Harper Government Invests in New Brunswick Healthy Living Project NB PLAYS!

Encouraging children and youth to become more active

FREDERICTON, NB, March 14, 2013 /CNW/ - The Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, Member of Parliament for Fredericton and Minister Responsible for New Brunswick, today announced on behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, a project with Recreation New Brunswick. The project, funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada's Healthy Living Fund, will provide training to frontline after-school hours (ASH) program leaders so they can help children and youth in New Brunswick become more active in the after-school period, and ultimately, lead healthier lives.

"We want to help children and youth in New Brunswick lead healthier lives," said Minister Ashfield. "This project will support after-school hours program leaders and service providers across the province, ensuring our children and youth are provided with high-quality options to be more physically active."

"After-school hours programs encourage partnerships with organizations that can efficiently respond to the needs of each community," said Dorothy Shephard, Minister of Healthy and Inclusive Communities for the Province of New Brunswick. "The Healthy Living Fund provides an opportunity for the federal and provincial governments to work together toward setting our children and youth on the path of lifelong healthy living habits. It also aligns with the province's wellness strategy to rebuild a healthier New Brunswick."

In addition to training ASH leaders, the New Brunswick After-School Hours Initiative: NB PLAYS! will develop an ASH toolkit, deliver a variety of workshops, establish partnerships and an ASH provincial working group to support and coordinate the ASH initiative across the province, especially in Aboriginal and low-income communities.

"Our project will enhance the experience of children and youth in New Brunswick participating in the various after-school hours programs," said Kathryn Baird, President of Recreation New Brunswick. "We look forward to working with our partners from across the province to provide high quality programs that are so important to the health and well-being of our youth."

The Healthy Living Fund makes strategic investments to address the conditions that lead to unhealthy eating, physical inactivity and unhealthy weights. Projects are funded across the country to increase healthy living opportunities for Canadians, including children, youth and their families.

The Harper Government remains focused on four priorities, as outlined by the Prime Minister, that Canadians care most about: their families, the safety of our streets and communities, their pride in being a citizen of this country, and of course, their personal financial security.

FACT SHEET

MARCH 2013

Harper Government invests in New Brunswick Healthy Living project

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including regular physical activity and healthy eating, 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 works with partners to take an integrated approach to promoting healthy living and preventing chronic disease by addressing common risk factors. The Government is supporting multi-sectoral partnerships, recognizing that innovation and greater impact can be achieved through engaging all segments of society, including the private sector, in addressing complex social issues such as obesity and the prevention of chronic diseases.

Through the Healthy Living Fund, the Government of Canada is providing $233,363 in funding to Recreation New Brunswick (RNB) for a project entitled New Brunswick After-school Hours Initiative: NB PLAYS!  This project aims to improve after-school programming benefiting children and youth in New Brunswick, particularly those in Aboriginal and low-income communities. It will provide training to after-school leaders/service providers, including the well-respected HIGH FIVE, fundamental movement skills, a First Nations, Inuit and Metis Supplement, and becoming a HIGH FIVE trainer. RNB will work with its partners to develop a New Brunswick after-school hours toolkit and workshop with supplements that promote the natural environment/parks and culturally appropriate approaches for First Nations children and youth. Another key area of this project is to enhance knowledge transfer through opportunities for sharing and celebration of successes and best and promising practices.

The project is expected to result in new and strengthened relationships with key stakeholders in the public and private sectors, enhanced capacity in quality programming in the after-school hours, increased knowledge transfer, improved health outcomes for New Brunswick children and youth, and more quality after-school programming.

About RNB:
Recreation New Brunswick (RNB) is a network of recreation professionals who, through leadership, education and advocacy, ensure that New Brunswick residents enjoy the benefits of recreation and active living. RNB is dedicated to advancing the recreation and parks field by broadening the knowledge and experience base of its members and by advocating for the value and benefits of leisure and recreation opportunities. RNB acts as an umbrella organization for a number of like-minded associations and committees and is a member of the Steering Committee of the Healthy Eating Physical Activity Coalitions of New Brunswick.

About the Healthy Living Fund:
The Healthy Living Fund makes strategic investments to address the conditions that lead to unhealthy eating, physical inactivity and unhealthy weights. Projects are funded across the country to increase healthy living opportunities for Canadians, including children, youth and their families.

SOURCE: Public Health Agency of Canada