Table 2.
Policy timelines by province
| Date [reference] | Event |
|---|---|
| Alberta | |
| 1984 [18,52] | The Health and Physical Education Council of the AB Teachers’ Association releases 2 position papers calling for 30 minutes of Quality Daily PE in AB schools. |
| 1989 [9] | The Health and Physical Education Council of the AB Teachers’ Association develops Schools Come Alive to increase students’ awareness and skills for active living. |
| 1990 [54] | The AB Coalition for Healthy School Communities is created to facilitate networking and information sharing among those with an interest in comprehensive school health. |
| 1995 [53] | Schools Come Alive releases a strategic plan to make PA and PE priorities in AB schools. |
| 1998 [63] | AB’s Active Living Strategy recommends that AB schools create opportunities for students to be physically active each school day. |
| 2000 [64] | AB releases a new PE curriculum emphasizing PA and attainment of life-long active living. |
| 2001 [53] | Schools Come Alive creates Ever Active Schools as a pilot project to encourage active living initiatives in schools. |
| 2001 [57] | The Coalition for Active Living reports PA has declined in Canada partly because PE has been cut in schools. |
| 2001 [60] | The Mazankowski report suggests students should have the opportunity for regular exercise as part of every school day. |
| 2002 [61] | Delegates at the AB Future Summit propose re-introducing daily PA into the school curriculum. |
| 2003 [62] | AB’s Commission on Learning recommends a new wellness program for students from kindergarten to grade 12 that includes some form of daily activity. |
| 2003 [56,65] | AB Learning announces a daily PE policy for students in grades 1–12 (later corrected to DPA). |
| 2005 [66,67] | AB implements a DPA policy for grades 1–9. Plans to implement DPA in high schools are cancelled. |
| Ontario | |
| 1998 [17] | ON releases a Health and PE curriculum requiring student participation in daily, sustained, moderate or vigorous PA (with minimum time expectations for some grades). |
| 2001-02 [69] | ON develops a Stakeholder Sport Action Plan to support the Canadian Sport Policy1. |
| 2002 [73] | The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care proposes a school-based, province-wide initiative for primary prevention of diabetes. |
| 2004 [70,71] | ON implements a Healthy Schools Program. |
| 2004 [73] | A comprehensive school health initiative called Living School is launched, and includes DPA. |
| 2004 [72] | The Chief Medical Officer of Health releases a report recommending policies be developed to support the ACTIVE2010 Sport and Physical Activity Strategy, and that quality daily PE and PA opportunities be provided in schools. |
| 2004 [69] | ON’s ACTIVE2010 Sport and Physical Activity Strategy supports implementation of 20 minutes of DPA in elementary schools. |
| 2005 [68] | ON announces a DPA policy for grades 1–8. |
| 2006 [68] | Full implementation of the DPA policy is expected by the end of the 2005–06 school year. |
| British Columbia | |
| 1983 [86] | The Directorate of Agencies for School Health (DASH) BC is established and later introduces the concept of comprehensive school health in BC schools. |
| 1989 [86] | A Government Office of Health Promotion is established in BC. |
| 1992 [86] | A Healthy Schools program is launched throughout BC. |
| 2002 [86] | The Healthy Schools program ends. |
| 2001-02 [88,89] | Stakeholder consultations to identify the strategic agenda for action on PA in BC schools leads to development of Action Schools! BC. |
| 2003 [86,87] | The BC Provincial Health Officer’s report recommends a re-commitment to support Healthy Schools initiatives. |
| 2003-04 [89-91] | Action Schools! BC is evaluated and proves acceptable, feasible and efficacious. |
| 2003-04 [93] | BC develops a chronic disease prevention strategy, Healthy BC 2010. |
| 2004 [92] | Widespread dissemination of Action Schools! BC is funded through the Healthy Schools Program. |
| 2005 [93,94] | The BC Healthy Living Alliance circulates The Winning Legacy to each Ministry to advocate for multi-level interventions (including school-based initiatives) to curb chronic disease. |
| 2005 [93] | Healthy BC 2010 is renamed ActNowBC and aims to make BC a North American leader in healthy living and physical fitness. |
| 2006 [95] | The BC Medical Association recommends 30 minutes of DPA in schools to the BC Select Standing Committee on Health. |
| 2006 [96] | The Select Standing Committee on Health recommends that every student be required to participate in DPA and that Action Schools! BC be expanded. |
| 2007 [97] | The BC government announces that DPA will be mandated in all BC schools (kindergarten to grade 12). |
| 2008 [97] | A DPA policy is implemented in all BC schools. |
| Manitoba | |
| 1975 [74] | A MB Physical Education Working Group proposes that all MB schools be required to offer 40 minutes of PE per day, including 20 minutes of vigorous PA. |
| 2000 [75] | MB adopts an integrated approach to PE/Health Education programming that recognizes the value of regular PA. |
| 2000 [76] | The Healthy Child MB Strategy is implemented that focusses on creating child-centered public policy. |
| 2000 [77] | Nurses-in-Schools is introduced to support public health in schools. |
| 2002 [78] | The MB Physical Activity Action Plan recommends mandating daily PE from kindergarten to grade 12. |
| 2003 [77] | Nurses-in-Schools expands to become MB Healthy Schools, a program that draws on the principles of comprehensive school health. |
| 2005 [80] | The Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Task Force Report recommends changes to the MB PE/Health Education curriculum and a voluntary in motion program to engage students in 30 minutes of DPA. |
| 2005 [79] | The MB government pledges to implement all 47 of the Task Force’s recommendations. |
| 2005 [82,83] | MB in motion is launched to increase PA in MB. |
| 2005 [84] | Healthy Schools and MB in motion partner to offer Healthy Schools in motion to support 30 minutes of DPA for all students. |
| 2007 [79,85] | The MB government mandates the amount of time students in kindergarten to grade 10 must spend in PE/Health Education classes. |
| 2008 [79] | The MB government implements a PE/Health Education curriculum for students in grades 11–12. Students in grades 11–12 are required to complete 2 PE/Health Education credits for graduation, including ≥ 55 hours of MVPA per credit. |
| Saskatchewan | |
| 2001 [98] | SchoolPLUS is released, outlining a vision for schools to meet the needs of the ‘whole’ child. |
| 2001 [99] | In response to the Clear Lake Accord1, SK releases a provincial strategy with a goal of ensuring schools provide DPA called A Physically Active SK. |
| 2003 [101] | SK in motion is launched to increase PA across the province. |
| 2004 [100] | The SK population health strategy outlines a plan to support regular PA in schools. |
| 2006 [101,102] | SK in motion changes its focus to school-aged children and promotes 30 minutes of PA at home, 30 minutes at school and 30 minutes in the community. In motion schools provide ≥ 30 minutes of DPA. |
| 2009 [103,104] | Quality Daily PE is reported to be widely implemented in SK. |
| 2010 [105] | A provincial DPA policy is announced for all schools. |
| 2010 | Voluntary2 implementation of the DPA policy begins. |
DPA: Daily physical activity; MVPA: moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; PA: physical activity; PE: physical education.
1Provincial response to a federal policy.
2Government of Saskatchewan, personal communication, September 4, 2014.