Latest news with #Longfield
Hamilton Spectator
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Court strikes down Ford plan to remove Toronto bike lanes
Transportation advocates are celebrating after an Ontario judge has ruled that the Ford government's plan to remove bike lanes from three major Toronto roads is unconstitutional, citing risks to public safety and a lack of evidence to support the province's claims. In a decision released Wednesday , Superior Court Justice Paul Schabas said the plan violates Charter rights, which protects the right to life and security of the person. In an interview with Canada's National Observer, Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, said the decision is 'a huge victory' in their long legal fight. 'Today's decision is a historic victory for Torontonians and everyone who rides a bike in our city,' Longfield said. 'The facts, and now the law, are both clear that bike lanes are part of the solution to tackling traffic and congestion, and that ripping them out will put people's lives at risk.' Last year, the Ford government passed legislation — Bill 212 — to remove bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue, arguing it would help reduce traffic congestion. The ruling follows months of legal battles brought by Cycle Toronto and two individual applicants , arguing removing the lanes would put cyclists at greater risk and violate their Charter rights. The court agreed, and Schabas said injuries and deaths could result from taking out protected lanes and those harms are far too great compared to the small or non-existent traffic benefits. The judge said the evidence showed removing bike lanes would likely make traffic worse by encouraging more people to drive, something advocates have argued since the legislation was released. 'The impugned provision will also have a serious and disproportionate impact on children and on low-income individuals who must ride bicycles as an economical means of transportation, or for their work,' Schabas wrote in his decision. The ruling found the law was 'arbitrary' and not based on solid evidence. The government had been warned by its own experts that the plan wouldn't work to reduce traffic. Longfield hopes the ruling will push the province to respect local decision-making and public input in future transportation planning. 'Ripping out bike lanes that were put in through proper city processes won't fix congestion — it puts people's lives at risk,' he added. 'That's true whether it's in Toronto or anywhere in Ontario.' In response to the ruling, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation said the government plans to appeal. 'We were elected by the people of Ontario with a clear mandate to restore lanes of traffic and get drivers moving by moving bike lanes off of major roads to secondary roads,' the statement read. 'To deliver on that mandate, we will be appealing the court's decision.' Earlier this year, the court granted a temporary injunction blocking the government from removing the lanes while the case was under review. In May, the government tried to appeal that injunction, but the court rejected the request . Lindsay Beck, a lawyer at Ecojustice who represented the applicants, said the ruling sends an important message that governments cannot ignore public safety without facing constitutional consequences. 'The decision makes clear that where government action arbitrarily causes harm, the rights protected by section 7 of the Charter are engaged,' Beck said in a statement. 'That's exactly what the government did when it enacted legislation to remove protected bike lanes in the face of its own expert evidence that doing so won't alleviate congestion and will put lives at risk.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
National Observer
30-07-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
Court strikes down Ford plan to remove Toronto bike lanes
Transportation advocates are celebrating after an Ontario judge has ruled that the Ford government's plan to remove bike lanes from three major Toronto roads is unconstitutional, citing risks to public safety and a lack of evidence to support the province's claims. In a decision released Wednesday, Superior Court Justice Paul Schabas said the plan violates Charter rights, which protects the right to life and security of the person. In an interview with Canada's National Observer, Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, said the decision is 'a huge victory' in their long legal fight. 'Today's decision is a historic victory for Torontonians and everyone who rides a bike in our city,' Longfield said. 'The facts, and now the law, are both clear that bike lanes are part of the solution to tackling traffic and congestion, and that ripping them out will put people's lives at risk.' Last year, the Ford government passed legislation — Bill 212 — to remove bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue, arguing it would help reduce traffic congestion. The ruling follows months of legal battles brought by Cycle Toronto and two individual applicants, arguing removing the lanes would put cyclists at greater risk and violate their Charter rights. In a decision released Wednesday, Superior Court Justice Paul Schabas said the plan violates Charter rights, which protects the right to life and security of the person. The court agreed, and Schabas said injuries and deaths could result from taking out protected lanes and those harms are far too great compared to the small or non-existent traffic benefits. The judge said the evidence showed removing bike lanes would likely make traffic worse by encouraging more people to drive, something advocates have argued since the legislation was released. 