ARC was established in 1996 and today is mostly known for advocating on behalf of Toronto cyclists. We are also the folks that place memorial white bikes, known as Ghost Bikes, as memorials to fallen cyclists.
Saturday, 1 November 2025 at 2:00 p.m. in Burlington
On Friday, 17 October 2025, Jean Louis, a 66-year-old male, was cycling on Appleby Line and Harvester Road in Burlington. At approximately 6:30 a.m., a driver collided with him. Emergency workers pronounced him dead at the scene. As of this time, the Crown has not charged the driver, who remained at the scene, according to Halton police.
Jean Louis was a noted cyclist from Saint Lucia. He won that country’s athlete of the year award in 1985 for his cycling performances that year in competition.
MEET at 2:00 p.m. at the Appleby GO Station’s SOUTH parking lot. We DEPART at 2:30 p.m. for Appleby Line and Harvester Road.
Jun and I departed for Guelph around 1500 EDT. The weather was unusually warm, with temperatures reaching 20 degrees Celsius. The sky was clear and sunny, and as we traveled closer to Guelph, we could observe the vibrant autumn foliage adorning the trees along Highway 401.
On 29 August 2025, Adam, a 37-year-old male cyclist, was riding on Elmira Road North and Massey Road when, at 1520, a collision occurred with a driver of a garbage truck. The driver of the garbage truck was subsequently charged with careless driving causing death approximately three weeks after Adam’s death.
During the Ghost Bike Memorial ride, we learned about another tragic road user fatality. A 38-year-old mother was killed by a reckless 19-year-old driver of a large pickup truck on Alma Street north at Paisley Road, approximately three weeks after Adam’s fatal collision. We passed the intersection twice, each time ringing our bells in remembrance of her life. The driver of the pickup truck was subsequently charged with careless driving causing death and two additional counts of careless driving.
The Guelph Coalition for Active Transport (GCAT) organized the memorial ride, which served as the concluding event of a day-long Guelph Transportation Summit held at Dublin Street United Church, located at 68 Suffolk Street West. Patrick Andres, the Programming and Events Committee Co-Chair, addressed the assembled crowd of approximately 50 individuals in the church’s parking lot at 1630. He provided an overview of the route and advised participants to follow the Marshalls, who were wearing bright high-visibility vests. A few minutes later, Mike Darmon, the Advocacy Co-Chair of GCAT, commenced the ride, towing the Ghost Bike on his bicycle trailer at the front of the crowd.
The exceptional skills of the Marshalls were evident as the group navigated through multiple stoplights in unison. Notably, there was no friction from other road users during their journey to the crash site.
Upon arriving at the crash site, the crew took a few minutes to prepare the Ghost Bike for installation. Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists (ARC) provided the bike, which was constructed by Geoffrey Bercarich and delivered by David Shellnut, The Biking Lawyer. A small memorial dedicated to the victim, Adam, was already present. The Ghost Bike Memorial was subsequently placed beneath the faded memorial for Adam.
Virginia Andersen, Chair of GCAT, commenced the ceremony. She directed those gathered at the site to observe a moment of silence and expressed respects to the deceased cyclist. Approximately 20 minutes later, as people paid their respects to Adam, we began the return trip to Dublin Street United Church.
Jun and I bid farewell and proceeded to Highway 401, embarking on a slow crawl back to Toronto. A five-or six-vehicle collision just before the collector lanes began in Oakville made the trip back to Toronto very slow. This incident serves as a poignant reminder that drivers require frequent recertification. All these fatalities and collisions were entirely preventable. The underlying issue lies in the fact that drivers fail to take their responsibility for road safety seriously. Consequently, we now have two vulnerable road user deaths in Guelph within a month. This tragedy resulted in the loss of a son and a mother. All of these unfortunate events could have been avoided if drivers had prioritized defensive and safe driving practices.
20 September 2025 at 12:30 p.m, Matt Cohen Park, Toronto.
On Thursday, 31 July 2025, 28-year-old Samuel Willetts succumbed to his injuries incurred when he was struck by a truck-driver 13 days earlier on Gerard St East at Church Street, near Toronto Metropolitan University.
Samuel was a York University graduate and worked in the Film and TV industry here in Toronto. He was a gaffer and aspiring cinematographer.
This ARC Ghost Bike memorial ride is being organized with Sam’s family, who will be present that day and ride with us.
MEET at 12:30 p.m. at Matt Cohen Parkette at Spadina and Bloor. We DEPART at 1:00 p.m. for Gerard Street East and Church Street.
Cyclist hit at Church and Gerard on 18 July 2025 Has Died
ARC is saddened to learn of the death of a 28-year old male cyclist. Our condolences go out to his family and friends. A Ghost Bike Memorial Ride will be held at a later date.
The cyclist was hit by a driver on Gerard Street near Church Street on 18 July 2025. EMS took him to a trauma hospital with life-threatening injuries. He died in hospital from those injuries on 31 July 2025.
