Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education: Statement to the Legislative Assembly

Challenging Schools To Be Healthier

October 29, 2008

Mr. Speaker, this morning Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best and I challenged schools across Ontario to become even healthier.

We visited Holy Family Catholic School in Toronto to launch the third year of the Healthy Schools Recognition Program.

This school has participated in the program for the last two years and has introduced some great programs to help students and staff become healthier.

The recognition program celebrates schools like this one that pledge to develop at least one activity to become healthier.

The benefits are clear.

When students are healthy, they learn better.

They are less stressed, less likely to get sick and can focus better in the classroom.

Students all across Ontario want to be healthier – and they're using their own ingenuity and creativity to come up with great ideas to do so.

They can participate in the program by introducing a new healthy activity or by building on existing ones.

Earlier this year, we launched the Eating Well Looks Good on You pilot project.

This new pilot project provides schools with healthy recipes that use fresh, locally grown food.

Using the Eating Well Looks Good on You recipes, for example, is a great way to promote healthy eating in school.

Schools who use those recipes are eligible for the recognition program.

But there are other options.

Schools can encourage physical activity or healthy eating through a basic nutrition program or having a workshop with a dietitian.

Or, healthy activities could focus on promoting mental health, healthy growth or personal safety and injury prevention…

They could also focus on helping to prevent bullying, or substance use and abuse.

The important thing is to do something healthy – and to work together.

Schools should work with their school councils, student representatives and community groups to find and implement a healthy activity in their school.

Mr. Speaker, the program is simple to participate in.

And most importantly, the benefits are long lasting – for the whole school community.