Summit Sessions

Day 1 Kickoff by Peter Ladner, Chair, BC Cycling Coalition

Welcome address by Mayor Don McCormick, City of Kimberley

Theme: Two Wheels, One Mission: Building a Bicycle Friendly Province.

Speaker: Eleanor MacMahon, Chair & Founder, Ontario Share the Road Cycling Coalition.

Session description: A passionate advocate for the safety of cyclists, Eleanor founded the Share the Road Cycling Coalition in Ontario in 2007 following the death of her husband, OPP Sergeant Greg Stobbart, killed by a careless driver while on a training ride on his bicycle. Since then she has served as MPP for Burlington, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, as well as President of the Ontario Treasury Board. She was instrumental in passing Ontario’s One Metre Safe Passing Law (2015) and creating Canada’s first Vulnerable Road User legislation in 2017. She is a former CEO of the Trans Canada Trail and former VP of University Relations at the University of Waterloo.

Theme: Thriving Together: Building Up the Local Economy through Tourism and transformation (Panel)

Speakers: Louise Pedersen, Executive Director - Outdoor Recreation Council of BC

Session description: Session description: In May 2025, the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC released a first-of-its-kind guide to help rural communities use outdoor recreation, trails, parks, and natural spaces—as a tool for economic and community development. The guide highlights the importance of aligning outdoor recreation with active transportation planning, local businesses, and community goals. This session includes a brief introduction to the guidebook, followed by a panel discussion with community representatives sharing real-world examples of how outdoor recreation and active transportation are strengthening local economies and improving quality of life.

Theme: AT Future equals Healthy Future: Advancing Community Health Across Generations (Presentations)

Speakers: Danielle Wiess, Director Transportation Initiatives - Transportation Service Area, Community Energy Association, and Diana Barboza, PhD candidate - REACT Lab, University of British Columbia, and Dr. Brent Hagel, Professor - CHASE Program, University of Calgary.

Session descriptions:

1. Linking Communities: Regional Collaboration in Motion by Danielle Weiss

This high-energy, 15-minute talk challenges the status quo and spotlights how rural, northern, and Indigenous communities in BC are already leading active transportation innovation. Through real-world stories and practical insights, we’ll reframe what innovation looks like—and where it comes from. Attendees will leave inspired, connected, and ready to scale locally rooted solutions that reclaim public spaces and reimagine mobility. The session wraps with a live challenge: connect, collaborate, and catalyze change in your own community.

2. Saving time or sweat? Designing cycling networks and policy to accommodate energy-conscious riders by Diana Barboza

Discover how cyclists’ preferences for saving time or conserving energy can reshape how we plan bike networks. This session shares data-driven insights and real-world scenarios to help transportation professionals design more inclusive, effort-aware cycling infrastructure that reflects the diverse needs of today’s riders.

3. Understanding features of the build environment affecting Child AT Safety and Injury by Dr. Brent Hagel.

The Child Active-Transportation Safety and the Environment (CHASE) program of research sought to understand which features of the built environment increase child active transportation (AT) and which reduce injury risk. Elementary school observations, police traffic collision reports for child pedestrians and bicyclists, and interviews with injured child bicyclists presenting to the emergency department were related to the built environment features in multiple Canadian municipalities. This information was supplemented with focus groups and key informant interviews (e.g., municipal planners) contextualizing the findings on the built environment features associated with child AT and injuries and the barriers and facilitators for safe and sustainable mobility choices for children.

Theme: Small Communities, Big Change: Scaling Active Transportation Innovations

Speakers: Jasmine Smith-UrbanSystems, Joe Mitchell-District of Summerland (tbc)

Session description: The District of Summerland's Transportation Plan utilizes a systematic methodology prioritizing safety, connectivity, equity, and ease of implementation. The methodology applied aims to overcome challenges commonly experienced by smaller communities, such as resources, by categorizing projects into phases to ensure progress and efficient resource use.

Theme: Small Communities, Big Change: Scaling Active Transportation Innovations

Speakers: Brendon James, Transportation Technologist - District of North Vancouver

Session description: The North Shore E-Cargo Bike Lending Program is a community-based initiative that provides residents with free access to electric cargo bikes through rec centres, local libraries and residential buildings. In this session, Brendon James will present key findings from the two-year pilot, including adoption trends, user demographics and participant feedback. The session will offer practical insights into the municipalities role in launching active transportation programs, overcoming barriers to adoption, and scaling micromobility solutions.

Theme: Trails and Paths to Reconciliation: First Nations Communities Building Bridges

Speakers: Kristi Denby-BCAFN

Theme: AT Future equals Healthy Future: Advancing Community Health Across Generations

Speakers: Xuedan Xu-GreenCommunitiesCanada, Joanne Kautz-Allard-SCY of BC

Presentation: School Streets in British Columbia: An Innovative Program to Create Healthier and Happier Communities

Theme: Thriving Together: Building Up the Local Economy through Tourism and transformation

Speakers: Venkatesh Gopal, CEO - movmi; Michael Glotz-Richter, Practice Lead, Transportation Planning and Policy - movmi.

