Thursday 27 October 2011

Sport Matters Group

I would ask you to consider writing Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty asking him to kindly reconsider his decision to exclude Sport from the list of named portfolios and cabinet ministers announced in the formation of his first post-election cabinet on October 20th, 2011.


The decision to drop Sport from the masthead of his government is troubling in view of two factors:

The first is the hosting by Toronto of the PanAm and Parapan Games in 2015 which will clearly require a considerable allocation of public resources and assets in the run up to the Games. Having a member of the Ontario Executive Council publicly delegated to oversee the hosting of this huge event would seem a minimum prerequisite.

Secondly, the decision to eliminate the former Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport is perplexing given the declining levels of physical fitness, physical literacy and wellness of Ontario’s children and youth. On October 14th, Active Healthy Kids Canada released its Ontario Supplement to the 2011 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. The report card, data for which is compiled and analyzed by the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute’s Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, awards Ontario an overall grade of D-minus. The report also mentions that, on the strength of current trends, it is estimated that 45 per cent of males and 40 per cent of females in Ontario are likely to develop cancer in their lifetime. In terms of specific grades, the report card gives Ontario the following assessment:

− “D” for Active Play and Leisure
− “F” for Sedentary Behaviour
− “D” for Physical Education
− “C” for Provincial Government Investment

For more information about the Ontario Supplement to the 2011 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, see: http://www.activehealthykids.ca/Resources/Ontario-Supplement.aspx

In recent years the Government of Ontario had appeared to be providing the right institutional support for a philosophy predicated on prevention, health promotion and physical activity & sport. Now would not appear to be the correct time to be abandoning this approach. Notwithstanding the need to find savings in the current fiscal environment, cutting support for sport and physical activity is, in our view, a false economy.

I urge you to write the Premier and respectfully encourage him to reverse this decision. The coordinates are:

Dalton McGuinty, Premier
Legislative Building
Queen's Park
Toronto, ON
M7A 1A1

To send an email: https://correspondence.premier.gov.on.ca/en/feedback/feedback.aspx

For more information, please see the Sport 4 Ontario Bulletin:
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=6f8e4db25b7cd732276e90e7e&id=9d16eb8363

Chris Jones, Senior Leader
Sport Matters Group

Friday 7 October 2011

Schedule 2011/2012

Date Time 12:00 noon Time 1:00 pm
September 10, 2011 Gold vs Red White vs Black
September 17, 2011 Gold vs White Red vs Black
September 24, 2011 Red vs White Gold vs Black
October 1, 2011 Black vs White Gold vs Red
October 8, 2011 Black vs Gold White vs Red
October 15, 2011 White vs Gold Black vs Red
October 22, 2011 Red vs Gold Black vs White
October 29, 2011 Red vs Black Gold vs White
November 5, 2011 Gold vs Black Red vs White
November 12, 2011 White vs Black Red vs Gold
November 19, 2011 White vs Red Black vs Gold
November 26, 2011 Black vs Red White vs Gold
December 3, 2011 Gold vs Red White vs Black
December 10, 2011 Gold vs White Red vs Black
December 17, 2011 Red vs White Gold vs Black
December 24, 2011 No Games
December 31, 2011 No Games
January 7, 2012 Black vs White Gold vs Red
January 14, 2012 Black vs Gold White vs Red
January 21, 2012 White vs Gold Black vs Red
January 28, 2012 Red vs Gold Black vs White
February 4, 2012 Red vs Black Gold vs White
February 11, 2012 No Games
February 18, 2012 Gold vs Black Red vs White
February 25, 2012 White vs Black Red vs Gold
March 3, 2012 White vs Red Black vs Gold
March 10, 2012 Black vs Red White vs Gold
March 17, 2012 Gold vs Red White vs Black
March 24, 2012 Gold vs White Red vs Black
March 31, 2012 Red vs White Gold vs Black