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WFP Analysis: Downtown must embrace winter, not hide from it (Mar.13'17)
by Beth McKechnie 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

*Downtown must embrace winter, not hide from it * http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/downtown- must-embrace-winter-not-hide-from-it-416000874.html AFTER enduring a week of arctic wind chill in the month of March, it might be a bad time to discuss Winnipeg’s downtown walkway system, but as one of the five coldest major winter cities in the world, how we design for climate is an important consideration. For many years, the North American response towinter has been to hide from it. In the 1960s, as downtowns started losing a battle to suburban shoppingmalls and office parks, civic leaders felt the only way to compete was to mimic this climate-controlled trend and consolidate interior spaces in the city centre. Montreal was the leader in this movement, beginning construction of the Underground City in 1962, growing to become a staggering 32 kilometres of subterranean tunnels and shopping centres beneath the city. Since that time, 17 indoor pedestrian systems have been developed in cities across North America. Minneapolis boasts the longest continuous network of elevated walkways at 15 kilometres, and Calgary has the largest total length at 18 kilometres. The idea for Winnipeg’s indoor walkway system began with the 1969Downtown Development Plan, which envisioned a futuristic city of towers and plazas, interconnected by a vast network of elevated and underground walkways to protect people from winter and allow vehicular traffic to flowmore efficiently. To discourage sidewalk use in the summer, the plan proposed “the secondstorey habit,” a strategy to pull all retail, commercial and social activities away from the ground level and into the corridors, so people could avoid cars and weather year-round. Five years later, Winnipeg’s first skywalk would appear, connecting the buildings of Lakeview Square to the Convention Centre. Several years later, the underground concourse at Portage and Main would be an attempt to realize the cosmopolitan dreams of 1969. Today, there is a movement beginning in many cities to reconsider the effects these indoor walkways are having on the vibrancy and prosperity of city centres. As it turns out, skywalks do precisely what was envisioned in Winnipeg’s 1969 plan: they remove people from the sidewalk. In low-density cities, this can have a significant effect. Skywalks take an already limited number of pedestrians and dilute them over two levels, seasonally and at different times of the day. For a few hours, particularly in winter, office workers populate the indoor shops or restaurants, and sidewalk retail struggles. On evenings and weekends and in the summer, this is reversed. With the market divided, the critical mass generally isn’t created to sustain prosperous businesses in either realm. This can be seen very clearly at Portage and Main, where almost 10,000 people spend every day, yet few ground-floor amenities exist and underground restaurants generally stay open for just a few hours around lunchtime, five days a week. Some planners also argue the skywalks create a social hierarchy between the raised, quasi-public space and the sidewalk. This combines with the lower pedestrian numbers and struggling retail storefronts to exacerbate the feeling that downtown streets are unsafe and uncomfortable, compounding the issue. It is generally understood that indoor walkways aren’t going anywhere — only Cincinnati has dismantled its network — so many cities are beginning to look at ways to reduce their impact. In Minneapolis, consideration is being given to removing retail in sections of their walkway, making them simply circulation thoroughfares that don’t compete for business. To complement this strategy, they are hoping to build more highly visible connections directly to the sidewalk. An excellent precedent for this is Winnipeg’s newest skywalk addition at the Delta Hotel on St. Mary Avenue, which incorporates a beautiful, transparent glass stair and elevator to the sidewalk, making pedestrian flow between levels more seamless and inviting. A key strategy to reducing the impact of walkways is to focus on improving the sidewalk experience, making it more comfortable for pedestrians in all seasons. Building elements such as awnings and overhangs can provide shelter from snow and rain. Small storefronts with several entrances allow pedestrians the opportunity to flow in and out of the cold. Design guidelines can be created to ensure new buildings reduce shadows and windtunnel effects on the sidewalk. Public spaces and restaurant patios can incorporate windscreens, gas fire pits and other heating sources. In Montreal, construction will soon begin on an in-ground heated sidewalk system along Sainte-Catherine Street that will be expanded to 2.2 kilometres in length in 2020. This idea, used for years in Oslo and Reykjavik, is also being considered in Saskatoon to melt snow and improve the pedestrian experience. Great cities, even cold cities, are defined by the vitality of their street life. To be an extraordinary winter city, Winnipeg must design to embrace the climate and not to hide from it. Winnipeg is one of Canada’s sunniest cities— and its temperature is typically above freezing 250 days per year — yet our priorities seem focused only on those harsh winter days. At two kilometres, the length of Winnipeg’s skywalk system is a fraction of that in other cities, but its effects can still be seen. Not only has it fundamentally altered the iconic view down Portage Avenue, it is partially responsible for its many empty storefronts. Winnipeg can learn from the experience of faster-growing cities and design its skywalk system carefully and sensitively, to reduce its impact. By building more visible, direct connections between levels, improving outdoor pedestrian comfort and focusing on support for ground floor retail to give people a reason to go outside and enjoy the city, we can bring people back to walk the sidewalks, like they did for a hundredwinters before the skywalks were built. * Brent Bellamy is chairman of Centre Ventu re ’s board and the creative director at Number Ten Architectural Group.*

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1 day left to register! The Future of Workplace Commuting
by Beth McKechnie 09 Mar '17

09 Mar '17

*Last day to sign up for this interactive workshop. Register today!* View this email in your browser <http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a183a3f55cc&id=b4395aae41…> “*Kelly Brough is an entertaining and inspiring speaker! She brings a fresh, business perspective to the commuting conversation, and offers solutions from a region that has had great success attracting new workplaces to more sustainable commuting modes*.” – Jessie Klassen, Transportation Planner, University of Manitoba Join us for the Future of Workplace Commuting: *Sustaining a Healthy Business* *Keynote Speaker:* Ms. Kelly Brough, President and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce *Wednesday, March 15, 2017* *9:00am - 1:00pm *($25, lunch included) *Radisson Hotel* 288 Portage Avenue (Ambassador B Room) <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a…> <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a1…> With demographics changing and new employees expecting their workplaces to offer commuting options beyond the automobile, employers face a competitive and rapidly evolving economy. Ms. Brough will share her experience working with business leaders as the President and CEO of the Denver Chamber of Commerce to offer the citizens of Denver a comprehensive range of transportation options to lower the drive-alone mode share, and increase use of transit and active transportation. During the interactive workshop, we will take a business perspective on the benefits, hurdles and essentials to make your workplace vehicle optional. Don’t miss your chance to learn about: - changing workforce demographics - what new staff members are looking for in terms of transportation and commuting options - opportunities and initiatives your business can take to gain a competitive advantage *Secure your seat today!* <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a…> *Not able to attend the morning Keynote and Interactive Workshop?* Join us for an after work event from 5:00-7:00pm at the Prairie Theatre Exchange to hear Kelly Brough and a panel discussion with local business representatives. Or sign up for both! Learn more and register here <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a1…> . *Brought to you through a partnership of Green Action Centre and the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ.* <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a1…> <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a1…> <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a…> *Copyright © 2017 Green Action Centre, All rights reserved.* You are receiving this email as a result of previous interactions with Green Action Centre's Workplace Commuter Options Program. *Our mailing address is:* Green Action Centre 3-303 Portage Ave. Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2B4 Canada [image: Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp] <http://www.mailchimp.com/monkey-rewards/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm…>

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Bike sharing programs
by ian_toal＠mymts.net 07 Mar '17

07 Mar '17

Ran across this a couple of weeks ago. Makes for interesting reading. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/feb/25/best-and-worst-city-cycle-sch…

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Bike Lanes & Bike Sharing article
by Jeremy Hull 07 Mar '17

07 Mar '17

I came across this study from NACTO (the National Association of City Transportation Officials) that concludes more bike lanes work together with bike share programs while reducing the risk of collisions for cyclists. The article says: "In cities that are building protected bike lane networks, cycling is increasing and the risk of injury or death is decreasing. Pairing appropriately-scaled bike share with protected bike lanes increases ridership and is essential to equity and mobility efforts." In looking at various safety issues they also conclude that "Mandatory helmet laws reduce bike share ridership and don’t increase safety." http://nacto.org/2016/07/20/high-quality-bike-facilities-increase-ridership…

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Metro Wpg: Bike lanes, not helmets: Winnipeg city staffer saws we need more protected paths (Mar.6.17)
by Beth McKechnie 07 Mar '17

