Community Development

What is Walkability? And why it matters for health, resiliency, happiness and sustainability. Learn more about walkable communities and how they are healthier and more economical.

Article includes discussion on resiliency around practicing collectivism, staying connecting, protecting the vulnerable, finding goodness, tapping into tradition and taking the long view through the coronavirus pandemic.

It takes a place to create a community and a community to create a place. Our pioneering placemaking approach helps citizens transform their public spaces into vital places that highlight local assets, spur rejuvenation, and serve common needs.

This toolkit is designed to help your municipality become a better place for everyone. A Welcoming and Inclusive Community (WIC) initiative is no longer an option for Alberta’s municipalities. It is a necessity.

The Welcoming and Inclusive Communities (WIC) initiative is a partnership between the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) and the Government of Alberta to support municipalities to implement policies and practices to help overcome issues of racism and discrimination.

Author, educator, and community worker Suzanne Methot joined Tamarack Institute’s Pamela Teitelbaum and shared an Indigenous culture-based model that can be used as a tool for professional development, community building, and systems change.

We are Red Deer is where you can read and share stories that make Red Deer who we are. This is our community space to celebrate Red Deerians and everything you do to make Red Deer our home. Share your story here.

A resource designed to help teachers understand the holistic nature of First Nations, Métis and Inuit ways of knowing.

Walk Score’s mission is to promote walkable neighborhoods. Walkable neighborhoods are one of the simplest and best solutions for the environment, our health, and our economy.

An example of how Vancouver is creating a system for producing, processing, distributing, and consuming food that is environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable as a City priority.

It is a known fact that municipalities play a fundamental role in improving the quality of life of the population through land use planning. Municipalities have the power to adopt by‐laws in the interest of the general well‐being of the population. This resource makes a case for using urban planning to offer a healthy food environment around schools.

The Declaration is the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of Indigenous peoples. It establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of the world and it elaborates on existing human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to the specific situation of Indigenous peoples.

The First Nations Perspective on Health and Wellness aims to visually depict and describe the First Nations Health Authority. This visual depiction of the Perspective on Health and Wellness is a tool for the FNHA and First Nations Communities. It aims to create shared understanding of an holistic vision of wellness. This image is just a snapshot of a fluid concept of wellness: it can be adapted and customized freely and is not confined to remain the same.

In order to redress the legacy of residential schools and
advance the process of Canadian reconciliation, the Truth
and Reconciliation Commission makes the following calls to
action.

In order to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission makes 94 calls to action.

Aboriginal peoples in Canada have undergone a significant nutritional transition whereby traditional diets and associated physical activities have been replaced with patterns of consumption that increase the risk of developing chronic disease. Understanding this transition, and the benefits associated with traditional diets, is important for developing interventions to prevent chronic disease in Aboriginal communities.

View a sample policy document from the Township of Rideau Lakes: The Township of Rideau Lakes will continue to maintain and grow the recreational facilities, community groups, parks, trails, access to water, natural landscape, heritage and cultural assets in a self-sustaining manner to maximize opportunities to affordable recreational experiences for the residents of the Township.

Videos on simple recipes, physical activity, seniors resources and more!

Posting weekly wellness challenges (all 7 days with visuals) & variety of classes different days of the week are different skill levels, including seniors.

The Devon Master Plan seeks to maximize the quality of life in Devon by working with its citizens to ensure a community-driven, future focused direction for parks, culture, and recreation.

Tools of Change provides a very accessible set of resources for health promotion, including a planning guide, specific tools of change, and case studies. It works within a psycho-social model in comprehensive ways to address four of the five action areas within the Ottawa Charter.

This guide is intended for all who are concerned about the health of children. It presents, in a succinct fashion, a few possible courses of action for municipalities wishing to improve the food environment of children by limiting the presence of fast-food restaurants near schools, with the objective of promoting public health and well-being through sound land-use planning and an appropriate spatial distribution of commercial uses. This guide has an environmental and urbanistic vocation.

An example of the process for land use planning in Ontario.

This module is meant to acquaint its readers with the why and the how of community engagement. It provides definitions, theories and frameworks that lie behind community engagement, it provides examples of the manageable tensions within community engagement, and it describes basic community engagement tools.

