A grant saw a Build-A-Bike program come to fruition in Portage la Prairie, involving the Portage la Prairie School Division, Southern-Health Santé Sud and Portage Active Transportation. Healthy Living facilitator Maureen Owens explains.

"The money for the workshop came from Southern Health-Santé Sud," says Owens. "It was a Healthy Together Now grant. Portage Active Transportation applied for that grant. The partnership with the school was about allowing us to use the École Arthur Meighen School power mech room to host the workshop. Division Superintendent Todd Cuddington is on the Active Transportation Committee."

The Wrench is a community bike shop in Winnipeg that sent a team out for two workshops in Portage. The program allows participants to attend the workshop and learn basic mechanic skills using a number of bicycle parts. Those who take part receive their own bikes to work on, and are able to take them home upon completion.

Workshop in session

It's opened for youth and adults, including anyone who may not have transportation, with advertisements having gone throughout the middle and high schools. Owens notes helmets are provided for youth as well as locks and lights to everyone. She says it's a win-win for people to learn bike skills and get linked to the Greasy Chain in Portage, a local bike repair service.

Owens says The Wrench in Winnipeg has workers who take bikes that were disposed in the dump and uses them to both save landfill space and provide refurbished bikes for those who need them.

The program requires registration, which, in turn, requires attendance to all three days, seeing as people progress through phases of repair work.

Portage Active Transportation Committee member Heather Bruce co-chaired the Recycle Bike program.

"We have had quite a few young people, like teenagers, which is great," explains Bruce. "We like to see that. And everybody who has participated in the program has really enjoyed it. There's an empowerment piece. When you learn how to do some basic mechanical things, it makes you feel pretty good about yourself."

Bruce says it's been a success. The first session took place back in March, and is the first of its kind in Portage. Two sessions were funded by the grant with eight people in each session. The sessions each were two and a half days, and the final day of the last session took place today. She notes they then planned a bike ride together to ride to the Greasy Chain, so they know where the local bike repair shop is located. There, they can become volunteers and earn credits toward purchasing parts or bikes. She notes the public can go to the Greasy Chain on Mondays, after it opens in May. Bruce says you can work on your bike at the location and people are there to lend a hand as well.

She adds the workshop program may continue next year if more funding is applied for and received. Bruce says their dream is to get a bike program in one or more schools where staff will have bike knowledge and run a bike club after school. She says this will get more kids involved in cycling and learn the know-how to repair a bike.