07 Mar '17

Bike lanes, not helmets: Winnipeg city staffer says we need more protected paths http://www.metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/2017/03/06/no-new-rules-on-bike-safet… The city's active transportation coordinator believes the city could do more to improve cycling safety by building more protected bike lanes and promoting education, rather than forcing adult cyclists to wear helmets. Adult cyclists in Winnipeg won’t be forced to strap on a helmet anytime soon. On Monday, the city’s protection, community services and parks committee voted 3-1 to accept a review on local cycling safety measures. Written by Stephanie Whitehouse, the city’s active transportation coordinator, the report lists the merit of helmet usage, bike lights and bells, but recommends no change to the current rules or enforcement approach. Last summer, committee member Coun. Russ Wyatt requested a review on the requirement for all cyclists to wear helmets. The best thing for reducing injury, according to Whitehouse's report, is “designing cycling routes separated from vehicles.” She believes the city could do more to improve cycling safety by building more protected bike lanes and promoting education, rather than force adult cyclists to wear helmets. “We are, again, focused on improvements to prevent incidents from happening in the first place,” said Whitehouse to reporters, underlining the need for protected bike lanes, design improvements to intersections and more education around road safety. She explained that to look at the issue of making helmets mandatory, a more in-depth study would be needed. Besides the Winnipeg Police Service and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, the city’s legal services department and members of the public would need to be consulted on the matter, said Whitehouse. She added that councillors would also have to approve funnelling away funds from active transportation to pay for such a review. Committee chairman Coun. Mike Pagtakhan agrees with Whitehouse’s stance that cycling should be made safer through better infrastructure, like dedicated bike routes. He pointed to the work being done through the 20-year $334-million pedestrian and cycling strategy. “What our challenge is is to create safe cycling routes within the city for citizens,” Pagtakhan said. Wyatt said he felt Monday’s report was lacking and side-stepped his initial request. To him, a bigger issue was the public works department’s decision to hire a consulting firm owned by Jeannette Montufar, whose marriage to transportation manager Luis Escobar and past tweets about Wyatt prompted a conflict of interest investigation by the city’s auditor at the same time the report was bring prepared.

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Report on cycling doesn't deal with helmet laws (recommends infrastructure) (Mar.7'17)
by Beth McKechnie 07 Mar '17

07 Mar '17

*Report on cycling doesn’t deal with helmet laws * http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-report-on-bike- helmets-didnt-consider-bike-helmets-415499574.html THE councillor behind a proposal for a mandatory bicycle helmet law said he’s puzzled by an administrative report’s failure to consider the issue. Coun. Russ Wyatt said he’s discouraged after public works staff hired a consultant and spent months preparing the report, which doesn’t consider the issue of whether wearing helmets should be mandatory. “There’s no doubt they sidestepped the issue, but that’s something we’re getting used to from this administration,” the Transcona councillor said. Councillors on the protection, community services and parks committee voted 3-1 to take no action on the report, which is a summary of existing provincial legislation and city hall’s recent efforts to expand its cycling lane network. The result is that city hall will neither consider nor take any efforts to implement a mandatory helmet law. Stephanie Whitehouse, the city’s active transportation co-ordinator, said the report concludes the two best ways to improve safety are through better infrastructure and public education. Whitehouse said she believes the report complied with the committee’s request, adding that studying the issue is a complicated process that would have required consultation with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, MPI, police, public engagement and lawyers. On June 16, 2016, the committee directed the administration “to review and report back on the following: 1. The requirement for all cyclists to wear helmets. 2. The requirement for all bicycles to have a sound device (bell, horn, etc.), and proper lighting from dusk until dawn.” The committee also required the report to include information on public education, as well as best practices of other jurisdictions. The administration, which was given 60 days to compile the report, requested a 180-day extension. Coun. Mike Pagtakhan, the committee's chairman, said he’s satisfied with the report and its recommendation to maintain the status quo. “What our challenge is, is to create more safe cycling routes within the city,” Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) said. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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WFP: Portage & Main property owners like idea of opening intersection to pedestrians (Mar.2'17)
by Beth McKechnie 03 Mar '17

03 Mar '17

Portage & Main property owners like idea of opening intersection to pedestrians http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/portage--main-propert y-manager-feels-opening-intersection-to-pedestrians-a- good-thing-415274814.html A spokeswoman for one of the building owners at the corner of Portage and Main said a revitalized intersection can co-exist with a redeveloped underground concourse. Rosanne Hill, managing director of Harvard Developments Inc., which owns and manages the 33-storey office tower originally known as TD Centre, said her firm is committed to supporting efforts to removing the barriers, adding she believes opening the iconic intersection to pedestrian will provide an opportunity to redevelop the street-level space of the building without damaging the underground businesses. "We have a longer-term vision to work with the city and animate the corner," Hill told the Free Press, explaining that currently, much of the street-level space at 201 Portage is unleaseable. "There is absolutely an opportunity to redevelop the main floor lobby of the building and embrace an opening to Portage and Main, with leaseable area — cafés and interconnectivity to that corner — which is what we’d like to do." Reopening the intersection to pedestrians was one of Mayor Brian Bowman’s campaign commitments in 2014. Opponents said removing the barriers is inviting disaster, that it will not only delay traffic but poses a serious risk to pedestrians brave enough to cross. Many people mistakenly believe traffic concerns were what prompted the placement of the barriers. In fact, the barriers went up in 1979 as part of a deal with the original building owners and developer who constructed the underground complex. Supporters argue the barriers need to be removed to allow pedestrian connection to the disparate areas of the heart of the city — the downtown, The Forks and the east and west Exchange Districts — which will encourage street-level development in the surrounding area as more pedestrians move through the area. While it’s a divisive issue in Winnipeg, Bowman revived that pledge a year ago when he said he hoped to have barriers taken down by July 2017 to coincide with events surrounding the Canada Summer Games. The July 2017 deadline suffered a serious setback when civic officials realized portions of the concrete barriers are integral to the underground structure and that complicates, and increases, the cost of their removal. The city has commissioned a traffic impact study, which has been completed but is being reviewed by civic officials. Bowman said in addition to seeing the building corner owners redevelop the street-level areas of the intersection, city hall will be expected to invest funds to refurbish the portion of the underground — the circular walkway known as the Circus. Bowman said nothing will happen at the intersection until the administration presents a plan that details the impact on traffic flow and outlines the changes and costs to the underground. Hill wrote, on behalf of her firm, one of the four letters from the building owners who have committed to Bowman their support to remove the barriers. Hill said she envisions redevelopment can occur at street level without jeopardizing the investment building owners have put into the underground development. "It doesn’t have to be an either-or-situation," Hill said. "If pedestrians are using the crosswalks above ground, it doesn’t necessarily preclude high volumes of pedestrians underground to continue. People will, on a nice day, cross the street above ground and when it’s a little colder or they’re interested in stopping in a store on their way or getting a coffee, they’ll go underground." Harvard Developments is committed to developing both areas, Hill said, adding the firm will be issuing tenders soon for a multimillion-dollar upgrade to the portion of the underground that goes with the 201 Portage tower. As for when that will happen, Hill, like Bowman, said the process has its own timetable. "It’s a process and all the right steps need to be taken, including their assessment of the traffic study and lots of public engagement," Hill said. "All the stakeholders would like to see it happen in a holistic way. It’s not just about taking down the barriers, it involves a phased plan that would require some investment by all the stakeholders, including the city." aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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CBC: Helmets, dedicated bike routes improve cycling safety, city report says (Mar.2'17)
by Beth McKechnie 02 Mar '17

