Health committee  Yes, thanks. It's not about education, but about norms—road construction norms—that were developed in the 1950s or 1960s and are a major obstacle to all municipal councils in Canada, and federal jurisdictions too. There is a need for revised norms, which are in the process of bei

Health committee  What we learned from the Scandinavian countries--especially from Stockholm, Copenhagen, and the Netherlands--is that if you provide playgrounds, parks, and safe roads, it may take years, but everyone benefits from it. The children, the parents, and the seniors just get more into

Health committee  Physical inactivity and obesity are an epidemic, and not just an individual problem. It exists in the United States, in all industrialized countries and in Canada, in all age groups, all communities, and all cities. So this is not just an individual problem, and a structural appr

Health committee  Sometimes people just don't have a choice; it's too far to go other than by car. They just don't have a choice sometimes. People travelling or commuting by public transit are walking enough to meet the recommendations, and their injury risk is 95% lower than people travelling b

Health committee  Thank you. That is a very interesting question. We have known for 40 years that we must also invest in other areas, not just in the health care system, as you said. We draw a great deal of inspiration from Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Finland. As for the problems I men

Health committee  Yes. The issue is to provide opportunities to make healthy choices easier. Around schools, it would involve providing access to healthy foods and access to parks. On the roads, it would involve access to safe infrastructure. It's not a matter of behaviour, because everybody is s

Health committee  All right.

Health committee  I'd like to add that it's not only what people do at work or at school, but how they get to work and how they get to school. Forty years ago most children were walking to school. There are issues with urban planning. We need dense areas with a lot of destinations mixed in and saf

Health committee  Thank you. The problem as we see it is that the health sector tried to cure and prevent, but other sectors, such as the transportation sector, spent billions to increase the problems: mobility problems, physical inactivity, air pollution, and pedestrian and cyclist injuries. So

Health committee  Thank you. We are honoured by this invitation from your committee. I represent the Montreal Public Health Department. I am here to talk about the transportation system and our efforts in the area of public health to improve public transportation, to facilitate walking, cycling,