Montreal, July 13, 2022 – Vélo Québec today unveils the names of the 3 communities, 4 organizations and 2 campuses recognized at the 12e certification round VELOSYMPATHIC movement. In all, since the program began, 34 communities, 58 organizations and 26 campuses have demonstrated their commitment to making cycling a real transportation and leisure option for everyone.
RECOGNIZED COMMUNITIES, ORGANIZATIONS AND CAMPUSES
COMMUNITIES :
Bronze certification
- City of Sherbrooke
Honorable Mention
- City of Repentigny
- Côte-des-Neiges - Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Borough
ORGANIZATIONS :
Silver certification
- DNV
- PCI Industrial automation
Bronze certification
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police - C Division Headquarters
Honorable Mention
- Center Sablon
CAMPUS :
Silver certification
- Cégep de Sherbrooke
Honorable Mention
- ITHQ
Two new features were introduced during this certification round
- An application form specially adapted to the reality of post-secondary campuses, whereas until now they were evaluated in the same way as organizations. This will enable the panel of judges to better assess initiatives aimed at students and those aimed at employees. This adaptation is part of the Campus VÉLOSYMPATHIQUE project, funded by the Secrétariat à la jeunesse.
- For communities and campuses, an «Equity» component has been added. It is cross-cutting to the other dimensions evaluated, and aims to ensure greater inclusiveness in bicycle development efforts. To better understand the reasons for this change, read our article Why does the VÉLOSYMPATHIQUE movement include Equity in its certification?
«We're delighted to see the ranks of our certifiers swelling, and to note that many of them have made progress since their previous application. As citizens, employees and students adopt cycling more and more, our living, working and learning environments are competing inventively to meet their needs and encourage more people to get on their bikes. By adding Equity as a cross-cutting dimension to all our cycling measures, we hope to take into account the needs of people who, until now, have perhaps been less likely to opt for cycling», says Magali Bebronne, program director of Vélo Québec.
The certification approach: a continuous improvement process
Communities, organizations and campuses wishing to join the VÉLOSYMPATHIQUE movement fill in a comprehensive application form to describe their initiatives to develop a genuine bicycle culture.
An independent panel of judges assesses the applications submitted, based on the answers given in the application form and the results of a survey of local assessors. The committee then determines the level of certification to be awarded.
There are 5 levels of certification: bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond. Candidates who do not meet the certification criteria, but who demonstrate a clear commitment to the development of a bicycle culture, receive an honorable mention.
All candidates receive a feedback report with recommendations they can implement to continue their efforts.
Find out more about how applications are assessed, read this article.
Organizations, communities and campuses wishing to become involved in the VELOSYMPATHIC approach are invited to visit the www.velosympathique.com and sign up for information webinars for organizations, the communities and campus.
The next deadline for applications is October 7, 2022.
