Ontario Premier Doug Ford blamed the “ideology” of judges in his response to a temporary injunction blocking his government from removing some 海角社区官网bike lanes, drawing a public rebuke from senior judges.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford blamed the “ideology” of judges in his response to a temporary injunction blocking his government from removing some 海角社区官网bike lanes, drawing a public rebuke from senior judges.
The Ford government is following through on the premier’s promise to appeal a temporary injunction that has put a pause on his effort to remove bike lanes on Bloor, University and Yonge streets.
The injunction was granted by Justice Paul Schabas on April 22 and was expected to stay in place until he delivered a full decision on a Charter challenge brought forward by cycling advocates, who argued that the Ford government’s attempt to take out bike lanes in downtown 海角社区官网infringed on their Charter rights to life and security of person.
After Schabas’s injunction decision came out, a spokesperson for the minister of transportation said the government would “respect the court’s decision.”聽
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Just a week later, on April 30, Ford railed against “unelected” judges, taking special aim at Schabas for blocking the implementation of his bike lane bill.聽
鈥淛udges should not determine items like bike lanes 鈥 because of ideology, they decide to put an injunction in,鈥 the premier said at a press conference. 鈥淓nough is enough.鈥
Ford then floated the idea of elected judges, a common practice in the U.S., arguing the need for greater accountability in the judicial system.
鈥淎 judge must be, and must be seen to be, free to decide each case on its own merits, without interference or influence of any kind from any source, including politicians,鈥澛燨ntario鈥檚 Chief Justices wrote in response to Ford’s comments.
When asked about the government’s appeal and ongoing discussions of a compromise with the city over the bikeways, Dakota Brasier, spokesperson for the minister of transportation, responded: “As we鈥檝e always said, we need to keep our busiest roads moving and that鈥檚 exactly what we鈥檙e doing.”
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Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, one of the advocacy groups that mounted the Charter challenge, said that Tuesday’s appeal by the provincial government聽“confirmed they don鈥檛 care about the facts.” Longfield added聽that the “decision by the province is a distraction, fuelled by spite, coming off last week鈥檚 rant from the premier.”聽
The bike lanes installed on Bloor, Yonge and University have drawn the ire of the Ford government for months.
In early April, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria signalled an openness to a compromise, keeping bike lanes on the targeted streets聽so long as a lane of traffic is also returned.
Andy Takagi is the transportation reporter for the
Star.聽Reach him via email: atakagi@thestar.ca
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