Workshop: Stakeholder World Cafe, Decoding expectations and enabling impactful progress.

Theme: Small Communities, Big Change: Scaling Active Transportation Innovations

Speakers: Isobel Duxfield, Transportation Policy Expert and Cycling Journalist, and Moe Nadeau, Owner - Moe Nadeau Consulting, and Brooke Jackson, Coordinator - SheRides Nelson.

Session description: Adopting the approach “Small is Beautiful”, this session explores learnings from regional grassroots initiatives which are supporting gender diversity in active travel and biking for recreation. It examines how initiatives in the West Kootenays and the Lower Mainland have been developed and scaled; and provides practical support for others across BC to engage diverse communities and create lasting change.

Theme: AT Future equals Healthy Future: Advancing Community Health Across Generations

Speakers: Patricia (Trish) Dehnel, Principal - Dehnel Consulting, and Kerri Wall, Community Health Facilitator - Interior Health, Healthy Communities Program.

Session description: A Community Planner and Health Professional discuss community connectivity and active transportation to promote healthy lifestyles and mitigate climate change. With emphasis on interconnectedness of environment and connectivity to promote activity, healthy lifestyle and address preventable disease, this session highlights rural examples and funding programs available through BC Healthy Communities.

Theme: Trails and Paths to Reconciliation: First Nations Communities Building Bridges

Speakers: Santana Patten, Community Planner - City of Cranbrook

Theme: Trails and Paths to Reconciliation: First Nations Communities Building Bridges

Theme: Trails and Paths to Reconciliation: First Nations Communities Building Bridges

Speakers: Ciel Sander, President - Trails Society BC

Session description: Can we get the non-motorized intent of the Trans Canada Trail rail trails back? Globally, the rails to trails movement created popular long distance trails connecting rural communities. This will be a big dive identifying the value of rail trails for nature, transportation and recreation, tourism and health and fitness.

Theme: Trails and Paths to Reconciliation: First Nations Communities Building Bridges

Speakers: Peter Holton-Nelson Nordic Ski Club

Theme: AT Future equals Healthy Future: Advancing Community Health Across Generations

Workshop: AT Advocacy Roundtable

Coordinated by BC Cycling Coalition

Theme: Thriving Together: Building Up the Local Economy through Tourism and transformation

Session coordinators: Santana Patten, Community Planner - City of Cranbrook, and Austin Spademan, Head of City Partnerships - Bird Canada.

Theme: Small Communities, Big Change: Scaling Active Transportation Innovations

Session coordinators: Adam Schwartz, Program Director - Activate YYC, Federation of Calgary Communities, and Troy Pollock, Manager of Planning - City of Kimberley , and Justin Cook, Senior Planner - City of Kimberley.

Theme: Trails and Paths to Reconciliation: First Nations Communities Building Bridges

Coordinators: City of Kimberley, City of Cranbrook, Bird Canada

Description: Experience the best of both worlds. Participants get to ride Bird Canada's shared e-bikes down the beautiful Northstar trail from Kimberley to Cranbrook. The group will be able to witness the newly built and inaugurated Trail infrastructure as a key element to connecting the regional communities and encourage active travel use.

Theme: "Walk a Mile in my Shaky Shoes" How to Make Active Transport More Inclusive to all?

Speaker: Matthew Corkum

Theme: Thriving Together: Building Up the Local Economy through Tourism and transformation

Speakers: Colleen MacDonald-Let's Go Biking

Panel: Cycle Tourism, Why it Matters.

Theme: Thriving Together: Building Up the Local Economy through Tourism and transformation

Speaker: Alastair Craighead - Chair, FORTVI

Session description: Discover the evolution of active transportation in BC’s Capital Region and the transformative potential of a 290 km Island Corridor trail, supported by FORTVI’s feasibility study, background materials, and expert insights.

Theme: AT Future equals Healthy Future: Advancing Community Health Across Generations

Speakers: Molly Barkowsky, Children's Mobility and Active Travel Specialist - TransLink, and Tessa Williams, Transportation Planner - Urban Systems.

Session description: Learn how to support safer, healthier school neighbourhoods with new Provincial guidance on active school travel. You'll walk away with practical tools and an action plan to boost active school travel and tackle common challenges from communities around BC.

Theme: Small Communities, Big Change: Scaling Active Transportation Innovations

Speakers: Alex Leffelaar, Regional District of Central Kootenay

Session description: The Rural Mobility Working Group is a grassroots movement driven by local organizations, and coordinated by the RDCK. We aim to collaboratively advance a series of transportation pilots across the region over the next two years including shared mobility programs, active transportation networks, improved transit, and strategic advocacy teams. Together we are building momentum towards an integrated regional Mobility Mosaic.