North Grenville has once again taken a ParticipACTION title, after the conclusion of this year’s Community Better Challenge last month. North Grenville was named “Ontario’s Most Active Community” on July 26. Last year, our community earned the honour of “Canada’s Most Active Community”, making this the second consecutive year we’ve gained a title in the contest.
Red Deer, Alberta, took the national title this year, after a fierce struggle for logging activity hours that took place between hundreds of communities. ParticipACTION reported that more than 500 million minutes of activity time were logged this year. The national title comes with a $100,000 prize, which North Grenville used for four recreational projects last year. This year’s provincial title will provide a prize of $7,500 locally. Public consultation regarding the use of the money will take place in the fall, with some initial talks of a recreation lending library being established.
“We are thrilled that North Grenville has been crowned Ontario’s most active community,” said Mayor Peckford. “After securing the title of Canada’s Most Active Community in 2021, North Grenville launched a fierce campaign to defend our title. Owing to the community’s efforts, we ranked in the top two communities in the country throughout the month of June. We knew the competition would be tough this year; however, we have an incredibly active community, and to have ranked first in Ontario for the entire month is a fantastic achievement. We are particularly proud of how North Grenville’s youngest and oldest residents rose to the occasion and logged tens of thousands of minutes!”
A release sent to the Times provides more information on the Challenge. “The Community Better Challenge encourages all ages and abilities to get active for the month of June. Participants were encouraged to track their minutes on the ParticipACTION App or website. All physical activity minutes count – including gardening, golfing, chasing the kids/grandkids around the house, fitness classes, general activity throughout the workday and, of course, walking the dog.”
The Municipality was very active in encouraging physical activity throughout the month of June. Several events were hosted, and the Mayor and Council also put their legs where their mouths were, so to speak, by logging many active minutes themselves. This year, over 13 million minutes of activity were logged in the North Grenville community, with over 1,300 residents participating, and more than 30 organizations assisting in the challenge.
Mayor Peckford gave credit to the North Grenville Health, Fitness and Wellness Advisory Committee for the Challenge’s success. “The Community Better Challenge would not have happened without them,” she said. “Their community spirit and determination were again key to this year’s very strong performance.”
More information on the Community Better Challenge can be found at www.participaction.com/en-ca/programs/community-challenge.
