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.

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!

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.