Ontario Report Card is out – Kids are Missing in Action

Ontario’s Report Card for children & youth Physical Activity levels is out.  We barely make a passing grade.  More work to be done on reducing sedentary time, multi sector supportive environments and a greater understanding of outdoor active play.

Download the report:  http://www.activehealthykids.ca/   – report is at the bottom left of the homepage.

Follow the new Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario’s, Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research team’s blog at:  http://www.haloresearch.ca/blog/2011/10/14/ontario%e2%80%99s-kids-are-missing-in-action/

Building Healthy Community – Renfrew County Community Picture

Download the Building Healthy Community – Renfrew County Community Picture

We invite all stakeholders -  everyone committed to improving our health, well being and quality of life to read this open document and provide your perspective, thoughts and feedback.

Read
The  Building Healthy Community – Renfrew County Community Picture  documents the assets, challenges and unique make up of Renfrew County that shapes our health and well being.  It is a reflection of ongoing community engagement, the reality of our health statistics and a vision to build healthier communities.  The Community Picture is designed to set the stage for the development of a Renfrew County Healthy Communities Partnership, a multi sector collaborative working towards the common goal of healthier communities that support healthy spaces, opportunities, health equity and a higher quality of life for every resident and visitor.

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Please circulate this to your networks and feel free to post the document on your site.

Comment
This is a call to action and invitation for as many diverse perspectives to contribute as possible -  all sectors and community members.

Please provide your input:  post comments below by clicking on the reply button at the bottom of this post or send comments directly to:  sbabcock@kidactive.ca

We will also be posting a new online forum for ongoing input.  Updates and links will be sent over the summer.

Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together and Next Steps

Save the Date: September 9th – 12 pm to 3 pm

1. Next steps -  how the work of the Physical Activity Network has contributed to this document and how we move it forward.
2. How do you and/or your organization fit into this Community Picture?
3. Collaborative action projects.

Please feel free to contact us for a hard copy:  sbabcock@kidactive.ca. Printed copies will be available later in the summer.

School Travel Planning

A local school (preschool - Gr. 3) in London - scooters as a great active way to get to school.

Encouraging and supporting active and safe routes to school in all of our communities – rural and urban – takes collaborative and collective priority setting.  School Travel Planning is a great start to understanding the benefits of walking, biking, scootering, skateboarding or skipping to school for all kids.

Getting to school is a fun and regular way to get our minimum of 60 minutes per day of activity for our kids.  If we can create safe, inclusive, green and enjoyable paths from our neighbourhoods to our community schools, then many more kids will choose to get to school actively.

Why School Travel Planning in Renfrew County?

In a County faced with poor health statistics, significant low income levels and issues of isolation and transportation barriers, School Travel Planning provides us with an ideal opportunity to save money on bussing costs, improve the health of our children and support safer and stronger communities.

School Travel Planning – At a Glance

Benefits of School Travel Planning:

Health and well being of our children and communities
Economic vibrancy of our communities
Environmental sustainability
Community cohesion and social connection

School Travel Planning brings together community stakeholders to identify barriers to active transportation for each school and develop a written action plan for addressing those barriers. The flexibility of the School Travel Plan framework allows communities to customize their approach to fit local circumstances.  Through a five-step process, each school writes a School Travel Plan, with assistance from community stakeholders that includes an action plan describing steps they plan to implement such as:

• engineering improvements at or near school sites—e.g. Pedestrian crossings, repairs/upgrades to sidewalks, signage;
• introduction of school infrastructure—e.g. Bike shelters, bike racks, lockers;
• education—e.g. traffic safety education for pedestrians and cyclists, education about personal security;
• community mobilization—e.g. walking school buses, walking buddies, ride sharing;
• encouragement—e.g. celebrations of physical activity and environment, event days, recognition and rewards for walking/biking.

Building Healthy Community

Join us on February 4th to To include your perspective and voice on our local needs, priorities and paths to building healthy communities across Renfrew County.  Our health statistics are among some of the worst in Ontario.  Jointly, we can be innovative and successful at changing that reality.  Understanding the role our communities, environment and social systems play in our health and well being is important to achieve ‘healthier community’.

Healthy Children Healthy Spaces

Dr. Pipe - 'Send Your Kids Outside to Play'

It is the spaces that we share with our kids that shape their opportunities for physical activity and a connection with their environment and their community – at home in front or back yards, neighbourhood pockets, in our school yards, in our community’s public spaces and on our roads, sidewalks, trails and paths.  Healthy Children Healthy Spaces explores the environments that we create around us and provides us with a call to action.  Our communities need healthy kids and our kids need healthy spaces to play, travel and learn.

Sunday Stretch in your community

Walking the trails of McNab Braeside

Two communities have hit the roads and trails of their communities.  Many more will follow in the fall.  Participation of community leaders, existing walkers and bikers has been great.  But, how do we get more people outside?  It is that critical mass of people that will make the difference to our population’s health and that of our community.  Taking over the streets and trails on a Sunday (or Wednesday) is a low cost, proactive solution to multiple health issues – it is fun too!

To take a bit from the ramblings and insights of McNab Braeside Sunday Stretch participants, I think that this insight and these comments will move us all forward.  Thank you!

