Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, on July 26 I received an email from the president and CEO of ParticipACTION informing me that the community of Fort Simpson was crowned the NWT's most active community. In this email, they were proud to announce that the ParticipACTION Community Better Challenge concluded with Fort Simpson being crowned Northwest Territories' most active community - taking home a prize of $15,000 to go toward local physical activities and sport initiative. The Community Better Challenge is a national physical activity initiative that encourages everyone in Canada to get active together throughout the month of June.
This year was the third edition of the challenge which saw more than 600,000 participants track over 500 million minutes throughout June. Madam Speaker, with the pandemic leading to further decline in national physical activity levels, the challenge provided a unique opportunity to help the country enjoy the benefits that of physical activity and sports provide, not only for our individual physical and mental health but also in building stronger, healthier, and more vibrant communities. Some of the highlights they advised me:
- Over 3,000 Northwest Territories participated representing nine communities.
- Together, Northwest Territories tracked over 2,838,000 physical activity minutes over the month of June. Fort Simpson tracked more than 1,527,000 physical activity minutes.
- $9,000 in grants were given to 12 organizations in Northwest Territories with a focus on supporting organizations and events that promoted inclusivity and social connection for equity-deserving groups.
Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the residents of Fort Simpson for tracking over 50 percent of the NWT's time. To all the residents and organizations that were part of this event - well done, let's continue being active for the rest of the year. Thank you, Madam Speaker.