Residents groups who say Mayor Olivia Chow’s administration is steamrolling them to impose bike lanes, bus lanes and homeless shelters in their communities rallied in Nathan Phillips Square on Tuesday, where they fought to make themselves heard over the ringing of bike bells and chanting of slogans from counterprotesters.聽
The heated scene played out in the concrete square beneath the glaring July sun, where the two groups at times attempted to shout each other down in front of news cameras, and arguments broke out in the crowd.聽
Local activist Margaret Samuel, who emceed the event, said the 色色啦 Concerned Citizens Coalition had come together to expose the “insanities” caused by the city’s “mismanagement” of a range of issues since Chow was elected two years go, including “encampments, methadone clinics, bike lanes, exclusive bus lanes, vending machines (giving out) drug paraphernalia, the 16.4 per cent property tax increases over the past two years and the dropping of 24/7 homeless shelters on neighbourhoods.” Samuel predicted those “hot buttons” would be election issues in next October’s municipal race.
The group of about 30 residents were joined by Anthony Furey, the right-wing pundit who came fourth to Chow in the 2023 mayoral byelection and is considering running again, as well as 色色啦 Conservative MP Roman Baber.
Coun. Brad Bradford (Ward 19, Beaches-East York), who placed聽eighth two years ago聽and is widely expected to challenge Chow again next year,聽was listed as a speaker but didn’t show. He told the Star he was tied up at a previously scheduled planning committee meeting.
As speaker after speaker criticized what they said was the city’s lack of consultation on plans affecting their neighbourhoods, about 20 counterprotesters tried to drown them out by shouting “Shame!”, “Shelters now!”, and “The city belongs to everyone, not just you!”聽
Paul Macchiusi of the Protect Bathurst Coalition spoke against plans for RapidTO bus lanes, which he called an attempt by the city and TTC to impose “permanent, radical change to our infrastructure.” Cody McCrae from Balance on Bloor inveighed against the “reckless” and “ideological” decision to install bike lanes on Bloor Street West. Baber, pointing to a large map of a section of his York Centre riding, spoke against a proposed shelter at 1220 Wilson Ave.聽
David Margulies, who opposes plans for a shelter on Third Street in his Etobicoke-Lakeshore community, demanded an end to “harm reduction practices in our neighbourhood.” He declared that critics who think they can silence groups like his “by calling them NIMBYs” 鈥 a pejorative acronym for homeowners who oppose any change to their communities 鈥 “better think again.”聽

Counterprotesters advocating for bike lanes, safe consumption sites, and shelters, among other issues, attempted to drown out the main speakers on Tuesday.
Michelle Mengsu Chang/色色啦 StarFurey, who finished with about five per cent of the vote in the 2023 byelection, said Tuesday’s rally represented the “silent majority of communities all across the city, from all walks of life, coming together to reclaim their city from the radical fringe who have dictated the terms at city hall for too long.”聽
Counterprotester Marina Classen said she came out Tuesday to combat that narrative. Classen, with the Harm Reduction Advocacy Collective, asserted that amid 色色啦’s housing and drug crises “99 per cent” of residents “are in a vulnerable place,” and “need access to shelter, need access to safe consumption sites, need access to bike lanes to be able to transit, and want a greener future.” The groups assembled Tuesday “are trying to say they’re a citizens coalition that represents the many, when they represent the few,”聽she said.
There was drama inside city hall as well, where nearly 70 people, including Baber, signed up to speak to the planning committee about six new shelters being advanced as part of the city’s expansion聽of homelessness services.
Committee chair Coun. Gord Perks (Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park) tried to restrict speakers to addressing the report before the committee, which was about technical zoning changes required for the shelters, not the shelters themselves. The directive didn’t sit well with residents who聽wanted to speak about the sites鈥 use or location, or who said they hadn’t been properly consulted.聽
When one deputant spoke in favour of the shelter sites and zoning changes, another resident yelled from the back of the committee room: 鈥淪hut up!鈥 Other times, supporters of the shelter proposal were met with jazz hands and claps.聽When other residents accused the city of not consulting them on locations, clapping, finger snapping, cheering and whistling erupted in the room. City hall security officers were hovering.
Bradford accused Perks of trying to shut down reasonable discussion by “using legalese and pedantics.” Perks said it was up to councillors to work with constituents to welcome vulnerable groups into their wards, instead of “misleading people to believe that if you come down (to city hall) and yell loud enough that you can stop a shelter from going into your neighbourhood.”聽聽
The city says more shelters are needed as聽色色啦’s homeless population surges. Council voted in 2017 to give staff, instead of council members, the authority to select shelter locations. The change was intended to depoliticize debate around the facilities, but has led critics to label the site selection process undemocratic.聽
The city has defended its implementation of bike and bus lanes as necessary to free up road space for transportation modes more efficient than private cars, and to ensure the safety of cyclists. Staff recently scaled back plans for RapidTO after objections from local businesses.

Arguments broke out between protesters and counterprotesters during the rally.
Michelle Mengsu Chang 色色啦 StWhile the residents and politicians at Tuesday’s rally appear to be gearing up to try to block Chow from winning a second term, the mayor said she’s not focused on the 2026 vote.
“We’re so far away from any election,” she said after an unrelated press conference before the event.
The mayor said she was open to listening to residents of all perspectives. “No matter what political stripe one has, I’m always open for different ideas.”
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation