Government of Canada invests in programming to promote physical activity and healthy living

Government of Canada invests in programming to promote physical activity and healthy living

June 2024

Through the Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund (HCCF), the Public Health Agency of Canada supports projects that address physical inactivity to help people in Canada lower their risk of chronic disease and improve their overall physical and mental health.

The HCCF program supports interventions that focus on people who face health inequalities and are at greater risk of developing chronic disease.

To support projects at various stages, HCCF's approach to project funding has 3 phases: design, implement and scale. As part of the implement phase, the Government of Canada is awarding more than $9 million to seven Canadian organizations that share a common goal of creating and promoting healthy built environments to improve physical activity.

The projects receiving funding are:

Lead organization: 8 80 Cities Walking-Cycling Public Spaces for All

Project name: TowerPOPs: Transforming Underused Spaces to Support Health Equity in Tower Neighbourhoods

Description: The objective of the project is to increase physical activity among residents of all ages in two tower neighbourhoods in Ontario (Cooksville in Mississauga and Rockcliffe Smythe in West Toronto) by transforming the underused spaces around them into hubs of social and physical activity. The project will reach 60,000 residents of these neighbourhoods, the majority of whom are newcomers to Canada, from racialized communities, and people living on low incomes. By activating these underused spaces with programming and design improvements, the project seeks to support community participation and capacity building; increase social, cultural, and nature connections; and increase rates of physical activity and play at the intervention sites. The two communities will inform a model for rapid placemaking interventions to support health equity that would be shared with tower communities across Canada.

Funding: $810,129

Lead organization: Green Communities Canada

Project name: National Active School Streets Initiative

Description: The aim of the project is to implement School Streets, an initiative which creates a car-free environment via the closure of one or more streets in front of schools at the start and end of the school day to create a safer public environment and prioritize safe active travel conditions for children ages five to 12 years of age. Specifically, the initiative will benefit children living with a disability, in low-income neighbourhoods, racialized communities and newcomers to Canada in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec, and will reach approximately 3,000 students.

Funding: $2,996,521

Lead organization: National Capital Region Equitable Recreation Network - Ottawa Outdoor Gear Library

Project name: Healthy Communities - Supporting Equity and Access to Outdoor Activity

Description: The objective of the project is to respond to barriers faced by racialized, Indigenous, and marginalized communities in accessing land-based programming, outdoor recreation, nature based experiences, and their associated physical and mental health benefits. The project seeks to reach approximately 1,600 people, among the urban Indigenous and racialized community, who are accessing healthy built environments in Ottawa-Gatineau, and to improve the quality of their interactions in these spaces. Based on a pilot project, the project will develop "pop up" programs and services to take place in environments with a high racialized and Indigenous population density, such as winter urban trail systems, city parks, community centres, faith-based institutions, and other spaces where equity-deserving groups spend time.

Funding: $234,804

Lead organization: Outdoor Play Canada

Project name: Barriers to Outdoor Play and Learning for Children with Disabilities

Description: The aim of the project is to build upon the Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play program and ensure that the built and social environments of the outdoor early childhood education program is equipped to support children under five years of age living with disabilities, their families, and low income families living in Ontario, with a plan to reach 73 children per year. Key activities include: (dis)ability-specific training within the outdoor champions program; implementing tools and strategies to address ongoing gaps and barriers; and evaluating all activities from an abilities based perspective.

Funding: $1,693,176

Lead organization: Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation

Project name: Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation Community-led Park

Description: The objective of the project is to promote physical activity among community members of the Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation by providing an inclusive space where they can gather, interact, and be active by walking, biking, snowshoeing, gardening, foraging and participating in group programming. The project will install footpaths and circuit training equipment where members will engage in fitness activities. During the winter months, programming will continue in the community recreation centre where half of the fitness equipment will be installed. The project will also plant an edible orchard along the footpaths to encourage foraging and eating of traditional plants.

Funding: $490,595

Lead organization: Sustainable Calgary Society

Project name: Connaught Open Street: A Rewilding Project

Description: The aim of the project is to transform part of 10th Street, adjacent to Connaught School in Calgary, Alberta, into a permanent green park, which turns kids' designs for safe and active routes to school into long-term change. This will involve fourth grade students, people living on low incomes, newcomers to Canada, and racialized communities in Alberta. An anticipated 1,113 people will be reached, including just under 500 students, their parents, teachers, board of education, and local decision-makers.

Funding: $500,000

Lead organization: Unity Health Toronto

Project name: Implementation of a Parks Prescription Intervention for Diabetes Prevention

Description: The aim of the project is to support healthcare providers to 'prescribe' physical activity in natural settings to approximately 500 patients (working-aged 20 to 65 years of age from low income and/or racialized communities in Ontario (Toronto, London, Mississauga) and Québec (Montreal) at high risk of developing diabetes, with the goal of leveraging existing local built environment features such as greenspaces, parks, and trails. The key project activity is the implementation of an app-enabled electronic park prescription (called PARKS-DPRx) which provides personalized advice and guidance for people to spend time each week walking in natural settings (i.e., urban parks, trails, waterfronts, green walking paths).

Funding: $2,460,401