Councillor’s Flip on Bike Lanes Could Add $650K to Guelph’s Already Surging Taxes

A major reversal at City Hall is raising eyebrows as Guelph struggles with one of its steepest multi-year tax increases. The same councillor who helped shut down winter bike lane plowing now wants taxpayers to absorb the cost anyway – and the consequences could be significant.

A Guelph councillor who helped defeat winter bike lane plowing is now pushing to restore the service – a reversal that would add $650,000 to a budget already burdened by a 36 percent property tax increase from 2022 to 2026.

With this reversal, Gibson now joins fellow Ward 2 resident and Ward 1 councillor Erin Caton in supporting the restoration of winter bike lane plowing.

Councillor Dan Gibson voted against funding bike lane plowing during last month’s budget meeting, joining the narrow 7-6 majority that blocked the motion. Despite helping stop the funding, he is now attempting to reopen the decision, even though doing so will require drawing $650,000 from reserves on top of an already steep eight percent residential tax hike for 2026.

These issues were well known before the vote, and critics argue they highlight ongoing problems with Guelph’s on-street cycling infrastructure. The lanes often restrict winter road capacity, contribute to congestion on major routes, and see very little use in cold weather, frequently sitting untouched under snow and ice. Now, Gibson is asking taxpayers to fund a winter maintenance program for infrastructure that remains largely dormant for months at a time.

Gibson plans to ask council to suspend procedural rules so a reconsideration vote can happen immediately – a step only someone who originally opposed the funding can take.

If successful, his reversal would reopen a costly debate at a time when residents are already facing one of the steepest tax escalations in recent memory.