'The impugned provision will also have a serious and disproportionate impact on children and on low-income individuals who must ride bicycles as an economical means of transportation, or for their work,' Schabas wrote in his decision. The ruling found the law was 'arbitrary' and not based on solid evidence. The government had been warned by its own experts that the plan wouldn't work to reduce traffic. Longfield hopes the ruling will push the province to respect local decision-making and public input in future transportation planning. 'Ripping out bike lanes that were put in through proper city processes won't fix congestion — it puts people's lives at risk,' he added. 'That's true whether it's in Toronto or anywhere in Ontario.' In response to the ruling, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation said the government plans to appeal. 'We were elected by the people of Ontario with a clear mandate to restore lanes of traffic and get drivers moving by moving bike lanes off of major roads to secondary roads,' the statement read. 'To deliver on that mandate, we will be appealing the court's decision.' Earlier this year, the court granted a temporary injunction blocking the government from removing the lanes while the case was under review. In May, the government tried to appeal that injunction, but the court rejected the request. Lindsay Beck, a lawyer at Ecojustice who represented the applicants, said the ruling sends an important message that governments cannot ignore public safety without facing constitutional consequences. 'The decision makes clear that where government action arbitrarily causes harm, the rights protected by section 7 of the Charter are engaged,' Beck said in a statement. 'That's exactly what the government did when it enacted legislation to remove protected bike lanes in the face of its own expert evidence that doing so won't alleviate congestion and will put lives at risk.'
National Observer
09-07-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
Ontario court halts Ford's plan to tear out Toronto bike lanes
Protected bike lanes in Toronto must remain in place for now, an Ontario judge said on Tuesday. The Ford government had appealed a previous ruling that ordered the bike lanes to remain, but failed. A superior court judge said the bike lanes can't be removed until an ongoing Charter challenge is resolved. The challenge, brought by Cycle Toronto and two individual applicants, targets the Ford government's anti-bike lane legislation, Bill 212 — the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act — and argues that removing the lanes violates Charter rights to life and security of the person, and puts cyclists' lives at risk. The bill grants the Ford government unilateral authority to remove municipal bike lanes. One of the provisions requires the provincial transportation minister to remove bike lanes on the three major Toronto streets. The government claims the change will alleviate traffic congestion and improve emergency response times, but no evidence has been provided to support this; meanwhile, opponents introduced government reports into evidence that suggested the bike lane removals could cause a rise in collisions without even saving any commuting time. In April, an Ontario superior court judge granted a temporary injunction to prevent the government from removing the bike lanes while the case is being considered. In May, the Ford government sought leave to appeal the injunction. But in Tuesday's decision, the court rejected the request and upheld the injunction. Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, told Canada's National Observer that the court's decision to reject the Ford government's appeal is a strong signal the case is being taken seriously. 'We're obviously very pleased about this decision,' Longfield said. 'With this legal decision, I think it's a good opportunity for the province to sort of abandon this bad faith culture war and instead collaborate with municipalities on real, data-driven solutions to give people more transportation options.' A superior court judge said the bike lanes can't be removed until an ongoing Charter challenge is resolved. Dakota Brasier, director of media relations for Ontario's transportation minister, said the government will continue with the design work needed to begin removing bike lanes and get some of the province's 'busiest roads moving as soon as possible.' 'While we respect the court's decision, our government was elected with a clear mandate to get people out of traffic by restoring driving lanes,' Brasier said. Bronwyn Roe, a lawyer at Ecojustice representing the applicants, welcomed the court's decision and said the evidence clearly shows that removing heavily used, protected bike lanes on major Toronto routes would put cyclists' lives at risk. 'The government cannot be allowed to jeopardize the safety of Ontarians or violate the Charter-protected rights to life and security of the person,' Roe said in a statement. Looking ahead, Longfield stressed the importance of a full court victory, saying it could help set a precedent for how cycling infrastructure is protected in the future. At the same time, he believed there was still time for the province to reconsider whether the legislation was truly in the public interest. The City of Toronto estimates the cost to taxpayers for removing the bike lanes could reach $48 million, with the city having already invested $27 million in their construction. Restoring vehicle lanes will likely offer minimal improvements in travel time and undermine the public health, environmental and economic benefits of active transportation, the report warns. Bike Share Toronto has experienced impressive growth, with memberships doubling from 18,000 in 2020 to more than 35,000 in 2023, the report notes. Total trips by bike share surged from 2.9 million in 2020 to 5.7 million in 2023.
