The Outdoor Play Canada 2021 Awards will be presented at this year’s Breath of Fresh Air Summit (date and format TBD). If you know of an individual or organization that has demonstrated exceptional commitment and leadership in the promotion of outdoor play, nominate them for an OPC award! Award categories include: 2021 OPC Honour Award Dr....
Dalhousie University's Healthy Populations Institute (HPI) is (virtually) hosting Cornell professor Dr. Janet Loebach for a talk on: 'Leveraging Behaviour Mapping to Capture Children's Play Behaviours and Evaluate Outdoor Playspace Design' in support of HPI's Flagship Project "Designing Supportive Environments for Chronic Disease Prevention". This presentation will take place Wednesday April 28th, 2021 from 12:00-1:00...
On April 13th, 2021, the federal and Nova Scotia provincial governments announced they were allocating $7 million for the creation of new, or enhancement of existing, outdoor learning spaces in ~250 elementary schools in Nova Scotia. A government news release outlined that "Schools will be asked to ensure that the spaces are aligned with curriculum and...
On March 30th, 2021 at 12pm CST, Sask in Motion will be hosting their final Leaders' Series webinar. The panel talk will focus on the City of Calgary's experience creating a play charter and adventure playground, featuring OPC Leadership Group member Heather Cowie, in addition to Adam Bienenstock (Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds), Stephanie Won (City of Calgary)...
La Forêt Éphémère, or The Ephemeral Forest, at Parc Jarry in Montreal, was an initiative led by the community park group Coalition des amis du Parc Jarry (CAP Jarry) and funded by a TD Park People Winter Grant, to give cast-off Christmas trees a second life, promote time outdoors, and foster community. Residents of Montreal were...
Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt, Professor at the University of Ottawa and Chair of the Royal Society of Canada's Working Group on Children and Schools, recently wrote an Op Ed piece for the Globe and Mail, entitled: 'Physical activity - the forgotten core area of child development during the pandemic'. In the piece Dr. Vaillancourt highlights the observation...
On March 13, 2021, Dr. Mark Tremblay, chair of Outdoor Play Canada, was interviewed by Adrian Harewood on the CBC show 'Our Ottawa'. Dr. Tremblay discussed major findings from the national survey of children and youth's movement and play behaviours during COVID-19, that he led with researchers from universities across Canada, commissioned by ParticipACTION. In the interview,...
On Friday, March 12, 2021, Minister McKenna and Parliamentary Secretary Fillmore announced they are moving forward with the National Active Transportation Strategy and the creation of a $400M Active Transportation Infrastructure Fund. Vélo Canada Bikes has been actively involved in calling for this Active Transportation Strategy and working with the government and stakeholders in moving this...
ParticipACTION and Sonnet Insurance commissioned a survey on how Canadians have been feeling and coping during COVID-19. The survey looked at things Canadians prioritized as a result of the pandemic, things Canadians missed, ways Canadians coped, as well as silver linings. Getting active outdoors was among the top 3 priorities, and was also THE top way...
In their newest article for The Conversation, Dr. John J Reilly, Professor of Physical Activity and Public Health Science, University of Strathclyde, and Dr. Mark Tremblay, Professor of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, discuss how children's outdoor play was in decline before the pandemic and now is in danger of becoming...
