Bloor Street

Like when I see guys, and I've said this before on the show, when I see guys parading naked in the pride parade and they're wearing running shoes, I'm like, live your life.

But when they are naked, naked, including barefoot on Yonge Street from fucking Ballora to Dundas, I'm like, you are insane.

I would never do that.

Never, never, never.

Number one, Alberta Premier Daniel Smith says Monday's referendum result means the issue is closed.

Number two, cyclists disrupt the removal of the Bloor Street bike lanes again and vow to continue doing so.

Number three, yet another poll giving Brad Bradford the edge over Olivia Chow.

Number four, Mississauga mayoral candidate Bonnie Crombie pushing her subway plan in the final stretch.

But there is, as Amanda Galbraith was saying, a party convention coming up, so she's going to have to face the music.

There was another standoff in Etobicoke last night.

About 100 protesters gathered around construction equipment that was being used to remove the protected bike lanes along Bloor Street West.

And, you know, protests often it's kind of like, well, actually a single protest.

They quickly rewrote the legislation while it was in committee and basically made it to remove 19 kilometers in bike lanes.

The three main arterials, arguably the spine of Toronto Cycling Network along Bloor Street, University and Yonge Street.

There was a big campaign launched by Cycle Toronto, a petition that received 25,000 signatures or more, tens of thousands of submissions to the province against the legislation.

But they have a majority.

And so, yeah, so while Bronwyn and our board chair were doing the press conference about the legal challenge, I was in the hospital getting surgery on my leg and much to my wife's chagrin, still taking calls from reporters explaining the legal case and what we were doing.

Wow.

And let's just make a note that that bike lane that you were in is precisely the route that the Premier is saying bicyclists should be taking instead of the protected lanes on Bloor Street that are being ripped out.

Of University Avenue in this case,

The pylons alone probably cost thousands of taxpayer dollars.

But demonstrators last night gathered to stop the removal of the Bloor Street West bike lanes, and they succeeded.

So, um, it, the, you, there's two ways to look at it.

It's power to the people.

[laughs] They sure are.

They can make one over the Gardiner.

Why can't they make one over Bloor Street?

They sure are.

But what a tremendous gift for her in that this is going to be very highly motivating for people who, uh, wanted those bike lanes, are concerned about biker safety and, and all of that kind of stuff.

And for those people who are really upset on Bloor Street, it's almost like you're removing a reason to vote, and puts Brad Bradford in a very awkward position where, you know, he released a statement today saying, you know, uh, it shouldn't be up to the premier whether the bike lanes are there or not, it should be up to Toronto City Council, and of course, it's a very nuanced position, um, that is not very helpful to his campaign at this day and point.

Uh, he, he said that all along, and he said that when Olivia Chow...

I, I mean, frankly, she lets Doug Ford do whatever he wants.

I hope to be doing my show from tom- tom- tomorrow from home, which is where I should probably be if I don't blow up my voice.

Uh, what? No mention of Ford tearing up bike lanes on Bloor Street, attacking our democracy?

Um, I...

No, we did not, and that broke, I guess, just a bit before we went on the air.