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CBC News: Winnipeg city councillors exchange barbs over bike lanes (May31'17)
by Beth McKechnie 31 May '17

31 May '17

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/downtown-winnipeg-cycling-grids-1.41… Winnipeg city councillors exchange barbs over bike lanes Former public works chair accuses successor of ignorance after he quizzes her on urban-cycling theory By Bartley Kives, CBC News <http://www.cbc.ca/news/cbc-news-online-news-staff-list-1.1294364> The question of whether bike lanes help or hinder traffic safety generated a cycle of barbs at city hall in a dispute between council's current and former public works chairs. On Tuesday, Coun. Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) appeared before the committee she used to oversee to express concern that the city is about to delay the construction of an adjustable grid of downtown bike lanes. This prompted her successor, public works chair Marty Morantz (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Whyte Ridge), to suggest bike lanes do not protect cyclists from traffic accidents at intersections. Morantz also asked Lukes if she is familiar with the work of 87-year-old U.S. cycling activist John Forester, who lobbied in the 1970s for cyclists' right to use the road and argued against keeping bicycles separated from motor-vehicle traffic. Lukes, the former director of the Winnipeg Trails Association, asked Morantz if he was familiar with anything about cycling before he became public works director. Outside the committee room, Lukes called Morantz ignorant. "I think he just doesn't understand. He doesn't follow this," Lukes said. "It's just ignorance." Lukes said she remains upset that Morantz amended her request to ask the city to study the idea of installing an adjustable downtown bike grid as a means of quickly creating more room for cyclists. Morantz, she said, amended that motion to simply find out whether the grid is consonant with city active-transportation guidelines. "Had he read it in the first place, he would have seen that it was in there, but this was more of a delay tactic," Lukes said. "This probably won't happen in two or three years or longer. The only way it will happen sooner is if it's the mayor's priority." Morantz said he has conducted his own research into urban cycling and he believes there is an alternative to what he described as the "conventional wisdom" about protected bike lanes. "I don't think any debate is ever settled," Morantz said. "I think it's important for people to know that there's another school of thought." Morantz said city hall should be lauded for spending more on cycling infrastructure "than we ever had before" and denied he is attempting to scuttle an initiative favoured by Lukes, who was removed from the city's executive policy committee last fall by Mayor Brian Bowman. Bowman, for his part, said he believes protected bike lanes do serve cyclists well. "That's what the experts tell us," the mayor said. "When we developed our pedestrian-cycling strategies, it contemplates protected bike lanes in many cases." The city plans to spend $4.7 million this year on conventional bike-and-pedestrian infrastructure, plus another $3.6 million to extend buffered bike lanes along Pembina Highway between DeVos Road and Killarney Avenue and $1.6 million to create protected bike lanes on Empress Street between Portage Avenue and St. Matthews Avenue.

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ON spending up to $42.5M this year on cycling infrastructure out of cap-and-trade fund
by Beth McKechnie 30 May '17

30 May '17

Good to see Ontario using their cap-and-trade monies on cycling infrastructure and other GHG emissions reduction projects. Would like to see the same approach for future carbon tax revenues in Manitoba. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/05/29/ontario-to- spend-up-to-425-million-this-year-on-cycling-infrastructure.html -- *Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3772 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/>

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Metro Wpg: Bike grid discussion returns to City Hall Tuesday
by Beth McKechnie 30 May '17

