Richard Larouche, Allana LeBlanc, and Michael Borghese from the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group hosted a discussion panel on strategies to make cycling safer in Canadian cities on April 29th, 2014 at the War Museum in downtown Ottawa. The event was very successful with perspectives and opinions provided by the panel members and the audience. Thoughtful arguments emerged from various fields of expertise, including public health, medicine, politics, and city planning/engineering. While there are many strategies that we can use to make cycling safer in Canadian cities, there is no one solution. The discussion panel served as a forum to discuss how we can use many strategies simultaneously to improve cycling safety, and has set the stage for continued discussion.

Gil Penalosa, Executive Director, 8-80 cities

Gil advises decision makers and communities on how to create vibrant cities and healthy communities for everyone regardless of social, economic, or ethnic background. As Executive Director of the Canadian non-profit organization 8-80 Cities for the past 8 years, Gil has worked in over 150 different cities in all continents. He is also the former Commissioner of Parks, Sport and Recreation for the City of Bogota, Colombia.

Dr. Michael Vassilyadi, Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Ottawa

As part of his duties, Dr. Vassilyadi teaches medical students, residents and fellows. Dr. Vassilyadi is an advocate for head and spine injury prevention. He is the Director of the Ottawa chapter of ThinkFirst-Parachute.

Dr. Patrick Morency, Professeur adjoint de clinique à l’Université de Montréal

Dr. Morency is a community health and preventive medicine specialist working at Direction de Santé Publique de Montréal, where he provides an expertise in injury prevention. Dr. Morency’s research focuses on the transportation system, road injuries and active transportation.

David Chernushenko, Ottawa City Councilor

David Chernushenko is an Ottawa city councilor. He recently produced Bike City, Great City, a documentary that illustrates how cities that are better for cycling, are better for everyone. He has recently contributed to the adoption of a Complete Streets Policy within the City’s Transportation Master Plan.