(Dreamstime)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

participaction

Red Deer is Alberta’s ‘Most Active City’ for third year running

Jul 23, 2024 | 4:06 PM

The title of Alberta’s most active city once again goes to Red Deer.

Red Deer was in tough competition this year for ParticiPACTION’s annual challenge, which takes place during the month of June. At various points, Red Deer was in the lead for Canada’s most active city, but was ultimately surpassed by Hay River, Northwest Territories.

Red Deer earned the national title and $100,000 in 2022, and again was tops in Alberta in 2023.

The challenge encourages Canadians to get out and do physical activity, be it individually, as a family, or as a group of friends or coworkers.

Provincial winners also get cash, $15,000 in Red Deer’s case, to put towards physical activity and sport initiatives. Red Deerians collectively participated in and submitted 252 activities in June.

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“Red Deer’s enthusiastic and consistent participation in the ParticipACTION Community Challenge presented by Novo Nordisk showcases the community’s spirit and commitment to physical activity,” says Diana Dampier, senior director of projects and stakeholder relations at ParticipACTION. “Their active involvement is inspiring and sets a fantastic example for other communities to join in and make a difference.”

To get Red Deerians excited about this year’s bid for the top spot, local program Move Your Mood created a ’30 Ways to Get Active in Red Deer’ calendar.

The Primary Care Network, with Move Your Mood, the City and RDP, hosted a kick-off event that brought out 282 people and 17 agencies.

“Being named Alberta’s most active community is a testament to the spirit and dedication of Red Deer residents,” says Mayor Ken Johnston.

“This recognition highlights our commitment to fostering a healthy, inclusive, and active lifestyle for all. Together, we have built a community where everyone can thrive through physical activity, and this award inspires us to continue our efforts to make Red Deer an even better place to live, learn, work, and play.”

Nationwide, more than 590,000 participants in 1,200+ communities took part in 6,255 community challenge-related activities.

“It was such a proud moment as I logged on and saw all the tracking being done because people, this year, were doing it without being hounded to do it,” says Denise Fredeen, health promotion facilitator, and Move Your Mood coordinator at Alberta Health Services.

“The way we’ve partnered with all our local agencies and the mayor goes to show we’re all really good at working together, and that we’ve been able to reach the citizens who see value in coming together to get active and connected through physical activity.”

Fredeen says a committee will sit down and decide where the money should be spent, adding that they will update the community.

In 2022, Red Deer put its $100,000 toward mini grants for organizations to access, and in 2023, it put the $7,500 in winnings toward the creation of 12 play backpacks.

Red Deer, now Alberta’s most active city three-years running participated in the challenge’s first two years, but did not top the rankings.

Other 2024 winners:

• Red Deer, Alberta (prizing supported by the Government of Alberta)
• Richmond, British Columbia
• Snow Lake, Manitoba
• Salisbury, New Brunswick (prizing supported by the Government of New Brunswick)
• Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador (prizing supported by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador)
• Truro, Nova Scotia (prizing supported by the Province of Nova Scotia)
• Iqaluit, Nunavut (prizing supported by the Government of Nunavut)
• Timmins, Ontario
• Three Rivers, Prince Edward Island (prizing supported by the Government of Prince Edward Island)
• Québec City, Québec
• Prince Albert, Saskatchewan (prizing supported by the Government of Saskatchewan)
• Whitehorse, Yukon

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