AIRDRIE — Alberta's transportation minister says the province plans to learn from an Ontario court ruling that found a law seeking to remove some Toronto bike lanes to be unconstitutional.
Devin Dreeshen, speaking at an unrelated press conference in Airdrie, Alta., told reporters his government will be watching the case with interest, especially since Ontario plans to appeal the ruling.
Dreeshen has said in recent months that the province wasn't ruling out putting forward similar legislation. On Wednesday, he was more committal, saying that being the second province to go down the same path is "helpful."
"You can look at pieces of legislation that have been introduced in the past and what's the good and bad of them, so ... obviously watching the Ontario case is great," he said.
Dreeshen has said Alberta's two major cities have been going the wrong way when it comes to building cycling infrastructure. And he has called on Edmonton and Calgary to remove bike lanes from "major corridors."
He has said repeatedly that the province doesn't want to see bike lanes built at the expense of lanes for vehicles, He added Wednesday that such moves are "not proper or smart city planning."
"If you have a municipal council that is taking away driving lanes, that's actually increasing people's daily commutes, or (preventing) emergency vehicles or delivery vehicles from being able to just do what they do, that's obviously a problem," he said.
While neither city has agreed to the minister's request, Dreeshen met earlier Wednesday with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek to discuss bike lanes.
Dreeshen and Gondek told reporters at separate news conferences that the meeting was collaborative and they agreed bike lanes are temporary.
"There was a commitment from Mayor Gondek to be able to work more collaboratively with the province to make sure that bike routes, where they're independent from any road network, so folks can be able to get around their communities," Dreeshen said.
"When you have bike lanes that are cannibalizing and taking over (driving lanes), that's obviously a problem."
Gondek, speaking to reporters at Calgary City Hall, said the meeting was very friendly.
Their relationship hasn't always been amicable.
Until earlier this year, the two spent months lobbing attacks at each other over the future of the Green Line, Calgary’s long-planned public transit line stalled by a ballooning budget and gradually shrinking footprint.
Gondek said she told Dreeshen that she doesn’t view Calgary’s bike lanes as permanent.
“If a bike lane is creating issues with congestion or parking, our traffic team is open to making changes,” she said.
But she also said the city will do what it can to protect cyclists, which was a key consideration in the Ontario ruling.
“There have been some pretty horrific accidents, and there have been lives lost, when it comes to cycling in our city," she said. "Ultimately, everyone in our city should be able to travel to and from where they're going in the safest possible way."
Gondek wouldn't comment directly on the ruling in Ontario.
"Whatever happened in Ontario is the perspective of that government and what is there."
Ontario Superior Court Justice Paul Schabas ruled that removing three Toronto lanes eyed by Premier Doug Ford would put people at an "increased risk of harm and death."
"The evidence is clear that restoring a lane of motor vehicle traffic, where it will involve the removal of the protected, or separated, nature of the target bike lanes, will create greater risk to cyclists and to other users of the roads," the decision says.
When asked about the ruling, Dreeshen didn't address the safety considerations identified by the judge but said he has asked Calgary to provide ridership numbers for certain bike lanes.
Dreeshen also said he plans to soon meet with Edmonton city council to discuss bike lanes in the capital city.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025.
— By Jack Farrell in Edmonton and Matthew Scace in Calgary, with files from Liam Casey and Rianna Lim in Toronto
The Canadian Press
