The Physical Need
According to Health Canada:
The Economic Barriers
Living in Toronto is expensive
According to Health Canada:
- Making regular physical activity a habit at an early age will provide your child with lifelong benefits.
- Obesity rates among children and youth in Canada have nearly tripled in the last 30 years.
- Children and youth who are obese are at higher risk of developing a range of health problems, and weight issues in childhood are likely to persist into adulthood.
The Economic Barriers
Living in Toronto is expensive
- Child poverty rates in Toronto have reached an epidemic rate, with nearly 149,000 or 29 per cent of children living in low-income families. (Toronto Star)
- Children from the lowest-income families are about half as likely to participate in extracurricular activities compared to the highest-income families. (Children's Aid Society of Toronto)
- As of early 2014, the unemployment rate in Toronto is higher than that of the rest of the GTA, Ontario and Canada. (Statscan)
- According to Toronto Public Health Nutritious Food Basket Calculator the cost of a nutritious diet for a family of four is over $600 per month.
- The cost of recreational sports and programs for children Toronto typically costs in the hundreds of dollars per season which is beyond the reach of many Toronto families.