Millions of people use the Community Tool Box each year to get help taking action, teaching, and training others in organizing for community development. Dive in to find help assessing community needs and resources, addressing social determinants of health, engaging stakeholders, action planning, building leadership, improving cultural competency, planning an evaluation, and sustaining your efforts over time.

This report will raise awareness among Canadians about the unique aspects of their communities that they could take advantage of to improve their health. It will also encourage more dialogue across the many disciplines involved in community planning and health promotion so that neighbourhood design considers and promotes physical activity, healthy diets and mental wellness.

View a map of Alberta identifying the boundaries of Treaty 4, 8, 6, 7 and 10; the Métis Nation Regional zones; the location and names of Nations and Settlements; and the spoken languages of these communities.

There is a new worldwide movement developing, made up of people with a different vision for their local communities. They know that movements are not organizations, institutions or systems. Movements have no CEO, central office, or plan. Instead, they happen when thousands of people discover together new possibilities for their lives. They have a calling. They are called. And together they call upon themselves.

Tamarack is uniquely positioned to act as a bridge between theory and practice. We apply the theory to community contexts and teach and coach organizations, municipalities and groups to engage their communities meaningfully. We stress the importance of approaching engagement with an outcomes-based lens, of always involving context experts, and to provide community ownership of solutions whenever possible. We are leaders in applying community engagement to systems-thinking in order to work collaboratively for community-wide change.

The aim of the Municipal Government Representatives for Poverty Reduction Community of Practice (MGR CoP) is to bring together municipal-level government officials who are responsible for or directly involved in poverty reduction efforts, to learn, share, and build capacity amongst group members. This community of practice meets bi-monthly.

Sustainable Food Edmonton is a non-profit charitable organization who initiates and supports projects and programs to encourage the building of community through urban agriculture. We connect communities and kids with their food, how it’s produced, and the planet that makes it all possible.

HealthKnowledge is a ‘one stop shop’ that will provide you with all the public health learning materials, whatever your current competency. You will also find more generic management subjects to support the ‘whole person’. This online course is called “Learning from Stakeholders”, a topic which is key to the successful implementation of Public Health practice.

Dr. Katherine Loflin, a recognized leader in placemaking and the human side of place, examined what makes people love where they live and why it matters as we kicked off an eight-part Soul of the City speaker series that aimed to engage Calgarians and spark conversations about further developing Calgary’s ‘soul’.

Learn how to engage policymakers in improving community conditions by creating and implementing policy changes.

Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts, is about us, Canadian society, and what we need to put faces and voices to the inequities – and the health inequities in particular – that exist in our midst. Only when we see a concrete description of these complex and challenging problems, when we read about their various expressions in all the regions of the country and among the many sub-groups making up Canada, can we move to action.

Many factors have an influence on health. In addition to our individual genetics and lifestyle choices, where we are born, grow, live, work and age also have an important influence on our health.

Should we dance? is designed to stimulate thought and discussion if you are considering whether to form or enter into a partnership, or if you are reflecting on an existing partnership. The prevailing question is what it takes to sustain a healthy partnership.

The Complete Streets approach serves as a framework for ensuring that new roads are built and old roads refurbished to safely and comfortably accommodate all users. As more and more Canadian cities adopt Complete Streets policies, small towns are also exploring how to implement this approach in rural settings. This context brings its own unique set of needs and challenges, but also offers exciting opportunities for improving safety, mobility and health.

Posting videos and links with tips for a variety of activities.

A webinar with Jess Smith from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary discussing the importance of National Indigenous History month and reconciliation.

This resource describes the Core Competencies needed to effectively choose options, and to plan, implement and evaluate policies and/or programs in public health. This includes the management of incidents such as outbreaks and emergencies.

Health promotion quick links on child health, family violence prevention, healthy pregnancy and infancy, healthy living, injury prevention, mental health, obesity, physical activity, population health, rural health, and seniors health.

Project of Heart is an award-winning initiative that commemorates the lives lost at Indian residential schools. Students hear testimony from a survivor and decorate a wooden tile in honor of one of the thousands of children who died at the schools. The final step is for students to take action together for social justice.