ARC is in contact with his family discussing plans for the memorial. We’ll announce the date and time of the ride in a separate message.
Ghost Bike ride on Thursday, 21 November 2024. Meet at 5:00 p.m., at Matt Cohen Park (Bloor & Spadina). Depart 5:30 p.m. for our destination, the Ontario Legislature. This is a ride for the latest person to die, a teenaged cyclist that died last week in Ajax. It is also a ride for all 18 cyclists killed this year in southern Ontario. Unfortunately, bill 212, if implemented, will make more Ghost Bike rides necessary.
On Thursday, 7 November 2024, a 13-year-old teenaged female was cycling on a road with a signalized intersection. She crossed the street in the crosswalk, which she’s allowed to do at her age. A driver struck her on that crosswalk.
ARC is sorry that the parents and friends of our latest cyclist to die on our streets have to go through such a tragedy. Our deepest condolences go out to her and her family. She died several hours later in a hospital. ARC will plan a Ghost Bike Memorial Ride. Details to be announced at a later date.
Bill 212 was tabled on 21 October 2024 in the legislature. If this bill gets proclaimed, it will be a disaster for the citizens of this province. Its affects ranging from community safety issues to adding to the already out-of-control climate crisis.
Today, Wednesday 23 October 2024, hundreds of cyclists, pedestrian and mobility-rights activists came to Queen’s Park to protest Bill 212. MPP Jessica Bell, whose electoral district includes Queen’s Park, organized the protest. In her electoral district, three cyclists have died in the past three years, about only 300 metres apart on Avenue Road and Bloor Street West.
At 5:00 p.m., Jessica Spieker started things off with a brief speech relating to her history as a survivor of a dangerous driver incident. Her physical injuries took a toll on her life. Safe streets would have protected her from such an incident. She then acknowledged the 15 members of Brampton Cycles that rode in for the protests. She also acknowledged MPPs that were in the audience, such as Mike Schreiner, the leader of the Green Party, Jill Andrews and Bhutila Karpoch from the NDP.
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Next, Alison Stewart spoke. She’s the Bicycle Mayor of Toronto and Director of Advocacy and Public Policy for Cycle Toronto. She mentioned slogans we could use and, of course, talked about the things the bill might take away.
It was then time for the main political parties in the Ontario Legislature to speak. Although Jessica Bell organised the event, she had NDP MPP Joel Hardin speak instead of her. He talked about some local Ottawa street improvements that would make those streets safer, now being called into question. He mentioned the governmental overreach that made little sense, since these planning decisions are by convention, local municipal decisions.
Mary Margaret McMahon, representing the Liberal caucus, spoke about her time on the Toronto City Council when she put the Woodbine cycle track in her ward. She received death threats from the public about it. Today, they are well-used bicycle infrastructure and the Ford government has its eyes on removing those lanes.
Aislinn Clancy represented the Green Party caucus. She mentioned she bikes to the Legislature, and it is on mostly bike infrastructure. She noted that several Conservative MPPs also bike to work and should develop a backbone and fight Ford on this matter.
The last member of the legislature to speak was Sarah Jama, the independent MPP from Hamilton. She has mobility issues and uses a motorised wheelchair to get around. Complete streets mean safety for her and people with physical disabilities. Ford wants to stop the safety efforts that are slowing down traffic and prevent deaths. Vehicle speed kills most people when the vehicles hit vulnerable road users at 50 km/h or greater. Complete streets aim at lowering speeds down to a survivable 30 km/h and physically protecting vulnerable road users.
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Bikes are also an equity issue for poorer people that cannot afford an automobile. They deserve a safe means to travel. That’s why Jama is against this bill.
Many Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) took part actively in the rally. Michael Longfield from Cycle Toronto called for the bill to be cancelled. Bikes are an equity issue, and for many with disabilities, one of the few methods available for them to get around.
Sarah Buchanan, from the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) talked about being able to ride with her child from the west end to the doctor. Then, as a reward, they stop at a cookie store. She mentioned that the bike lanes brought in more business for retailers than before the bike lanes. In fact, a Business Improvement Area (BIA) wants to keep the lanes.
Dr. Sahil Gupta, a trauma physician in Toronto, has witnessed too many preventable severe injuries and a few deaths to vulnerable road users. Taking away bike infrastructure will not help create safe streets.
Seven years ago in Newmarket, Kendrew Pape’s sister lost her life in a crosswalk. Bill 212 demeans her memory because it implies that road diets, which physically make crosswalks safer, will probably not be allowed. A road that should go on a diet, to reduce speed, will likely no longer occur without the Ministry of Transportation’s approval: something that is unlikely to happen. The bill frustrates efforts to make streets safer so that some drivers save a minute or two on a commute.
I spoke to explain the route. We would go near six Ghost Bike memorials on this four kilometre route. First, we passed by Dalia Chaka’s memorial at St. George and Bloor. A driver of a large flatbed truck killed her in June 2018. After cycling about another kilometre north and east, we were just south of Adam Excell’s bike at Davenport and Avenue Road. In 2015, an inexperienced driver, believed to be impaired, killed him.