30 May '17

Bike grid discussion returns to City Hall TuesdayCoun. Janice Lukes says she plans to reiterate her call for city staff to look into the feasibility of fast tracking a downtown bike grid, Tuesday. http://www.metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/2017/05/28/winnipeg- still-lags-behind-on-protected-bike-grid-talks.html In the time it took Winnipeg’s public service to report back on whether an adjustable grid of bike lanes would fit the city’s existing plans, Edmonton has installed nearly 7 km of protected cycling infrastructure <http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2017/05/10/edmonton-downtown-bike-gri…> in its downtown. That really frustrates Coun. Janice Lukes, who last fall pitched a similar idea <http://www.metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/2016/10/13/winnipeg-forum-planned-for…> of adjustable infrastructure to expedite the bike-lane build <http://www.metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/2016/11/10/winnipeg-councillor-pushin…> out locally, around the time councillors out west unanimously supported fast-tracking their version by this spring. She hosted a well-attended info session with experts involved with bold cycling infrastructure projects in Calgary and Edmonton on a panel, then tried to get the Infrastructure and Public Works committee (IRPW) to order a report on what it would take to follow suit in Winnipeg. <http://www.metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/2016/11/29/winnipeg-pumps-breaks-on-b…> But rather than research cost and feasibility, the committee asked administration to take 120 days to report back on whether the concept aligned with existing pedestrian and cycling strategies (PCS). “Surprise,” Lukes said Sunday. “They’ve come back and said it is in the plans. Imagine that.” An administrative report going to the IRPW committee Tuesday confirms what Lukes said about half a year ago, council had already looked at the roads a downtown “grid” would go on, and “adjustable methods” are already “considered as an implementation method at some locations.” The report notes “adjustable” bike lanes are a deployment method of protected cycling facilities, and concluded with “this being the case, adjustable methods for the implementation of a protected bike facility fits within the goals and objectives of the PCS.” Administration recommends the committee accept the report for information—there is no further action advised. “I guess what I am going to have to do then is come back with my original motion… direct the department to study it again,” Lukes said. “Now that we see it is in fact in the strategies, hopefully (the committee) will say, ‘okay, let’s study what it’ll cost to implement downtown in a short window.’” While she is pleased IRPW committee members will now know the public works department is acquainted with her preferred implementation method, and hopeful it can gain traction, she’s less happy with how the process has been delayed. “We need to start it now, then refine it, that’s the whole idea with an adjustable grid,” she said. Lukes explained that a protected bike grid allowing people to travel safely around the heart of a city is part of a bigger picture, with growth, civic pride, place making, bolstering the economy, and attracting new businesses and workers all in the frame. Without that bigger picture in the equation, she thinks it’s worth moving quickly on this item “for safety” at the very least. But she worries the IRPW committee, whose chairperson said “taking a baby step forward on this is a good idea” when her motion was changed in November, will concur with the administrative report to the point that there is no action taken, and no appetite for catching up to similar cities rolling out grids across the country. Even if the committee does support her original motion, she still has little hope that a new report would be ready in time to get a plan into the 2018 budget by the fall, pushing the whole idea back to 2019 at the earliest. “It’ll never get in unless the mayor made it a priority,” she said.

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Connecting cities' scattered bikeways
by Beth McKechnie 24 May '17

24 May '17

*Excellent article and resources on StreetsBlog:* For 20 to 30 years now, many cities have been laying down bike infrastructure where it’s cheap and easy.. ...cities are now looking systematically for possible connections between their existing bikeways. These examples [in Austin, New York City, Tallahassee, Seattle and Vancouver B.C.] demonstrate the value in shifting away from focus on the “low-hanging fruit” of bike infrastructure – streets with excess auto capacity or unused parking – and toward the most important roads for bicycle connectivity, even if they require difficult tradeoffs. These changes may be more politically difficult, but if chosen well they promise bigger payoffs in ridership and safety. http://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/05/22/connecting-cities-scattered-bikeways-…

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Metro Wpg: Racks, corrals and cages - Winnipeg adding more bike parking (Apr.27'17)
by Beth McKechnie 23 May '17

23 May '17

Thought others might also have missed this article published last month (or was it just me?)... Racks, corrals and cages: Winnipeg adding more bike parkingCyclists will have more parking options this summer, especially downtown where the downtown BIZ has plans for three eight-spot corrals. http://www.metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/2017/04/27/winnipeg-adding-bike-racks… Considering the plethora of parking lots in Winnipeg, it can be hard to believe that some commuters struggle to find a spot – but that's often the reality for cyclists. And that's why Mark Cohoe said it was a good thing that city council approved a grand total of $185,000 in grants to create more bike parking Wednesday. "There's some areas where (bike parking) is better… but if you get into other areas it drops off significantly," said Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg. "There's definitely some spots where it's really hard to find." Stephanie Whitehouse, the city's active transportation coordinator, said the money allocated this week "is a culmination of two years of budgets," as 2016 grants "hadn't gone out." She explained the grants follow the city's approved strategies by giving groups like business improvement zones (BIZ's) funding to increase their area's bike parking. "They hear from local businesses and people where the demand is and then they facilitate and install the facilities," she said, adding it often factors into "beautification" efforts. Once the group decides what they'd like to install and where, the public works department reviews the plan prior to installation. Grants approved this week include $45,000 to the Downtown BIZ, $15,000 for the Exchange District BIZ, $5,000 for the Old St. Vital BIZ, and $10,000 each for the Corydon, South Osborne, Transcona, West Broadway and West End BIZ's. Melanie Andrushko, the acting transportation project manager for the Downtown BIZ, said the plan is to spread new bike racks "throughout the downtown and the Exchange District in 2017." "We will be looking to add to the current inventory of bike racks situated on the sidewalks, but we would also like to try and add two on-street bike parking locations." Known as "bike corrals," the on-street parking is meant for high traffic locations and can fit eight bikes or more–the grant approved for the Downtown BIZ is for three corrals, worth approximately $32,000, as well as other short-term racks. Andrushko said 400 responses to a recent BIZ-led transportation mode survey found "most respondents would like to use cycling more as their preferred mode of transportation," so the new racks and corrals are helping make that feasible. Whitecourt said she's eager to "get the ball rolling" on the corrals, which could be permanent fixtures. "We did have some in the past but they had to be installed then removed, they were seasonal… they don't always weather well," she said. "We're looking for a durable one." Council also approved $30,000 for Bike Winnipeg to install racks in areas without a local BIZ, and $30,000 for the Green Action Centre to install racks and bike cages at schools. Whitehouse said the bike cages, which are exactly what they sound like, are a response to bike theft happening "repeatedly," which is "particularly traumatic for children." "To lose such a valuable piece of equipment for them is hard… also we are looking to encourage more kids to bike to school," she said. For anyone adding it all up on their calculator who noticed that all amounts to just $175,000, kudos, the final $10,000 is for the Winnipeg Public Service itself to install a bike cage downtown at 180 King St. for city staff to use. That installation follows the city's pedestrian and cycling strategy goals, which binds the city to demonstrating "leadership in providing short-term bicycle parking for visitors to the City of Winnipeg facilities and secure long-term parking and end of trip facilities for employees at municipal buildings."

