June 9, 2008
Mayor Steve Parish and special guest Margarett Best, Minister of Health Promotion, today launched ‘I Can’, a public education campaign aimed at getting residents active.
"We want Ajax residents moving and saying ‘I Can’," said Mayor Steve Parish and the Town’s official ‘I Can Champion’. "I can go for a walk, I can do that fitness program, I can play soccer."
The Town is undertaking this campaign - the first of its kind in the Durham Region - to increase the level of physical activity of residents, promote the benefits of embracing a healthy lifestyle, and connect residents to the myriad of leisure programs and services offered by the Town and its partners.
"Physical inactivity and obesity is a national health care crisis and the statistics prove it", said Mayor Parish. "In Durham Region alone, 60 per cent of men and 43 per cent of women are considered overweight or obese. And just as alarming - 53 per cent of our children are not participating in an adequate number of daily physical activity minutes to maintain health levels. This campaign aims to improve these statistics and the health and wellness of our residents by changing behaviours and attitudes, removing barriers to physical activity and providing choices."
The estimated annual cost of health care in Canada directly attributed to physical inactivity is approximately $5.3 billion. This financial burden as well as other negative effects are directing change and action by all levels of government for greater participation in regular physical activity.
"The Communities in Action Fund works at the community level to help improve the health and physical activity rates of Ontarians," said Margarett Best, Minister of Health Promotion. "Through projects like this one, we are encouraging, educating and motivating local families to lead healthy, active lives."
In addition to unveiling two new Town mascots - AJ and JAX, who will bring the active living message to public events and schools, Mayor Parish also announced a ‘Get Fit Challenge’ between Regional Councillor Scott Crawford and John Fleck, the Town’s Director of Human Resources. The two have agreed to increase their physical activity levels over the next year and track their progress.
The ‘I Can’ campaign is the first recommendation implemented from the Town’s Sports and Physical Activity Strategy. The strategy, which was approved by Council on April 28, 2008, was funded in part by the Communities in Action Fund, and supports the goals of ACTIVE2010, a provincial initiative to reduce the growing inactivity and obesity rates in Ontario.
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Media Contact:
Christie McLardie, Manager of Communications, 905-619-2529, ext. 362 or 905-999-8254
BACKGROUNDER
Sports and Physical Activity Strategy - Key Recommendations
Year 1
- Departmental branding and public awareness initiative profiling "active living"
- A launch event that creates excitement and motivates residents and staff to embrace an active lifestyle
- Form a committee of like minded partners to oversee the strategy
- Appoint a spokesperson who is visible and credible to lead the call to action
- Develop a walking campaign inclusive of walking clubs and walking tours
- Develop an Active Living Rewards Program
- Incorporate active messaging at special events
- Parks programming - The Living Community Centre
- Introduce Active & Safe Routes to School
- Create a proposal to the School Boards to develop a measurement based study of Grade 3 and 6 students
Year 2
- Pedometer challenges for community groups, work places, neighbourhoods and families
- Indoor and outdoor decision prompts (‘take the stairs’, etc.)
- Distance markers on trails and municipal sidewalks
- Outreach to under-represented groups
- Engage diverse and targeted populations; host focus groups
- Identification of community leaders in diverse and targeted populations
- Build active living services booth
Years 3 to 5
- Develop a tool kit to promote and enable workplace wellness in the business sector
- Work with the medical profession to promote patient involvement in physical activity
- Develop tool kits for organizations working with residents of varying backgrounds (Big Brothers, Big Sisters, etc.)
- Increase the number of engaged and active schools
- Develop a portal on the Town's Web site that would highlight the latest research findings, provide self assessment and tracking tools, motivational content and reference other sites
- Introduce new and supporting initiatives every 12-18 months to keep the strategy active in the community
- Host introductory activities for under-represented groups to encourage participation in sport and physical activities