We then passed by Ali Sezgin Armagan’s memorial on Avenue Road, south of Tranby. A driver of a flatbed truck killed him while making a left turn in the middle of Avenue Road in 2024. 18-year-old Miguel Joshua Escanan’s memorial was next. A driver of a cement truck killed him in 2021 on Avenue Road.
The most recent death in the area, the anonymous 24-year-old female, occurred because of an obstructed bike lane on Bloor in July 2024. Finally, the first Ghost Bike memorial in the area, and one that has a Queen’s Park connection, is the one for Darcy Allan Sheppard on Bloor Street in front of the Colonnade. In 2009, a former provincial Liberal cabinet minister named Michael Bryant killed him.
It was chaotic to get to the front of the line and to lead the ride because so many people were there. We took the Queen’s Park bidirectional cycle track north to Hoskins Avenue. We got some corkers to block the southbound traffic lanes on Queen’s Park Crescent and the group of over 500 cyclists, then cycled on Hoskins Avenue to Saint George Street.
We blocked the lanes again on St. George St, but had to move aside as an EMS ambulance went northbound, unimpeded by the ride. From there, the Toronto Police Service bike unit corked Bloor Street for us.
Next, we turned right onto Bernard Street in the Annex’s heart. Because there were so many cyclists, it was taking up to 15 minutes to pass an intersection. That meant we ran out of corkers. We pressed new ones into service and they did a great job of it.
We turned right onto Avenue Road and initially just used the bike lane because we didn’t really have the corkers available to take the lane yet. A few eventually caught up and did their work a little further south. At one point, the line of cyclists was approximately 700 metres long on Avenue Road.
Bloor Street come upon us again, and the Toronto Police Service again corked the lanes for us to go south onto Queen’s Park Crescent. The automobile traffic was mostly at a standstill, but we took the lane and then proceed to the northmost part of Queen’s Park and had corkers in place there.
By the time we were near the legislature again, I had to stop leading the ride and cork because we out ran our corking teams. No matter, we got Wellesley corked and everyone proceed to the front lawn of the legislature. I stopped corking to get back to the end point and thanked everyone that showed up. It was a successful ride and rally.
Dispersal was interesting. I was one of the last four people to leave the parking lot. It was completely dark out. We left at around 7:20 p.m. Back to utilitarian cycling mode.
Image credit: Fatal Light Awareness Program Canada (FLAP)
ARC is sad to announce the seventh cycling death in Toronto this year. Last week, the wildlife rescue organization Fatal Light Awareness Program Canada (FLAP) announced that one of their leading volunteers, Brian Armstrong, died.
ARC confirmed he was involved in a bicycle crash and then subsequently died from his injuries in a Toronto hospital a few days later on 29 August 2024. He was a retired real estate lawyer, Ontario Hall of Fame marathon runner, a former Randonneurs Ontario long-distance cycling club member, and probably most important to him, a wildlife rescue volunteer with FLAP.
From what ARC can determine, there will not be a funeral service for Mr. Armstrong. ARC is planning a Ghost Bike memorial ride, details to be announced at a later time this September.
Susan Bard, Guelph (9 September 2024)
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ARC sends its deepest condolences to Susan Bard’s family and friends. She was riding her bike on Victoria Road North in front of St. James Catholic High School, in Guelph. A 35-year-old male driver collided with her on 5 September 2024. EMS rushed her to a hospital. She died a few days later from her injuries in the hospital on 9 September 2024, which was also her 79th birthday. The crown charged the 35-year-old Guelph driver with failing to stop after an accident, causing bodily harm. Local cycling groups are teaming up with ARC to coordinate a Ghost Bike memorial ride. Details to be announced.
On Saturday, 7 September 2024, Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists (ARC) conducted a Ghost Bike memorial ride in honour of Navjot Kaur, who died a week earlier from injuries incurred while cycling. On Saturday, 24 August 2024, a motorist hit her from behind while she was riding with a group of cyclists, including her husband. Over one hundred people showed up for the memorial ride that ended on Burnhamthorpe Road in Etobicoke, just east of Kipling Avenue. Of note, deputy mayor and local councillor Amber Morley attended the installation of the memorial. Here’s my report
On Saturday evening, 24 August 2024, the driver of a compact car struck a Navjot Kaur, a married 26-year-old female student, was riding her bicycle on Burnhamthorpe Road, east of Kipling Avenue, in central Etobicoke. She succumbed to her injuries in hospital a week later on 31 August.
MEET at 12:00 p.m., Saturday 7 SEPT 2024, at Matt Cohen Parkette at Spadina and Bloor. We DEPART at 12:30 p.m. A meet-up along the route will occur at the Bloor parking lot of Tom Riley Park (roughly 1:30 p.m.). RAIN or SHINE.
