Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee Award for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

 It came as a surprise to me when I first received a letter from the City of Mississauga that I had been nominated and selected to receive a new award instituted by the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee for the City of Mississauga.

I had been negotiating with other cycling colleagues on who we should nominate for the Phil Green Award for 2025 (to be awarded in 2026) and there was general consensus on a candidate who had done much for cycling in Mississauga.  I am pleased to announce that he did win this prestigious award which was a well deserved acknowledgement to his persistence and passion for improving cycling infrastructure in Mississauga while encouraging many more people to consider cycling not just as recreation but as a viable way to commute making a conscious decision to improve their lives and that of others who were or would be suffering from the coming effects of climate change.

I was aware that there were a few more categories of awards created by the MCAC but was pleasantly surprised to learn that my Cycling Without Age - Mississauga initiative had qualified me for the category which acknowledged someone who included demographics not usually associated with cycling.  Having recently retired from 45 years in veterinary medicine, I was now able to spend more time on my Charity and having recently acquired a second trishaw for our program, was looking to expand our volunteer pool so that we could efficiently use our resources.

I am grateful to Vince for nominating me and all who supported him in this nomination.  Vince was also very helpful in servicing and upgrading the gearing on Marybelle, our new trishaw, so that we could negotiate the hills and slopes on the western part of the Waterfront Trail as the Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens.  He upgraded the rim tape in all three wheels, serviced the trishaw and recommended the cassette we needed to improve the hill climbing.  Due to personal commitments, Vicki ended up installing the 50 tooth cassette and tuning the derailleur on a 40mm hanger to allow us to smoothly switch gears.  

I look forward to many rides on Marybelle and am grateful to the MCAC for their foresight in creating this award.  As part of the award, I received two special bike lights for the trishaws and a Bluetooth speaker to keep our passengers entertained on their rides.

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