Carol Oitment Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion

1. Carol OitmentOntario Ministry of Health Promotion ACTIVE2010 Outdoors

2. Ministry of Health Promotion: Active2010 Outdoors • The Ministry’s Resources and Sphere of Influence; • Active Living; • Outdoors and Nature; and • The Trail Connection.

3. Ministry’s Resources and Sphere of Influence • Influence research, policy and legislation across Government (e.g. education, transportation, finance, municipal planning etc. e.g. Provincial Policy Statement, Active Transportation Working Group, Great Lakes strategies, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act). • Develop strategies such as the Ontario Trails Strategy, Ontario’s Action Plan for Healthy Eating Active Living etc. • Work in Partnerships with other ministries e.g. Ministry of Transportation on Active Transportation), Public Health Units, Regional Service Offices, other levels of Government, and not-for-profit organizations. • Advocatefor and invest in healthy active living infrastructure including parklands, trails, recreational facilities, community space, active transportation provisions and water- based resources in urban, suburban and rural settings. • Provide Funding – Healthy Communities Fund, Provincial Sport Funding, Quest for Gold, RINC, After School initiative, Public Health Unit/Resource Centre (Physical Activity Resource Centre) funding etc. • Lead Initiatives such as the After School initiative.

4. Benefits of Active Living Physical and mental health benefits: • 30 minutes per day or 150 per week of moderate to rigorous exercise for adults and 60/90 minutes daily for children and youth to gain health benefits; • Combat chronic disease (obesity, diabetes, depression etc.); • Enhances mental wellbeing and brain health; and • Increases academic, social and interpersonal competencies in children and decrease nervousness, anxiety and sleep problems. Quality of life and community benefits: • Social connectedness, volunteering and community building etc. Environmental/greening benefits: • Reduced emissions via active transportation (e.g. cycling and walking). Economic benefits: • Jobs and tax revenues; • Active community design attracts people and businesses; and • Health-care cost savings are gained through health prevention.

5. Leisure-Time Physical Activity, Adults 20+, 1994/95 – 2009, Canada

6. Progress Towards the 2010 Targets

7. International Prevalence Study Adults18-64 Years (2002-2004)

8. Obesity – The Role of Physical Activity It is just not the food we eat – physical activity is a key factor Intake Kcal/day Expenditure 150 years After WPT James 2008

9. Physical Activity – 65 Years+ Percentage of Canadian males/females that are physically active enough to benefit their health. Older adult benefits of physical activity include functional independence, less risk of falls/fractures, protection from age related diseases, a reduced risk of age-related cognitive decline and a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia

10. Why has Progress Been Difficult?

11. Active Living - Today • Great progress is happening on the ground and the benefits of an active lifestyle are reasonably well understood. • About 50% of Canadian children (5 to 17 years) are not active enough for optimal growth and development. • Physical inactivity costs Ontario an estimated $1.8 billion in direct and indirect costs per annum. • Traditional economic impact assessments do not incorporate social costs and benefits (e.g. land-use and transportation planning decisions). • Engineered active living out of our lifestyle: • New technologies; • Auto-focused urban design; • Building design; • Centralization vs.neighbourhood hubs; and • Curriculum pressures on physical activity in schools. • Engineer active living back in.

12. Outdoors and Nature - Benefits • A nature connection helps support positive physical and mental health and has positive impacts on productivity and attention span in school and workplace settings. • Use of natural and other outdoor areas can also increase the appreciation of these resources and leave a legacy of responsible stewardship for future generations. • Natural and other green space areas help to control: • Climate extremes (e.g. mitigate heat islands, reduce weather impacts); • Emission levels (e.g. through active transportation modes such as cycling and walking); • Air quality (e.g. produce oxygen, sequester carbon, ameliorate pollution); • Noise pollution; • Urban glare and reflection; • Water quality; and • Wildlife habitat quality.

13. Outdoors and Nature – Today • Benefits of being outdoors and in nature are not well understood. • Need greater acceptance of “chlorophyll” green in “green infrastructure” that includes forests, parks, trails etc. • Need economic impact models that incorporate social costs and benefits of decisions that affect green space.

14. Outdoors and Nature – Future Perspectives • Provide legislation and policy protections for natural and • other outdoor areas in communities for public use and • appreciation. • Guidelines for “adequate provision” of natural areas, • parklands, forests etc. for municipal planners would be • helpful, especially in the face of intensification. • MHP is supportive of the Royal Botanical Gardens’ (RBG) • leadership on the Back to Nature initiative, a Provincial • Network concerned with the present and future • implications of nature to the health of children, our society • and our environs. • RBG is working in collaboration with Ontario Nature • and Parks and Recreation Ontario to develop the • Network.

