TORONTO, June 1 /CNW/ - As part of the province's campaign to get more

people fit and healthy, the Ontario government is investing over half a

million dollars in the City of Toronto's physical activity program, Tourism

and Recreation Minister Jim Bradley announced today.

    "These grants will help the city get tens of thousands of residents -

many in low-income neighbourhoods - active and healthy," Bradley said.

    Provincial Communities In Action Fund grants totaling $547,069 are

helping the city establish walking programs, improve signage and mapping of

its trails system and offer students enhanced physical activity programs.

    "A healthy city is part of a healthy province," said Mayor David Miller.

"We welcome the provincial government's assistance in promoting an active

culture in Toronto."

    Toronto's Get Your Move On program complements the provincewide adult

walking strategy to encourage adults to get off their sofas and start walking

regularly.

    The adult walking campaign is being promoted with posters by "For Better

or Worse" comic artist Lynn Johnston. The posters are seen around the province

in transit shelters, disposal bins and public institutions including

libraries, hospitals and health centres.

    "Right now, less than half of all Ontarians are physically active on a

regular basis - in Toronto the figure is only one-third - and the price we pay

for this is staggering," said Bradley.

    "Regular walking improves both physical and mental health. It lowers the

risk of developing serious illnesses such as heart disease, breast cancer and

Type II diabetes."

    The walking campaign is part of the ACTIVE2010 strategy - the province's

plan to increase awareness of the benefits of physical activity and get at

least 55 per cent of adult Ontarians regularly physically active by 2010.

    "I know that for many of us, it is hard to find the time to exercise,"

said Bradley. "But the good news is that it doesn't take much, just 30 minutes

of walking a day, to improve your overall health and quality of life."

    Disponible en français

                              www.active2010.ca

                            www.tourism.gov.on.ca

    Backgrounder

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Ministry of Tourism and Recreation

                                                              June 1, 2005

                ACTIVE2010: THE GOVERNMENT OF ONTARIO'S SPORT

                       AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY STRATEGY

    ACTIVE2010 is a comprehensive strategy to increase participation in sport

and physical activity throughout Ontario. Its goal is to achieve higher

physical activity rates and increased sport participation in order to improve

the quality of life in the province.

    ACTIVE2010 is a strategy that links sport development and physical

activity to:

      -  Increase Ontario's rate of sport participation and physical activity

         so that by the year 2010, at least 55 per cent of Ontarians are

         physically active

      -  Implement the Ontario Sport Action Plan and the Ontario Physical

         Activity Plan in partnership with sector stakeholders

      -  Enhance sport development leading up to the 2010 Olympics.

    ACTIVE2010's successes will reduce the incidence of chronic diseases

associated with inactivity, and ultimately ease health care costs.

    ACTIVE2010 will partner with all levels of government, community groups,

sport and recreation organizations and the private sector in order to achieve

these goals.

    ACTIVE2010: Promotion and education

    One key component of ACTIVE2010 is a promotion and education campaign

directed to age groups with the greatest need and where the greatest impact

can be made to increase physical activity: 10 to 14 year olds and 45 to

65year olds.

    Studies tell us that 57 per cent of children over age 12 are not active

enough to achieve the health benefits associated with an active lifestyle.

Similarly, only 34 per cent of older Ontarians are active enough to maintain

their health.

    The province's first promotional campaign, Pause to Play, is directed at

youth between 10 to 14 years of age. Its aim is to encourage children and

youth to make physical activity and sport a regular part of their lives.

    The second campaign, Walking: An Activity of A Lifetime, focuses on

motivating adults between the ages of 45 to 65 to walk a minimum of 30 minutes

a day in order to improve their health.

    While most Ontarians realize the importance of participating in sport and

physical activity, the number of Ontarians who regularly participate in health

maintaining physical activity has been decreasing.

    Communities In Action Fund

    The Communities In Action Fund (CIAF) is a $5.2 million funding program

administered by the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation through the ACTIVE2010

strategy. Municipalities, not-for-profit organizations and Aboriginal

organizations that promote and provide community sport and physical activity

services are eligible for funding.

    Eligible projects include:

      -  Projects that provide opportunities to increase participation in

         sports and physical activities (e.g., children's recreation

         programs)

      -  Projects that provide opportunities for training and education

         (e.g., volunteer training in leadership)

      -  Planning projects to develop sport and physical activity plans

         (which can be used as models by other communities around the

         province)

      -  Projects that improve the ability of community groups to increase

         participation opportunities.

    The CIAF will fund projects that will remove barriers to participation,

develop sector capacity and promote the benefits of physical activity.

    Provincial Sport Organization funding program

    ACTIVE2010's Sport Action Plan has four main goals: to enhance

participation, excellence, capacity and interaction. A primary way to achieve

these goals is by providing financial assistance to the amateur sport sector

through Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs).

    PSOs are registered not-for-profit organizations run by volunteer boards

of directors and volunteer members; larger PSOs have professional staff.

    There are 55 provincial sport organizations that are currently eligible

for financial assistance from the province. Every year, these organizations

can apply for funding to help them implement programs to support their amateur

athletes.

    Last fiscal year (2004/05), $5.7 million was distributed among the

52PSOs that applied to the program for funding. This funding will be

supplemented by an additional $1.5 million through the ACTIVE2010 program, for

a total of $7.2 million in direct support to provincial amateur sport

organizations.