FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE
TORONTO
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Cycling Advocates Target Businesses Bankrolling the Anti Bike Lane Movement
TORONTO, ON, July 5, 2025 – After prior victories on the streets and in court, cycling advocates have once again mobilized a mass rally of people fighting to keep their bike lanes, challenging a well-funded, top-down campaign by a small number of business owners with outsized influence trying to rip apart Toronto’s safe cycling infrastructure.
Hosted by Fridays for Future Toronto, the action primarily targets businesses taking part in a frivolous lawsuit against the City of Toronto claiming a veto power over bike lanes—businesses that are aligned with the anti-cycling group ‘Balance on Bloor’ made up of Doug Ford’s donors and largely responsible for encouraging the Progressive Conservatives to ram through Bill 212 against popular will.
The advocates have made it clear that they won’t tolerate any interference by private moneyed interests in their infrastructure, instead throwing their support behind other local businesses that do not have identifiable ties to the anti-bike-lane movement. To this end, they have posted several stickers in the vicinity of the targeted businesses directing potential patrons to local alternatives. Indeed, bike lanes have been correlated with an increase in sales for local businesses—a conclusion supported both by evidence and by simple rational thought.
Their demand is simple: drop the lawsuit and stop lobbying Doug Ford to remove bike lanes.
Activists Occupied Stantec Toronto Offices, Protesting Bike Lane Removal
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TORONTO, ON, March 18, 2025 – This morning, concerned citizens occupied the Stantec Toronto offices, demanding that they cancel their contract to remove critical Toronto bike lanes. A contingent of around 150 cyclists rode to the offices from Queen’s Park and formed a rally outside. Four individuals peacefully occupied the offices; two were arrested and released on scene.
Removing bike lanes approved and built by the city is a dramatic provincial overreach. It will make roads more dangerous for cyclists. Those who continue to ride these streets will have their lives greatly endangered, and those who don’t will be forced into more expensive transportation options. Lane removal will put more cars on the road, worsening congestion and releasing more carbon dioxide in the middle of a climate crisis.
All the impacts of bike lane removal fly in the face of the values Stantec claims to champion:
“We Put People First"
This removal will endanger people.
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"We Do What is Right"
Leaked documents from within the provincial government show that claiming that lane removal will improve traffic is wrong, not right.
"We Are Better Together"
Ford is using the issue of bike lanes to divide people, not bring them together.
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"We Are Driven to Achieve”
Removing bike lanes is going backwards on infrastructure, the furthest possible direction from achievement.
We demand that Stantec align their actions with their claimed values and cancel their anti-future, life-threatening, congestion-causing contract to remove Toronto bike lanes.
For interviews, contact
Alex Lam, Outreach Coordinator, Fridays for Future – (416) 317-0937
Marcel Jansen – (416) 836-6977
William Buckingham (French) – 416 856 4239
Our Letter to Stantec
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18 March 2025
Dave Sauve, Transportation
Gregory Crooks, Environmental Management
Stantec Consulting
401 Wellington Street West, Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario
Dear Dave, Gregory, and the rest of Stantec:
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We are a group of community activists, here to demand that Stantec cancel their contract with the Ontario provincial government to remove bicycle lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue.
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Stantec started as a Canadian company and advertises their environmental credentials. Why then would you accept a contract like this? It will put more cars on the roads in the middle of a climate crisis, when we need to be switching to more efficient transportation as quickly as possible.
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We know from the Ontario government’s own documents that the removal of these bike lanes will not help with car traffic congestion and will endanger people, particularly bike riders. As engineers, and as a company claiming to put people first and prioritize sustainability, it is completely irresponsible for you to follow through with this contract.
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Backsliding on bike lanes will leave us with unlivable cities and an unlivable environment.
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We demand that Stantec cancel this contract with the Ontario provincial government.
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Stantec: build infrastructure. Don’t destroy it!
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Fridays For FutureTO, Faith & Climate Action, and community activists