Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services has launched an extensive public awareness campaign designed to promote community wellness planning and individual responsibility.

The campaign includes public service announcements that describe community wellness successes. These will air shortly on CBC television.

As well, the Department is developing a wellness campaign for school-aged children which includes comic and colouring books, contests and lunch bags to encourage healthy choices.

The Department has a 1-800 number for residents to receive information on community wellness planning and projects. Mr. Speaker, the Department has also distributed planning guidelines on HIV/AIDS prevention and it leading workshops on how to help communities deal with this threat to their health and well-being. The Department is actively working with communities on suicide prevention through information, support and workshops.

We hope all of these strategies will help people become more aware of how they can make health choices individually and as communities.

I am informing Members about our awareness campaign and ask all Members to join us in promoting healthy choices. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause