Categories
Green Transportation

The Bike Network is coming to City Council again!

On Tuesday, September 27, the Urban Planning Committee will meet to discuss bike infrastructure. On the agenda is Bike Network Redeveloping Area Completion Options, meaning the Committee will hear a report comparing varying timelines and cost estimates for completing bike infrastructure within the redeveloping area (this area covers most of the city within Anthony Henday Drive). See the Committee Agenda here (item 7.2)

Why is the bike network important? It’s critical infrastructure that can relieve congestion on high-traffic streets, which has trickle-down effects of lowering noise and emissions in the city, improving air quality, and slowing deterioration of roadway surfaces. The more that Edmontonians use the bike network, the more we reduce our need for gasoline and diesel, which makes us more prepared to withstand fuel shortages or the sky-high fuel costs we saw this past year. Lastly, the protected bike network is a safe, low-cost transportation option, which benefits people in demographics with lower rates of private car ownership (including youth, women, and low-income residents). With these interests in mind, the Tomorrow Foundation welcomes plans to expand high-quality bike infrastructure across the city quickly.

We encourage residents to submit a request to speak at this Committee meeting and let Council know why bike infrastructure is important to you (submission form here). You can speak to the Committee remotely from home or in-person at City Hall. We also encourage you to email the mayor and your councillor, particularly residents who are represented by the four members of the Urban Planning Committee: Sarah Hamilton of Ward sipiwiyiniwak, Aaron Paquette of Ward Dene, Ashley Salvador of Ward Métis, and Karen Principe of Ward tastawiyiniwak.

For those who want to engage Council but have never done so before, Paths for People is hosting 1-hour workshops to help prepare you! Their last scheduled workshop is on Saturday, September 24 at 11 a.m. MDT. See their Linktree landing page for sign-up info.

 

 

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Categories
Community Science

On Community Science

Tomorrow Foundation for a Sustainable Future will substitute the term “citizen science” with “community science” in future messaging about the Queen Alexandra Community Air Quality/Traffic Monitoring Pilot and any subsequent community science programs. There are a few reasons for the change, all having to do with maintaining equity and inclusivity in Tomorrow Foundation’s environmentalism work.

Why community science? “Citizen” as a legal term refers to a person who is recognized by law as a subject of a state. In the context of the Queen Alexandra project, it is constraining. Because an Edmontonian is not necessarily a citizen of Canada, citizenship is irrelevant to the project’s aims. Any interested community member is invited to become a participant.

Further, this decision is made with awareness of the history of Canadian citizenship, and with respect to those who may resist being defined as subjects of modern federal Canada (formerly the Dominion of Canada) or of the Commonwealth. The Tomorrow Foundation is based in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton) on Treaty 6 territory, and we are cognizant of the complicated relationship between Indigenous people and the federal state and Crown.

Environmentalism goes beyond political and cultural bounds. Promoting inclusion in environmental sustainability requires us to think critically about who informs our understanding of environmentalism and who can access that information. To that end, environmentalists should open the space to people with diverse backgrounds in sustainability and embrace knowledge about sustainable practices originating from other locales or cultures.

Considering the Tomorrow Foundation’s past history as a local information hub with far-reaching community connections, it is in our best interests to make environmentalism in Edmonton welcoming to a wide variety of contributors. We are following the lead of other organizations like the Audubon Society in announcing this change in terminology. While the term “citizen science” was originally chosen to empower amateur researchers in their roles, we are confident that “community science” is a more accurate descriptor for this project moving forward.

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