Make Ottawa the healthiest city
Ottawa does not currently show up on “best cities to live in” worldwide listings. But it could. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that we are healthier and live longer, that we are blessed with clean air to breathe, pure water to drink, healthy food choices, access to cutting-edge disease-prevention information, abundant green spaces, and health- and environmentconscious employers? What if our aspiring councillors in Monday’s municipal election were challenged to make our city the healthiest one in Canada, maybe the world? How would they react? I’d like to think that, with the will and some help, our councillors could meet that challenge. I also think people would be keen to vote for someone who could work hard to help make each of us healthier. Public Health Ontario recently carried out a study with research partners, titled “Seven More Years,” showing how healthy living could add some seven years to one’s life expectancy. We are also learning more about how our natural and built environments, and even climate change, can have a big impact on our personal health. My contention is that getting and staying healthy should be our No. 1 health priority and that our city can play a big role by adopting that priority. It’s easy to gloss over this and just say we’re healthy enough and go on with the status quo. But aside from the pride that could go with a “Healthiest City” title, there are measurable benefits to making Ottawa healthier. Sick days rob our productivity and sickness itself costs us about 44 cents on every dollar we spend on our provincial budget. At a more personal level, we could add many healthy years to our and our children’s lives. What makes for a healthy, eco-friendly city? There are many examples. Amsterdam, Shizuoka, Japan, and Copenhagen are among the healthiest and most environmentfriendly cities in the world. New York City carried out a publicity campaign to reduce soft drink consumption that reported significant positive results. Fort Worth, Texas is on its way to becoming a “Blue Zone,” where people reportedly live longer and happier. Vancouver already has a healthy-city strategy aimed at people, communities and the environment. So if we’re looking for how to become one of the best, we can easily see what these ones are doing and how they’re doing it. A great information resource is the Blue Zones initiative (bluezones.com), offering a blueprint to follow. Additionally, the World Health Organization features a guide. Why not tap into the knowledge, experience and creativity of our own citizens and city employees with a suggestion award program for “healthy” ideas? If a bold commitment is made to “go healthy,” the proposals, the supporters, and the positive results can readily follow. Here are a few specific suggestions from the Sierra Club Canada Foundation: Run a health promotion tip every day on the city’s website and in the media. As one example, look at Prevent Cancer Now’s cancer-prevention tips on its website; Offer a health scorecard to all city residents where they can confidentially check out their personal health status and find out how to improve it. Researchers here in town have developed one; Better protect and enhance Ottawa’s natural environment and its biodiversity while encouraging access to Ottawa’s green spaces; Make health and the environment essential components of all our city’s major decisions and projects; Encourage employers, through tax incentives, to make employee health and environmental leadership key business goals. Finally let’s commit to doing all this. Let’s stick to it. Let’s celebrate the successes. Ottawa could not only offer its current and future residents healthier, happier lives, but we could become a national leader, challenging other cities to vie for that “healthiest” title.