Blazingcatfur

On Friday, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that there was no Charter right to bike lanes — and delivered an utter spanking to the judge below their rank who said otherwise. Not only was it a victory for those who prefer car to bike, it was a victory for democracy.

Before the case was overturned, it stood for the principle that elected policymakers had to submit to “expert” evidence on matters of mere traffic planning to avoid breaching the Charter rights of the masses. Justice Paul Schabas of the Ontario Superior Court arrived at this conclusion last year in hearing out the advocacy group Cycle Toronto, which had complained about the Ontario government’s plan to remove a bike lane along a major thoroughfare downtown.

The gap in Toronto’s mayoral race is widening, leaving challengers scrambling for traction.

New numbers released Thursday by Liaison Strategies show incumbent Olivia Chow holding a comfortable 11-point lead among decided voters, gaining 2% since Aug. 7 as main challenger Brad Bradford lost 2% support over the same time period.

(Soft paywall go incognito)

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has a simple message for voters in Toronto when it comes to drug policy: Don’t follow Vancouver’s example — it won’t lead to good places.

If you drive or walk the streets of Toronto, the zombie-like creatures now occupying our public spaces are not a shocking scene anymore. They aren’t there by accident, though. They are there due to decisions by so-called progressive politicians to liberalize drug laws.