BTAC Delegation Meets with Federal Policy Advisors
On January 26th a delegation from the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada (BTAC) visited senior policy advisors to the federal ministers of Finance and Environment to discuss the role that cycling has to play in reducing Canada's Greenhouse Gas emissions and in improving the health of Canadians. The delegation consisted of Paul Nielsen, Chairman; Janet O'Connell, Executive Director; Pete Lilly, BTAC Board member and Usman Valiante, Director, Cycling Advocacy The trip to Ottawa was in anticipation of the forthcoming federal budget and the federal government's plan to address climate change.
BTAC suggested that the two key drivers to increasing bicycle use as urban transportation are better and safer urban cycling infrastructure, and making quality bicycles more affordable to Canadian cyclists.
BTAC's extensive research on cycling activity in other jurisdictions has found that cycling specific municipal infrastructure which provides for safe cycle commuting, bicycle parking and inter-modal transportation exchanges (whereby cyclists can board buses and trains with their bicycles as part of their commute) is critical to inducing cycling transportation. BTAC has also found that almost 25% of the final sale price of a quality commuter bicycle is comprised of tariffs, duties, GST and provincial sales taxes. Based on this research, the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada pointed out that at a time when governments are considering tax rebates and other mechanisms to encourage consumers to buy more fuel efficient vehicles, that bicycles
- which are the most energy efficient vehicles on Canadian roads - are equally worthy of consumer financial purchase incentives.
The meetings with the federal government were very positive and were buoyed by the government's earlier decision to not implement the Canadian International Trade Tribunal's recommendation to levy a 30% surtax on imported bicycles.
BTAC will continue to work closely with the federal government and other cycling advocates in Ottawa to ensure that bicycles form an important component of the federal government's strategy to reduce greenhouses gases and improve the health of Canadians. The next step in BTAC's advocacy will include introducing more detailed proposals on financial incentives to cycling consumers and working with the federal government on a plan for allocating federal monies to municipalities specifically for cycling transport and inter-modal public transit infrastructure.
