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TORONTO – The Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) will appear at the Ontario Court of Appeal tomorrow at 10 a.m. as an intervenor in the appeal of a July 2025 ruling that prevented the Ontario government from removing bike lanes in downtown Toronto.

Passed in November 2024, the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act required municipalities to obtain provincial approval before installing bike lanes that remove lanes of vehicle traffic, and mandated the removal of bike lanes on Bloor Street, University Avenue, and Yonge Street. The legislation was challenged by individual cyclists and the advocacy group Cycle Toronto, who successfully argued that removing the dedicated bike lanes violated section 7 of the Charter – the right to life, liberty and security of the person – by increasing risks to cyclists.

The CCF is intervening to argue that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruling wrongly treats section 7 as a positive right, which requires government action, rather than a negative right that limits government interference, effectively letting courts override decisions that belong with democratically elected officials.

The CCF will be represented in this case by George Avraam and Jennifer Bernardo of Baker McKenzie.