Fact Sheet

Healthy Living:
Promoting Physical Activity in Canadian Communities

News Release: Harper Government invests in Healthy Living initiatives

Innovative partnerships to help Canadians 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 cancer, 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 projects announced today are funded under the Public Health Agency of Canada's Healthy Living Fund, totalling more than $1.4 million over two years.

The projects are:

• Developing resources and education to improve physical activity promotion by health professionals serving children and youth - Funding of $159,890 to the Canadian Paediatric Society to enhance the ability of paediatricians, family physicians and other primary care providers to help families prevent obesity among children and youth.
• Canadian Active After-School Partnership - Funding of $988,096 to Physical and Health Education Canada to enhance the range, quality and availability of strategically targeted physical activity programming initiatives in the after-school time period in order to increase physical activity levels among Canada's children and youth.
• Helping Canadians with a Disability Get Physically Active - Funding of $170,948 to the Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability to develop and disseminate disability-related resources to health and education intermediaries, enabling a broad range of disabled individuals to participate in physical activity, thereby providing equal opportunities for all Canadians.
• First Nations, Inuit and Métis " Everybody Gets to Play online Education and Support Project - Funding of $121,353 to the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association to provide education and support to Aboriginal health and recreation intermediaries on how recreational opportunities can improve the lives and health outcomes of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, families and communities.