Glenn Wilson has spent years thinking up new ways to get kids moving. Cup-stacking, Muggle-ball, online basketball — the 51-year-old phys-ed teacher at Leo Nickerson Elementary has tried it all as part of his mission to get students excited about exercise. Now he wants the feds to help him out.
Young Canadians are fatter and less fit now than they were 20 years ago, according to the Canadian Health Measures Survey, putting them at greater risk for heart and bone disease. Just seven per cent of kids are getting the recommended minimum of 60 minutes of exercise a day, according to that same survey.
And that's after we lowered that minimum, Wilson notes — it used to be 90, but officials lowered it since no one was meeting it. "It still doesn't meet our needs. We still need 90 minutes a day."
Fit kids make for fit communities, says Wilson, who called for the creation of a national fitness strategy. His question to Westlock-St. Paul candidates: "What are you doing to invest in sport and physical activity?"
Green and NDP
The Green Party would bring in a GST exemption for products with a significant health benefit, says candidate Lisa Grant, such as sports equipment and fitness centre fees. "One of the complaints people have about keeping healthy is the cost," she says, and a tax exemption should help reduce that problem.
They would also spend about $200 million a year to promote cycling and walking efforts such as the walking school bus, a program that encourages kids to walk to school. "It not only keeps people healthier, it keeps our environment healthier."
Her party would also create a $300-million fund for sports and recreation facilities.
NDP candidate Lyndsey Henderson did not respond to Wilson's question.
Liberal and Conservative
Liberal candidate Rob Fox says he's had kids in hockey, dance, volleyball and other sports. "We're very aware of how much it costs," he says and how many can't afford these sports. Low-income families are at the greatest risk of obesity, he says, but have the lowest ability to get into organized sports.
"As a parent, that tax credit wouldn't have made a difference to me," he says. "A hundred dollars is like a hockey stick and a pair of laces."
The solution, Fox says, is to get more sports into schools through an expanded physical education program. The Liberals would support sports education and intramural programs, he says, and create national targets in schools. They would also create a national food policy to promote healthy eating habits, which would include $40 million to give kids from low-income families nutritious meals.
The government isn't the answer for everything, says Conservative candidate Brian Storseth. "At the end of the day, it's also up to individuals to take responsibility for themselves and become more active."
All government can do is make sure people have the places and incentives needed to get moving. "A lot of parents say what they need is a little bit of help when it comes to this kind of thing," he says.
That's why his party plans to double the Children's Fitness Tax Credit to $1,000 once the budget is balanced. The Conservatives have also poured millions of dollars into hockey rinks and ball diamonds through the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program as part of the recent economic stimulus plan.
At home, Storseth says he's an active fundraiser for local sports groups, particularly KidSport Alberta, which buys sports equipment for underprivileged youth. That group has distributed some $7.3 million in support to Alberta kids since 1995, according to its website.
