Debates of May 14, 2007 (day 6)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise my colleagues that on May 15th, the Minister of Health and Social Service and the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment will join me in the Great Hall of the Legislative Assembly to launch the 2007 Get Active NWT summer campaign.

The 2007 Get Active event is a friendly challenge to residents of the Northwest Territories to register the time they spend being physically active for a chance to win a $5,000 grant to support their community recreation program, a $500 grant for the most active groups and airline tickets to Edmonton.

Buy north.

During our 2006 Summer Get Active challenge, nearly 18 percent of residents were recruited to log over 10 million minutes of physical activity. In the recently completed 2007 Get Winter Active challenge campaign, 380 NWT youth logged nearly 631,000 minutes of physical activity.

The 2007 Get Active campaign is posed to be even better with additional prizes for participants, special Get Active community events in all regions, and more partners joining in, including the Canadian Cancer Society, First Air, the Northwest Territories Recreation and Parks Association and many others.

As impressive as the participation numbers have been in the past years and the expectation for this year’s campaign, it is known that there are a great many individuals who carry on their personal commitment to physical activity and a heavy lifestyle without ever logging a single minute into a campaign such as this one. To all those silent role models, congratulations on your efforts and the examples that you set.

Each year in Canada, more than two-thirds of deaths result from four groups of chronic diseases: cardiovascular, cancer, two types of diabetes and respiratory. These chronic diseases share common, preventable risk factors including physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and tobacco use.

The Get Active campaign is one of a number of efforts the Government of the Northwest Territories is supporting to promote all residents to live healthier lifestyles. Even if a few more people can be convinced to be physically active, the cost savings for the health care system is huge and the lifestyle improvements immeasurable.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank all Members of the Legislative Assembly for helping to set an example and I encourage you to promote Get Active and other healthy lifestyle choices. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause