Bikes abandoned on GRT buses find new life with newcomers, refugees
CBC
Bicycles are left on buses or at bus shelters a lot more often than you might think, but rather than throw them away, these bikes are getting cycled back into the community.
Each year roughly 100 bikes end up at Grand River Transit's (GRT) Strasburg Road facility in Kitchener, Ont., and they are donated to a number of local groups who can put them to good use.
Most of the bikes come to the facility during the warmer months when more people take advantage of the good weather, said Matt Landowski, assistant manager of transit passenger amenities and maintenance.
Once a bike is brought to Strasburg, staff record the bike's serial number and description and try to work with police to get in touch with the owner.
"We run the serial number to confirm if the bike has been stolen, so we'll share information with police so that we can reconnect the bike with its owner," he said.
If the bike has not been reported missing or stolen, Landowski said they keep the bike separate from the unclaimed ones for a month in hopes that the owner calls GRT to get it back.
Sometimes a bike is picked up, but most of the time they go unclaimed, he said.
"At that point we try to get the bikes to other agencies that do have a need for bicycles to give to those who need them," he adds.
Landowski said donations go to children's camps, Recycles Cycles or local churches.
"It's nice to see that they aren't being wasted, especially if there is a need for it. It's nice to get them to people," he said.
The Waterloo Mennonite Brethren Church has been part of the GRT bike program for the last five years and donates the bikes to newcomer or refugee families settling in the region.
"It's so important for people who come to a new area and a new country to feel like someone cares," said Mary Ellen Tierney, one of the church's pastors.
She said for the families they support, a bike can mean many things: not just a mode of transportation, but also a sense of independence and community in their new home.
Families often settle in parts of the region that aren't close to bus routes, so having a bike can help them get to their ESL classes, to the grocery store and work.
The Government of Saskatchewan has introduced its long-promised involuntary treatment legislation on the final day of the fall sitting.
The Law Society of Ontario has suspended the licence of Deepak Paradkar, one of seven Canadians arrested in connection with alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding’s cocaine smuggling ring.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is getting rid of unlimited mental health benefits for staff, blaming ballooning costs and former administrators for implementing it without proper due diligence or oversight.
Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's TV and film studios and streaming division for $72 billion US, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood's most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer that has upended the media industry.
CBC Calgary kicks off its annual Make the Season Kind campaign this morning at Fratello Coffee Roasters.
CBC Newfoundland and Labrador is kicking off its annual holiday campaign, helping to raise money to support local food banks.
If all goes according to plan, at 6 a.m. AT on Saturday people working at the IWK Health Centre will become the test case for a generational change to Nova Scotia’s health-care system.
One month after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced what he called "generational" military spending, New Brunswick’s defence ecosystem is on high alert.
Miranda Mirlycourtois, 34, looks directly at the camera and makes a confession.
Saskatoon city hall says police spending is projected to be $2.6 million over budget this year. That pushes the city into a $1.2-million deficit position, according to a report that will be considered by city council next week.
Students at the University of Regina are days away from deciding whether a newly formed student association should become their official representative body.
All public schools on P.E.I. are closed Friday and thousands of Maritime Electric customers are without power as strong winds create hazardous travel conditions across the province.
Prince Rupert, B.C., residents are celebrating the holidays this year with coastal flair.