More local governments in BC will now be able to embark on projects to improve community health and well-being for their constituents, thanks to $125,000 in new grants and additional customized supports recently awarded by PlanH, a partnership of BC Healthy Communities Society and the Ministry of Health.
Building healthy communities involves the incorporation of health and equity into policy and planning, creating the conditions for better health and well-being for all community members. Two new streams of PlanH grants were offered to aid in different aspects of Healthy Communities work: the Creating Healthy Places Grant, which supports communities in planning and building healthy environments, and the Community Wellness Strategy Grant, which supports local governments and their partners in developing new strategies or policies to improve health and well-being.
Participating Local Governments & Projects
The following local governments and projects are supported through these grants:
Creating Healthy Places
- Alberni Clayoquot Regional District: Building Capacity for Airshed Management Plan
- Asiniwachi Niyaw Nation: Traditional Knowledge and Land Use Project
- Carrier Chilcotin Tribal Council: Incorporating Wellness into Ulkatcho’s Trail Planning Process
- City of Kamloops: Downtown Public Realm Improvements
- City of Maple Ridge: Accessibility and Inclusiveness Community Audit
- Capital Regional District: Central Saanich Community Engagement Plan
- District of Port Hardy: Seasonal Local Eating Challenge
- Regional District of Central Kootenay: Outlet District Community Hub Planning
- Regional District of Okanagan: BX Ranchlands Wildlife and Vegetation Inventory
- Skawahlook First Nation: Syéx̱w Chó:leqw Adventure Park Opening
- Strathcona Regional District: Tsa’Xana and Gold River Transport Feasibility
- Sts’ailes Health Department: Garden Walking Circle Rebuild
- Town of Oliver: Oliver Edible Pathways
- Tsleil-Waututh Nation Health Department: Urban Farm Knowledge Exchange Colloquium
- Village of Masset: Masset in Motion’s Healthy Local Food System Project
Community Wellness Strategy
- Daylu Dena Council: Lower Post Community Wellness Strategy
- District of Sicamous: Sustainable Rural Planning Through a Health and Wellness Lens
- District of Stewart: Engagement for Community Action Plan Update
- Corporation of the Township of Esquimalt: Policy Recommendations for Multi-Family Housing Design
- Township of Langley: Social Sustainability Strategy
Unlike most funding programs, PlanH grants award not only financial support, but also consulting support from BC Healthy Communities staff, who will provide these communities with process, planning, policy and partnership assistance to help ensure their project is a success.
“The funding portion of these grants is a great foundation, but what really makes the PlanH program innovative are the customized supports we’re able to offer each community, so that their efforts can have maximum impact on health and well-being,” says Victoria Barr, Program Manager at BC Healthy Communities, which delivers PlanH in partnership with the Ministry of Health.
About the PlanH program
The PlanH program offers supports to health authorities and other partners to create healthier communities across the province, supporting partnerships across sectors, facilitating collaborative local action, and providing learning opportunities, resources and consultation. PlanH helps to foster strong relationships among health authorities, local governments and other community partners. PlanH grants and supports are designed to target communities at various levels of engagement with health authorities, with the dual aims of strengthening those relationships and helping communities to address issues using a Healthy Communities approach.
For more information on resources and upcoming funding opportunities to support your community in planning for health, sign up for our PlanH eNews or explore our website at PlanH.ca.
