Prince George
My Hometown Prince George
The City of Prince George is situated on part of the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. “Lheidli T’enneh” means “the people of the confluence of the two rivers” in the traditional Carrier language. Located in the centre of beautiful British Columbia, Prince George is a city where knowledge and research, natural resources, industry, transportation, health, urban amenities and an active four-season lifestyle meet.
Prince George is the centre of business, education, health and culture for Northern British Columbia. Affordable housing, land prices and transportation costs – due to short and quick commutes – result in one of the lowest costs of living for a city of its size in the province. Additionally, wage rates fall above provincial averages, providing residents of Prince George with a high standard of living in one of BC’s most beautiful regions.
With more than 120 parks to explore in the city, visitors will have no shortage of walking, bird watching, and cycling opportunities on their trip. In the winter, cross-country ski trails connecting to the University of Northern British Columbia, Canada’s newest northern university, provide a magical, sun-on-snow escape from the wintertime blues.
Achieving healthier living is not a new desire for residents of Prince George. Community members ranked health and wellness as the third priority for the myPG community sustainability plan. Committed members and organizations in Prince George are already working to promote healthy lifestyles. SCOPE plans to identify and build on existing community strengths and partnerships.
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How is Prince George doing?
Here is a picture of how Prince George is doing overall (from Prince George Active Communities, Physical Activity, and Healthy Eating Survey Report, 2007).
- Physical Activity. Half of Prince George residents do not meet the World Health Organization’s definition of being physically active: 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity 5 or more days per week. (Note: school-aged children require 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity every day).
- Healthy Eating. 45.9% of residents have unhealthy diets 1-3 days a week, and 27.4% of residents have unhealthy diets 7 days a week.
A key place to start is the Prince George School System. All Prince George schools are registered in Action Schools! BC. All high schools run a daily physical activity program. Schools are also encouraging healthy eating. The Farm to School program links local farms to schools – its goal is to serve healthier meals in school cafeterias and improve student nutrition. This small step impacts the 600 students in Prince George using the school meal program!
Physical activity and recreation are accessible and affordable to almost everyone. A Joint Use Agreement between the school district and the city allows community groups to access school gyms and fields during non-school hours. Residents and visitors can take advantage of the expanded Prince George trail system, soccer fields, ice rinks, tennis courts, cross-country ski trails, and more than 120 parks.
Other community initiatives include Bike to Work Week, Farmer’s Market (now open year round), and partnerships between community gardens and restaurants to use waste for compost. SCOPE plans to work with and strengthen existing partnerships between the City, Northern Health, School District 57, YMCA, HEAL, and others.
Statistics
- Population: 80,845
- Elevation: 676m (2,218 ft.)
- Average July Temperature: 15 C (59 F)
- Average January Temperature: -10 C (14 F)
- Annual Rainfall: 42 cm (17 in.)
- Annual Snowfall: 234 cm (92 in.)
SCOPE in Prince George
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Share with Us
We want to know what you think about your community: what parts of your community are safe, where do you like to be physically active, where do you buy healthy foods like fruits and vegetables? Any questions, comments or feedback are welcome.
Media Centre
Read about SCOPE Prince George being featured in the news!
| Media Centre | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 16, 2010 | CBC Radio BC Almanac | BC Almanac Interview: Glenda Newsted, Dr. Perry Kendall | Listen |
| Dec. 16, 2010 | Prince George Citizen | City Targets Childhood Obesity | Article PDF |
| July 22, 2010 | 94XFM Radio News Updates | Glenda Newsted, SCOPE Prince George Community Coordinator | Clip 1 Clip 2 Clip 3 Transcript |
| May 20, 2010 | Prince George Citizen | Program focuses on fit, not fat. | Article PDF Summary |
| May 19, 2010 | CBC FM 91.5 Radio One Daybreak North | Dr. Shazhan Amed BC Children’s Hospital | Summary |
| May 18, 2010 | CJCI FM The Wolf News | Dr. Shazhan Amed SCOPE (1) | Summary |
| May 18, 2010 | CJCI FM The Wolf News | Dr. Shazhan Amed SCOPE (2) | Summary |
| May 18, 2010 | CKDV FM The Drive News | Dr. Shazhan Amed SCOPE, Glenda Newsted SCOPE. | Summary |
Resources
Healthy Choices
Visit our Live 5-2-1-0 section for more information on how to keep kids healthy! Download the SCOPE Prince George Live 5-2-1-0 Fact Sheet.
Documents and Reports Prince George
SCOPE is excited to be in Prince George and we want everyone to know about it. Download this one-page information sheet and send it to your friends, family and co-workers so that they can participate in SCOPE too!
SCOPE recently hosted a planning meeting with community leaders who are involved in the delivery of programs and services that encourage healthy living in Prince George. To learn more about what happened at this meeting read the meeting report here.
Links
Some great things are happening in Prince George! See the links below for resources from your community that can help you create a healthy, active community for children!
- HEAL: Healthy Eating Active Living: Network of Northern communities “planting the seeds of health” for all who live there.
- Prince George YMCA: Work out, go skating, or take a class at Prince George’s multi-sport community resource, sponsoring active, healthy fun for people of all ages.
- Prince George Farmers’ Market: Fresh food from farm to table – you are what you eat, so get to know your local farmers and get closer to your food!
- ActionSchools: Providing more opportunities for more children to make healthy choices more often.
[...] one of our SCOPE communities, we learned of The Exploration Place, a science and exploration museum at Fort George in Prince [...]