News Release

March 25, 2011
For Immediate Release

Government of Canada Funds Projects to Promote the Health of School Children

(SUMMERSIDE) - The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, announced today on behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, the Minister of Health for Canada, funding for the pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health.

“Public health involves all levels of government and all sectors of society,” said Minister Shea. “Today, we are pleased to support the Joint Consortium for School Health and its comprehensive approach that pulls together health and education to boost health and learning opportunities for children and youth.”

“We are proud of our health and education systems – especially when they work together to benefit our children,” said Prince Edward Island Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Doug Currie. “The Consortium plays an important role in coordinating health and education efforts to focus on priorities such as physical activity and healthy eating for optimum growth, learning and development.”

The Joint Consortium for School Health is a partnership of governments working together to promote the health of children and youth in the school setting. The Government of Canada, through the Public Health Agency of Canada, will contribute $250,000 annually, with an additional $250,000 coming each year from the provinces and territories.

“Comprehensive school health approaches can help to improve children’s academic performance and their health and well-being,” said Katherine Kelly, Executive Director of the Joint Consortium for School Health. “This funding will support the Consortium in improving the health and quality of life of students today and helping to reduce pressures on our health care system over the long term.”

Funding will support the Consortium’s work to address the conditions that lead to unhealthy eating, physical inactivity and unhealthy weights in the school setting, increase collaboration between provincial, territorial and federal departments responsible for health and education, and ensure that research, monitoring and surveillance of school-aged children aligns with priorities in school health.

Established in 2005, the Consortium works to strengthen collaboration among research, policy and practice communities across the health and education sectors, and to provide evidence of the impact of comprehensive school health on learning and health outcomes. This work is led by the Joint Consortium for School Health Secretariat, currently housed in the Prince Edward Island Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

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