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Sustainability Planner: City of Winnipeg
by Beth McKechnie 23 May '17

23 May '17

*Sustainability Planner (Temporary)City of WinnipegPlanning & Land Use* https://careers.winnipeg.ca/psc/cgext/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_ HRAM.HRS_APP_SCHJOB.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST&Action=U&FOCUS= Applicant&SiteId=1&JobOpeningId=115282&PostingSeq=1 *Closing date: June 1, 2017 *The Sustainability Planner works collaboratively with City Departments, other levels of government, and the community to achieve the City’s goals of sustainability and environmental quality as directed by the Mayor and Council by providing the administrative support and coordination appropriate to develop, maintain and enhance sustainability initiatives. In addition to sustainability initiatives, under the direction of the Principal Planner, this position also participates in divisional projects and tasks related to mid- and long- range planning as required. *As The Sustainability Planner You Will Be* - Assisting the Environmental Coordinator in prioritizing and supporting the sustainability goals and actions of the City of Winnipeg. - Developing detailed action plans, including project scope, key stakeholders, timelines and budgets. - Working collaboratively with other departments, community agencies, levels of government, community groups, etc. and represent the Planning, Property and Development Department on working groups and community groups dealing with sustainability initiatives. - Drafting briefing notes, Council reports, memos, discussion papers and other written communication on proposed sustainability policy and initiatives and presents to the Environmental Coordinator. - Participating in major planning initiatives, such as the preparation of local area plans and the review of Plan Winnipeg (OurWinnipeg). *Your Education And Experience Includes* - Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Environmental Studies/Science, Geography, Natural Resource Management or Planning with a demonstrated knowledge of municipal environmental issues, or an equivalent combination of academic and experience (critical). - Master’s Degree in Natural Resource Management, Planning, Environmental Studies/Science, Geography, Public Administration would be considered an asset. - A minimum of twelve (12) months experience in planning/implementing environmental/sustainability initiatives. - Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective professional and working relationships with a wide variety of people (including elected and senior appointed officials). - Demonstrated highly developed oral and written communication skills. *Conditions Of Employment* - Applicants will be required to undergo testing to determine their knowledge, abilities and skills as they relate to the qualifications of the position. If YOU are interested in this exciting opportunity, please submit your application, including a detailed resume, online at winnipeg.ca/hr . OR, by mail quoting *Posting #: 115282 Sustainability Planner by June 1, 2017* to: Mark Laubmann, Recruitment Clerk, Planning, Property & Development, 2nd Floor - 65 Garry St, Winnipeg, MB R3C 4K4. We have great benefits and competitive salaries, and we are committed to ongoing learning and career development! For more information on this opportunity and other careers within the City, visit: *www.winnipeg.ca/hr <http://www.winnipeg.ca/hr>*. WE SEEK DIVERSITY IN OUR WORKPLACE. INDIGENOUS PERSONS, WOMEN, VISIBLE MINORITIES, AND PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY ARE ENCOURAGED TO SELF-DECLARE. Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. Requests for Reasonable Accommodation will be accepted during the hiring process.