02 Mar '17

Helmets, dedicated bike routes improve cycling safety, city report says But no recommendation emerges to add to provincial regulations by making bike helmets mandatory http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg- cyclist-safety-1.4006439 A report into cycling safety in Winnipeg comes to the common-sense conclusion that cyclists who wear helmets and travel on routes where bikes don't mingle with motor-vehicle traffic are at the lowest risk of injury. But the report, which was commissioned with the intent of possibly making helmet use mandatory, makes no recommendations to the city about enacting new city regulations or enforcing existing provincial road-safety rules. "The two most important interventions available to improve cyclist safety are cycling safety devices (i.e.: helmets, lights and bells) and cycling infrastructure," says the report by Winnipeg active-transportation co-ordinator Stephanie Whitehouse, which will come before council's protection and community services committee on Monday. Last June, that committee asked the city to study requirements for all cyclists to wear helmets and for all bikes to have bells or other sound devices at night. Whitehouse proceeded to conduct a review of research literature in other cities. While her report makes no recommendations, it does note that studies conclude bike helmets significantly reduce head injuries in collisions with an impact of less than 20 kilometres per hour, but provide next to no safety benefit in collisions above 28 kilometres per hour. Keeping cyclists away from cars by building dedicated cycling infrastructure also prevents injuries, she wrote. "Designing cycling routes separated from vehicles and cycling on low traffic streets is associated with a reduced risk of injury," Whitehouse wrote. The city is in the midst of expanding its cycling-infrastructure network, against opposition from several city councillors, including Transcona's Russ Wyatt. Most Canadian cities follow provincial rules regarding helmet use, the report says. In Manitoba, people under 18 must wear helmets while riding bikes. In jurisdictions where helmet use is mandatory, actual use only increases when that legislation is accompanied by enforcement of the regulation and education about bike helmets, the report says, and there's only "limited evidence" mandatory helmet-use legislation discourages cycling, as Bike Winnipeg representatives have said. Whitehouse found no literature about the effectiveness of bike bells or other sound devices in improving cyclist safety, though there is evidence that permanently using running lights reduces the probability of collisions. Protection and community services chairman Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) said the report makes him inclined to pursue construction of more cycling infrastructure. He said he would consult with cyclists before considering a mandatory helmet bylaw. -- *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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Why Local Businesses Shouldn't Worry About Eliminating On-Street Parking
by Beth McKechnie 27 Feb '17

27 Feb '17

One of the most common arguments against eliminating parking <https://www.fastcoexist.com/3040634/7-cities-that-are-starting-to-go-car-fr…> from downtown areas is that it'll affect business. The people behind those complaints are dead right: There will be an impact on business—only it's the opposite of the one they have in mind. Removing cars from downtown streets actually *increases* trade by attracting pedestrians and cyclists <https://www.fastcoexist.com/1682022/want-to-make-money-build-a-business-on-…>, and a new study of Queen Street West in Toronto's Parkdale neighborhood has the numbers to prove it. Read more: https://www.fastcoexist.com/3067515/why-local-businesses-shouldnt-worry-abo… -- *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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San Francisco's groundbreaking TDM legislation for new developments
by Beth McKechnie 27 Feb '17

27 Feb '17

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors approved the city's Transportation Demand Management Program last week, establishing a system through which new buildings of 10 or more units will be required to include amenities that encourage non-driving trips. Developers will choose from a "menu" of options, including secure bike parking and carshare memberships, with points allotted per option. [See 26-item menu here <http://default.sfplanning.org/plans-and-programs/emerging_issues/tsp/tsp_TD…> .] Through this arrangement, San Francisco hopes to make the process more predictable and transparent for developers. Background article: http://www.citylab.com/commute/2016/09/can-san- francisco-build-housing-that-eases-traffic/500708/ Release from SF Department of Planning: http://sf-planning. org/article/san-francisco-moves-forward-groundbreaking- transportation-demand-management-legislation cheers, Beth -- *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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Prioritizing new bicycle facilities to improve low-stress network connectivity
by Mark Cohoe 23 Feb '17

23 Feb '17

Thanks everyone for the quick response on this article. I now have access to it and am reading through it. Cheers, Mark

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Prioritizing new bicycle facilities to improve low-stress network connectivity
by Mark Cohoe 23 Feb '17

23 Feb '17

Hi, Does anyone have access ot this article? It looks like a promising tool. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856416000306 AbstractThis paper introduces a new method to prioritize bicycle improvement projects based on accessibility to important destinations, such as grocery stores, banks, and restaurants. Central to the method is a new way to classify “bicycling stress” using marginal rates of substitution which are commonly developed through empirical behavioral research on bicyclist route choice. Mark Cohoe Executive Director Bike Winnipeg t: 204-894-6540 e: mark(a)bikewinnipeg.ca

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Secure your spot today! The Future of Workplace Commuting
by Beth McKechnie 22 Feb '17

22 Feb '17

*** Hope you can join us on March 15th. Please share widely. Thanks! *** *Join us for a unique and interactive workshop. Register today!* View this email in your browser <http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a183a3f55cc&id=57b7d9ea5b…> Join us for The Future of Workplace Commuting *Sustaining a Healthy Business* *Keynote Speaker:* Ms. Kelly Brough, President and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce *Wednesday, March 15, 2017* *9:00am - 1:00pm *($25, lunch included) *Radisson Hotel* 288 Portage Avenue (Ambassador B Room) Secure your spot today! <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a…> <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a1…> With demographics changing and new employees expecting their workplaces to offer commuting options beyond the automobile, employers face a competitive and rapidly evolving economy. Following the keynote presentation, Ms. Brough will engage with participants from a business perspective on the benefits, hurdles and essentials to make your workplace vehicle optional. She will share her experience working with business leaders as the President and CEO of the Denver Chamber of Commerce to offer the citizens of Denver a comprehensive range of transportation options to lower the drive-alone mode share, and increase use of transit and active transportation. Don’t miss your chance to learn about: - changing workforce demographics - what new staff members are looking for in terms of transportation and commuting options - opportunities and initiatives your business can take to gain a competitive advantage *Secure your seat today!* <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a…> *Not able to attend the morning Keynote and Interactive Workshop?* Join us for an after work event from 5:00-7:00pm at the Prairie Theatre Exchange to hear Kelly Brough and a panel discussion with local business representatives. Or sign up for both! Learn more and register here <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a1…> . *Brought to you through a partnership of Green Action Centre and the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ.* <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a…> <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a…> <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a1…> *Copyright © 2017 Green Action Centre, All rights reserved.* You are receiving this email as a result of previous interactions with Green Action Centre's Workplace Commuter Options Program. *Our mailing address is:* Green Action Centre 3-303 Portage Ave. Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2B4 Canada Add us to your address book <http://greenactioncentre.us2.list-manage.com/vcard?u=af15a2f9f91ef9a183a3f5…> [image: Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp] <http://www.mailchimp.com/monkey-rewards/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm…>

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Webinar reminder: University Curriculum for Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, 2-3pm, Wed, Feb 15, EcoCentre
by Beth McKechnie 14 Feb '17

14 Feb '17

*** Friendly reminder regarding tomorrow's webinar *** 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. RSVPs appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth * * * * * *Growing the Movement - University Curriculum for Pedestrian and Bicycle ProfessionalsWednesday, February 15 | 2:00 - 3:00 pm CST * *Presenters*: - Kristen Brookshire, University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center - Ahmed El-Geneidy, Associate Professor at the School of Urban Planning, McGill University Join us for the monthly APBP webinar to hear presenters share the research and education perspectives on university curriculum. Kristen Brookshire, Research Associate at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, has been involved in the development of guidance documents and research reports for a variety of audiences, including a primer for state highway transportation officials and an evaluation of child pedestrian safety curriculum. Through the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center and the Walk Friendly Communities program, Kristen continues to develop resources and provide technical assistance on planning, designing, and developing programs that support walking and bicycling.

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WFP: More residents seeing benefits of living and working in walkable neighbourhoods (Feb.11'17)
by Beth McKechnie 11 Feb '17

