THIS summer, North Shore residents are invited to a series of Shaping Active, Healthy Communities dinners and walkabouts.
Organized by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and local partners, each event will start with a tapas dinner followed by a keynote presentation by a prominent physician, and an interactive walkabout guided by local civic planners. Among the keynote speakers is former provincial health officer Dr. John Millar.
A press release about the events noted the walking tours allow residents to become more informed about their local neighbourhoods. The events also provide a way for residents to get to know their local planners, to get engaged in planning processes, and to help shape the future of their communities. The release states participants will also become more aware of how local decisions on land use and transportation directly impact their ability to make healthy choices and reduce their risk of chronic diseases.
District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton states in the release that these walkability events are excellent ways to engage with residents and get feedback from them on what's working and what isn't in their neighbourhoods.
These walking tours are specifically designed to show residents how their communities can be built to encourage healthy choices. Elements like the width of streets, the presence of well-lit sidewalks, parks, community gardens and trails, and the location of schools, shops and jobs relative to homes, influence people's ability to make healthy choices, which can in turn help prevent chronic conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, noted the release.
City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto states in the release that this interactive walking tour series is a creative and direct approach to engaging citizens with their neighbourhoods and their active transportation infrastructure needs in order to support a more walkable and healthy community.
The first Shaping Active, Healthy Communities dinner and walkabout of this special summer series will be in Lower Capilano on Thursday, July 19, from 6-9 p.m., at the Grouse Inn (1633 Capilano Rd.). To RSVP for these events, contact Teresa Tang by calling 604-730-7364 or send an email to [email protected].
Two additional Community Dinner and Walkabouts, one in the City of North Vancouver and one in the District of North Vancouver, are planned for September.
These events are free for North Shore residents and are a shared effort between the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and Vancouver Coastal Health.
