August 22, 2017

KINGSTON, ON – Today, the AMS Executive announced that, effective immediately, Bikes and Boards will transition into a club and will no longer be an AMS-administered corporate service. This decision was made by a resolution of the AMS Board of Directors after the completion of a series of review processes.

The Board determined that the service as presently constituted will not be financially viable in the long-term due to rising operational costs and competition in the local Kingston area. Continuing to operate as a corporate service would mean focusing on revenue generation, which would then result in significant price increases, detracting from its initial mandate to promote sustainability by facilitating active transportation.

“We are confident in the continued success of this student-run initiative” said Jennifer Li, AMS President, on behalf of the Executive. “The investments we have made in Bikes and Boards over the last several years will serve students for years to come.”

The new club, which will retain the name Bikes and Boards, will inherit the assets and inventory of the former service, and has been awarded a $2,500 grant from the Board of Directors. It will continue to operate from its present location in JDUC 046 and will be exempt from space cost recovery charges for the remainder of 2017-2018 in order to foster its continued success.

In an article posted today to the AMS website, Vice-President (University Affairs) Palmer Lockridge expressed that this will allow Bikes and Boards to “better serve its mandate and allow it to thrive going forward.”

Please direct all media inquiries to Craig Draeger, AMS Director of Communications, at communications@ams.queensu.ca or (613) 533-6000 x 75850.

BACKGROUNDER

Alma Mater Society (AMS) – https://www.myams.org

The central undergraduate student government at Queen’s University, the AMS represents over 17,000 students and is the oldest student government in Canada. It has over 1,000 student volunteers and 700 paid staff.

Bikes and Boards — http://bikesandboards.ca/

Bikes and Boards was started as an AMS service in 2013-2014 and provides the student community with low-cost bicycle and longboard sales and service, as well as seasonal skate sharpening. This is an entirely student-run service that employs five staff and one manager.