Tuesday May 25, 2010
In this issue:
Register Early for IWALK 2010
Register your school or group for International Walk to School Month (in October) by June 30 and it will qualify for the early registration prize draw. Even more prizes are to be won by schools participating in this annual event that encourages physical activity, environmentally-friendly transportation and traffic safety. This year, through a partnership with the Heart&Stroke Walkabout, we’re highlighting step counting and the use of pedometers. Register and learn more here.
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Making Tracks In-Line Skating Train-the-Trainer: May 31
Join our train-the-trainer session for Making Tracks In-Line Skating on May 31 in Halifax (evening session). Learn the program and help spread in-line skating enthusiasm and safety to others. This is for experienced in-line skaters and/or leaders only, by approval. If interested in this session, please contact us at 442-5055 or walk@ecologyaction.ca. Making Tracks is offered through Active & Safe Routes to School with the support of the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal as well as Mountain Equipment Co-op, the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, St. Francis Xavier University and Skate Pass ®. Learn more here.
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Changing Gears: Youth Cycling Workshop
On March 27, stakeholders with an interest in encouraging more youth to cycle came together for the Changing Gears: Increasing Young People Cycling in Nova Scotia workshop. Over 40 people attended on behalf of 22 different organizations including provincial government, municipalities and nonprofit organizations. The Glace Bay Youth Action Committee performed a presentation they’ve developed to inspire more youth to use active transportation such as cycling. Recommendations for increasing the number of young people using cycling were compiled and will form the basis for an action plan. The event was co-organized by the Ecology Action Centre’s Active & Safe Routes to School program and the Halifax Cycling Coalition. It was supported by Transport Canada, the Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion and Protection, Halifax Regional Municipality and Mountain Equipment
Co-op. Learn more here.
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Youth Active Transportation: Session for Adult Facilitators
Active & Safe Routes to School hopes to bring youth active transportation expert Arthur Orsini to Nova Scotia to run a workshop for adults who want to engage more youth in active transportation. This half-day workshop may be offered in early July or late September. Please contact us at asrts@ecologyaction.ca if you’d like to receive more information on this workshop as details are finalized.
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NS Woman Walks 3,000 km of Coastline
Between May 13 and August 8 Emily Forrest will walk the 3,000 km coastline of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, covering approximately 40 km a day and stopping in over 88 communities. Forrest wants to inspire Nova Scotians to walk more for better health and well-being by exploring places to walk in their communities. She invites groups of people to set their own challenge and track their progress along side hers on the Heart&Stroke Walkabout website
. In addition to promoting Heart & Stroke Walkabout, Forrest is walking to raise awareness of Brigadoon, a year-round facility being built in Nova Scotia for children living with chronic illness. She welcomes groups or individuals to walk along with her on parts of her journey. Emily’s progress can be followed on Facebook (search for “Forrest Walkabout”) and her walking routes and plans are at http://www.walkaboutns.ca
(search "Forrest Walkabout” on the Routes page). To find out arrival times, arrange meeting locations or for more information, email her at emforrest@eastlink.ca.
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Upcoming Events
MEC School Bike Day In HRM: June 2
As part of HRM’s Bike Week, the MEC School Bike Day happens on Wednesday, June 2. Halifax Regional Schools are encouraged to take part and register using the Registration form. Participating schools could win a bike rack by logging the most participation in this event (based on percent participation). Participating students also get a chance to win one of 20, $25 gift certificates from Mountain Equipment Co-op!
Active Transportation Conference in Montreal June 3-4
Take part in Canada’s first active transportation conference: On the Move in the Community taking place June 3 to 4, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Select, Montreal. Organized by Vélo Québec, the event is endorsed by the Canadian Active and Safe Routes to School Partnership. Register and learn more here.
NS Biking for Breakfast Challenge August 28
The Biking for Breakfast Challenge (BFBC) is a fund-raiser for school breakfast programs. Bike the Cape Breton Highlands in one day (there are solo and team relay options). Learn more and register here.
Otesha Fall Tour: Fredericton to Halifax
From September 7 to November 2, the Otesha Project will cycle from New Brunswick to PEI to Nova Scotia while delivering a play on environmental and social justice issues to schools and other community groups. The Otesha team is a motivated and energetic group of young people with a mission to mobilize and equip Canadians to create local and global change through individual and collective choices. Learn more here.
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Stewiacke’s Take The Roof Off Winter Walk
By Tracey Werenka
In February, volunteers in the Town of Stewiacke banded together to organize a Winter Walk Day event to support Take The Roof Off Winter. Approximately 340 students, teachers and volunteers made the walk from the Winding River Consolidated Elementary school in Stewiacke to the John Crawford Trails. After the walk, and a hike through the trails, everybody involved enjoyed a winter staple – hot chocolate, provided by Stewiacke Parks and Recreation and donated by Tim Horton’s. Overall it was a great day. The weather was perfect and the event showed that the Town of Stewiacke is ready to Get Active!