Sunday Stretch Participants:  “What if the community resolved that in June of 2011 in Renfrew County, or at least in McNab Braeside , on average , that we are going to do 15 minutes of physical activity for every hour of TV we watch. (I am talking about averages here of course)   That boils down to 5 and a half hours of something physical per week.  Walking the dog counts, running a marathon counts, doing the dishes by hand counts, paddling a kayak counts, mowing the lawn with a mower you push counts, golf counts, tai chi counts .  .  .  .  Then the Sunday Stretch becomes sort of a celebration day, the Mayor will proclaim it a Great Day, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute will give us a Citation, and best of all Bailey will sing again.” (a successful and very popular cultural addition to the McNab Braeside event – outdoor concerts).

Response from Jane Brownrigg (Heart Institute) : ” Cycling the trail was a true joy – what a gorgeous place…..thank you all and yes we would love to issue a citation and applaud physical activity in McNab-Braeside!   I think we are at the front end of this so we need all of the collective intelligence to discover what lights the flame for rural communities to participate in Sunday Stretch events. “

Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn – Aki Pimose – Land Walkers

It was hot! The launch of a community lead Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn walking and biking event - Aki Pimose was composed of a committed group of walkers and one young biker. Many thanks to everyone who participated. We explored the trails, old railway lines, waterfront and roads of the Algonquin Community. This was as much an opportunity to connect with another community as it was to use our trails, roads and parks to be active. Walkers braved the unusually hot weather, finishing up at the waterfront and followed by a healthy spread of food at the Health Centre.

We had great community leader participation, many kids enjoyed some active play and paddling at the waterfront and we shared a taste of what the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn walking groups (lead by TerryAnn) walk twice a day every week. The trails are woven throughout the community, linking roads, shorelines and beautiful natural spaces.

Many thanks for the support of Ontario Power Generation, Heart Wise Exercise, Renfrew County Paramedic Service (providing some exceptional road safety support), Canadian Diabetes Association, Champlain Community Care Access Centre, and the Community Resource Centre.

True to the strength of a grassroots creation, Aki Pimose, Algonquin for Land Walkers, this event will be the first of many to come. A cooler fall community walk is currently being planned.

Notes from Gil Penalosa’s Presentation

Pedestrians + Cyclists + Parks & Public Spaces + Public Transportation = Health & Vibrant Communities

Issue: Thinking and talking is not enough!
How do we move to DOING?

Change is Possible
Every community is unique, but the elements of committing to a healthy and vibrant community are the same. It is about adapting and improving: Building a case for more walkable and bikable community.

Priorities
- plan and design communities for people
- establish parks within walkable distance
- design communities around people, not cars
- spur the economic benefits of active and vibrant communities
- increased quality of community life increases economic competitiveness and happiness

8-80 Rule
Think about a child approximately 8 years old and an older adult approximately 80 years old who you love. Would you send either alone to walk or bike to school or the corner store? If ‘no’ – we need to plan and design better streets, trails and public spaces.

Role of Streets
- streets are a major part of every community.
- streets are for much more than moving cars.

Benefits of Active Communities
- health
- economic
- social cohesion & inclusion
- quality of life for all
- environmental benefits

Change is achievable when priorities are clear:
- quality of life for everyone
- connectivity
- interwoven trails in every community and between communities
- recreational benefits
- transportation – walking & biking are priority modes of transportation
- right to mobility – proper spaces to walk or bike as a right

Pedestrian- and Cyclist-Friendly Communities
- ntegrate a complete streets policy
- every time a road is rebuilt integrate the principles of multi-use (pedestrians, cyclists & vehicles)
- design visible biking infrastructure
- promote relationship to positive health outcomes

Safety and Perceptions of Risk
- walking and cylcling should be safe, attractive and feasible for all
- just painting lines on existing roads does not work
- increases in biking and walking infrastructure reduces accident rates

Healthy Communities How-To

Many thanks to those of you who attended the Active Communities workshop in Calabogie on June 4.  It was an inspiring and very thought-provoking session.  Hopefully many of us walked away with some concrete action oriented ideas to implement in our communities, work places and homes.

Action Items
- buy a bike, borrow a bike, ride a bike
- go for a walk
- start a conversation – talk to your neighbour or municipal leader about healthy and vibrant communities for everyone
- look at your community – is it safe and appealing for people of all ages and abilities to walk or bike?
- join PAN-RC

PAN-RC Steps Forward
1. Community workshops – we have an opportunity to host two community workshops with Canada Walks – contact PAN-RC if you would like to bring a Walkability Workshop to your community.
2. Active Transportation – we are continuing to work with the County of Renfrew in support of active transportation.
3. School Travel Planning –contact PAN-RC if you are interested in the concept of school travel planning in your community school.

Moving Forward

Welcome to the PAN-RC blog. This is intended to be a space to share, post, learn and build a community of knowledge. Please share your thoughts on the network, your vision of what we can accomplish and how you can contribute.

Supporting the health and well being of everyone in our communities is achievable. There is a strong commitment to improving the spaces around us, increasing access to high quality active programs and rethinking how we look at physical activity.

Move more when you can, for as much as you can.