On October 6, vote for better health in Ontario

Ontarians are going to the polls on October 6, 2011, following an election that has increasingly become a conversation about the province's health. Wanting to be sure that voters' voices were heard in the conversation, the Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF) launched "Healthy Candidates," a campaign urging
voters to challenge local candidates to sign on to becoming a Healthy Candidate and pledge to invest more in promoting and supporting better health in Ontario.

When candidates take this pledge through our campaign, we celebrate their leadership and vision. Current healthcare spending accounts for nearly 50 cents of every dollar that comes out of Queen's Park. This is expected to increase to 80 cents by 2030, if we don't take action now. We can prevent healthcare from overwhelming the provincial budget by investing now in health promotion and prevention. We know that 80% of premature heart disease and stroke is preventable, and that if we act now, Ontarians can live longer, fuller lives. Ontarians also understand this and want to see more done. A recent Ipsos Reid poll showed that 85% would support Ontario investing more to promote and support better health.

To help activate the Healthy Candidates campaign, the HSF's Community Mission Team engaged volunteers province-wide to take action, spread the word and congratulate new Healthy Candidates through photo ops and social media "kudos".

With the help of thousands of Ontarians we have been able to sign on over 180 "Healthy Candidates" who have committed to promote and support better health in Ontario. We are well on the way to our goal of signing on 50% of candidates. In fact, over 30% of candidates from all parties have already signed on, making this one of the first advocacy campaigns to break through partisan lines, uniting candidates from all political parties in an issue that is top of mind to Ontarians - our health.  Ambassadors from each of the four major political parties also demonstrated their leadership and commitment to better health in Ontario by signing the Healthy Candidates' pledge.

In London, Ontario a team of 25 HSF volunteers were instrumental in reaching out to sign on two ridings with a full set of Healthy Candidates. And in the northwest of Ontario 100% of candidates in 3 ridings have signed on. Our volunteers at the community level have been critical to our success and ability to build a grassroots movement for advocacy.  If you would like to get involved in the HSF's future advocacy efforts, or know someone who would, please email [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. Together, we can make Ontario the Healthiest Province.

What you can do now:


1.        Congratulate your Healthy Candidates at HealthyCandidates.ca


2.       Celebrate your candidates using our social media tools:

*         facebook.com/healthycandidates

*         twitter.com/votehealthy



3.       Get involved at [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>


Thank you for your support!

Best regards,

Sue Turner | Sr. Specialist, Partnerships | Research, Advocacy and Health Promotion | Heart and Stroke Foundation
2300 Yonge St. Suite 1300, Toronto, Ontario M4P 1E4 | Phone: 416-489-7111 xt. 496 or 1-888-473-4636 ext. 496| Fax: 416-489-6885 | Email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

BETTER HEALTH IS WORTH YOUR VOTE.  Go to www.HealthyCandidates.ca<http://www.healthycandidates.ca/> to find out how to make your candidates Healthy Candidates.


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