11 Feb '17

A WALKING THEY WILL GO Winnipeg is a sprawling, car-addicted city, however more residents are seeing the benefits of working and living in walkable neighbourhoods http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/putting-it-into-park-413443373.html FROM his perch 12 storeys above Osborne Village, Robert Keizer is an elevator ride from anything he needs. “My grocery store, my liquor store, my favourite hangout are all just steps away,” the 27-year old IT specialist said. He eats fresh food every day. He can stop for a pint on the way home with zero fear of a DUI charge. If he feels a bit peckish, his favourite haunt — Cornerstone Restaurant and Bar — is a five-minute walk. Keizer, 27, doesn’t own a car, but it’s not because he hates cars — “I just drove 20,000 kilometres in 14 days on a cross-Canada vacation” — he simply isn’t going to become a slave to one. “I just don’t see the point, given where I live.” While the average suburbanite would see being carless as isolating, Keizer finds it liberating. When his friends are going out, he walks over and joins them. “In the suburbs, anything like that is a drive.” If he ties one on a little too hard, getting home safely is not an issue. Spring, summer and fall provide a refreshing walk to work in the East Exchange, and he’s going to try out the riverwalk in winter, too. Brian Wall is an architect in the Exchange District. He lives across the hall from his office. Having raised three daughters in Harbourview South in northeast Winnipeg, he’s never going back to the burbs. Virtually everything he needs — doctor, dentist, restaurants… his daughters — are all within walking distance. “There is a vibrant lifestyle in the Exchange that we love,” Wall said in an email from Nicaragua, where he and his wife, Alison, have a winter home, something he said is only made possible by their move downtown. “We have learned what it means to be involved in the life of someone less fortunate than us. We have learned that taking a cab — even though we have a car — often costs less than driving and allows us both to enjoy our evening without worrying about safely getting home. “More importantly, we spend more time together downtown than we ever did in the suburbs.” Across North America, cities are struggling to find ways to become more walkable, to let residents live more of their lives on foot and less in automobiles. The reasons are many, but largely boil down to the financial health of cities and the physical health of their residents. It’s a lesson Winnipeg is starting to learn. HISTORY: A STREETCAR NAMED RETIRED THE city grew up around streetcar lines, and evidence of the benefits of such a design remains on streets such as Corydon Avenue, Osborne Street and Portage Avenue, among others. High-density homes — apartment blocks — rose next to the streets, with single- and two-family homes radiating out from there. The combination of foot traffic getting off the streetcars and high numbers of residents living close to these streets created the kind of critical mass that allowed services, from grocers to butchers to coffee shops, to thrive. But when the Second World War ended, the streetcars were decommissioned, the tracks ripped out and growth focused on the automobile, which allowed city residents to dream of larger homes and open spaces. Building codes for shopping centres mandated building an island in a sea of parking spaces. People who could afford single-family homes seemed offended by any idea of living near multi-family homes. “I think it’s just in our DNA in Canada and North America,” said Brent Bellamy, an architect with Number Ten Group, noted urban planning commentator and Free Press columnist. “We sort of have this image in North America where we came from an agrarian society and so we have this ideal of space. “We came here and from Day 1, we had unlimited space, and that’s sort of the ideal we built our country on.” A key factor, said Mike Moore, president of the Manitoba Home Builders’ Association, is until 1972, what we know as Winnipeg was a collection of individual cities: West Kildonan, St. Vital, St. Boniface, and so on. Up to that year, when the various communities amalgamated, each did planning in its own way. “What Steve Juba did was brilliant,” Moore said of Winnipeg’s mayor at the time. “He knew the city of Winnipeg was landlocked, its tax base was shrinking and had few opportunities for development.” Amalgamation brought all the areas ripe for development — Charleswood, North Kildonan, St. Vital, Fort Garry and others — under city taxation. “Juba knew he’d have an unlimited supply of new taxes.” It solved the city’s revenue problem, but just like the city had no cohesive plan for development before unicity, it’s never had one since, Moore said. “I can’t tell you what’s going to be built in the next 15 to 20 years, because we have no plan,” Moore said. “In Calgary, I can find out exactly what’s going to be built, where the new sewer lines are going and where the new light rail stations are going to be in 20 years, because that city has a plan.” Bellamy, who is board chairman for the downtown economic development organization Centre Venture Development Corp., also pointed to other factors, such as a perceived need to keep zoning separate — commercial goes here, schools go here, single-family housing goes here and multi-family housing goes there — where before, stores and apartment buildings and houses would share spaces, creating the kind of density that supports local services. “In Europe, they appreciate more, they long for, the human connection — the coffee shop and those social spaces,” said Bellamy. “They build smaller living spaces because they live in the city more. They use the library and coffee shop and all the amenities of their neighbourhoods. “We see density as bad; they see density as what creates vibrancy.” He sees Corydon Avenue as an ideal model for a new neighbourhood. “There’s a five-storey apartment building at every corner. It provides that density, that energy, and a critical mass to support the retail that’s interspersed in there, instead of having to drive to the shopping centres down the highway.” Behind the density are single-family homes, often with porches, on streets lined with trees and flanked by sidewalks. Bellamy said he finds that style of streetscape much more human, more friendly. “I love the layering of the public space, and then the semi-private spaces with the porches and the private spaces inside the homes and backyards,” he said. “You feel safer walking on the sidewalks because you have this sense of a barrier between you and the cars.” Bellamy, whose columns are often accompanied by anti-downtown tirades in the online comments section, said it’s not about getting everyone to live downtown, nor is it about forcing people out of single-family homes, but rather finding more sustainable models for new or existing developments, patterned after what he calls the old streetcar neighbourhoods. He lives in one of those streetcar neighbourhoods himself. “In the old days, you would know the grocery store clerk, you would know the butcher, the baker, the candlestickmaker, because you went to those shops three times a week,” he said. “Now, it’s all about driving to these huge asphalt parking lots and braving the cold to this big-box store, and to me, it’s a lifestyle I don’t understand, and how it happened so quickly. I hope we’re starting to see the logic of not doing that.” Critically, it’s all without forcing people into a lifestyle they don’t want. “You want to give people those options — the large home on a large lot,” he said. “At the same time, you want themto pay the true costs of their choices.” If you look at those older neighbourhoods — Osborne Street, Academy Road, Corydon Avenue, Portage Avenue and Main Street — you’ll see retail and higher-density housing along the old streetcar route, blending into single-family homes within walking distance. It’s a model that still works today, with thriving restaurants and shops along many of those streets, dependent on the neighbourhood’s density and not on the automobile. Instead of extending the old streetcar grid, the city started building what Bellamy called cul-de-sac neighbourhoods, which were designed to prevent flow-through traffic and slow traffic entering the neighbourhood, but had the unintended consequence of forcing residents to drive virtually everywhere. So, if public transit was key to a sustainable past, is it key to a sustainable future? Coun. Jenny Gerbasi thinks so. Gerbasi (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) pointed to the removal of streetcars and a reluctance to return to rapid transit as a key contributor to the city’s lack of density. In other cities, higher-density living in the immediate vicinity of a transit hub, with medium- and lower-density housing within walking distance, provides the numbers needed to support retail services at that transit hub, making the use of rapid transit evenmore appealing. “That’s a big part of it, having an alternative to the car that’s fast and convenient,” she said. “In Winnipeg, we’re just beginning to build a rapid transit system and focus on active transportation for both recreation and commuting.” Ease and economics both played a role in making the city dependent on the car, she said, so as the city grew, consequences were ignored or put off as the next generation’s problem. “Part of it is just the nature of having all that open space. There was no urgency and in the beginning, even the congestion wasn’t all that bad,” said Gerbasi. Chris Leinberger studies urban planning around the world. He’s chairman of the Centre for Real Estate and Urban Development at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He sees the issue as much about the future survival of cities as it is about the environment, fiscal sustainability or personal health. “Many of the 21st-century knowledge industries looking to locate an office are demanding — both the companies and the employees — a walkable urban option,” he