Students to get 1 hour of exercise daily

Nov 27, 2014 | News

By Hannah Hollingsworth

Courtesy Wikimedia

Courtesy Wikimedia

The plan for Ontario students to get more active officially has legs.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced a plan Thursday to help schools implement 60 minutes of daily physical activity for students.

A 2013 study showed 93 per cent of children and youth in the GTA aren’t getting the recommended amount of daily physical activity. Wynne promised to introduce 45 minutes of exercise for students in her June campaign.

The plan is in partnership with the Ontario Physical Health and Education Association and the province, and will be led by the Active at School program.

Canadian Tire pledged $1 million to the program.

Active at School is part of the new Health Schools Certification Program by OPHEA, set to fully launch next year.

The program will be implemented in 20 Ontario schools next year and is projected to be in 250 schools by 2016.