Latest news with #BikeShare
Cision Canada
3 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Bike Share Toronto and Tangerine Bring back Bike For Free Day
TORONTO, June 4, 2025 /CNW/ - On Saturday, June 14, 2025, Tangerine Bank and the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) are offering an easy and affordable way to explore the city with the return of Bike For Free Day. Courtesy of Tangerine, riders can enjoy unlimited 90-minute rides on June 14. Free rides can be accessed through the Bike Share Toronto App by selecting the Free Day Pass option and following the prompts. The 24 hours will begin when the Free Day Pass is activated and applies to both classic and e-bikes. The initiative kicks off the summer bike season with a fun and free way for Torontonians to get around our vibrant city on two wheels and celebrates another year of partnership between Tangerine and Bike Share Toronto. "Every year, more and more Torontonians are cycling, and trying Bike Share Toronto" said Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. "As a proud cyclist myself, I know that biking is an affordable, fast, and environmentally friendly way to get around the city – and a great form of exercise. To support cyclists and keep people safe, we are working on a win-win solution to fight traffic while protecting bike lanes, expanding our city's cycling network and upgrading our infrastructure. I encourage everyone to enjoy cycling on this Bike For Free Day as they explore everything Toronto has to offer!" "Tangerine is excited to bring back Bike For Free Day again this year, and what a great way to ride into the summer season together!" says Natalie Jones, Chief Marketing Officer at Tangerine Bank. "We continue to be proud to partner with Bike Share Toronto and we're committed to moving Toronto forward—in their travels around the city and with their money." Bike Share Toronto has seen strong growth in recent years. In 2024, almost 7 million rides were taken on a Bike Share Toronto bike. The program saw a 144% increase in e-bike rides, annual memberships grew by 14%, and there were 165,000 users who tried Bike Share for the first time. "Bike Share Toronto is now one of the fastest growing bike share programs in North America," said TPA president Scott Collier. "Together with our partner Tangerine Bank, we are helping to keep people moving with choice, ease and speed. We encourage everyone to take advantage of a free ride on June 14." To participate in Bike for Free Day, download the BST app, select the Free Day Pass option by following the prompts, then visit your closest Bike Share Toronto station to start riding! About Tangerine Bank Tangerine is one of Canada's leading digital banks, empowering over two million clients to reach their goals and move their finances forward. Known for a simple-to-use digital and mobile experience, Tangerine offers everyday banking products without any complicated hoops to jump through. From saving and spending to investing and borrowing, Tangerine's products are designed to meet the unique needs of Canadians. Tangerine's commitment to putting clients first has earned the bank recognition as the #1 Bank in Canada by Forbes in 2025 and the most awarded midsize Bank by the J.D. Power Canada Retail Banking Satisfaction Study for 13 consecutive years as of 2024*. Tangerine Bank was launched as ING DIRECT Canada in 1997. In 2012, Tangerine was acquired by Scotiabank and operates independently as a wholly owned subsidiary. Tangerine is a registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under license. *Tangerine has won more awards than any other brand among midsize banks in the J.D. Power Canada Retail Banking Satisfaction Studies from 2006-2024. Visit for more information. About Toronto Parking Authority Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) is North America's largest municipally-owned operator of commercial parking, owns and operates Canada's largest municipally-operated EV charging network, and manages Bike Share Toronto, North America's third largest bike share program. TPA's vision is to become the world's best provider of sustainable parking, bike share and last-mile mobility experiences for our customers, our partners, and our city.
