PlanH: Planning a healthy community starts here.
 
 
Farm workers in B.C. harvest greens.
 

Residents enjoy the province's warm spring weather. Photo: Province of BC/Flickr.

 

New! Active Communities Tool

 
 
 
Cover of the Active Communities Tool.
 

Featuring examples from across the province of best practices in equitable opportunities for physical activity, the Active Communities Tool is a decision-tree style document for local government staff looking to create a more equitable and active community.

Get the tool
 

Upcoming Webinar: Connecting for active communities during COVID-19 and beyond

 

In support of the release of our new Active Communities Tool and in light of the implications of COVID-19 for physical activity, BC Healthy Communities is hosting a webinar on June 23 at 10:30AM PDT to introduce the tool and facilitate some small group discussions about how to equitably create active communities, particularly at this challenging time. Join us for this opportunity to connect with and learn from colleagues near and far. Space is limited, so register today!

Register for your spot
 
Illustrated image of a variety of people in a park, riding bikes, walking and doing yoga.
 

PlanH Grant applications close on July 15

 
 
 
A handpainted wooden sign against a forest background. The sign says "health, goodness, happiness, community."
 

Our Community Connectedness and Healthy Community Engagement grant streams are open to local governments across the province until July 15, 2020. Grants of up to $5,000 are available for projects that build community connectedness, and grants of up to $15,000 are available for projects that improve the equitability of engagement processes. Grants also include in-kind supports from BC Healthy Communities staff. 

Learn more and apply
 
 

STORIES FROM OUR COMMUNITIES

Outdoor activity: Thinking outside the box

 
A mother and her two children cycle down an empty road.
 

As we work towards a phased opening of recreation facilities, we've seen creative ideas for staying active and connected across the province, from Ucluelet to Penticton to Prince George. Northern Health's Regional Physical Activity Lead, Gloria Fox, offers more creative ideas for communities looking to encourage recreation on her blog. Read the post.

 
 

Online / on land: Connecting with nature

 

Open Space, an artist-run centre in Victoria, recently hosted a series of land-based livestreams that took viewers on virtual tours to different sites within Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ territories to spend time with and learn from local Indigenous artists, educators, and knowledge keepers. These walks allow viewers to learn about and build a deeper connection with the land while maintaining safe physical distancing. View the walks on their website.

 
 
 
An image of a blue sky through the tops of trees. The words "online on land" are superimposed on top in a white serif font.
 
 
 
 
 

NEWS & ARTICLES

 

The Issue: Physical Activity

 
Older adults exercise in a park.
 

Physical activity is cross-cultural and transcends barriers. It impacts many facets of our health, but the way we increase physical activity at an upstream level is not one-size-fits-all. The Issue is a regular series by BC Healthy Communities staff, looking at various public health and local government topics and applying an equity lens to them. This month, we look at physical activity. Read more at our website.

 

 

Making plans for summer heatwaves: Recreation facilities and cooling centres

 

As the weather heats up in B.C., recreation centres traditionally fill some of the need for cooling centres. Over the summer months, these facilities are vital to the safety of community members including seniors, and homeless or precariously housed people. As we've seen already in other parts of the country, with air-conditioned spaces like movie theatres and malls either closed or only offering limited access, communities will need to carefully consider how they allocate their recreation spaces. Cities like New Westminster are getting ahead of the curve, embedding the opening of a heat respite centre into their reopening plans. 

 
A woman and her child cool themselves under a street fountain.
 
 
 

Resource: COVID-19 recovery through recreation and parks — guidelines for restarting operations

 
 

BC Recreation and Parks Association's Recreation and Parks Sector Guideline for Restarting Operations  is a planning tool to help the public recreation and parks sector to carefully re-open and offer services and programs safely during this COVID-19 pandemic. The guide provides a framework to develop restart plans and procedures specific to municipalities and regional districts. Get the guide.

 

Cover of the BCRPA Restart Report
 
 
 
Chat bubbles and the words "Let's talk advocacy and health equity"

LEARN

BC Alliance for Healthy Living's sold-out webinar, Keeping Active and Getting Back to Play through COVID-19, is now available for online viewing. The webinar discusses provincial plans for reactivating recreation and sport. Watch the on-demand webinar on the BCAHL website.

 
Image detail from the return to sport cover: an illustration of a football gameplay board, a basketball, a soccer ball and a stopwatch. The words "Return to sport: Guidelines for B.C." in white and yellow block text on a teal background.

CONNECT

Sport is returning to B.C. in accordance with the phases outlined in B.C.’s Restart Plan. viaSport has developed a set of guidelines on how to resume sport while operating safely during this time: the Return to Sport Guidelines. See the guidelines here.

 
An older woman stands outside with a cellphone, a yoga mat, and a water bottle.

INNOVATE

Physical literacy is often associated with children. Ever wonder how it applies to big kids (65 years+)?​ Active Aging Canada is looking for adults aged 65 years+ to help inform their physical literacy initiative by taking a short survey.

 
 
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BC Healthy Communities Society

 
Province of BC
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PlanH is a partnership between BC Healthy Communities Society and the British Columbia Ministry of Health.

BC Healthy Communities Society
300-722 Cormorant St.
Victoria BC
V8W 1P8
T: (250) 590-8442    E: info@planh.ca

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