Editor's note: About 194 schools and organizations took part in Winter Walk Day across NS as part of Take The Roof Off Winter.
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New Pace Car Communities Fight Speeding
In early May, three new communities launched the Pace Car program in order to reduce speeding and make our streets safer: Prospect Elementary in HRM and two Cape Breton communities - Whycocomagh and Christmas Island. Following the first launch of the Pace Car Deputy program in Yarmouth in December, Bible Hill followed suit and launched the program at two elementary schools marking a total of 371 Pace Car Deputies in Nova Scotia. Pace Car is an initiative of Active & Safe Routes to School of the Ecology Action Centre supported by the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal and the IWK Health Centre Foundation. For more information on Pace Car or Pace Car Deputies, contact us at
pacecar@ecologyaction.ca or go to the website.
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Membertou Elementary Receives Walking Recognition
Congratulations Membertou Elementary! An official “thank you” poster board was presented to the students & staff of Membertou Elementary in recognition of their participation in a local Active Transportation (AT) project. Membertou Elementary has a successful Walking School Bus program that has been on the go for almost five years, initiated by Wayne McKay during his years as a teacher with the school. Rain or shine, this Walking School Bus is on the move! In October of 2009, the Membertou Walking School Bus team took part in an Active Transportation project in connection with AcTraC (Active Transportation Coalition of Cape Breton County). AcTraC were looking to create visual media that would help the local community connect walking and wheeling to recognizable locations within Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Membertou had “action” shots taken walking and
biking to school on a beautiful autumn morning and now can be seen throughout CBRM on AcTraC’s AT posters distributed to local schools, universities, businesses and organizations. AcTraC presented their poster board to thank Membertou Elementary for their wonderful support in this project and to recognize them as champions for AT in our community.
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School Travel Planning Expands in NS
Active & Safe Routes to School in NS is now part of a national project called Children’s Mobility, Health and Happiness: A Canadian School Travel Planning Model. School Travel Planning will be expanded to all provinces and territories. It will bring active School Travel Planning to more schools in Nova Scotia. In addition to the current five schools in NS that have created school travel plans, 12 more will develop plans over the next two years (including schools in Cape Breton and the Mainland). Essentially, the schools will develop plans to increase the use of and safety for active transportation. Find out more about the national project here
. Learn more about School Travel Planning in NS here.
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Neat Resources
Canadian Kids Get F in Physical Activity
According to Active Healthy Kids Canada’s 2010 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, “For the fourth year in a row, the Report Card assigns an F for Physical Activity Levels, as only 12 per cent of Canadian children and youth are meeting Canada’s physical activity guidelines of 90 minutes a day.” Find the Report Card here.
Risk Management and Active School Travel
Updated resources are now available that demystify and correct misperceptions about liability for active school travel programs like Walking School Buses and School Travel Planning. Both a document and a webinar called Risk Management and Active School Travel are now available here. The document was authored and the webinar is led by Doug Wyseman, president of the firm Municipal Risk Services Limited.
Saving Money and Time with Active School Travel Report
A report by Green Communities Canada, Saving Money and Time with Active School Travel makes the case for various levels of government, school boards and others to support active school travel programs like Active & Safe Routes to School. Find the report here.
Policy Recommendations for Removing Barriers to Community-Centered Schools
Helping Johnny Walk to School: Policy Recommendations for Removing Barriers to Community-Centered Schools is a new report produced by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the US. The report “suggests changes that would help ensure that the educational, environmental, health, community, and fiscal considerations are weighed by communities when making school closing, consolidation, and site selection decisions.” Find the report here.
What Does It Take To Get Drivers To Yield: Engineering Measures That Work
This webinar is now available on demand from the National Center for Safe Routes to School partners with America Walks. Find it here.
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Calendar
Find the latest active transportation-related events and happenings on the ASRTS Calendar.
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About Active & Safe Routes to School
Active & Safe Routes to School in Nova Scotia encourages more children, youth and their families to use active transportation - such as walking and cycling - for the environment, physical activity and traffic safety. It is coordinated in Nova Scotia by the Ecology Action Centre
in partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion and Protection as part of the Active Kids Healthy Kids Initiative.
Active & Safe Routes to School
www.saferoutesns.ca
www.twitter.com/asrts
asrts@ecologyaction.ca
Tel: (902) 442-5055
Fax: (902) 405-3716
Ecology Action Centre
2705 Fern Lane, Halifax, NS B3K 4L3
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