Globe and Mail
27-05-2025
- Globe and Mail
Toronto's public spaces need results
Summer is coming. And with it, the weekend pilgrimage to Toronto Island Park will begin for thousands of visitors seeking the cool, green refuge across the harbour. But first, they'll endure a familiar ordeal: standing in a sun-blasted concrete pen, inching toward one of the city's aging ferries. Last week, Mayor Olivia Chow announced a modest package of improvements meant to ease the experience. But while the intention is right, the impact will be too little, too late. For the 1.8 million who visit the islands each year, meaningful change is still a long way off. Ms. Chow's new measures include 200 Bike Share bicycles on the islands, a freeze on ferry fares and expanded docking for private water taxis. There's also a vague promise of changes to the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and a newly approved study for a fixed link to the islands, such as a bridge. To be fair, Ms. Chow deserves credit for pushing to improve access to the park. Inexplicably, this was not a priority at City Hall under prior mayors. But symbolic gestures aren't transformation. Two hundred bikes? The need is closer to 2,000. A study for a bridge? Years of paperwork. This is not nearly good enough. What Toronto's public spaces need are quick wins and visible improvements. The problems are glaring, and some are easily fixable. The Layton terminal is too small, with little seating, no shade, few ticket booths and virtually nothing to eat or drink. On Centre Island, the ferry landing resembles a livestock corral. Here, there is some good news. The city is working with Waterfront Toronto on 'interim improvements to the ferry terminal over the next couple of years,' said Carol Webb, the organization's senior manager of communications and public engagement. This year will bring a temporary shade structure, some murals and some 'improvements to queuing and wayfinding.' But even this is overdue and too slow. The city should move faster. Put up commercial shade sails. Hire staff with handheld devices to sell ferry tickets on the spot. On the island side, add a cooling station, folding chairs and tables, another set of shade sails – and invite a coffee truck to park near the dock. All of this could be done by Canada Day. If it's not, why not? During the pandemic, Toronto showed it could move immediately to reconfigure public streets. There's no law that says every improvement must take years. This logic should extend across the city. Start with awnings, chairs and food vendors, then scale up to capital projects. Focus on busy and symbolic sites: Nathan Phillips Square, Old City Hall, the Union Station area, the zone around St. Lawrence Market, Mel Lastman Square and Scarborough Civic Centre. And add St. James Town, the densely populated neighbourhood where Ms. Chow grew up, whose streets and tiny park have been neglected far too long. Many of these sites have budgeted projects or finished plans. Nathan Phillips Square has a competition-winning design from 15 years ago that was never fully built. The ferry terminal? Another competition-winning design was selected in 2015. Then the idea vanished. The problem is a lack of focus and leadership. Toronto builds a lot in its public space: the Parks and Recreation department alone has a 10-year $4.3-billion capital budget. But few understand what is in that plan. The machine runs itself. And paper comes out. Airport to park: a bold vision for the Toronto Island Recently, the city completed a years-long 'master plan' for the Islands – produced by a team of cautious local consultants, full of platitudes. It missed a key element: the future of Billy Bishop Airport, which is critical to the islands but was deliberately excluded from consideration. The airport's land lease is scheduled to expire by 2045. Failing to plan ahead invites decades more indecision and missed opportunities. Meanwhile, action is needed. Reports don't make good places – people do. And they need basic amenities: bathrooms, seating, shade. They also need hope. This summer, Toronto doesn't need more vision documents, but visible proof that government can act and that public space can function here.
Hamilton Spectator
14-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
These small Hamilton workplaces unionized. Here's why that's ‘unusual'
The team at Democracy on Locke say they have struggled with understaffing, broken equipment and a lack of stability. Meanwhile, the crew at Hamilton Bike Share say they have relished in decent wages, strong benefits and a positive workplace culture. What is one thing the two teams have in common? Both recently unionized through the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2 — a development one local expert called an unusual gain for small workplaces in Canada. Democracy has roughly a dozen employees, while Bike Share has roughly two dozen. Smaller workplaces remain the 'least unionized in Canada,' said Stephanie Ross, an associate professor at the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University. In 2024, Statistics Canada data showed less than 14 per cent of workplaces with under 20 employees were unionized, compared to nearly 30 per cent of workplaces with 20 to 99 employees. By comparison, more than 50 per cent of workplaces in Canada with more than 500 employees are unionized, noted Ross. 'It is unusual for small businesses like (Democracy and Bike Share) to see unionization,' said Ross. 