The Program Evaluation Toolkit contains resources for planning, doing and using program evaluation. These worksheets can assist your team in focusing on what is important and feasible as you begin to formulate and implement your evaluation project.

Find policy intervention information aimed at reducing the risks of cancer.

The Policy Readiness Tool is a self-administered questionnaire that can be used to assess a community or organization’s readiness for policy change. Included with the questionnaire is a series of strategies for working with communities or organizations at different stages of readiness for policy change and a resource list for additional information. The purpose of the Tool is to help advocates and policy developers encourage the adoption of healthy public policy within communities or organizations.

PlanH, implemented by BC Healthy Communities Society, facilitates local government learning, partnership development and planning for healthier communities where we live, learn, work and play. Working together with health authorities, UBCM and the Ministry of Health, PlanH supports the Province’s health promotion strategy.

Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada) champions healthy, active kids by promoting and advancing quality health and physical education opportunities and healthy learning environments. Supporting community champions with quality programs, professional development services, and community activation initiatives, PHE Canada inspires all to live healthy, physically active lives.

Resources on:
Mental health in older adults: learn more + find support
Seniors’ Falls in Canada: Second Report
Age-Friendly Communities
Emergency Preparedness
Elder Abuse

A scientific account of the benefits of parks and other green
environments to the development of healthy communities.

The first International Conference on Health Promotion, meeting in Ottawa this 21st day of November 1986, hereby presents this CHARTER for action to achieve Health for All by the year 2000 and beyond.

Osteoporosis Canada is the only national organization serving people who have, or are at risk for, osteoporosis. The organization works to educate, empower and support individuals and communities in the risk-reduction and treatment of osteoporosis.

For decades the National Wildlife Federation has worked to connect children and youth with nature, inspiring children through Ranger Rick® magazine, working with educators to get kids learning outdoors, and helping parents find new ways to engage their children outside.

Engaging youth in conversations and decision-making has many documented benefits to both organizations and youth themselves. This guide, developed by the Nova Scotia Health Authority, offers tips and guidance for engaging youth ages 15–30 to ensure their voices are at the table.

Welcome to the website for Jim Diers. Jim is a speaker, facilitator, author and activator assisting associations and agencies in support of caring, inclusive and powerful communities. Find recommended resources here.

This report is divided into three sections followed by a concluding chapter which lists the key recommendations that have resulted from NWAC’s engagement project on a National Food Policy for Canada. The first section outlines the discussions that took place during NWAC’s Board of Directors roundtable discussion on food policy, including the development of culturally relevant and gender-specific questions. The following section outlines the responses from grassroots Indigenous women on what they think should be included in the National Food Policy for Canada. The third section provides an analysis of NWAC’s social media advocacy and an online survey that helped raise awareness of how food insecurity affects Indigenous women. The concluding chapter outlines the recommendations that address environmental sustainability, access to the land, the need for healthy and affordable food, transferring knowledge of traditional Indigenous foods and improving health outcomes.

In June, we celebrate National Indigenous History Month to honour the history, heritage and diversity of Indigenous peoples in Canada. This website includes resources to celebrate, learn and discover more.

This resource booklet provides an overview of the activities, mandate, and publications of the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH). The booklet offers a quick glance at the many knowledge resources, including fact sheets, reports, videos, podcasts, and interactive media available on the NCCIH social media channels and responsive web site.

The National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) is a national Indigenous organization established in 2005 by the Government of Canada and funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to support First Nations, Inuit, and Métis public health renewal and health equity through knowledge translation and exchange.

NCCIH will be frequently updating our home page and social media channels to provide reliable, accurate and up-to-date information as well as information sources in relation to COVID-19.

Learn about public policies and their effects on health. Generate and use knowledge about healthy public policies. Identify models for intersectoral collaboration as well as potential collaborators. Influence the development of public policies.

How can we heal the system in a time of intense challenge? It starts with healing yourself. In this webinar, Melanie Goodchild shared traditional indigenous medicines and ways of healing, and how healing the system as a whole, starts with healing ourselves.

Online resources where the landing page is in multiple languages to connect individuals who speak various languages with health resources. Includes community presentations.

When it comes to creating a positive & sustainable impact on the lives of Indigenous people, it is important to understand the role that individuals play within the collective experience. This tool helps the reader understand the difference between an ally, accomplice, and a co-resister, and how to move towards allyship.

