• Profile of the CCHALW
• Projects & Activities
• Council History

The Canadian Council for Health and Active Living at Work (CCHALW or 'the Council') is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization that provides leadership and support to those Canadian active living and health-promotion professionals specifically striving to create healthier workplaces.

 

Working on a project-by-project basis, Council members live and work in various parts of Canada. Currently the Council's newsletter and other resources are shared with over 3,000 contacts from coast to coast.

 

The Council was originally conceived in the 1980s by the Workplace Fitness Unit of the now-defunct Fitness Canada department to meet the growing needs of a relatively new health field.

 

At that time, there was tremendous growth in on-site corporate fitness facilities and 'wellness' was becoming a familiar term in the workplace.

 

Health and active living professionals soon began looking for resources to help them get companies on-side with this trend that not only benefits employees but can also help boost an organization's bottom line in the process.

 

Today, the CCHALW maintains a strong partnership with The Public Health Agency of Canada and collaborates with many other organizations to develop unique initiatives and provide resources and research that promote health and active living in the workplace.

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The CCHALW promotes workplace fitness and health through a variety of initiatives, many of them in partnership with organizations that share similar goals.

 

The Council's primary clients include active living and allied health professionals who focus on the workplace and the business community. Examples of ongoing projects and activities include:

 

The Business Case for Active Living at Work
Launched in partnership with Health Canada in 2001, this unique Internet resource highlights research on the benefits of physical activity in and around the workplace. The site shows how this information creates a convincing business case for implementing effective workplace health and wellness programs. This popular site received more than one million hits in 2002 alone.

 

Stairway to Health
A component of the Business Case for Active Living at Work, this web-based tool is designed to increase physical activity and improve overall health in the workplace by helping employees use the stairs more at work instead of depending on elevators and escalators.

 

The National 'Fit for Life, Fit for Duty' Conference
The Council, in partnership with the Police Fitness Personnel of Ontario and the Ontario Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, are organizing the first ever 'Fit for Life, Fit for Duty' conference to be held in October 2004.

 

This conference is open to delegates from across Canada who are involved in the promotion of active living and wellness at their respective facility or service.

 

Walk & Roll: A guide to active transportation to, from and at the workplace
This is a total package for making the case for active living to, from and at work. Available through the offices of one of the Council's key partners, Go for Green!, this guide includes valuable information on addressing barriers to being active and how to develop and implement an effective active living at work plan.

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In 1972 the roots of workplace active living and health can first be traced with many hills and valleys recorded in its process since this time. In 1992, the significant milestones in the evolution from employee fitness to workplace active living were documented for delegates of the Active Living Forum.

 

As the field has grown and evolved, so to has the need for structures to support formalized networks for professional exchange, program development and resource distribution. In 1989, the former Canadian Centre for Active Living in the Workplace (CCALW) was created. It produced a comprehensive 'Working Actively Together' blueprint and had made tangible progress in its implementation until the federal government in 1993 announced funding cuts.

 

Without the administrative support and a national office, the volunteer management committee of the former CCALW had to quickly change priorities and propose a plan for the continued delivery of workplace active living initiatives in Canada. After a business plan was formulated, some interim funding was secured to hire a consulting firm to assist the volunteer committee with a number of objectives.

 

In 1996, the group of dedicated volunteers decided to reevaluate the Committee’s mandate, mission, structure and name. Under the name, Canadian Council for Health and Active Living at Work, the Council adopted it current mission.

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