The YEAR AHEAD » Your Business


The Pursuit of a More Active and Healthier Canada


BY TRISHA SARKER Government Recognition


“This year will be the biggest celebration of NHFD that the fitness industry has hosted. Not


only are clubs encouraged to waive their drop-in fees for the day, but FIC will be hosting an event on


Parliament Hill to showcase the importance of physical activity for all ages and all demographics.”


are involved in physical activity, it leads to lower cases of chronic dis- eases and therefore, lower health care costs (less days for sick leave, medi- cal costs, etc.). In previous years, Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC) has lobbied the government for a Children’s Fitness Tax Credit and an Adult Fitness Tax Credit. These initia- tives have been on the backburner for the government. However, this year, FIC will be taking a stronger approach to promote physical activity. We hope to see development with health- and fitness-related initiatives supported by the government.


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National Health and Fitness Day (NHFD) This year will be the biggest celebra- tion of NHFD that the fitness industry has hosted. Not only are clubs encour- aged to waive their drop-in fees for the day, but FIC will be hosting an event on Parliament Hill to showcase the importance of physical activity for all ages and all demographics. The goal is to engage in the community and have the government recognize that exercise is beneficial for everyone’s wellbeing.


Prescription to Get Active (RxTGA) Since its launch in 2011, the RxTGA program has been rapidly growing in Alberta and Ontario. Exercise prescrip- tions are now being written by physi- cians in many municipalities in these two provinces and are being filled by fitness facilities. The goal of this initia- tive is to guide individuals to a health- ier lifestyle by methods of preventative


24 Fitness Business Canada Winter 2019


cademic studies and data col- lected by Statistics Canada have proven that when Canadians


care. As this program grows, we see more fitness facilities working with physicians and opening their clubs to accept prescriptions. There are plans for RxTGA to expand into other prov- inces as well.


Music Licencing Agreements FIC has been working with music li- cencing collectives to create agree- ments for music to be played in fitness facilities. Understanding that music is a big part of the workout experience (such as for fitness classes), it is impor- tant to have a fair tariff that is reflec- tive of the uniqueness and offerings of each fitness facility. FIC is working to put together agreements that are suitable for the fitness industry, while complementing the activity of fitness facility members.


Registered Fitness Professionals Currently, there are several personal training certification programs and registries available in Canada; how- ever, there is a movement to create a tiered registry that contains all the certifications available. This will al- low not only a central hub for person- al trainers, but also allow certification programs to work together. Clubs and trainers will be able to keep up-to-date with credentials, as well as providing transparency to members and clients.


Trisha Sarker is the executive director of Fitness Industry Council of Canada. Contact her at tsarker@ficdn.ca.


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