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Compost Courier (Driver/Cyclist) Employment Opportunity - Compost Winnipeg
by Beth McKechnie 23 May '17

23 May '17

*** Please share widely. Thanks! *** *Green Action Centre seeks Compost Courier (Driver/Cyclist) for Social Enterprise Operations* *Position Description: * Green Action Centre seeks an independent and energetic individual who is a proficient driver and cyclist to assist the weekly operations of our social enterprise, Compost Winnipeg. *Background: * Green Action Centre is non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in Winnipeg and serving Manitoba. We promote greener living through environmental education and encourage practical green solutions for homeowners, workplaces, schools and communities. We recently launched the social enterprise Compost Winnipeg, a fee for service operation that offers compost collection services to offices, food vendors and households in Winnipeg. *Responsibilities: * In cooperation with other Green Action Centre staff, the Compost Courier has the following duties and responsibilities: - Pick-up, weighing and tracking of organic waste from Compost Winnipeg customers; - General customer service; - Cleaning and maintenance of compost collection bins as required; - Transportation of organic waste to composting facilities; - Promotion of Compost Winnipeg services to potential customers; - Regular communication and logistics planning with the Compost Winnipeg project manager; and - Other duties, as assigned. *Qualifications: * Must be reliable and able to work without close supervision. Key qualifications include: - Organized, punctual, responsible and self-disciplined; - Good communication skills; - Able to work well with others; - Valid driver’s license; - Competent driver with clean driving record; - Competent cyclist; - Ability to consistently and safely lift 25 kilograms; - Available to work Tuesday - Friday 8:00AM – 3:30PM; and - Knowledge of composting or willingness to learn. *Date: * Starts Tuesday June 20, 2017. *Term: * This is a permanent position with the possibility of increased hours. *Remuneration: * Begins at $15 per hour (28 hours per week). *Additional Information:* This position reports to the Compost Winnipeg Project Manager. A criminal record check will be required. *Deadline: * Resume and cover letter must be received by 4:00 PM CDT, Tuesday June 6, 2017. *To Apply:* Submit a resume and cover letter to Kelly Kuryk info(a)compostwinnipeg.ca. Digital applications are preferred. Printed applications can be dropped off or mailed to our office (Green Action Centre 303 Portage Ave, 3rd Floor, Winnipeg MB, R3B 2B4). *No phone calls please.* *Visit: * www.compostwinnipeg.ca and www.greenactioncentre.ca for more information. -- *Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3772 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/>

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WFP: Jubile Underpass closed 56 hours to allow for Transitway construction (May19'17)
by Beth McKechnie 19 May '17

