Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Task Force Report

In August 2004, Premier Gary Doer announced the creation of an all-party task force called Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures, to ask Manitobans how to help children and young people enjoy the best possible health now and into their adult lives. The task force was particularly interested in factors that affect children’s health in the areas of nutrition, physical activity and injury prevention. In addition, presenters raised other issues.

A number of questions were considered focusing on nutrition, physical activity and unintentional injury prevention for children and youth. The sections of the final report are based on all of the submissions made to the task force through 153 presentations at 12 public meetings, 48 presentations sent by mail and e-mail and 154 completed questionnaires from the website.

The information from the consultations with students in 13 schools in several communities and from the day-long provincial Healthy Living Youth Forum is also detailed. Students identified similar issues, and raised others, such as mental health, tobacco use, suicide prevention and the abuse of drugs and alcohol.

Click here to download the Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Task Force Report [pdf - 240 kb]. The report is available in Portable Document Format (PDF) and requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader.  If you do not have it installed on your computer, please click here.

Summary Of Recommendations

Educational Health Promotion Initiatives

The task force recommends that the government undertake a variety of initiatives to promote healthy living and provide educational resources for families and schools.

Nutrition in Schools

The task force recommends that the government increase access to nutritious foods in schools.

Physical Activity In Schools

The task force recommends that the government mandate physical education/health education (physed/health) from kindergarten to Senior 4.Implementation will vary according to grade to provide maximum flexibility to involve parents, students and schools in the promotion of physical activity for children and youth.

Recreation Facilities And Access

The task force recommends that the government increase access to recreation facilities through the community use of schools, the innovative design of new facilities, and the promotion of activities that are less dependent on facilities such as walking, cycling and skiing.

Recreation Leadership

The task force recommends that the government promote the increased use of recreational directors across the province and encourage youth leadership in recreation.

Active Transportation

The task force recommends that the government encourage active transportation among youth.

Injury Prevention

The task force recommends that the government undertake a variety of educational initiatives on things such as water safety, bicycle helmets and farm safety to reduce unintentional injuries while maintaining high levels of activity among youth.

Low Income Families

The task force recommends that the government improve access to good nutrition and opportunities for physical activity for low-income families.

First Nations Communities

The task force recommends that the government increase accessibility to traditional and nutritious foods, and to culturally-focused physical activity and recreational programs.

Mental Health And Wellness

The task force recommends that the government enhance mental health and wellness education and supports to youth to prevent and address issues such as eating disorders, depression, drug and alcohol addictions and other related concerns.

Task Force Members