Welcome!

The long day’s of summer are winding down and next week it’s “back to school”. This is often a hectic and challenging time, but a change in season can bring a chance at new beginnings - an ideal time to begin making some healthy changes! Let’s work together to make the healthy choice the easy choice!

Send us your ideas
We’d like to hear from you. Do you have some great ideas on how to make the healthy choice the easy choice? Maybe some healthy lunch box tips? Some great ideas on how to stop smoking? Or some easy ways on how to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine? Let us know and we will publish your ideas on our website or on Twitter. And we will send ten lucky contributors one of our “Leading British Columbia Towards a Healthy Future” organic cotton tote bags!

Send your idea to info(at)bchealthyliving.ca or tweet to @bchealthyliving
Please make sure you include your contact information. Deadline for entry: Friday September 10th.

The healthy choice should be an easy choice. That is why the BC Healthy Living Alliance advocates for and supports health-promoting policies, environments, programs and services so that British Columbians have opportunities to be healthy. As part of this work BCHLA has submitted Recommendations for Tackling Overweight and Obesity in BC to the BC Government, which offers recommendations to ensure that all British Columbians have the opportunity and skills they need to lead productive and healthy lives.

The Dietitians of Canada discussion paper, “Healthy Eating and Food Security, Promising Strategies for BC” highlights key strategies and actions that will support more British Columbians to be food secure and to make healthy food choices. The key audience is individuals, communities and organizations who are working or have an interest in the areas of healthy eating and food security. Others, including decision makers at all government levels, may find the information helpful. The paper is not meant to be directive to any level of government. The strategies and potential actions noted in the paper are drawn from recent reports and documents from BC, Canada and elsewhere.
 
The paper outlines best and promising practices that can inform community action in the areas of food security and healthy eating in BC.  What is clear in the literature is that meaningful progress requires the engagement of stakeholders from different sectors, working together at many levels and employing a variety of strategies – advocacy, policy, legislation, communications, program development – to create environments to support more British Columbians to be food secure and to make healthy food choices.
 
British Columbia is home to many innovative initiatives aimed at building food security and promoting healthy eating. Some are highlighted in the paper. A collaborative and integrated approach engaging stakeholders across many sectors using a variety of strategies is critical to continuing to move forward and create environments supportive of healthy eating and food security. Some suggestions for next steps are included in the Call to Action on page 15.
 
We encourage you to review the discussion paper and consider taking on one or more of the suggested actions noted in the Call to Action.
 

On Friday, May 21st, 2010 the BC Healthy Living Alliance made a presentation to the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth during a special meeting on Child Poverty. The recommendations made to the Select Standing Committee focused on addressing childhood poverty through the lens of social determinants of health and health equities and incorporated BCHLA’s existing policies from Healthy Futures for BC Families and our recent submission to government Recommendations for Tackling Overweight and Obesity in BC.