#StatisticsCanada; #opioiddrugoffences; #PublicHealthAgencyofCanada

Ottawa, Jul 23 (Canadian-Media): According to the data collected by the Public Health Agency of Canada, which promotes and protects the health of Canadians, from January 2016 to December 2018, opioid drug offences were highest in British Columbia (B.C.), Statistics Canada reported.

Statistics Canada/Facebook

Statistics Canada is the national statistical office, which provides key information to Canadians on Canada's economy, society and environment to enable them to function effectively and make make policy decisions.

There were 2,490 opioid drug offences in Canada in 2018, resulting in a rate of 7 incidents per 100,000 population. B.C. had (21 per 100,000 population), Alberta (11) and Ontario (5).

The highest rates of opioid offences were Kelowna (101), Lethbridge (84), Abbotsford–Mission (19), Vancouver (19) and Brantford (19).

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

#VivoPlayProject; #FudingAlberta; #physicalActivity

Ottawa, Jul 7 (Canadian-Media): ​Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Federal Minister of Health, announced yesterday $1.4 million in funding for Vivo Play Project, for Alberta to enable  children and their families for increasing their physical activity and making social connections with others in their community, media reports said.

This four-year initiative of Vivo Play Project offers free facilitated play opportunities in outdoor spaces for 11,000 children and their families in the north-central Calgary area.

​Funding will also support the development a private, mobile dashboard and let them see how their activity levels directly translate into their risk for chronic disease. This will also allow participants to track indicators of their health as well as change in the community throughout the project.

"Inactivity among Canadians is a leading cause of preventable chronic disease and a growing public health issue...Vivo Play Project...help to create supportive environments for children to develop healthy habits and address the common risk factors underlying many chronic diseases," said Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada.

​Since 2013, the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, Multi-sectoral Partnerships (MSP Program), addresses the common risk factors that underlie major chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease (e.g., unhealthy weight, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, and tobacco use).

           Theresa Tam/Twitter                                          Ginette Petitpas Taylor/Facebook