SP0225: Bringing the Flat Back to Campus

While the Flat Bike Collective has existed for many years, visibility and awareness have declined due to the SSMU building renovations displacing the collective off campus. An important role of the Flat is to educate and empower the McGill community to take part in active transport. This year, we would like to increase our visibility and outreach to the community especially at the beginning of the Fall semester. To do this, we want to participate in Velo Quebec's "Mon Campus a Velo" campaign, a Quebec-wide initiative, which McGill has notably not been part of in past years. In context of this campaign, we want to put on a few events at the beginning of the year to raise awareness for biking, the Flat Collective, and other bike resources available to students.

We have two main events planned: First, we want to organize a "Bikers Breakfast" where students who bike to campus can receive a free breakfast, as well as information on the Flat Collective and other bike collectives in Montreal. The second event will be an outdoor bike repair workshop put on by members of the Flat. Both events would be held at high-profile locations on campus, likely the McConnell Terrace and the Y-Intersection, respectively. We are requesting funding for needed permanent equipment (repair bike racks and tools), materials needed for the event, and marketing materials that can be used at the events and by the Flat Collective afterwards. We believe that taking advantage of the opportunity to participate in the Mon Campus a Velo campaign is the ideal opportunity to relaunch and revitalize the Flat Collective and promote bike use on campus.