Fact Sheet

Healthy Living: Promoting Physical Activity in Canadian Communities

News Release: Harper Government Invests in Ontario Healthy Living Project

Innovative partnerships to help Canadian children and youth achieve healthier living

Physical activity plays an important role in the health, well-being and quality of life of Canadians and helps to prevent chronic diseases like some cancers, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

The Government of Canada is advancing innovative partnerships in promoting physical activity, healthy living and reducing obesity and other risk factors that can lead to more serious health problems. Everyone has a role to play in promoting healthy living.

The project announced today is funded under the Public Health Agency of Canada's Healthy Living Fund, totalling $1,012,647 over three years.

ON After School project, Leisure Information Network

The ON After School project will increase the capacity of Ontario's After-School Program agencies, supervisors and front-line staff to deliver quality programs for children and youth in Grades 1 to 12.

The project will set up an Ontario-based web portal to provide resources, a listserv, RSS feeds, and a database of physical and nutrition activity ideas. An online platform will provide training to front-line staff and supervisors on planning programs, supporting positive child and youth engagement, promoting diversity and building physical activity and healthy eating messages into programs.

The Leisure Information Network was established in 1995 to support knowledge exchange online for recreation, sport and healthy living practitioners in advancing leisure as an essential element of quality of life.

The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport will provide oversight as a member of the advisory committee to ensure the project is in line with Ontario's After-School Program priorities.

The project advisory committee will also include representatives from:

• Basketball Ontario;
• Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University;
• City of Thunder Bay;
• City of Toronto;
• Somerset West Community Health Centre, Ottawa;
• St. Alban's Boys and Girls Club, Toronto;
• Sudbury Better Beginnings Better Futures Association; and,
• YMCA of Hamilton Burlington Brantford.

The project will reach over 3,500 professionals at over 400 provincially-funded After-School Program sites in Ontario. These sites serve more than 20,000 children and youth in Grades 1 to 12 across the province per year.