Ontario government has spent $270K on outside lawyers in fight to remove bike lanes: FOI
CBC
Documents show the Ontario government has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on external legal fees to fight a successful legal challenge — which the province is appealing this month — against its plan to remove bike lanes on major Toronto streets
Justice Paul Schabas ruled on July 30, 2025 that the removal of certain bike lanes under provincial legislation introduced in late 2024 will "put people at increased risk of harm and death, which engages the right to life and security of the person."
Doug Ford’s government had argued bike lanes increase congestion and response times for emergency vehicles in Toronto.
Up until the July ruling, the government spent just shy of $270,000 on external counsel related to the Cycle Toronto litigation, according to documents obtained by the advocacy group in a freedom of information request, which it shared with CBC Toronto. Cycle Toronto and two individuals launched the court challenge in December 2024.
That money doesn’t count what the province has paid its own lawyers, or what it owes the applicants in the case — $200,000 in costs for the application, Justice Schabas ruled.
Cycle Toronto executive director Michael Longfield says the group wanted to know what the legal challenge was costing the province, saying they were surprised by the amount.
“I think we could look at a lot of things the Ontario government could be spending money on to help address issues of traffic congestion in the city. This money could be spent in a lot better places,” Longfield said.
“This obsession with bike lanes is, frankly, not helping anyone. And if, instead, the government stayed in its lane and focused on things like helping cities with transit, that would be a real improvement for Torontonians.”
Longfield said the money could be used to fix growing pains in opening Toronto’s new Line 6 Finch West or to finally open the long-promised Eglinton Crosstown LRT, both of which are under the jurisdiction of the province’s Metrolinx corporation.
CBC Toronto reached out to the Ministry of Transportation and the premier's spokesperson last week for comment, but has not heard back.
Internal Ministry of Transportation documents obtained last year showed the government was aware removing bike lanes may not have a meaningful impact on congestion and could increase collisions for everyone who uses roads.
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