The Resort Municipality of Whistler is marking the third annual National Health and Fitness Day (NHFD) on Saturday, June 7, by offering discounts on drop-in fees and passes at Meadow Park Sports Centre.
On Saturday only, drop-in fees will be 50 per cent off; 20-time, 30-time and three-month passes will be offered at 10 per cent off; while six-month and annual passes will be sold for 20 per cent off the regular price.
John Weston, MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country and the founder of NHFD, applauded the municipality's decision to provide lower-cost access to its fitness facility to mark the occasion.
"That's a very intelligent application of the principles of NHFD," said Weston, noting that Whistler's local initiative meets a goal of encouraging healthy lifestyles year-round, not just on the day.
"I think Whistler council has, once again, shown great leadership in this area."
Whistler was one of the first municipalities in the country to proclaim NHFD during the first year, in 2012, when Weston held a kick-off event for the day during The North Face Whistler Half Marathon.
Since then, more than 140 municipalities across the country, as well as the Province of British Columbia and Yukon, have made NHFD proclamations. As well, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) - which represents more than 2,000 municipalities across Canada - officially endorsed the initiative during meetings in Niagara Falls, Ont., on May 31.
Weston and Senator Nancy Greene Raine, who is helping lead the initiative with Whistler's MP, were both on hand in Niagara Falls when the FCM endorsed NHFD last month. Both are helping move a bill through their respective houses in Ottawa, said Weston, that will effectively bring NHFD into law in the near future.
This year, Weston will be celebrating the third edition of NHFD by cycling up Cypress Mountain with Rotarians to raise money for search and rescue programs, attending a seniors' walk in Squamish and the Ambleside Mile race in West Vancouver.
