Many things in Canada have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but one of the areas not getting as much attention as others is the amount of physical inactivity Canadians have been experiencing.
Participaction, a national non-profit organization that promotes healthy living and physical fitness in Canada, says the current moment is an inactivity crisis that's long been building but was exacerbated by the pandemic.
An open letter has been drawn up, calling on the federal government to advocate for physical activity to be deemed essential.
Mike Havey, the University of Windsor's Athletic Director, says they're trying to shine the light on the need for higher levels of activity among Canadians.
"The stats show that only 16 per cent of adults and 39 per cent of children in Canada meet the recommended daily physical activity levels. In light of the pandemic where we've been in lockdown status with various restrictions and everybody's screen time has gone up and physical activity has gone down it's only gotten worse."
He says the situation in Canada has probably never been worse than it is now due to the pandemic, but that inactivity was a crisis even before then.
"We spend billions and billions of dollars on healthcare in this country and yet very little resources are dedicated towards promoting healthy, active lifestyles and physical activities for Canadians. Things that have been shown over and over again to increase longevity and overall health."
Havey questioned why you can't find a dedicated physical education teacher in an elementary school these days, saying we need to be investing in people to promote physical activity.
He says we're focused on the symptoms of the problem instead of the cure, and this letter is designed to shine a light on the issue for senior levels of government to address.
"I think it needs to be done across the board for every age, but the behaviours that lead to a healthy active lifestyle are things that need to be developed at a young age. Then they tend to become permanent, if people embrace that sort of thing as a youngster or they're shown the way as a youngster that tends to translate to a lifetime of physical activity, and wellness and fitness."
Havey says the reality is parents don't know how to do it all themselves, not all but many, so that's why they're calling on higher levels of government to provide the resources.
The full letter can be found here.