Canada will allocate more than $970,000 CAD to increase physical activity among immigrants

Research shows that the majority of adult immigrants coming to Canada experience a decline in health after arrival. This trend is associated with lower levels of physical activity, poor nutrition, stress and social isolation. This, in turn, can lead to an increase in chronic disease among these populations.

Talib Nurmohamed, Member of Parliament for Granville Island in Vancouver, on behalf of the Minister of Health of Canada, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, has announced an investment of more than $970,000 CAD. They will be invested in a project aimed at encouraging immigrants to move around the city actively to improve their overall health and well-being. Specifically, active mobility includes walking, cycling, running, snowshoeing, and so on. Through this program, Health Canada hopes to increase physical activity among immigrants in 3 cities across the country.

The funding is distributed through the Multi-Sector Partnership Program (MSP) from the Public Health Agency of Canada, which since 2013 has been investing $20 million CAD per year in innovative projects across the country aimed at reducing the risk of chronic disease in Canadians by addressing common risk factors such as unhealthy eating, smoking and physical inactivity. MSP is now known as the Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund.

The project will implement innovative and integrated approaches to promote healthy lifestyles and address common risk factors for chronic diseases. The Society for Immigrant Services in British Columbia will invest the proceeds in the Immigrant Bicycle Mentoring Program. Through it, the organization hopes to make bicycling a common way for immigrants to get around while they are in the resettlement process.

The project will match immigrants and refugees with local cycling experts who will provide support, resources, ideas for activities and organize group events. Through participation in this mentoring program, immigrants in Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax will have the opportunity to learn about cycling routes, rules and the culture of their city through regular exercise. They will also learn how bicycling can become their regular form of physical activity and have a positive impact on their health and prevent chronic disease.