said. “If you don’t have that product on the shelf, you’re just not competitive.” “It’s the same as in the 1950s, if that same city did not put in freeways and drivable suburban, you put yourself out of position.” Leinberger said cities are realizing demand for walkability is growing, but that doesn’t mean you don’t also build drivable surburban living. “You have to have both. Today, we’ve overbuilt drivable suburban, that’s why prices are so weak and it’s driving up the prices of walkable urban.” If economics is what brought us here, economics is also forcing change. “Everything government has to pay for is stretched because we’re building in such low density,” Bellamy said. “We used to have 10 houses per kilometre of roads, now we have seven houses. When that happens, either the roads will deteriorate or everybody’s taxes will go up.” That fiscal reality is what’s driving the current conversation about growth fees, where the City of Winnipeg intends to impose surcharges on each new house built in the suburbs. The city is currently locked in a legal battle with the development community, which is challenging the city’s authority to impose such fees. Gerbasi said it’s true current fees and taxes pay for development in the immediate area of a new suburb, but each new suburb imposes costs on the city that aren’t recovered in future property taxes. Bellamy said those costs include new fire halls, community centres, libraries and connecting the new development’s infrastructure to city services. “As well, the developer builds the neighbourhood and then just hands it to the city to maintain for the next, what, 150 years?” Mayor Brian Bowman, the city’s point man on growth fees, said the city is trying to plan for more sustainable developments in the future and sees growth fees as a separate issue. “It’s just about making sure we have the money to grow in a way that’s fiscally sustainable,” he said. The proposed growth fees are $5,100 per 1,000 square feet of space in select outlying areas, with a plan to impose them in the future on commercial development and infill housing. Still, Bowman said the end game in building out the city’s rapid transit system is to develop areas around transit hubs that are more walkable, and develop areas that don’t force residents to leave their neighbourhoods to get typical household provisions. “We’re seeing that already with (downtown’s) Graham Mall,” he said, pointing to such developments as Sky, True North Square and the coming building of two new apartment towers at Winnipeg Square. While the city has identified the costs associated with new developments not recovered in future property taxes, Bowman’s press secretary, Jeremy Davis, said the city will not comment on those costs while the proposal is being argued in court. CALGARY, a city also lacking geographic constraints on development, recently imposed a similar fee, and undertook an extensive consultation process with developers to arrive at estimates of the cost of growth. The calculations included the cost of public facilities (fire halls, police, libraries, transit and recreation), new roadways, waste and water service and storm water runoff, or drainage. Calgary identified an average cost of $435,044 per hectare. The city then calculates that cost against the number of people expected in each development, with each unit in multifamily dwellings paying less and single-family homes paying the most. Areas with more complex waste and water requirements paymore, aswell. Developments in established areas, which require less new infrastructure, pay less, and a maximum levy has been set for high-density dwellings in a bid to encourage such developments. What does walkable mean? Bellamy says it’s about more than the ability to walk around. Pathways that give residents the ability to take a leisurely stroll are important, but true walkability is about being able to walk with purpose — to the store, to work, for a bite to eat or for that last mile from, or first mile to, a transit hub, he said. Coun. Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg- St. Norbert), who in a previous life advocated for active transportation, said the city’s devotion to the automobile is evident, sometimes in ways she finds disconcerting. Lukes raised her family in Fort Richmond, one of Bellamy’s so-called cul-de-sac neighbourhoods, where the car reigned supreme to the point residents were up in arms over her proposal, well before she joined council, to install sidewalks to let children walk to schools and the community centre. “Today, hundreds of people use them every day,” she said. “But you wouldn’t believe some of the insults I received.” Where does the city go from here? It should, according to Leinberger, look to four cities in Canada as inspiration — Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Quebec City. Leinberger, who delivered a keynote address to the Canadian Real Estate Association in Winnipeg in 2015, said he recently ranked those four cities for walkable urban lifestyles and merged the results into his list of the Top 30 cities in the United States. The result? All four Canadian cities placed in the Top 6. That ranking is based on the percentage of a city’s office space located in walkable areas. He gives Winnipeg a failing grade. “You and Calgary, in my estimation, wouldn’t be close to those Top 6. You’ve got some great models right in your own country and you’re not living up to them.” WHEREVER the city is headed, the homebuilders’ Moore wants a road map. He said with a plan, developers and the city could work hand in hand to deliver whatever kind of growth the city wants. “We’ve been asking for one for years,” Moore said, adding developers would welcome a cohesive strategy not only formaking the city’s growth sustainable, but better for residents and businesses. He said the need for a plan is even more evident when weighed against the mayor’s goal of growing the city to one million residents. “Where are those 250,000 additional people going to live? There needs to be a plan.” The benefits would be many, he said. Sewers, roads, new transit routes and amenities such as schools, recreation facilities, business districts and housing could be planned and budgeted years in advance, dispensing with the ad hoc nature of today’s development. “How does development happen in Winnipeg? A developer does all the work and then submits plans for approval,” he said. He also doesn’t accept the math that says existing homeowners subsidize new developments. “If you look at a home in an older neighbourhood, that owner might be paying $800 to $1,100 in property taxes,” he said, excluding school taxes, careful to point out he’s not accusing those residents of underpaying. “In Bridgwater, an owner might be paying $5,000, and he’s the pariah?” As an example of how improved planning is far from altruistic, Leinberger pointed to Denver, Colo., where a progressive mayor, who is now Gov. John Hickenlooper, pushed through a light-rail line. The result was to unleash billions in private investment along that line, which reshaped the city into a preferred destination for knowledge-based industries. “I think Denver could disrupt Silicon Valley as the hotbed of innovative technologies,” Stuart Wall, CEO of New York-based Signpost, wrote in an article extolling the virtues of Denver’s transformation on politico. com. He recently opened a 30-person satellite office in Denver’s downtown, according to the article. “If I were to do it all over again, I’d consider having our headquarters here and our satellite office in New York.” Denver’s past devotion to the automobile had residents invoking the term ‘Houstonization,’ referring to uncontrolled sprawl. Today, even Houston is rethinking the wisdom of sprawl. While Winnipeg might be a bit behind the curve on promoting walkability, Lukes sees signs she finds encouraging. She points to Bridgwater Forest, which is dominating her time lately and it’s mostly due to sidewalks. People want to use the sidewalks, but the city has to co-ordinate with snow removal teams because the sidewalks are right next to the streets, and windrows pile up and block pedestrians. “It’s such a walkable neighbourhood,” she said. “And I think you’ll see once we finish building it out, with its town square, we really are striving for a neighbourhood where you have that density, that collection of services to walk to.” Bellamy, meanwhile, likes the idea of Bridgwater’s town square, but questions the logic of enclosing it between the two directions of a major traffic route such as Kenaston Boulevard. Lukes also pointed to Phase 2 of the southwest transit corridor as evidence the development community is starting to warmup to the idea of building neighbourhoods and not house farms. “I see it all the time, developers are buying up properties in the Parker and Byng areas. They know the corridor is coming,” she said. “I see it at the appeals committee, because all the neighbours are complaining.” The Parker leg of the transit corridor has its share of critics, and none more so than Moore, even though his members would benefit from building new homes in the area. He said moving the leg to such a low-density area robs the city of many of the benefits the corridor was to provide. Yet Moore said where 20 years ago, 80 per cent of all new housing starts were single-family, the pendulum has swung: now 55 per cent of starts are multi-family, a trend he thinks bodes well for walkability. Whatever the challenges, Lukes agreed demand is starting to swing, and said the market will have the greatest impact on what developers and the city decide to build. “I think people are realizing it’s good for your health and it’s good for the community.” Today, Robert Keizer shares his apartment with his girlfriend, but said his love of a walkable community won’t end should his home life one day grow to include a family, or even a house. “I don’t think I’ll ever live anywhere but the Village or Wolseley,” he said. “I love being able to walk to anything I need.” kelly.taylor(a)freepress.mb.ca

