Provincial election candidates in 2025 respond to OVCATA questionnaire

OVCATA sent a questionnaire to the Conservative, Liberal and NDP candidates in the provincial election to get their views on Active Transporation issues. To date, we have received responses from LIberal Oliver Jacob and the NDP's Marshall Buchannan. Here they are:

OLIVER JACOB, LIBERAL PARTY

1. Do you think it's good to encourage more cycling, walking and hiking? If so, how could the Province help do this? 

Active transportation is a key component of health living and community wellbeing, particularly in rural communities with abundant natural features like Renfrew County. The Government of Ontario should be encouraging municipalities to adopt active transportation and transit options that reduce the reliance on motor vehicles (where feasible) and providing funding to allow them to introduce more pedestrian friendly policies without relying solely on property taxpayers. In addition, there is a role for active transportation within the Provincial Planning Statement (PPS), regional planning policies and the Ontario Traffic Manual that could be further strengthen the adoption of such policies province-wide. Finally, there are exciting opportunities to consider active transportation within tourism planning and development because as active transportation continues to grow, the audience will increasingly become tourists and active participants in local economies alongside designated trails.

2. Should all provincial two-lane highways include safe active transportation infrastructure?

Yes. While I believe that Highway 17 should continue to be twinned to promote strengthened safety for motorists, it is also true that two-lane highways benefit from the implementation of active transportation infrastructure. Starting with paved shoulders, it is possible to add designated active transportation lanes and appropriate signage over time to make these roadways safer. However, it is also important to note that public education would be beneficial to ensure that all motorists and cyclists are aware of how to interact with each other safely on a roadway, particularly at high speeds.

3. Do you support Bill 212, the resolution that gave the provincial government authority to remove municipal bike lanes? Please give us your reasoning.

Do you feel that bike lanes increase traffic congestion and should be restricted by provincial legislation such as Ontario’s Bill 212? No. I believe that municipalities should be able to adopt road planning policies that meet their needs and the needs of their communities. Bike lanes provide a safe and clearly delineated path of travel for cyclists which limits the potential for dangerous interactions with vehicular traffic. Given the significant challenges that squarely fall under provincial jurisdiction, I do not believe that the provincial government should not meddle in the affairs of local municipalities. Put simply, there are more important issues like recruiting family doctors for everyone who needs one, cutting waitlists in emergency departments, rebuilding our public

education system to a standard that we would be proud and investing in our built infrastructure all across the province.

4. The concerns of motorists often get priority over cyclists and walkers in city and highway planning despite the many people who cycle and walk and the obvious benefits of getting people out of cars. How would you overcome this imbalance?

While there are typically more motorists who ae on the roads, it is important that all stakeholders be considered when decisions are made on road safety. This is where provincial policy documents like the Provincial Planning Statement and the Ontario Traffic Manual come into play as the key documents that impact road network planning from its infancy through final construction. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) has also historically provided research and best practice information on key topics of municipal interest so that municipalities have the information that they need to make decisions. Tasking MMAH bureaucrats with conducting such research would likely provide an opportunity to collect and collate best practices from all stakeholders and municipalities who have acted on active transportation over the years. Ultimately, better decisions are made when they are informed by data but also where they involve everyone who has a stake in the decision being made. Through active

listening and conversation, it is possible to level the playing field between motorists and active transportation enthusiasts.

5. Since a lack of adequate public transit is probably more responsible for traffic congestion than bike lanes, how would your party address this problem? What is your party's stance on rural public transit?

While the Ontario Liberals have not released our full costed platform yet, I can speak about my personal perspectives when it comes to transit investments in rural communities. Rural communities like Renfrew County already have mass transit through private vehicles but there are opportunities to increase access through communal transportation options like commuter buses. We already have some community transportation options like Carefor and Arnprior-Braeside-McNab Seniors At Home Programs Inc but the Government of Ontario needs to support these organizations to ensure that their programs can continue. This support must also include funding for capital investments as it is not possible for non-profit organizations to fund all vehicle and equipment costs 100% of the time. There may also be opportunities for municipalities to take the lead on transit options, similarly to the City of Pembroke and the Townships of Bonnechere Valley, Whitewater Region, and North Algona Wilberforce (with their rural transportation program). Provincial funding and access to the provincial gas tax should be made more easily accessible for municipalities who wish to create such programs to serve their residents better.

6. Many people depend on sidewalks to walk upon to get to work, school, and do errands. How would your party help municipalities keep sidewalks in good repair and accessible?

When I read this question, my focus shifts to how we can support our municipalities more. The Government of Ontario should be a partner in the delivery of municipal programs and services, rather than the overlord that they are legally under Canada’s Constitution. Apart from special projects/grants, municipal operating costs are supported by the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) and capital road investments are supported by the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF). Fundamentally, I do not believe that it is the role of the provincial government to mandate that municipalities improve access to sidewalks within their communities but by providing more provincial funding and advocating for increased federal funding, it would be possible for municipalities to allocate more funding to improve these initiatives (at their discretion). It is however up to local ratepayers to tell their municipal politicians what they would like to see within the annual budgets and advocating for such improvements as the community deems appropriate.