Daily Mirror
25-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
A slump in children getting vaccines could thwart bid to wipe out disease
More parents have been saying no to vaccines for their children which could derail plan to "eradicate" cervical cancer by 2040 A slump in the number of children being vaccinated in schools is threatening a plan to 'eradicate' cervical cancer in England. Schools are seeing a reluctance by some parents to get their children protected against the human papillomavirus, or HPV, since the end of the pandemic. There has been a 17 percent fall in the numbers getting the jab for HPV which causes 99 per cent of all cervical cancers, killing thousands of women every year. The main reason for the drop off has been blamed on 'vaccine fatigue' which has also hit children's injections for measles, meningitis and diphtheria. Other factors have been increased pupil absences from school since Covid - which has almost doubled. In 2023 to 2024, 1.49 million children were persistently absent from school, 20 per cent of all pupils. Before Covid it was 11 per cent. One reason given by School Age Immunisation Services (SAIS) providers for the gradual decline in HPV coverage is the number of non-returned and declined consent forms from parents. There has also been a 'vaccine hesitancy and fatigue' following the pandemic. Staffing issues making it more 'challenging' to chase up parents for their forms have also been blamed. Over the years the double whammy of vaccination and smear-test screening has meant death rates have fallen by 75 per cent since the 1970s. By 2019 the figure in England had dropped from 853 to 685 deaths a year. But there are concerns the battle against cervical cancer could be derailed with the 90 per cent of girls aged 12 to 13 having vaccinations before the pandemic, dropping to 73 per cent last year. For boys, it went from 82 per cent to just 68 per cent. NHS England is now launching a catch-up campaign for children, according to the Sunday Times, in a bid to eliminate the disease by 2040. To keep on track it has to get vaccination rates back up to 90 per cent by 2030. The campaign will ask parents to talk about why they have declined the jabs. All youngsters aged 12 and 13 are eligible for HPV vaccinations and adults can also request one from their GP up to the age of 25. Caroline Temmink, NHS England's director of vaccination, said she was still very confident that cervical cancer could be eliminated and the vaccine rates could be restored. "But we need parents to work with us," The Sunday Times reported. "It's really exciting to have the opportunity to say to this whole generation that cervical cancer and some other cancers shouldn't be a risk for you." London has the worst rate of this vaccine coverage, down as low as 61 per cent, while in the wider southeast of England it is up to almost 80 per cent. Baroness Longfield, executive chairwoman of the Centre for Young Lives, said: "Progress is being made in boosting school attendance, but the numbers are still unacceptably high. All the evidence shows that missing school impacts on attainment and life chances, Children who are severely or persistently absent are inevitably at greater risk of missing out on important health interventions, including HPV jabs. The drop in uptake since Covid is extremely concerning, and a setback in the battle to eradicate cervical cancer by 2040." The HPV vaccine was introduced in 2008 and is initially offered to 12 and 13 year-olds but school vaccination providers will also offer jabs to pupils aged up to 15 and 16.
Global News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Canada election 2025: Guelph
Guelph is a federal riding located in Ontario. This riding is currently represented by Liberal MP Lloyd Longfield who first took office in 2015. Longfield collected 29,382 votes, winning 42.11 per cent of the vote in the 2021 federal election. Longfield is not running in the 2025 election. Voters will decide who will represent Guelph in Ontario during the upcoming Canadian election on April 28, 2025. Visit this page on election night for a complete breakdown of up to the minute results. Candidates Liberal: Dominique O'Rourke Conservative: Gurvir Khaira NDP: Janice Folk-Dawson Green: Anne-Marie Zajdlik Marxist-Leninist: Elaine Baetz People's Party: Jeffrey Swackhammer Independent: Michael Wassilyn Canadian Future Party: Yurii Yavorskyi
