Member Spotlight: EnviroCentre
EnviroCentre is an environmental not-for-profit organization, located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Since 1999, they have been delivering programs and services aimed to reduce GHG emissions in communities. With a team of over 50 staff, they work in Ottawa and across Eastern Ontario. EnviroCentre’s three main work areas are Green Homes, Green Transportation, and Green City. Bikes have been a major area of their Green Transportation program; in 2024 they are marking 15 years of celebrating bikes in an annual campaign called Let’s Bike.
In 2023 EnviroCentre, in partnership with the Ottawa Climate Action Fund, commissioned a report that aims to change the conversation about bikeshare in the region. With bikeshare operations ceasing in 2018, some people have the perception that it couldn’t work in Canada’s capital city. The report highlights innovations, operating models, technologies, and examples of successful bikeshare systems to learn from, and recognizes that the time has never been better to reignite the conversation about bikeshare. For the report, they interviewed over 20 stakeholders from regional municipalities, businesses, and organizations, to get a cross-section of insights into how a bikeshare program would be used and the value it would bring to the city of Ottawa as well as the City of Gatineau, a neighboring municipality in the province of Quebec. They also compiled research and best practices that the region can look to as they determine the best approach for Ottawa-Gatineau.
On Monday, June 3rd, EnviroCentre is hosting an event to share the report, what they learned, and where they can go from here. The goal is to present a new vision of bikeshare in the region – one that recognizes that bikeshare is a missing piece of the local transportation network and inspires stakeholders to take the next steps to bring bikeshare back to Canada’s capital city.
When asked about the value of NABSA membership, they said that membership has allowed them to access amazing resources and learning opportunities. “It has opened the door for us to reach out to service providers and bikeshare operators to learn about models that are working elsewhere. The 2023 conference was extremely useful and inspiring and allowed us to see a bikeshare system in action and even behind the scenes. NABSA’s State of the Industry report and ongoing research and communication tools are helping us make the case that bikeshare would be a successful addition to our region’s transportation network,” said Elyse McCann, EnviroCentre’s Director of Business Development.
To learn more about EnviroCentre visit https://www.envirocentre.ca/.
