One person was led away in handcuffs by police after protesters on Wednesday morning briefly halted work on the removal of the controversial Bloor Street bike lanes in Etobicoke.
asserted
protesters → lead → Etobicoke
The protest began just after a crew of about a dozen men in high-viz vests began removing the lanes along a 1.2-kilometre stretch of Bloor Street shortly before noon.
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crew → begin → noon
Workers began removing the posts along the concrete blocks marking the bike lanes near Islington, as protesters gathered to try to block the work with their bicycles.
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protesters → begin → bicycles
Workers also took down signs marking the bike lane.
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Workers → take → lane
“(You’re) killing our kids, you guys are scum,” one man with a stroller yelled angrily at the workers.
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man → kill → workers
Another man, driving by, yelled, “Get rid of this crap!”
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man → drive → crap
After about half an hour, protesters once again caused work on the removal to temporarily come to a halt.
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work → cause → halt
About 15 protesters occupied the bike lanes, despite being ordered by police to move and allow work to continue.
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work → occupy → police
Protesters were warned that they would be arrested if they continued to disrupt work.
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they → warn → work
Earlier Wednesday, Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw at an unrelated press conference, warned protesters who interfered with the work or failed to follow police instructions could face criminal charges, including mischief or obstructing police.
uncertain
who → warn → police
An hour after work was halted on the bike lane removal, police on the scene gave protesters a five-minute warning to move or face criminal charges.
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police → halt → charges
Almost all of the protesters dispersed.
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all → disperse → protesters
One person was led away in handcuffs by police.
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person → lead → police
It’s unclear at this time what they were being charged with.
uncertain
they → ’ → what
Workers began again to remove the bike lanes, under the protection of police.
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Workers → begin → police
Nearly 30 police cruisers lined Bloor Street, and dozens of officers, including some from the Toronto police’s Public Safety Response Team, held protesters off of the bike lane.
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dozens → line → lane
The eastbound lane of Bloor Street was completely blocked off.
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lane → block → Street
Previous protest halts bike lane removal
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protest → halt → removal
The work by construction crews on Wednesday followed a protest by cycling advocates the previous evening that temporarily halted the Ford government’s removal of bike lanes on a 1.2-kilometre stretch of Bloor Street.
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that → follow → Street
During that demonstration, hundreds of protesters surrounded construction vehicles.
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hundreds → surround → vehicles
Despite some tense exchanges between protesters and police, and after a conversation between protesters and the construction workers, the vehicles left without completing any work.
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vehicles → leave → work
The plan by the Ford government will eventually remove 19 kilometres of bike lanes across the city.
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plan → remove → city
Some local businesses have raised concerns about the bike lanes’ impact on parking and congestion, while cycling advocates have legally challenged the decision to rip them out.
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advocates → raise → them
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said on X the work was stopped by protesters on Tuesday, but “make no mistake: these bike lanes are coming out.
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lanes → say → mistake
We have a clear mandate and we will deliver.”
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we → have → mandate
The Ford government has previously blamed bike lanes for the city’s congestion.
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government → blame → congestion
Efforts to remove bike lanes were paused in the midst of a court battle until September, when the government won at the Court of Appeal against cycling advocacy group
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government → remove → Appeal
CycleToronto announced Tuesday morning that it is seeking leave to appeal its case to the Supreme Court of Canada.
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it → announce → Canada
While the Supreme Court decides whether to hear the case or not, the Ford government will be able to move ahead with bike lane removals that it has long promised.
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it → decide → that
The Aporia
