New organizations and communities recognized by Vélo Québec!

Stéphanie Couillard

10 June 2019

Montréal, Monday, June 10, 2019- Vélo Québec today unveils the 4 communities and 15 organizations newly recognized by the VELOSYMPATHIC movement. The aim of the program is to encourage communities and organizations to make cycling a real transportation and leisure option for all.

«Vélo Québec congratulates all the candidates in this sixth round, whose many actions are helping to create and consolidate a cycling culture in their communities. This round of certification is also an opportunity to recognize the efforts invested once again by the communities of Bromont and Laval, and by the organizations Druide Informatique, Eco-compteur and Université de Montréal, all of which were submitting a 2nd application in spring 2019, after having been recognized by the program for the first time previously. Vélo Québec would also like to highlight the participation of major para-public institutions such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Hydro-Québec and the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, who are now part of the movement!» says Suzanne Lareau, President and CEO of Vélo Québec.

Recognized communities and organizations

Community component :

Silver certification :

Bromont

Bronze certification :

Laval

Honorable mention:

Candiac
Vaudreuil-Dorion

The certification judges' committee for the community section is made up of Andrée Lambert CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent, Alexandre Demers of the Regional Environmental Council of Estrie, Carl Clements from the Public Health Department of Outaouais, Jérôme Grenier of the Commission scolaire des Bois-Francs, Juan Torres of the Faculté de l'aménagement de l'Université de Montréal, Owen Waygood from École Polytechnique de Montréal, then from Richard Delisle retired from the Public Health Department and cyclist.

Organization

Gold certification :

Optel
Eco-Counter

Silver certification :

Computer Druid
University of Montreal

Bronze certification :

AV&R Montreal
AV&R Saint-Bruno
Carrefour de la solidarité internationale
Cégep de Sherbrooke
Société du parc Jean-Drapeau
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, C Division Headquarters
Hydro Québec, Jean Lesage Building

Honorable mention:

BD - Quebec City site
GRAME
L'Oréal Canada inc.
Cégep de Granby

The certification judges' committee for the organizations section is made up of Ben Valkenburg of the Montreal school board, Jean-Yves Bilodeau of CAE, Luc Surprenant of the Université de Montréal, Maude Leblanc of CADUS, Marion Maurin from MOBI-O, as well as Raphaëlle Devatine of Environnement JEUnesse.

The certification approach: a continuous improvement process

Communities or organizations wishing to join the VELOSYMPATHIC movement are asked to fill in a comprehensive questionnaire outlining their initiatives in the five areas essential to the development of a genuine cycling culture: Environment, Education, Encouragement, Support, Evaluation and Planning (the 5Es).

Candidates are then assessed by the panel of judges on the basis of the actions implemented in their community in each of the 5 areas of intervention, and taking into account the candidate's own realities (size, geographical location, etc.). 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. Certified communities and organizations are awarded a level of certification (bronze, silver, gold, platinum or diamond) based on the relevance and number of actions implemented in their community.

All candidates receive a feedback report with recommendations they can implement to continue their efforts. They are also invited to reapply after three years for organizations and five years for communities, in order to assess how far they have come.

Organizations and communities wishing to become involved in the VELOSYMPATHIC approach are invited to visit the VELOSYMPATHIC website. www.velosympathique.comwhere they can find all the details about certification, as well as numerous tools and resources to help them develop cycling in their communities. The next deadline for applications is October 4, 2019.

About the VELOSYMPATHIC movement

Launched by Vélo Québec in 2015, the VÉLOSYMPATHIQUE movement is inspired by the Bicycle Friendly America program, created in 1980 by The League of American Bicyclists, and implemented in Ontario by Share the Road Cycling Coalition in 2010.

The VÉLOSYMPATHIQUE movement is a project financed by the Green Fund as part of Action-Climat Québec, a program of the Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques stemming from the 2013-2020 Action Plan on Climate Change.

About Vélo Québec

Vélo Québec, a non-profit organization, has been bringing together the Quebec cycling community since 1967. Its mission: to promote cycling for all, for transportation, leisure and tourism. Its expertise is recognized throughout the international cycling community.

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