In this participatory project, immigrant women and researchers worked together to attain a better understanding of how gender, health, place and the politics of everyday life are interwoven and of how to use this knowledge to promote immigrant women’s health.

The MNA is governed by a Provincial Council, comprised of a Provincial President and Vice-President, and six (6) regional Presidents and Vice-Presidents, all democratically elected. Together, this Council work toward the mandate of the MNA, which supports practices of transparency, accountability and inclusiveness for Métis Albertans in governments’ policy and decision-making processes, and overall, promotes and facilitates the advancement of Métis people through self-reliance, self-determination and self-management.

Blog post with ideas about how community has shown up throughout the pandemic in kind, generous, vibrant and resourceful ways. Includes many resources to support communities.

Learn about senior health. Everyone ages differently. What do you need to feel your best? Whether you’re looking to add more activity to your day or to get the right information to make an important health decision, this is a good place to start.

Learn how to develop an evaluation plan, identify stakeholders’ interests, and conduct a participatory evaluation.

This sourcebook captures the best of what has been developed over the years and is rich with concrete exercises designed to break the ice and begin bringing the generations together. It’s practical and as accessible to first timers as it is to seasoned pros.

This document explores the following questions:
What are the conditions that support the development and sustainability of the Community Health Impact Assessment?
Can/does the Community Health Impact Assessment influence healthy public policy?
How might the Community Health Impact Assessment support change if done differently?

The following resources provide support, outreach, coaching, training or capacity building events and opportunities to help create community social and physical environments that are supportive of regular physical activity; and to increase knowledge and develop personal skills to enable First Nations to adopt and sustain healthy, active lifestyles.

Indigenous People’s Health Research Centre is focused on building capacity for community-based Indigenous health research in Saskatchewan, and creating networks of Indigenous health researchers regionally, nationally, and internationally. We are researchers, students and community members who envision thriving, healthy, self-determining Indigenous peoples, families and communities.

The Montreal Indigenous Community NETWORK supports the ecosystem of individuals and groups committed to improving the quality of life of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities living in the greater Montreal area. Find resources and information that can be applied to communities in Alberta.

June is National Aboriginal History Month. Ever wonder how to use the proper terms when referring to Indigenous Peoples? Inuk journalist Ossie Michelin has a friendly how-to guide.

This resource explores how culture influences the health of children. Key learning points in this resource are:
Diversity exists within any single culture.
The adaptation of a child can be influenced by numerous factors in addition to culture (personal, family, migration-related, social, environmental).
Any negative effects of such factors may be well hidden by the child.
A child may compensate for a parent’s debility.
Migration trajectories vary in significant ways.

To keep us all connected in this time of isolation and social distancing, Cochrane has created a sense of belonging with the help of technology. Learn more about the Cochrane online food pantry, Gourmet Go To Catering, and the Farmhouse Sessions.

Heart & Stroke is committed to helping close this health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Health reconciliation is at the core of our strategy, which is focused on helping to build capacity in Indigenous communities. This work is being undertaken with the goal of collaborating with Indigenous health leaders to ensure that our efforts are made in true partnership.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation has developed this toolkit to help individuals and organizations who are interested in making their communities more supportive of physical activity through active, Community Design.

Eat Smart Meet Smart will help you plan meetings, events and conferences that are healthy for your participants — and healthy for your organization.

Developing and implementing a healthy school policy is an important part of creating a healthy school community. These resources can help guide this process.

The purpose of the project is to identify evidence-informed strategies and models of practice for land use planning policies, procedures and designs for the built environment to improve population health outcomes in rural communities. This section lists mechanisms that can help to create healthy rural communities, and can be used by any municipality that is working toward developing healthy initiatives.

The purpose of the project is to identify evidence-informed strategies and models of practice for land use planning policies, procedures and designs for the built environment to improve population health outcomes in rural communities. This section provides recommendations on community engagement and capacity building.

The purpose of the project is to identify evidence-informed strategies and models of practice for land use planning policies, procedures and designs for the built environment to improve population health outcomes in rural communities. This section provides recommendations on community design and land use planning.