MARSHALL BUCHANAN, NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

1. Do you think it's good to encourage more cycling, walking and hiking? If so, how could the Province help do this?

Of course it’s good to encourage more cycling, walking and hiking.  The Provincial government can play a strong role to help with this because the issue is “intersectional” with so many other goals.  Funding, planning and marketing and infrastructure improvements are needed.  The strategy can be funded and developed in cooperation with the Ministries of Transportation, Health, Tourism, Environment and Municipal Affairs and Housing.    Some of the cores principles are that:

- New road and housing projects need to be designed with routing for pedestrian and cycling traffic in-mind. 

- Old roads will need to be inspected and redesigned to see if they can be retrofitted, possibly with designated bike lanes, some road shoulders may need to be paved.  It becomes more complex in older neighbourhoods and main streets.  Park and Ride may be needed so visitors to a city can arrive by car but explore the city with their bicycle or by walking.  Public transit and commuter trains need to have space for people to bring their personal bicycle.  Bicycle rentals are also possible - there are many variations on this, some do not require any human attendant.

- Agreements or easements should be pursued with private landowners so that trail networks can explore new areas or cross private land, if needed to make a loop or connecting link.

- The Ministry of Tourism can promote recreational use and help expand economic opportunities for services to support cyclists & hikers (i.e accommodations, water and rest stops and develop destinations of interest)

- There is no pharmaceutical drug that can do for human health what regular exercise can do.  The Ministry of Health should promote these forms of transportation because it will improve health span. Prevention of disease, illness and severe injury by building physical strength and resilience is an underused strategy in our healthcare system.  We could actually reduce health care costs if more people were active this way.

- The Ministry of the Environment should fund and promote bicycle use to reduce fossil fuel consumption & emissions. Transit has to connect suburban neighbourhoods to cities so that pedestrian travel is possible once you arrive in the city.

2. Should all provincial two-lane highways include safe active transportation infrastructure?

Not all at once.  Certain 2-lane highways should be selected as pilot project areas to troubleshoot how compatible the two forms of transportation will be.  There are cultural and educational shifts which are needed so that humans powered vehicles are safe and accepted. In the short term, it is probably a good idea to have some roads for cars only, because there are some drivers that don’t want to adapt.  So, if you choose to drive on a shared transportation corridor, then you know you probably have to drive a little slower and drive with a “sharing” mindset.  If you can’t share, then that is what 400 series highways are for.  But they don’t take you everywhere.

3. Do you support Bill 212, the resolution that gave the provincial government authority to remove municipal bike lanes? Please give us your reasoning. Do you feel that bike lanes increase traffic congestion and should be restricted by provincial legislation such as Ontario’s Bill 212?

No, I do not support Bill 182.  I think one of the complaints against the bike lanes was that they were too wide.  But in other parts of the world, where bicycle transportation is popular, you need wide bike lanes to handle the volume of bicycles.  So, the infrastructure was probably built to accommodate the bicycle traffic volumes that are anticipated, once the concept of commuter cycling was adopted. I don’t think bike lanes cause much congestion, because they may actually be reducing the number of cars.  

4. The concerns of motorists often get priority over cyclists and walkers in city and highway planning despite the many people who cycle and walk and the obvious benefits of getting people out of cars. How would you overcome this imbalance?

Transit must connect suburban neighbourhoods to cities so that pedestrian travel is possible once you arrive in the city.  Part of the problem is generational.  The main point of the car was so you did not have to walk.  Low density housing and sprawling suburb separate work centres from living centres.  This was intentional in the design, because the culture of active transportation died out with the evolution of car culture.

There are societal attitudes that have to evolve because the car has been “king” for a longtime and many people don’t want to have to modify their driving to share the road with cyclists. New technologies would help make these roads safer, such as cyclists equipped with transponders and cars equipped with receivers and dashboard warnings built into cars. Shuttle busses and commuter trains could help a lot to eliminate cars entering the downtown core.  But bike lanes or dedicated bike routes need to be in place.

5. Since a lack of adequate public transit is probably more responsible for traffic congestion than bike lanes, how would your party address this problem? What is your party's stand on rural public transit?

MPP Joel Harden, Ontario NDP Critic for Active Transportation and Public Transit, tabled a motion that would restore the 50/50 transit operations cost sharing system between the province and municipalities, and give public transit systems the funding they need to thrive.                                             

“I introduced a motion to call on Queen’s Park to match municipal funding for operational transit in Ontario. This was former Conservative Premier Bill Davis’s plan, and it simply makes sense,” said Harden. “This would stop the transit death spiral of reduced service and higher fares seen by transit systems across our province.”

6. Many people depend on sidewalks to walk upon to get to work, school, and do errands. How would your party help municipalities keep sidewalks in good repair and accessible?

The NDP policy is to establishing fair, predictable and consistent formula-based infrastructure funding that ensures that rural communities can build and maintain infrastructure like roads, sidewalks, bridges and sewers. The NDP recognizes that rural municipalities serve large land areas with comparatively small tax bases, but this reality is not adequately factored into provincial funding formulae, including for housing and infrastructure.