In June 2023, I was hit by a car and seriously hurt while biking home in Brandon. Airlifted to Winnipeg for emergency care, where surgeons were unable to save my torn- off finger, I’m left today with ongoing rehab and a shoulder that will never fully heal. But I’m back on my bike, and the experience catalyzed my long-standing efforts to push for safer active transportation in Brandon.
I have used my status as a high-profile survivor of road violence to raise public awareness of the issue, successfully turning safe, accessible, and convenient active transportation into a main municipal election issue this past fall — universally endorsed by all candidates. I have also convened a broad group of like-minded local cyclists to form Bike Brandon, a grassroots advocacy and activism group that continues to keep this at the forefront.
Drawing on my deep well of media/journalism experience and contacts, my position, training, and skillset as the prominent Director of Marketing and Communications at Brandon University, and my passion and significant public profile as a civic advocate, I am ideally suited to ensure the success of this project in bringing the best of European- style active transportation and public space to Canada.