The purpose of the project is to identify evidence-informed strategies and models of practice for land use planning policies, procedures and designs for the built environment to improve population health outcomes in rural communities. This section provides recommendations on access to local food.

This website is meant to help build our understanding of common factors that are known to support healthy communities and healthy homes for Albertans. Explore the key factors below to learn more.

View case studies and articles from communities within Alberta who are working to implement healthy eating environments within recreation settings.

This guide was developed to assist workplaces in applying a comprehensive approach to healthy eating, planning activities using the framework of comprehensive workplace wellness, and creating a supportive environment for healthy eating.

Healthy food is important for children and youth. How can recreation centres and community centres help children eat healthy food? Follow the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth. This easy to read booklet is for people who work or volunteer at Alberta recreation centres and community centres. This booklet is also for food service operators.

Created by University of Alberta Housing for Health working with 100+ multi-sector partners across Canadian provinces and the U.S., the Healthy Community Guidelines provide multi-sector audiences with strategies to create healthier cities, towns, communities, and buildings.

The Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) calls upon planners, government, municipal departments, agencies, other related professionals, builders, developers, community groups and members of the public to make the public realm a focus in community building and placemaking efforts across Ontario.

The Healthy Built Environment Linkages Toolkit describes how population health is influenced by the design of our neighbourhoods, housing, transportation systems, natural environments, and food systems. It brings together research based key messages that correlate land-use planning decisions, impacts on the built environment and population health. Health professionals and others working to assist local governments and provide well-informed and credible recommendations will find this resource useful to draw from.

This paper uses available data to describe health inequalities experienced by diverse Aboriginal peoples in Canada. The data are organized around social determinants of health across the life course and provide evidence that not only demonstrates important health disparities within Aboriginal groups and compared to non-Aboriginal people, but also links social determinants, at proximal, intermediate and distal levels, to health inequalities.

Find resources on Indigenous community health within Canada.

Immigrants are eligible for health care coverage under the Canada Health Act. Find information on: Employment; Immunization; Health Care System; Health Promotion; Mental Health; Reports on New Immigrants; Women; Reports on Immigrant women; and more.

Indigenous Services Canada works with First Nations, Inuit, other federal departments and provincial and territorial partners to support healthy First Nations and Inuit individuals, families and communities. Working with partners we strive to improve health outcomes, provide access to quality health services and support greater control of the health system by First Nations and Inuit.

Health Canada services and information including recalls, Canada’s food guide, diseases, immunization, and health risks while travelling.

The objectives of this resource are to: Promote an environment in Public Buildings that encourages healthier eating by increasing the range of healthier food and beverage choices available in vending machines; Assist vending operators in identifying healthier food and beverage choices; Support growth of markets in the area of healthier food and beverages; and Provide a best practice model in implementing healthier choices in vending machines for those not captured by the Policy

The Handbook to Healthier Communities – Influencing Healthy Public Policies handbook is for anyone who wants to advance health policy in their community or encourage change at the local level.

The goal of this guide is to encourage all academic staff association representatives and members to acknowledge the First Peoples on whose traditional territories we live and work. This acknowledgement appropriately takes place at the commencement of courses, meetings or conferences, and presentations (given either at one’s home institution or elsewhere).

Listing of First Nation, Metis and Aboriginal organizations and services in Alberta. Also included are national and umbrella organizations with offices located elsewhere. Listings are restricted to not-for-profit organizations and services.

Green Communities Canada, founded in 1995, works with member organizations and partners to deliver innovative and practical community programs, with big wins for environment, health, economy, and infrastructure.
Our diverse programs address home energy efficiency, green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management, active school travel, and more.

The purposes of this Act are as follows:
1. To foster successful and resilient local food economies and systems throughout Ontario.
2. To increase awareness of local food in Ontario, including the diversity of local food.
3. To encourage the development of new markets for local food

The Community Planning Tool is designed to complement standard program planning processes by providing simple guiding questions for each stage of planning which will help your team apply a health equity lens to your work. From initial scoping of the problem through to final evaluation and sustainability planning there are opportunities to address health equity and this tool will help you discover them.

Improving education outcomes and creating opportunities for First Nations, Métis and Inuit students in Alberta. Education for reconciliation.

