More Canadians should get tax-incentive to start exercising

If we look at the numbers according to Obesity Canada, a network of health care professionals, as many as 25% of all teens and 50% of all adults in Canada are overweight.

A staggering 10%-12% of adult Canadians are classified as obese, putting them at serious risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes, to name but a few of the threats they are exposed to.
The leading factors in the 'obesity epidemic' are a poor diet and inactive lifestyles.

Therefore, a New Year's resolution of the Harper government should be to get more Canadians off their couches and start exercising.
In 2007, the Tories already made a great step in the good direction with the introduction of the Children's Fitness Tax Credit, which allows parents to claim on their income tax a portion of the fees they pay to enroll their kids in sports.

The government really needs to expand the program now and include everyone over the age of 16.
Rewarding people for joining health clubs or signing up for recreational sports programs is a simple, yet effective way to get more Canadians active in our increasingly sedentary society.

Over the years, governments leaned toward using the 'stick-approach' to improving our health, but shaming and hectoring people through nagging awareness campaigns, food labelling, tobacco-use restrictions and the like will only go so far.

Now it's time to start offering rewards to people for making healthy choices.

Allowing people to claim only a portion of activity fees on their taxes will be a safeguard against abusers simply buying a gym membership as a tax write-off and then never showing up, but it will still reward people genuinely trying to get healthier.

In the long run, all Canadians will benefit.
More people leading healthy lifestyles will ease pressure on our overburdened health care system.

Source: Winnipeg Sun

Alberta bans smoking completely

In November, the provincial government of Alberta passed Bill 45, 'The Tobacco Reduction Act', with support from all sides of the House.
Each year Alberta spends more than $470 million on health care costs associated with tobacco use.

"This prompted the introduction of Bill 45," said Shannon Haggarty, spokesperson for Alberta Health and Wellness.

A recent report, released by 'Campaign for Smoke-Free Alberta', says Bill 45 will reduce absenteeism, sick leave and disability from tobacco use.

Alberta is shedding the image of the "Marlboro man" as it gears up to introduce one of the strongest tobacco laws in Canada and the world.

The bill will make all workplaces and establishments completely smoke-free and will also ban tobacco retail displays and promotion, along with removing tobacco sales from pharmacies, health care settings and post-secondary institutions.

Bill 45 is set to protect all Albertans from the effects of second-hand smoke and will be implemented in three parts.

1. Coming January 1st, all work and public places will be smoke-free
2. On July 1st, 2008 all power walls will be banned
3. On January 1st, 2009 there will be a complete ban on tobacco products in pharmacies, post-secondary institutions and other health-care facilities.

“The minister has said a number of times that we are losing a lot of people through the effects of smoking and second-hand smoke,” said Haggarty, adding there is also an economic issue of people missing time from work.
Each year, Alberta employers lose more than $1.3 billion from lost productivity.

“The different parts of this bill make it a world-class policy,” said Kim Tradewell, a member of Lloydminster Action for Smoke-Free Places.
She added there is only a handful of jurisdictions such as Ireland, Iceland, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories and Nunavut that have gone this far.

Source: Meridian Booster