19 May '17

Jubilee Underpass will be closed 56 hours to allow for Transitway construction Interchange takes a long weekend www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/stay-away-from-jubilee- interchange-this-long-weekend-423050933.html WINNIPEGGERS aren’t the only ones going on holiday this long weekend — a key portion of Pembina Highway is also taking the weekend off. For 56 hours, all four traffic lanes underneath the Jubilee Underpass will be closed to motorists as construction crews continue to build a crucialpiece of the next stage of the Southwest Rapid Transitway. That means an estimated 150,000 vehicles will be scrambling and looking for othernorth-south routes in this area of the city starting at 8 p.m. today and ending at 4 a.m. Tuesday. For the first time since the Jubilee interchange opened in November 1969, no regular motorists will be allowed through one of the busiest traffic routes in the city for an extended period. The city says about 70,000 vehicles travel northbound and southbound there every weekday. Saturday’s traffic is about 56,000 vehicles and Sunday’s is about 50,000. Scott Payne, manager of asset management for Winnipeg Transit, said the only exceptions will be emergency vehicles, transit buses and the special shuttle service vehicles the city has organized for pedestrians walking north and south on Pembina Highway. “We couldn’t safely do the work with numerous motorists and pedestrians going through,” Payne said Thursday. Having pedestrian shuttles “doesn’t happen very often, but we appreciate a pedestrian will have to go quite a distance because of the closure. They would have to go all the way to Waverley (Street) or Osborne (Street) because of the rail lines. These shuttles will go through the underpass, and they will stop construction when the pedestrian (shuttles) are there.” Payne said there won’t be as many transit buses going through the site as there are most days because they will be on weekend schedules. The city is recommending motorists use alternative routes including Osborne, Waverley and Kenaston Boulevard. Coun. Jenny Gerbasi (Fort Rouge — East Fort Garry) said the road closure may result in short-term pain for motorists and long-term gain for bicyclists, bus riders — and even motorists— when the next stage of the rapid transitway is completed. “This will be a fantastic transportation route,” Gerbasi said. “It is dark and narrow there now for bicyclists and pedestrians, but (this) will open paths in both directions of Pembina. Everyone you talk to about the bike paths say this is fantastic.” Gerbasi said while the new bus route and bikes will dog-leg off Pembina, it will soon become the route of choice for students in this area cycling to and from the University of Manitoba. “You’ll have a consistent, separate bike lane here — it’s completely separate from cars — and it will be plowed all winter,” she said. “When people are safe from cars, people will go on it.” Gerbasi said she’s also pleased that while the construction is ongoing on this project, the city is already getting feedback for the next route to the east side of the city from downtown. “We really need to build this system,” she said. “We only have 1.4 kilometres of rapid transit now.” When the Jubilee interchange was officially opened, provincial transportation minister Joe Borowski drove a 1901 Oldsmobile over the span, followed by other antique vehicles carrying municipal and U of M officials. The interchange over Pembina was designed to link with the thenproposed Southern Expressway from downtown to Pembina Highway south. It was also intended to reduce the traffic bottleneck produced by the thousands of vehicles turning off and on to Pembina from Jubilee Avenue. The cost was $1.25million. The city has said the current Southwest Transitway project will cost $467 million and include not just the changes at Jubilee and Pembina, but also other overpasses or bridges, nine rapid-transit stations, and a new bus roadway and active transportation path running from Jubilee to the University of Manitoba. The Jubilee work is expected to be done by 2019 and the entire Transitway project will be open in 2020. Payne said thework being done on the underpass this weekend is extensive, with construction crews knocking out some of the supports between the northbound and southbound lanes as well as the six-metre high retaining walls. “They’ll take a good portion out... and then the new piers will go up (in the weeks ahead),” he said. Payne said the east-side sidewalk will also be demolished, but a temporary replacement pathway will be put in at the same place, at a lower elevation. He said asphalt will be put down to facilitate lane changes as the construction progresses, so some northbound or southbound traffic lanes may sometimes be shunted over into another lane. “When it is all completed, it will look like new,” Payne said of the underpass. “There will be a significant number of improvements for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.” Payne said there will be an extra traffic lane in both directions, bringing the total to three lanes each way; each lanewill be wider than it is now; rapid transit buses will get their own bridge, with bike lanes next to them; bicyclists and pedestrians will have sidewalks and paths on both sides of Pembina connecting to newand proposed trails; and trains will also get a newbridge cost-shared by the city and CN Rail. But Payne said this won’t be the only time all lanes of Pembina will be closed at this site. “There will be additional weekend closures,” he said, including when bridge girders are lifted into place. “We will give advance notice. We want to minimize the closures.” kevin.rollason(a)freepress.mb.ca

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Smog sucking bikes?
by ian_toal＠mymts.net 19 May '17

19 May '17

An interesting (if theoretical) way to remove smog from cities. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/may/19/anti-smog-bikes-china-air-da… Ian

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Webinar reminder: Making Crossings Safe, Convenient and Inviting, WED, May 17, 2-3pm, EcoCentre
by Beth McKechnie 16 May '17

16 May '17

Apparently sending messages this late in the day leads to errors! The correct time should be *2-3pm Wed*. On Tue, May 16, 2017 at 7:34 PM, Beth McKechnie <beth(a)greenactioncentre.ca> wrote: > *** Friendly reminder about Wed's webinar 1-2pm *** > > Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg invite you to join us for a local > viewing of this month's APBP <http://www.apbp.org/> webinar. > > > The webinar viewing takes place in the EcoCentre boardroom (3rd floor, 303 > Portage Ave) and will be followed by group discussion of local applications > for those who wish to stay. > > > RSVPs appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! > > > cheers, > > Beth > > * * * * * > > > *Making Crossings Safe, Convenient and InvitingWednesday, May 17 | 2:00 - > 3:00 pm CDT * > > *Presenters*: > > > - Ria Hutabarat Lo, City of Sunnyvale > - Ryan McClain, Fehr & Peers > > This webinar will discuss making city-wide crosswalk policies work for > your community. Speakers will present crossing policies for uncontrolled > and signalized intersections and trail crossings, using examples that > provide clear, easy-to-use flowcharts establishing the preferred > treatments for crosswalk enhancements, traffic control, and trail crossing. > We'll also discuss the role of undercrossings in multi-modal transportation > networks including reviewing several case studies of railroad > undercrossings in Santa Clara County. The speakers will also discuss > streamlining decision-making and routinely applying best practices. > > -- > > *Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options > > <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre > <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> > <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> > > 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3772 | Find us here > <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> > > Green Action Centre is your green living hub > > Support our work by becoming a member > <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at > CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> > > > > > >

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