Find statistics and contact informaiton on First Nations in Treaty 8, 6 and 7.

Most Canadians have never taken the time to get to know Indigenous People or visit their communities. First Contact takes six average Canadians, all with strong opinions about Indigenous People, on a unique 28-day journey into Indigenous Canada.

Preventative programming and services for youth and children, seniors, families and the whole community of Manning.

Delivered directly to schools, the grants are designed to bring more of the local harvest into schools where it is featured in a salad bar meal service, using the Farm to School Approach. The goal? To see more students and school communities engaged in: Growing; Purchasing; Harvesting; Cooking; Serving; Learning about, and eating.

Farm to Cafeteria Canada (F2CC) is a pan-Canadian organization whose vision is “vibrant and sustainable regional food systems that support the health of people place and planet.” F2CC works with partners across Canada to educate, build capacity, strengthen partnerships, and influence policy to bring local, healthy, and sustainable foods into all public institutions.

Ever Active Schools is a provincial initiative designed to create and support healthy school communities. We engage and support schools through a Comprehensive School Health approach, which addresses health and education goals to improve the social outcomes of children and youth in Alberta.
Through collaborative partnerships, projects-based work, knowledge exchange and competency-based learning opportunities, Ever Active Schools spearheads meaningful collaboration between the health, education, recreation and active living sectors.

The Evaluation Flash Cards are presented here, with the idea that a core concept can be revisited “in a flash.” Illustrations of the concepts are drawn from Otto Bremer Trust grants. We hope this resource is useful to other organizations committed to understanding and improving the results of the programs they support. These cards are not intended to be definitive, universally applicable, or exhaustive of possibilities.

Welcome to Artscape DIY, Artscape’s knowledge sharing website for information and inspiration to support creative placemaking in your community. As you explore the site you will find case studies, tools and resources, including downloadable templates and examples, films, guides and articles designed to help you through the often complex and risky business of developing sustainable, affordable space for culture and creativity which responds and contributes to the transformation and revitalization of communities.

Our nationally recognized not for profit organization consists of sport and physical literacy experts with the long-term vision necessary to be catalysts for lasting change within the sport and physical activity ecosystem and beyond. By bridging gaps between sectors, creating new collaborations with Canadian institutions, and mobilizing our knowledge to communities across the country, we aim to create a future in which absolutely everyone has access to quality sport and physical literacy experiences.

This resource offers concise tips on developing healthy school communities by preparing, creating a shared vision, determining the priority issues, developing an Action Plan, implementing and monitoring, and reflecting, evaluating and celebrating your success.

This article uses a population health perspective to examine the complex set of interactions among the determinants of healthy eating. An overview of current knowledge on determinants of healthy eating was organized as follows: 1) individual determinants of personal food choices and 2) collective determinants, including a) environmental determinants as the context for eating behaviours and b) public policies as creating supportive environments for healthy eating.

Designing communities that are walkable, connected, and have easy access to recreation and sport opportunities can facilitate a sense of community and help to improve the health of residents. This document outlines the benifits of designing communities to support active living by using municipal bylaws to promote health.

Complete Streets for Canada is a “go-to” hub for Complete Streets policy, design, case studies, and research. The website (with a new and improved design launched in 2019) provides the necessary knowledge base and policy framework for municipalities to move toward streets that provide equitable access to all modes of travel.

This resource explores the importance of, and approaches to community engagement in community health initiatives.

The National Standards for Community Engagement are good-practice principles designed to support and inform the process of community engagement, and improve what happens as a result.

This resource will assist municipalities in creating healthy and complete communities while also meeting the provincial policies. Municipalities are free to use the concepts within this document and adapt, amend or revise the wording to suit their particular needs and circumstances.

This document is a planning tool to help you build community capacity in health promotion projects. The tool gives you a snapshot of where you are—and where you still might go—in building community capacity for your project.

Communities in Bloom is a volunteer based, Canadian non-profit organization, committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility, beautification and to improving quality of life through community participation and the opportunity to participate in a national program.

This initiative aims to create opportunities for active transportation and leisure time physical activity by: Promoting social support interventions; Enhancing or creating pedestrian master plans; Adopting Complete Streets policies; Participating in Safe Routes to Schools programs.