15. Outdoors and Nature – Today PROVINCIAL POLICY STATEMENT: PUBLIC SPACES, PARKS AND OPEN SPACE “1.5.1 Healthy, active communities should be promoted by: • Planning public streets, spaces and facilities to be safe, meet the needs of pedestrians, and facilitate pedestrian and non-motorized movement, including but not limited to, walking and cycling; b) Providing for a full range and equitable distribution of publicly accessible built and natural settings for recreation, including facilities, parklands, open space areas, trails and, where practical, water-based resources; c) Providing opportunities for public access to shorelines; and d) Considering the impacts of planning decisions on provincial parks, conservation reserves and conservation areas.” Currently under review – 2010 Review of the Provincial Policy Statement. (http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page215.aspx) OTTAWA CHARTER (1986) • The protection of natural and built environments, and the conservation of natural resources, as essential in a health promotion strategy.

16. Trails – Our Path to an Active Outdoors Future

17. The Trail Connection MINISTRY’S ROLE IN TRAILS • Lead ministry for trail planning and coordination across Government with advisory input from The Ontario Trails Coordinating Committee (13 ministries/agencies and 11 organizations). • Ontario Trails Strategy in 2005 and it is up for review in 2010. • Key initiatives of the Strategy include: • Benchmark research and target for trail users; • Reviews of Legislation Affecting Trails and Off-Road Vehicles; • Trails Act, other legislative changes and policies are currently under consideration: • Trail grants since 2005/06 – 2008/09; • Central website for trails; and • Trail mapping. FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL/TERRITORIAL MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR SPORT, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND RECREATION PRIORITIES • In May 2008 the ministers committed to recognizing the importance of parks, trails (e.g. bike lanes) and recreation infrastructure at the neighbourhood level in supporting increased levels of participation.

18. The Trail Connection

19. The Trail Connection - Today • Trails are a “natural” fit. • Trails are “green infrastructure” in their own right. • Trails provide allof the benefits associated with active living and being outdoors. • The potential for trail development, year round use and marketing is on the cusp of unlimited opportunity through recreation, tourism and active transportation.

20. The Trail Connection Where from here on the trails front? Current Agenda • Deliberating on a Trails Act, other legislative and policy changes and a trail funding stream; • Continue to map and inventory trails; and • Upcoming 2010 Review of the Ontario Trails Strategy. Collaboration • More effective collaboration on priorities at all levels; • More strategic and coordinated approach to Governments; and • Align with non-trail partners (health, economic, environment etc.). Planning, Research and Evaluation • Planning tools to support the adequate provision of trails etc; • New economic impact models incorporating social costs and benefits; and • More effective ways to measure progress. Education • MPs, MPPs and local Government officials.

21. The Trail Connection Where from here on the trails front? Branding and Marketing • Great marketing potential associated with nature and the outdoors; • Focus on a collaborative branding, signage approach etc; • Population-wide and targeted marketing (children/youth, seniors and out-reach for greater cultural diversity); and • Target all settings where people learn, live, work and play. Current trail-related trends/demands • Broaden the case to include health, economic and environmental/greening benefits; • Secure other funding (e.g. the federal dialogue); • Growth in Active Transportation; • Increases in cycling and walking; • Trails tourism developments; • Remote values need to be protected; • Coastal trail developments are emerging; • Water trails; and • Diversification of markets.

22. Together we can make a Difference

23. MINISTRY OF HEALTH PROMOTION CONTACTS Carol Oitment Senior Policy Advisor, Sport, Recreation and Community Programs Branch (416) 314 – 7205 carol.oitment@ontario.ca Craig Stewart Manager, Sport and Recreation Branch (416) 314 – 7791 craig.stewart@ontario.ca http://www.mhp.gov.on.ca/english/default.asp

24. Appendix 1:Sources • Physical activity demographic data were from the Canadian Community Health Survey. • Physical activity guidelines were based on Public Health Agency of Canada’s Physical Activity Guidelines for adults and on various sources for children and youth (e.g. American College for Sports Medicine and American Heart Association). • Older adult benefits of physical activity (Laurin et al., 2001; Larson et al., 2006; Yaffe et al., 2001). • Brain health reference (Biddle and Ekkekakis, 2005; Teychenne et al., 2008). • Mental health references from Science Direct, Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport December 2009 (pg. 468-474) “Specific associations between types of physical activity and components of mental health. • Other social benefits and health cost savings (Dr. Gina Browne). • Benefit claims from the Toronto Charter, Back to Nature Position Statement and Landscape Ontario’s presentation to Parks and Recreation Ontario are referenced in benefits sections. • Nordic Pole reference Dr.. Klaus Schwanbeck. • Photos from various public sources and Michael Haynes of TransActive Solutions.