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

March 14, 2013
For immediate release

Encouraging children and youth to become more active

Fact Sheet: Harper Government invests in New Brunswick Healthy Living project

(Fredericton) – 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.