Resources to increase physical activity that are related to walkability—community-scale urban design, street-scale urban design, and improving access to places for physical activity (including providing maps and descriptive information).

Tools and resources that can help your community in its efforts to improve health for all residents—from planning an initiative to reporting on its success.

Community gardens are collaborative projects on shared open spaces where participants share in the maintenance and products of the garden, including healthful and affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. This resource offers links to other resources, case studies, and journal articles.

Capacity Building: Linking Community Experience to Public Policy is a resource designed to help people in the public sector and in the community to understand how to link community experience to the policy-making process. It considers how policy has traditionally been made, and the opportunities and challenges facing communities and systems as they strive to work collaboratively to create meaningful and inclusive public-policy processes.

CPHA is the independent national voice and trusted advocate for public health, speaking up for people and populations to all levels of government. We champion health equity, social justice and evidence-informed decision-making. We leverage knowledge, identify and address emerging public health issues, and connect diverse communities of practice. We promote the public health perspective and evidence to government leaders and policy-makers. We are a catalyst for change that improves health and well-being for all.

The Framework for Recreation in Canada is the guiding document for public recreation providers in Canada. We have an opportunity to work together in ways that will enable all Canadians to enjoy recreation and outdoor experiences in supportive physical and social environments.

Find information and tools on: Children with School Problems; Early Literacy; Early Child Development; and Indigenous Child & Youth Health

The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) works on behalf of over 7,000 planning professionals nationally, and has served as the voice of Canada’s planning community since 1919.

Planning addresses the use of land, resources, facilities and services in ways that secure the physical, economic and social efficiency, health and well-being of urban and rural communities. Our members work in both the public service and the private sector, across fields such as land use planning, environmental resource management, land development, heritage conservation, social planning, transportation planning, and economic development.

View a list of resources on immigrant & refugee health.

The Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity is committed to driving change through actionable, evidence-based resources that address gender equity challenges in sport at the ground level.

To gather information for this report, the Health Council conducted interviews with senior officials from provincial, territorial, and federal governments and from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis organizations. We also hosted regional meetings across Canada to learn what is being done for seniors in their communities and where problems still exist. Many participants were health professionals and members of First Nations, Inuit, or Métis communities; some were seniors as well.

Canada Walks, a department of Green Communities Canada, is a leader in Canada’s walking movement. Canada Walks has a history that reaches back two decades and a powerful vision of a walkable future for Canada.

When it comes to creating a positive & sustainable impact on the lives of Indigenous people, it is important to understand the role that individuals play within the collective experience. An ally recognizes that every person has a basic right to human dignity, respect, and equal access to resources.

To build respectful relationships, acknowledging the land is an important part of reconciliation. It honours the authentic history of North America, its original people and tells the story of the creation of this country that has historically been missing.

The calendar features health awareness days, weeks and months. These events are either promoted by recognized health organizations or recognized in the professional health community. You can submit a health promotion awareness event for 2020 on behalf of your organization. Events are removed from the calendar once the date has passed, unless you mention next year’s event. If your annual event was removed, you can submit it again when the next occasion is announced.

Active transportation is any form of human‐powered, non‐motorized transportation such as
walking, cycling or wheeling. Active transportation can be part of your everyday routine for
getting to work or school, shopping and visiting friends. This article encourages you to think about the decisions you make and the actions you take that affect how you get around
in your community.

The Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) is a UNICEF-led initiative that supports municipal governments in realizing the rights of children at the local level using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as its foundation.

Encouraging and supporting healthy eating, active living, and social well being to develop and promote healthy citizens and community in Brooks, Alberta.

The Truth and Reconcilliation Commission was formed as a means of reckoning with the devastating legacy of forced assimilation and abuse left by the residential school system. Learn more here.

The Benefits HUB is a dynamic online database of research and resources proving the benefits of recreation and parks. It is an invaluable resource for policy development, planning, marketing, program and service development, and evaluation.

The first Be Fit For Life centre emerged in 1982 as a fitness resource centre at the University of Alberta’s Provincial Fitness Unit, later growing into a Network of Centres embedded in Colleges and Universities across Alberta, bridging the work of the institutions with the community at large. View Be Fit For Life’s resource database here.

