. Known formally as the “Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024,” the law also requires municipalities to obtain provincial approval before converting vehicle lanes into bike lanes.

Scenes from this morning’s protest against the upcoming bike lane removals#BikeTO pic.twitter.com/ULIj6rnZ0E

— Canadian Cycling Mag (@CanadianCycling) March 18, 2025

The ride on Tuesday followed a judge denying a bid by cycling advocates to halt the removal of Toronto bike lanes, clearing the way for work to begin as early as March 20.

Cycle Toronto sought an injunction ahead of its Charter challenge, set for April 16. Executive Director Michael Longfield said that although the judge ruled in the province’s favour, he also acknowledged the case has merit.

The Charter challenge will go ahead

Judge Firestone wrote that the group failed to meet the “heavy burden” of proving the injunction better serves the public interest than the legislation’s stated purpose. “Obviously, we’re disappointed,” Longfield said to The Trillium. “But we think the decision still shows that our Charter challenge itself has merit.” The judge confirmed that there is a serious issue around the idea of irreparable harm to cyclists with the bikeway removal. “It just seems that we lost on the issue of balance of convenience—the presumption that because this legislation was passed by the provincial government, it is, in itself, valid.”

Shellnutt said Tuesday’s actions are important, as they “hold companies like Stantec accountable while they continue to profit off contracts with the City of Toronto and greenwash themselves publicly with talk of the environment and safe communities, while privately working against those stated goals and perhaps their professional obligations.”

He said that four protesters and two support people, including himself, went into the Stantec offices and asked to speak to someone at the company about their contract with Ford to rip out bike lanes. They refused and instead called in Toronto police to remove them.