'The stats bear that out.' Hamiltonians might think of steelworkers, nurses, bus drivers and teachers belonging to unions — not the person repairing the blue bikes that zoom around the city, or behind the espresso machine making a latte. But that tide started to turn last fall when Bike Share ran a successful union drive, followed by Democracy this past winter. At Democracy, the main issues that led to unionization were broken equipment and understaffing, which led to burnout among employees, staffers Claire Dalingwater and Darian Poisson told The Spectator. Despite staff raising concerns with management, nothing had changed — and only escalated as a pair of employees walked out on the job, Dalingwater said. 'It wasn't working for customers either,' said Dalingwater. 'The level of service they were getting was way lower than we'd have liked it to be.' Poisson said she and her coworkers got together earlier this year and started chatting about their worries on the job — only to realize they all shared the same concerns. 'That was the first time that we had some inkling that we could do something about this,' said Poisson. A manager at Democracy told The Spectator they were 'surprised' to learn the team was joining a union, noting that they wished staff had 'approached (them) with some of their concerns' beforehand. 'Joining or not joining a union won't fix a coffee machine or stop someone from resigning to go back to school or take another job,' read the email, signed only with the name Robin, which noted that the café will work with the union. 'They have chosen unionization, and we respect that.' The shop has had 'breakdowns and repairs' of equipment, as well as regular turnover, but those issues are industry challenges management does '(their) best to stay on top of,' the email said. With unionizing, Dalingwater is hopeful employees see more stability, improved health and safety with equipment repairs and a more 'respectful workplace' where they can raise concerns without risk of losing their jobs. 'We're not planning to bargain ourselves out of a job,' said Poisson. 'All we want to do is bring a little bit of democracy to Democracy,' said Dalingwater. Staff at Hamilton Bike Share, pictured in this supplied photo, recently unionized with the help of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2. Meanwhile, at Bike Share, employees Elia Hamelin and Magnus Hara say their coworkers unionized to protect the working conditions they've come to cherish. With Bike Share being a non-profit, if there was a change in management or the board of directors, what makes the organization 'such a good place to work could be in jeopardy,' Hara said. 'In unionizing, we can solidify our conditions and make improvements on our already existing conditions,' said Hara. 'And as workers, have a bit more say in the goings on of our workplace.' They hope to protect positive relationships with management, decent wages, paid sick days, bereavement leave and vacation time, as well as a workplace culture that prioritizes employee well-being, Hamelin said. 'These are things that a lot of workers have to really fight for,' said Hamelin. 'They're already on our table, which is really special and we want to make sure it stays that way.' Hamelin admitted it took 'some convincing' to get the rest of the team on board, as things were already good at the non-profit. Staff began the journey toward unionizing in the fall. Hara noted management has been great to work with as they continue to negotiate a contract. Brock Bodo, an organizer with SIEU Local 2, told The Spectator that as of this spring, the union represented more than 20,000 workers across Canada. That includes roughly 700 workers in Hamilton, such as staff at Coven Market, Flamboro Downs, the Immigrant Working Centre, Wesley and hospitality service workers at McMaster University. The number of workers reaching out to the union has steadily grown, especially among those in the service industry — with many raising concerns about understaffing, low wages and high turnover, Bodo said. 'More people are calling us than before,' said Bodo. But unionizing isn't easy, said Ross, pointing to Amazon shuttering its Quebec logistics operations after workers successfully unionized. Those challenges apply to small businesses, too, said Ross, noting that those establishments are often 'more intimate,' where the owner might among the team and people feel greater loyalty to upper management. 'Small businesses tend to rely on those emotional ties and appeals to their workforce to try and prevent them from unionizing,' said Ross. But Ross said those conditions can help workers unionize, as staff tend to know one another well and have 'potential strong bonds of solidarity.' Ross noted there has also been a movement among staff of so-called progressive and socially conscious businesses that has given a 'little bit of wind in the sails' for the idea of unionizing, pointing to the ongoing Starbucks union drives in the United States. 'That demographic of young, socially progressive people is a more pro-union generation,' said Ross. '(They) have a higher expectation of what work should deliver to them.' Ross said the movement locally shows that everyday workers in Hamilton 'want to have a say over their working lives' — and shows other workers what could be possible. 'That is only to the good,' said Ross. 'It is important for people to feel that they have some control over their workplace and that they are meaningfully listened to by their employers.' 'Hamilton has always been a big union town,' added Bodo. 'It's good to see.'
