Railing against “unelected” judges, Premier Doug Ford says Ontario will appeal a
temporary court injunction preventing the province from ripping out bike lanes on Bloor, University and Yonge.
“Why don’t they listen to the people?” Ford said Wednesday in Mississauga, noting his Progressive Conservatives were re-elected Feb. 27 on a platform that included removing bikeways and taking a tougher stand on crime in general.
In what Ford described as his “rant for the day,” he teed off on judges whose rulings on issues such as bail or bike lanes that run counter to the wishes of the government — and called the concept of judicial independence “a joke” because judges are appointed by governments of various political stripes.
“Judges should not determine items like bike lanes … because of ideology, they decide to put an injunction in,” charged the premier, who contends removing bike lanes will improve traffic flow for vehicles. “Why do we have elections? … Enough is enough.”
Justice Paul Schabas of Ontario Superior Court ruled April 22 that Ontario government lawyers provided “no evidence” of an urgent need to proceed with removing the bike lanes on Bloor Street, University Avenue and Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, and noted they are “more easily removed than rebuilt or restored.”
The injunction was issued while Schabas considers a Charter challenge of the push to remove bike lanes. Cycling advocates had argued the bike lane removals violate Charter rights to life and security of the person.
Government documents released in a court hearing warned removing bike lanes may not ease congestion but could bring an increased risk of collisions and negative impacts on businesses. City hall has estimated the lane removal costs at $48 million, which the province has pledged to pay.
Ford made his comments at Peel Regional Police headquarters in Mississauga where he urged Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new Liberal government to make it tougher for violent criminals to get bail, and noted he and Carney spoke on the telephone Tuesday.
As he has previously, the premier took aim at what he considers “bleeding-heart judges” who are soft on accused violent criminals and grant bail, leading to a “catch-and-release” system in which some facing serious charges go on to commit more crimes.
“I apologize to all the great judges, the great (justices of the peace), but the system is broken,” said Ford.
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