Prime Minister Doug Ford criticized a decision of the bicycle lane of the judge of Ontario on Wednesday, while promising to move forward with his plan to build a tunnel under the 401 highway.
An Ontario court annulled the provincial government plan to eliminate three main bicycle lanes of Toronto last week, a decision that the Government said it would appeal.
“The worst case of trampling in the rights of the people I have seen,” Ford told journalists at an unrelated press conference on Wednesday, qualifying him as the “most ridiculous decision I have seen.”
Meanwhile, when journalists asked him about the tunnel of the 401 highway, Ford committed himself in a similar way to proceed with his government’s plan.
“Times have changed,” said Ford. “The fact that it has not been done before does not mean that we cannot do it.”
The documents obtained by CBC News found that the Ford government had studied tunnels under the 401 highway, but silently filed the unpublished work in 2021. As the global news reported on Wednesday, the work stopped after the internal analysis of the province found a “potential for the collapse of the road” and “risks public safety.”
Ford said he has been talking publicly about the tunnel since 2018. But when CBC asked him if report 2021 will be published, he said that “he can’t even remember [what was happening] In 2019 “
However, he said he remembers that people wanted a tunnel at that time, and said that this project is now a “new” beginning to mitigate traffic problems.
Ford also talked about negotiations with the United States, saying that Canada “should never, never, in the background to anyone”, especially the president of the United States, Donald Trump.
“It is harming US companies, so they need to change and start looking for working with us,” he said.
An Ontario court ruled against the Ford government plan to eliminate bicycle lanes along three main streets of Toronto. Tyler Cheese of CBC has a reaction of those on both sides of the debate.
The province will appeal the decision of the courts on bicycle lanes
Ford said that the Court’s decision was against the rights of the inhabitants of Ontario, who had chosen his government in February to “move, not eliminate” bicycle lanes.
He said his team planned to move the three bicycle lanes to the secondary streets of Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue.
Ford has already said that his government plans to appeal, even when it works in a commitment to the city to keep bicycle lanes and add additional lanes for vehicle traffic.
He said he has faith that the Ontario Court of Appeals will annul the ruling of the lower court, but in the event that he did not rule out the use of the clause despite saving the law.
“Let’s see what happens in the Court of Appeals and then we will go from there,” Ford said.
The judge of the Superior Court of Ontario, Paul Schabas, ruled that lane movements would put people in a “greater risk of damage and death” and violate the Charter of Canadian rights and freedoms.
Schabas said that the government had received expert advice, reports from Toronto officials and evidence from the city and elsewhere to eliminate bicycle lanes “will not reach the affirmed objective” of the law to reduce traffic.
Hwy. 401 The tunnel will have 3 levels, says Ford
The tunnel of the 401 highway will be an innovative project unlike anything else in the world, Ford said.
While work is expected to continue after completing a new feasibility study, Ford said security will be the numerical priority of the project.
“Just because it has not been done, it doesn’t mean we can’t do it,” said Ford.
He said that preliminary plans for the tunnel are 19.5 meters wide with three levels: one for the east traffic, one for the west traffic and a third for a train.
According to the documents obtained by CBC News, the Ford government has already studied tunnels under the 401 highway, but the idea was filed in 2021, several years before the prime minister announced his controversial plan.
“No one has ever done that,” he said. “People will be grateful [for] Avened years, coming decades. “
Ford said that traffic congestion costs Ontario’s economy $ 56 billion a year.
The new project will not only resolve traffic, but said it will boost the economy and “make goods market much faster.”
The government has begun the process to complete a new feasibility study in tunnels or build a high highway above the current road. This study is not expected to be completed until 2027.
The tunnel project is a ‘waste’ of money: leader of the Green Party
The tunnel project is another example of Ford “putting its own interests ahead of” Ontarians, said Mike Schreiner, leader of the Ontario Green Party.
Despite the warnings of experts and personnel from the Ministry of Transportation, Ford has chosen “to advance with its fantasy tunnel 401,” said Schreiner.
“I’m asking Doug Ford to clarify with the people of Ontario,” he said. “Why is the Prime Minister willing to waste even more time and the money of the taxpayers repeating this study, except to benefit their internal circle of rich and well connected experts?”
Schreiner says that the province should focus on creating affordable traffic and “connected communities” to address traffic concerns.
Three private companies launched a tunnel 401 to Doug Ford since 2019-2021. His government studied him, then he filed the idea.
The inhabitants of Ontario deserve full transparency. What did the study find? What are the costs, benefits, environmental impacts?
Why bring it now?#onpoli https://t.co/tj4bcl7cma
In a publication on social networks on Tuesday, the leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario, Bonnie Crombie, questioned why Ford was bringing the Shleved project. He also asked for more answers about study 2021.
“The inhabitants of Ontario deserve full transparency,” he said. “What did the study find? What are the costs, benefits, environmental impacts?”
