A Windsor councillor is voicing major concerns over a recent bill passed by the Ontario legislature that requires municipalities to seek approval for bike lanes when they would remove a lane of vehicle traffic.
Bill 212 was fast-tracked through the legislature on Monday afternoon. Hours before the vote was taken, Councillor Kieran McKenzie attempted to pass a motion at city council to declare the city's opposition to the bill.
"There's no place for the province in these discussions, I was looking for some support from my colleagues to say that we think things are fine and we know where and how we're going to build the city and we don't need advice or permission to go forward with those initiatives," said McKenzie.
McKenzie's notice of motion was deferred as many around the table assumed the bill would not be passed until the new year.
McKenzie indicated he'd still like his council colleagues will take a position on the bill.
"We need to articulate to the provincial government that there's components of this legislation that are a massive overreach with respect to undermining municipal autonomy and extending provincial authority into places it doesn't belong," said McKenzie.