Local and Indigenous governments are encouraged to apply for Active Communities Grants to support projects and programs that increase access to physical activity throughout their communities.

“Physical activity is critical in preventing chronic diseases and is important in increasing people’s physical and mental well-being,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “These grants will help to promote access to physical activity in various communities through inclusive programs, providing people with the resources they need to live healthy and stay active.”

With funding from the ministry, the BC Alliance for Healthy Living Society (BCAHL) is administering the grant program, providing $1.5 million to local and Indigenous governments. The program focuses on local community projects that will improve equity in physical activity opportunities. The projects will respond to local needs, contexts and cultures, and help reduce financial and transportation barriers, install equipment in central, easily accessible locations and modify the physical environment to provide easy access to physical activity.

“Local planning to support active communities is a key component of creating healthy communities and improving social determinants of good health,” said Roly Russell, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen and Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development. “This investment in community-led projects means that more people across B.C. will have access to place-based programs to reduce risk of chronic disease, lower stress and generally improve quality of life with solutions that are built by and for community.”

Grant applications opened on Oct. 5, 2023, and will remain open until Feb. 5, 2024.

The Active Communities Grants program is one of three initiatives supported by a total investment of $4 million from the Ministry of Health. Other initiatives supported by this funding are After School Active Play, which will increase after-school physical activity opportunities for children in communities with higher levels of poverty; and the Everybody Moves Inclusion Training and support, which will support recreation staff to develop and implement inclusion policies and inclusive environments and programs in their organizations. These initiatives are targeted to launch in 2024-25.

“BCAHL is grateful to have these resources so we can continue our work with Indigenous and local governments to create healthier communities for all,” said Rita Koutsodimos, executive director, BCAHL. “Investing in community-based solutions is a way to make meaningful change because it builds on local knowledge and culture. Regular activity is foundational to disease prevention and it also promotes mental wellness and social connections in the community by bringing people together to share fun experiences that leave them feeling good.”

Established in 2003, the BCAHL is a group of organizations working to improve the health of people in British Columbia. Through leadership and collaborative action, BCAHL advances health-promoting policies, programs and environments that support physical and mental well-being.

This funding supports B.C.’s Physical Activity Strategy, Active People Active Places, which is a 10-year plan designed to guide and accelerate physical activity policies, practices and programs to improve the health and well-being of people in B.C.

Quick Facts:

• The BCAHL originally launched the Active Communities Grant program in 2017, creating 737 physical activity opportunities with more than 41,000 participants.
• In 2015, inactivity was estimated to cost $1 billion per year, such as $350 million in direct health-care costs and $673 million in costs related to disability and premature mortality.
• Coronary artery disease, stroke, hypertension, colon cancer, breast cancer, Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis are the top seven chronic diseases that are consistently associated with physical inactivity.
• There is evidence that even low levels of physical activity can promote positive mental health, improve mood in chronically stressed adults and prevent the onset of depression.
• Recent studies have highlighted that being consistently inactive was a stronger risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes than any of the underlying medical conditions and risk factors except for age and a history of organ transplant.

Learn More:

To find out more about the BC Alliance for Healthy living, visit:
https://www.bchealthyliving.ca/

To learn more about B.C.’s Physical Activity Strategy, visit: 
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/managing-your-health/physical-activity