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AT Webinar Invite - University Curriculum for Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, Wed, Feb 15, 2-3pm, EcoCentre
by Beth McKechnie 09 Feb '17

09 Feb '17

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. RSVPs appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth * * * * * *Growing the Movement - University Curriculum for Pedestrian and Bicycle ProfessionalsWednesday, February 15 | 2:00 - 3:00 pm CST * *Presenter*: Kristen Brookshire, University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center Kristen Brookshire, Research Associate at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, has been involved in the development of guidance documents and research reports for a variety of audiences, including a primer for state highway transportation officials and an evaluation of child pedestrian safety curriculum. Through the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center and the Walk Friendly Communities program, Kristen continues to develop resources and provide technical assistance on planning, designing, and developing programs that support walking and bicycling. -- *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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Pedestrian and Cycling Projects | St. Boniface and St. Vital
by Beth McKechnie 06 Feb '17

06 Feb '17

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Blackie, Erika <BlackieE(a)mmm.ca> Date: Fri, Feb 3, 2017 at 1:49 PM Subject: City of Winnipeg Pedestrian and Cycling Projects Hello, The City of Winnipeg is planning two pedestrian and cycling projects in the St. Boniface and St. Vital neighbourhoods. Please see the attached notice to learn about the projects and how to participate in a survey and online interactive mapping tool. This is the start of the public engagement process and as a representative of an organization which may have interests in the project, we encourage you to get involved. Direct link to the Southeast Corridor website: http://www.winnipeg.ca/ publicworks/pedestriansCycling/walkbikeprojects/southeastCorridor.stm Direct link to the Seine River Crossing website: http://www.winnipeg.ca/ publicworks/pedestriansCycling/walkbikeprojects/seinerivercrossing.stm Please distribute the notice through your networks (French and English is attached). Thank you, [image: cid:image003.png@01D12050.42492F20] *Erika Blackie, MCP* Junior Planner Planning & Development *MMM Group Limited* 111 - 93 Lombard Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 3B1 *T:* 204-943-3178 x 3895 <(204)%20943-3178> *F:* 204-943-4948 <(204)%20943-4948> *E*: blackiee(a)mmm.ca www.mmmgrouplimited.com | www.wspgroup.ca We invite you to explore our new MMM Group website. Visit mmmgrouplimited.com <http://www.mmmgrouplimited.com/> to learn who we are, what we do, and how we work. Reach out to an expert, view creative solutions to challenging projects, and learn about how we live our purpose – to *Enrich the Quality of People's Lives*. *The information contained within this e-mail transmission is privileged and/or confidential information that is intended solely for the use of the party to which it is addressed. Its dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, or are not named as a recipient within such e-mail, please immediately notify the sender and also destroy any and all copies you have made of this e-mail transmission.* *Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail and/or its attachments.* ------------------------------ You are receiving this communication because you are listed as a current WSP | MMM Group contact. Should you have any questions regarding the MMM Group Limited electronic communications policy, please consult our Anti-Spam Commitment http://mmmgrouplimited.com/anti-spam-commitment. For any concern or if you believe you should not be receiving this message, please forward this message to caslcompliance(a)wspgroup.com so that we can promptly address your request. This message is intended only for the addressee and may contain information which is privileged, confidential, proprietary, or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, you are strictly prohibited from disclosing, distributing, copying, or in any way using this message. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender and delete any copies you may have received. ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vous recevez cette communication car vous faites partie des contacts de WSP | MMM Group. Si vous avez des questions concernant la politique de communications électroniques de MMM Group Limited, veuillez consulter notre Engagement anti-pourriel http://mmmgrouplimited.com/anti-spam-commitment. Pour toute question ou si vous croyez que vous ne devriez pas recevoir ce message, prière de le transférer au conformitelcap(a)wspgroup.com afin que nous puissions rapidement traiter votre demande. Ce message est destiné uniquement au destinataire et il peut contenir des informations privilégiées, confidentielles ou non divulgables en vertu de la loi. Si vous n’êtes pas le destinataire du présent message, il vous est strictement interdit de le divulguer, de le distribuer, de le copier ou de l’utiliser de quelque façon que ce soit. Si vous avez reçu la présente communication par erreur, veuillez en aviser l’expéditeur et supprimer le message.

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Jack Frost Challenge!
by Beth McKechnie 06 Feb '17

06 Feb '17

Hi everyone: Please share widely. - thanks! Beth * * * * * Greetings, Are you and your co-workers/family/friends/classmates participating in *The Jack Frost Challenge* this year? Every year in February, hundreds of Manitobans prepare for a bone chilling and heart-warming event in Bougeons en Hiver: The Jack Frost Challenge <http://greenactioncentre.ca/featured/bougeons-en-hiver-jack-frost-challenge/>. Participants across the province sign up to skate, cross-country ski, run, snowshoe, cycle and walk a total of 130 km during the week, either as a team (of up to five) or individually. This can include your active commute to/from work, or any active time you spend outdoors. Create teams within your office and see who can get the most km! Everyone loves some friendly competition! *Date*: Feb. 12th - 18th, 2017 *Jack Frost week at a glance:* Sunday: Jack Frost Challenge Kick Off | February 12th, 11am – 3pm @ The Forks Come skate, ski, walk or bike the River Trail to kick off The Jack Frost Challenge. Look for our booth near the wharf/water taxi and enjoy some treats and warm hot chocolate! This is the chance to get outside with some like-minded friends and enjoy the some winter recreation! We will also be offering guided skates to the Legislature, every hour on the hour. Monday: Glide into the week Sharpen those skates! We challenge you to put metal to ice and track some Kilometers on skates today! Don’t you know the river trail is open?! Tuesday: Skis, please Pack up the car, pick up a few friends and head out to do a lap or two on your skis! Join Green Action Centre’s Justin Quigley at the Harbourview Trail at 5:15 pm for a group ride. He’ll be your snowy valentine on Tuesday Feb 14th. Wednesday: Get schooled Calling all classrooms! Spend some time outdoors and tag #JackFrostChallenge and @GreenActionCtr on social media so we can see all the fun you’re having. Tag a nearby school to challenge them to get out there, too! Thursday: Team up! Why don’t you air out those hump day blues with your pals around the office? Post a pic of your team out in nature for your lunch hour or break #JackFrostChallenge. Friday: Chill out What’s the rush? Why don’t you walk to work today or get off the bus early and soak up some cool air for a few blocks before you get to your desk? Saturday: Wrap Up Party | February 18th, 4pm-6:30pm @ The Common Cap off The Jack Frost Challenge by enjoying a fun afternoon at the Forks with your friends, old and new, who participated alongside you during the challenge! We’ll also be cheering on the participants of Actif Epica, a grueling 130 km winter bike ride across the prairies, whose finish line is at the forks the same day. • Free Beer ticket for Jack Frost participants 18+ • Snacks and indoor games • We’ll be announcing some of our prize winners live at 5 pm. Show off your frosty face or Jack Frost fun by tagging @GreenActionCtr or using #JackFrostChallenge on IG, Facebook or Twitter for the chance to win a prize! *Register <http://greenactioncentre.ca/healthy-travel/bougeons-en-hiver-the-jack-frost…> your team today!* *Registration Reminder: * Feb. 22nd, 23rd - Ridematching Info Session: Bringing RideShark to Winnipeg <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/regional-ridematching-info-session-bringing-rid…> March 15th - The Future of Workplace Commuting: Sustaining A Healthy Business, Daytime Roundtable <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-future-of-workplace-commuting-sustaining-a-…> March 15th - The Future of Workplace Commuting: Sustaining A Healthy Business, Evening Keynote <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-future-of-workplace-commuting-sustaining-a-…> -- *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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Reminder: Winter Cycling Network Priorities Workshop & Presentation Today
by Mark Cohoe 03 Feb '17

03 Feb '17

HI, Just a reminder that this event takes place today at the West End Cultural Centre. Join Bike Winnipeg on Friday, February 3rd for a presentation by local cycling expert Anders Swanson on policies and procedures needed to maintain a winter cycling network, then stick around to provide your ideas on how to make winter cycling work in Winnipeg. For those in a rush to get on with the weekend, you can also stop by before Ander’s presentation to share your ideas and help up put together a proposal for a winter cycling “priority” network for Winnipeg. Sign up for the Facebook Event <https://www.facebook.com/events/688454561331874/> and invite friend Anders’ presentation will be a “dry run” of a presentation he will give a week later for an international gathering of experts in Montreal as part of the Winter Cycling Congress <http://www.velo.qc.ca/wcc/?lang=en>. Your feedback and critique will be most welcome. The presentation intends to cover the high-level framework governing a bike-friendly winter city. He will delve specifically into the work he did winter design/maintenance guidelines for Stantec and the City of Calgary’s new downtown cycle track network (which famously had its 1,000,000th trip and became permanent just recently). Ander’s talk will cover specific maintenance best practices, policy steps and communications strategies needed to provide a well-maintained winter cycling network. Aspects of design targeted to walking and the benefits to people in wheelchairs will also be covered. and prep the attendees to provide helpful feedback while picking “routes” for Winnipeg’s “priority” network. *Date*: Friday, February 3rd *Drop in Collaborative Workshop*: 4-8pm *Presentation*: 5:30 – 6:00 pm *Location*: Assiniboine Credit Union Hall, West End Cultural Centre 586 Ellice Avenue (@ Sherbrook) Winnipeg, MB Mark Cohoe Executive Director Bike Winnipeg

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Walk Bike Pop-up Events and Surveys
by Beth McKechnie 03 Feb '17

