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THUNDER BAY - “Ontario’s After-School Initiative will support families in priority neighbourhoods across Ontario by increasing the number of healthy, safe places for children after school. This initiative will also provide more kids with opportunities to be physically active, to learn about healthy food and healthy living, and develop skills to build their self-confidence and self-esteem,” says Thunder Bay Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro.

Students in Thunder Bay and Atikokan will be given the opportunity to improve their personal health and wellness, while staying off the streets, through the province’s After-School Initiative. Programs under this initiative will be available at more than 270 sites in priority neighbourhoods across Ontario, benefiting 15,500 children and youth from grades one to 12.

The Thunder Bay-Atikokan Riding will receive Ministry of Health Promotion funding for programs in the following locations:

• The Corporation of the Town of Atikokan – 1 site, serving 50 children
• Atikokan Youth Initiatives Incorporated – 1 site, serving 30 children
• The Corporation of the City of Thunder Bay – 3 sites, serving 85 children
• Multicultural Association of Northwestern Ontario – 1 site, serving 80 children
• Shkoday Abinojiiwak Obimidedon – 2 sites, serving 40 children

Programs under Ontario’s After-School Initiative must include:

• healthy eating and nutrition education to help combat childhood obesity
• physical activity to encourage active lifestyles,
• personal health and wellness education to promote self-esteem, and
• other activities to address specific priorities based on local community needs.

The programs support the Review on the Roots of Youth Violence Report, which recommended that after-school programs be available from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. to promote good nutrition and positive activity, and to help keep youth off the streets.

The after-school initiative is also an important part of Breaking the Cycle: Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, which will reduce the number of children living in poverty by 25 per cent over 5 years — lifting 90,000 kids out of poverty — by boosting benefits for low–income families and enhancing publicly-funded education.

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