June 20, 2006

 

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to put before you this government’s Action Plan for Healthy Eating and Active Living.

When Dr. Basrur rang the alarm bells on the issues of obesity and diabetes in her report Healthy Weights, Healthy Lives, she challenged many sectors of this province to take action.

Dr. Basrur challenged all of us to work together to find ways to improve health in Ontario.

The Action Plan that I put before you is the Ontario government’s response to Dr. Basrur’s report.

Mr. Speaker, with this carefully crafted strategy we will be working closely with community, industry, partner ministries and others to help Ontarians to improve their health, to become more physically active and to make better choices.

Mr. Speaker, I am truly excited about this Action Plan.

This is the first time that Ontario has integrated healthy eating and physical activity into one strategy, two factors which together have a significant impact on a person’s health.

Our government’s goal is to help Ontario families to live long and healthy lives.

And Mr. Speaker, good health is a shared responsibility.

Our government is committed to healthy Ontarians and a healthy Ontario.

But we cannot do it alone.

Mr. Speaker, our action plan is a call to our partners to work together towards this goal:

• To government bodies and the private sector.
• To community groups and sport and recreation organizations.
• To institutions and health professionals.
• And to families and individuals.

It was my honour to share the podium this morning with Dr. David Bach from the Ontario Medical Association and Mr. Rocco Rossi of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.

These are both organizations who exemplify the true nature of effective partnerships and organizations that have taken on the fight against obesity as their own.

That’s because healthy eating and active living is about much more than individual choice.

It’s about working together with a coordinated approach to make it happen.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our partners for how they’ve already helped Ontarians progress along the road to healthier lives.

Mr. Speaker, the Action Plan lays out the plans for a pilot program to deliver fruits and vegetables to students in Northern Ontario.

The Action Plan introduces our goal of working with the dieticians of Ontario to develop a web and telephone based advisory service on nutrition.

Mr. Speaker, the Action Plan introduces a recognition program for schools to acknowledge efforts to promote healthy eating and physical activity in Ontario schools.

Mr. Speaker, our action plan builds on our strong foundation of strategies of programs already under way.

These include:

• Active2010
• The Ontario Trails Strategy
• The Ontario Heart Health Program
• The Communities In Action Fund
• The chronic disease prevention programs delivered by Public Health Units, and
• A variety of public education campaigns.

Mr. Speaker, the action plan I announced today also builds on the successes of our government’s Smoke-Free Ontario Act and the lessons that we learned in making this landmark legislation a reality.

With SFO, we learned about the importance of engagement and raising public awareness about the threats to our health.

We know Ontarians want to make the healthy choices and will – when they are provided the appropriate information on how to do so and when we all work together toward that common goal of better health.

Mr. Speaker, our action plan invests $10 million this year in a phased-in approach to healthy eating and active living in areas that have the greatest need and potential for change.

Our priorities are to:

• Grow Healthy Children and Youth
• Build Healthy Communities
• Champion Healthy Public Policy, and
• Promote Public Awareness and Engagement.

Since the inception of the Ministry of Health Promotion, our government has championed health promotion and served as a catalyst for healthy eating and active living across the government and across Ontario.

We can begin to overcome barriers to healthy eating and active living.

Thank you.