03 Feb '17

[image: City of Winnipeg - Public Engagement News] <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/180/10/> New Opportunities for Engagement with the City of Winnipeg *Join us and share your input on the West Alexander to East Exchange Corridor, Southeast Corridor and Seine River Crossing pedestrian and cycling projects* Help shape plans for a number of pedestrian and cycling projects. Several opportunities to provide input on the West Alexander to East Exchange Corridor, Southeast Corridor and Seine River Crossing pedestrian and cycling projects are available and coming up. West Alexander to East Exchange Corridor The goal of this project is to balance the needs of stakeholders and improve travel choices, accessibility and connectivity by developing options to improve the existing painted bike lanes on McDermot Avenue and Bannatyne Avenue to protected infrastructure so that they are comfortable for people of all ages and abilities. Provide your input online through a survey <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/857/18/> at www.winnipeg.ca/walkbikeprojects <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/858/19/> until February 21 or join us at a pop-up event on Winter Bike to Work Day on February 10: • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Bronuts, C-100 King St <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/870/20/> • 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Red River College, Loewen Atrium, 160 Princess St <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/860/21/> • 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Across the Board Cafe, 211 Bannatyne Ave <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/861/22/> • 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. at Boon Burger Cafe, 141 Bannatyne Ave <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/862/23/> Online Engagement Opportunities with the City of Winnipeg *Southeast Corridor * The goal of the Southeast Corridor Study and Design, along the area around Des Meurons Street and St. George Road, is to provide a pedestrian and cycling facility that allows people of all ages and abilities to walk or bike from the Bishop Grandin Greenway to the St. Boniface neighbourhood. Visit www.winnipeg.ca/walkbikeprojects <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/863/24/> to learn more about this project and to provide your input through an online survey <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/864/25/> and mapping tool until February 16. *Seine River Crossing* The Seine River Crossing project is a study to identify a preferred location for a new pedestrian and cycling crossing over the river. Participate in a survey <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/865/28/> until February 16 or find more information at www.winnipeg.ca/walkbikeprojects <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/866/29/>. *Chief Peguis Greenway Extension* Thank you to all who attended the open house on January 31. If you were unable to attend, please review the open house materials <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/867/32/> and complete the online survey <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/868/33/>. The online survey will be available until February 14, 2017. For more information, please visit winnipeg.ca/chiefpeguisgreenway <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/869/37/>. Connect with us Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/CityofWinnipeg <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/182/38/> Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/CityofWinnipeg <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/183/39/> Share this mailing with your social network by clicking on the appropriate link: [image: Facebook] <http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3a%2f%2fcowsvpelms01%2ecityofwinn…> [image: Twitter] <http://twitter.com/home?status=http%3a%2f%2fcowsvpelms01%2ecityofwinnipeg%2…> Related Office of Public Engagement <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/184/40/> OurWinnipeg <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/91/41/> Winnipeg.ca <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/93/45/> Unsubscribe If you do not want to receive these emails anymore, unsubscribe <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/86/46/>. Please *do not reply to this email*. This e-mail was sent from a notification-only address and replies are not monitored. Mailing address: City of Winnipeg, 510 Main Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3B 1B9 Privacy Statement The City of Winnipeg values your privacy. We do not sell or share your personal information with third parties. You are receiving this email as a result of your signing up for the Public Engagement newsletter list offered on the City of Winnipeg website <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/94/47/>. You may unsubscribe or change your subscription options <http://cowsvpelms01.cityofwinnipeg.ca/t/543862/217461/86/53/> at any time.

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Fw: UMSU Bike Kiosk Coordinator position
by Jessie Klassen 01 Feb '17

01 Feb '17

Hello There, The U of M Students Union (UMSU) is hiring a coordinator for their new bike kiosk, opening April 2017. Details below and also attached. Thanks! Jessie Jessie Klassen | MA Transportation Planner | Office of Sustainability | University of Manitoba 501 Fitzgerald Bldg | Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 | 204-474-8368 UMSU Bike Kiosk Coordinator Share your passion and experience for cycling with University of Manitoba students, staff and community by being the inaugural Coordinator for the new Bike Kiosk at the University of Manitoba, to be opened Spring 2017. This is a brand new facility at the Fort Garry Campus, with phased-in growth planned. The successful candidate is driven, patient, flexible and open-minded. We are looking for someone with enthusiasm, commitment, mechanical aptitude, and a true ambassador of cycling in Winnipeg. If you are a team player, great with people and bikes, consider applying today. Include your salary expectations in your cover letter. Position would start prior to facility opening. Responsibilities: * Maintain a clean and organized environment - tools, parts, customer records, daily deposits * Managing part-time staff and a team of volunteers * Managing outreach and educational goals of the Bicycle Kiosk * Previous bicycle repair experience required - wheel building, truing, repair & change tires, brakes, crank arms, derailleurs, chains; suspensions of a wide variety * Plan and host regular outreach events and workshops related to bicycle repairs, maintenance, safety, group rides; participate in community bike events * Pursue grants, sponsorship and fundraising opportunities, and oversee the budget for the Qualifications: * Experience repairing bicycles * Problem solver, ability to multi-task & quick thinker * Outgoing, loves helping others * Experience managing people - staff or volunteers * Excellent communication skills * Self-motivated * Retail experience in a service or repair setting * Experience managing budgets 37.5 hours per week Salary Commensurate with Experience Application Deadline: February 16, 2017 4:00pm Interested applicants should forward their cover letter & resume to: Bike Kiosk Coordinator Selection Committee University of Manitoba Students' Union Room 101 University Centre University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Fax: (204) 269-1299 E-mail: umsu(a)umsu.ca

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WFP: Residents enthusiastic about walking-cycling trail plan (Feb.1'17)
by Beth McKechnie 01 Feb '17

01 Feb '17

*Residents enthusiastic about walking-cycling trail plan * http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/residents-offer-thumbs-up-to-walking… [Note: If you missed the open house, find the storyboards (under Documents) and online survey (under Engage) here <http://www.winnipeg.ca/PublicWorks/pedestriansCycling/walkBikeProjects/Chie…> .] IF they build it, Gloria Sampson will bike it. Sampson, who would only give her age as “in the seventh decade,” gave thumbs-up to the city’s proposal to build a greenway walking-cycling trail on Chief Peguis Bridge, connecting Henderson Highway and Main Street. The city held an open house Tuesday evening at Red River Community Centre to show the proposed design and gauge reaction. The trail would start on the north side of the bridge and proceed west until before the river, then loop under the bridge to the south side. On the south side, the current sidewalk would be extended by a metre to make it 2.5 metres wide, all the way to the traffic lights on Main Street. An additional trail would be built extending another 400 metres from Main Street to Frog Plain Park. The system would allow cyclists to bike from the south end of Kildonan Drive all the way to Chief Peguis Trail and Frog Plain Park. The loop under the bridge is required to take advantage of city-owned property— and for safety purposes because part of Chief Peguis Trail’s south side is hidden behind a sound wall. “I think it’s a good idea,” Swanson said. “It doesn’t require expropriating anything. It’s all city-owned land.” Aylen Mayor, 23, who cycles the Chief Peguis Trail regularly for recreation, also approved. “Cycling over the bridge is a safety issue, for sure. I was really scared the first time I went over,” Mayor said. There is only a narrow shoulder now for cyclists. “My dad uses that path every day, so it’s really important to have a safe path,” she added. The greenway is designated a moderate- to-highpriority in thepedestrianand cycling strategy, a 20-year master plan for walking and cycling in Winnipeg. There are two reasons for that, said Scott Suderman, a city transportation engineer. One is for “connectivity,” to link up with the greenway along Chief Peguis Trail between Henderson Highway and Lagimodiere Boulevard. The other reason is because northwest Winnipeg has been underserviced in transportation infrastructure, he said. The existing sidewalk on the south side of the bridge would be expanded by a metre to make it 2.5 metres wide. Expansion could be done without closing any lanes on Chief Peguis Bridge during rush hours, city officials said. Lighting and rest stops would be added throughout the trail system. Suderman said the greenway between Lagimodiere and Henderson Highway has proven so popular he has little doubt an extension would get plenty of use. “What the city finds is these pathways fill up with people,” he said. Next, a consultant will determine the cost, with a proposal put to council within a few months, officials said. Gord Tye, representing 20 Valhalla Drive apartments, was pleasedwith the walkway design because it doesn’t compromise the privacy of residents. bill.redekop(a)freepress.mb.ca

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WFP: Councillor blasts decision not to focus on improving safety for those on foot (Feb.1'17)
by Beth McKechnie 01 Feb '17