BC Healthy Communities Society is a province-wide not-for-profit organization that facilitates the ongoing development of healthy, thriving and resilient communities.

In 2008 the government adopted a policy statement titled the Land Use Framework (LUF). The LUF sets out an approach to manage public and private lands and natural resources to achieve Alberta’s long-term economic, environmental and social goals. The LUF identifies seven strategies to achieve these goals.

APPLE Schools (A Project Promoting healthy Living for Everyone in schools) is an innovative school-focused health promotion initiative. It improves the lives of more than 20,000 students annually in 74 schools across British Columbia, northern Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Manitoba by improving their healthy eating, physical activity, and mental health habits.

ABSI (Alberta Social Innovation) Connect is a collective of Alberta-based organizations and individuals who want to address the root causes of today’s most pressing issues and believe this requires working and learning together. See our current team and partners.

Resources on age-friendly communities, seniors housing, elder abuse prevention, pensions and funding for organizations.

Recreation and physical activity publications for Albertan communities, organizations and partners.

The Alberta Recreation and Parks Association is a not-for-profit organization committed to building healthier and happier communities and citizens by developing and promoting recreation and parks.

The Alberta Policy Coalition for Chronic Disease (APCCP) was established in 2009. We represent a broad range of practitioners, policy-makers, researchers, and community organizations who have come together to coordinate efforts, generate evidence, and advocate for policy change to reduce chronic disease.

The goal of the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth is to equip facilities and organizations with the tools they need to provide healthy food choices in childcare settings, schools, in recreation centres, at special events, and in the community at large. The Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth will help assist Albertans to create an environment which provides and promotes healthy food choices and healthy attitudes about food.

The Healthy Communities Hub is a place where Albertans can connect, share and learn as they plan and build healthy communities. The Hub supports communities on their journey towards building supportive, health-promoting environments.

The Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA) is a non-profit umbrella organization representing agencies that provide resettlement, settlement, and integration services to newcomers in the province of Alberta. Since 1980, we have been working to build the sector’s capacity to better serve newcomers by fostering collaboration, professionalization, and member-driven research and policy work.

Food is one of life’s basic needs. Hands-on experience with a school garden is an important step in helping young people to understand and appreciate the industry that grows, processes, and delivers safe, abundant food to Albertans every day. The gardening process also encourages children to make healthy food choices.

The Community Gardens Handbook offers guidence to groups in Alberta who want to start and maintian a community garden that grows food.

This guide is intended both for the general public and for professionals involved in developing routes and facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and other active transportation users.

Active Transportation in Canada: a resource and planning guide is a resource tool for transportation planners and related professionals (e.g., city or town planners, town engineers, etc.) to accommodate, promote and support active transportation in current and long-range planning and development.

Healthier Together is an online resource that’s bringing Albertans together. It’s guiding entire communities toward healthier ways of living and working that give everyone a fair chance for health. And it lets you choose health conditions that concern you most and connects you with information, tools and proven strategies that make it easier to take action. Picture the possibilities. Then create them with Healthier Together.

This resource guide is designed to assist local governments promote food security and support food systems in BC. It showcases a sample of the wide range of innovative projects being developed or supported by local governments across the province. It includes examples that are meant to pique your curiosity and inspire you to action, whether your community is just starting out or well on its way to creating a strong and healthy food system.

This Knowledge-to-Action Framework is a step-by-step guide that aims to assist planners and design professionals to take action towards creating a healthier built environment in partnership with health professionals.

For decades we’ve known that physical activity improves heart health, helps maintain healthy body weights and builds strong bones and muscles in kids across a range of skills and abilities.
Now we are taking a closer look at what physical activity does for one of their most vital and complex organs: the brain. Learn more about how physical activity can help your child reach their mental, emotional and intellectual potential.

PPS has developed 11 principles that can be used to evolve public spaces into “community places.” Although similar words, “spaces” and “places” have very different meanings. A space is a physical description of a piece of land, whereas a “place” connotes an emotional attachment to the piece of land.

In this article, we draw on a 2012 Montreal-based study that examined the embodied, every day practices of immigrant children and families in the context of urban greenspaces such as parks, fields, backyards, streetscapes, gardens, forests and rivers.