Gardiner East Transparency

Community Bikeways is a principal organizer, along with ClimateFast and Transport Action Ontario, of a coalition of 38 community groups demanding a full report of the updated, go-forward construction costs of the Gardiner East, foregone revenues from land sales and property taxes, and feasible design alternatives to the approved, colossal link between the Gardiner and the DVP.

The matter came to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee (IEC) on March 20, 2023, as a result of an "administrative inquiry" by Councillor Josh Matlow, where members of the coalition made deputations, and to which they submitted letters of support for action. As a result, staff prepared a briefing note and presentation, but since no councillor on the committee itself proposed a motion, the IEC decision was simply to "receive" the inquiry and staff report.

The issue received attention from almost all Toronto media, and is guaranteed to remain at the centre of debates moving forward, including during the mayoral election of 2023, especially in the context of a huge budget deficit and the climate and housing crises.