01 Feb '17

*Councillor blasts decision not to focus on improving safety at dangerous intersections for those on foot* * ‘Watch out, pedestrians’ * http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/collision-counts- take-priority-over-pedestrian-injuries-in-intersection- improvements-412329253.html PEDESTRIAN safety is taking a back seat to motorist safety at city hall. A civic committee Tuesday rejected a proposal that would target engineering improvements at intersections with the highest number of pedestrian/vehicle collisions. Luis Escobar, the city’s transportation manager, told councillors on the public works committee that his staff annually reviews all 1,900 intersections across the city and highlights for improvements those where the greatest number of traffic-related injuries or fatalities occur — and currently those intersections most dangerous to pedestrians don’t make that list. “While it is worthwhile looking at pedestrian collisions only, intersections with high collisions and all types of fatalities are important,” Escobar told the committee. “While I respect the desire to focus on pedestrians, it would be good to look at all intersections where there is a high level of injury and focus on those ones.” City council sets aside about $1 million annually to improve intersections that have a high frequency of collisions. Escobar was responding to a proposal from Coun. Janice Lukes and the Riel community committee, which passed a resolution requesting the public works committee direct the public works department to include the top 12 intersections considered most dangerous to pedestrians — according to Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) collision data — for this year’s engineering improvements. According to MPI’s most recent data for collisions between 2011 and 2015, there is no overlap of intersections where the most pedestrian/vehicle collisions and motor-vehicle collisions occur. Escobar said his department is preparing a list of the intersections that will be made safer in 2017, based on collision counts. To then include intersections most dangerous for pedestrians would cause unnecessary delay, he said. “To put all of that work aside and focus on (pedestrian collision intersections) would almost set back this year’s traffic engineering program,” Escobar said. Councillors on the public works committee agreed and voted to take no action on the proposal from Lukes and the Riel community committee. “I’m quite comfortable relying on our experts to tell uswhat is needed,” Coun. Marty Morantz, chairman of the public works committee, said. Lukes said Escobar’s rationale and the committee’s decision to support him demonstrate that the car remains Winnipeg’s No. 1 priority. “We are not putting the most vulnerable road user at the top of the priority list but at the bottom — so, watch out pedestrians,” Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) said. Lukes said vehicle-on-vehicle collisions vastly outnumber those involving pedestrians, adding that with the city’s current policy, pedestrian safety will never become a priority. Lukes, who built a career before coming to city hall advocating for pedestrians and cycling strategies, said city hall’s disregard for pedestrian safety is the exact opposite of the policy of the City of Vancouver, which she said targets intersections most dangerous to pedestrians for engineering improvements. Escobar did not provide the committee with the list of intersections to be improved this year. A civic spokeswoman said the intersection list has not been finalized, and the information won’t be released publicly before it’s presented to the committee. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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Resources for bike-ped counts & performance measurement
by Beth McKechnie 30 Jan '17

30 Jan '17

Hi everyone, In case you haven't come across these yet, here are a couple of potentially helpful reports from the FHWA released in 2016: Bicycle-Pedestrian Count Technology Pilot Project <https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/countpilot/summary_…> which compares different types of counters and lessons learned Guidebook for Developing Pedestrian & Bicycle Performance Measures <https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/perfor…> including a toolbox for different contexts (see Chapter 4) (additional resources <https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/transportation_alternatives/performanc…> to Guidebook above including webinar recording and slides) cheers, Beth -- *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: Juice from sweet veggie clears ice from park's walking paths (Jan.30'17)
by Beth McKechnie 30 Jan '17

30 Jan '17

*Well, if that don’t beet all!* http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/well-if-that-dont-beet-all-412117503… IT’S a sunny Thursday afternoon in Assiniboine Park in January, but it feels more like an afternoon in March. Shouts can be heard from the toboggan run. A few skaters are leisurely cutting figure eights at the Duck Pond. All types of dogs, from scrappy black terrier mixes to big yellow labs, are gleefully leading around their humans. A group of moms with strollers walk and chat. Runners are neon blurs in the distance. Assiniboine Park does not hibernate in the winter. Claire and Marcel Major are among those enjoying a walk. They live in the area and when their young granddaughters are in town from Montreal, they make it a point to take them to the park for picnics or to the Zoo in the summer. “It’s a must-show,” Claire says. On mild days in the winter, they take their walks through the park. “I’ll tell you what’s nice about walking in the winter when it’s not too cold, it’s this,” Marcel says, pointing down to the path. “The sidewalks are nice and clear. Walking downtown is very difficult. It’s really nice here. You can do quite a bit of mileage and still stay clear.” That is perhaps the most striking thing about Assiniboine Park in the wintertime. You will always be able to find a place to walk or run. The not-so-secret secret to those down-to-pavement paths is beet juice. For the past five years, the Assiniboine Park conservancy has been using a made-in-Manitoba anti-icing mixture called Fusion 60/40, supplied by Collet Transport Inc. The solution is 60 per cent sugar beet juice, 30 per cent water, 10 per cent salt — and 100 per cent organic and biodegradable. “It doesn’t cause any damage to the trees, to the turf, or to the cars,” says Kaaren Pearce, the director of horticulture for the conservancy, the organization that manages the park. “It allows us to melt things and get down so that there’s traction. It turns the streets a bit brown in the winter time, but it gets down to pavement quickly.” The anti-icing solution, which doesn’t stain and has a slightly sweet odour, is spread on warmer days so it has a chance to bond to the pavement. On Thursday, when temperature hit -1 C, piles of rust-coloured slush lined many arteries of Assiniboine Park, inviting lots of commentary from passersby. “It smells like hot chocolate,” remarked a little girl dragging a pink toboggan behind her. Beet juice solutions and beet-sand mixtures are gaining popularity and are starting to replace traditional salt and sand mixtures in cities and towns all over North America, including La Broquerie and Dauphin in Manitoba. “Itwould be lovely if the City of Winnipeg could use it,” Pearce says. She even knows of a great trial spot: along Roblin Boulevard, so Assiniboine Park could grow trees and grass along that stretch of the park. Ice management is just one piece of the puzzlewhen it comes to keeping Assiniboine Park’s large network of paths, trails and roadways moving in the wintertime. Snow clearing is also a finely choreographed dance. After a heavy snowfall, the conservancy will prioritize places where it has the most visitors. “So Qualico (family centre), the pavilion, the zoo, the conservatory — and then our offices, so our staff can get in,” Pearce says. The crew on themorning shift, which starts at 6 a.m., makes sure the Zoo andmain entrances are done first thing so they can be open by 9 a.m. After that, crews go for themain paths and parking lots they know are used often. “Some paths don’t get done as quickly, butwe always try to make sure there are some paths open,” Pearce says. The evening shift goes into the zoo after hours to help out the morning crew. A few different pieces of equipment are used to get the job done, depending on the kind of precipitation that’s fallen. “If it’s wet, heavy snow, they’ll use a plow first and then go back through with a broom,” Pearce says. “If it’s light, they’ll use the broom first and then plow to scrape it lower. We try to get it as close to pavement as possible.” When that’s not possible, the focus is on making roadways and paths level. “The biggest thing is to keep people safe and moving,” Pearce says. “Once we push the snow back, we have to get it out of the way so people can see at intersections.” Keeping on top of snow and ice can’t be just reactive — it has to be proactive, too. Crews monitor weather forecasts so they can plan how to best use their time. As well, the conservancy pays close attention to howthe park is actually being used in the wintertime. That way, they can get a sense of which paths are being used by diligent snow-or-shine dog walkers orwhich routes are being relied upon by commuters who cut through the park. Crews took snowblowers through the English and Leo Mol gardens for the first time this year rather than having walkers forage paths of their own. After snow clearing comes maintenance. Crews push snow to places where they know there’s good drainage so the park doesn’t flood. Eventually, Pearce wants to look at installing cisterns so that snow could be used forwater in the summer. “That would be amazing for the gardens in a dry year,” she says. Of course, Assiniboine Park isn’t just a lovely place to take a walk or a run. It also works hard at being the kind of place where Winnipeggers can actively enjoy the season most closely associated with our city. “We have skiing, so we have a groomed trail,” Pearce says. “We have lots of places where people snowshoe. We have trails through the forest that they use for the heavy horses, so that’s a nice walking trail. The Duck Pond, obviously, for skating. “The Zoo is way better in the winter, in my opinion, because the animals are much more active,” she adds. Pearce credits her team, and howmuch they care about their work, with keeping the park accessible even when theweather doesn’t cooperate. “We know this park is important to people,” Pearce says. “It means a lot to people and their families. It’s closer for a lot of people, comparatively, than going out to the Whiteshell or something. People come down here and make snowmen. They really use it as their big yard, and that’s what we want to provide for people — a place where people can meet and play as families, all year round. It’s fun to see all the different coloured coats and little kids and puppies who are learning their newwalks in the snow.” Assiniboine Park is almost quite literally Dave and Jacqui Blanchard’s backyard, they live so close. The couple can be found outwalking the trails every second day; it used to be every day when their old border collie/lab was still with them. Jacqui points out how easy it is to take a space like Assiniboine Park for granted. “It’s so beautiful,” she says. “And it is well groomed. Very seldomdo we have to get around a snow pile, but we understand if we do. It’s a beautiful place, summer or winter.” “We want to be a world-class destination all year round,” Pearce says. “We’re still here in the winter. We still feed the animals, we still maintain the roads. You might as well come play with us.” jen.zoratti(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @Jen Zoratti

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