November 27, 2006 

The “How Do You Get Your Move On” media campaign is being launched this week with print advertising and a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on Rogers OMNI Television in four non-official languages, Farsi, Mandarin, Spanish and Tamil in addition to English.

The PSA features a cycling Mayor David Miller, Honorary Chair of Toronto’s Get Your Move On (GYMO) initiative, encouraging everyone to join him in being physically active. “I’m pleased to be able to join leaders from health, recreation, and the corporate sectors as well as others to take action on an important issue for the health and vitality of our City,” the Mayor said.

The media campaign promotes the GYMO web site and phone line where people can get information on thousands of physical activity opportunities in Toronto, as well as multilingual physical activity resources. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors and a lead member of Get Your Move On, is also showing the PSA on Air Canada Centre’s Jumbotron as well as airing it on Leafs TV and Raptors NBA TV. 

The PSA will also be streamed on the YMCA of Greater Toronto web site, another key GYMO partner. Scott Haldane, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Toronto and co-chair of the initiative says “Get your Move On is connecting Toronto to opportunities for healthy, active living.  Children, youth, and Adults of all ages and backgrounds need to move more.”

In 2004 leaders in the public, voluntary and private sectors started Get Your Move On to address epidemic levels of  physical inactivity by making it easy for people to be active, any time, any place.  Dr. David McKeown, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health says “Get Your Move On is about reducing barriers so everyone can become healthier.  Reaching people in many languages is fundamental to the campaign.”

“We applaud GYMO for creating an inclusive campaign that recognizes the importance of extending its message to local ethnocultural communities in their language of comfort,” say Madeline Ziniak, Vice-President and Station Manager of Rogers OMNI Television.

Funding for the GYMO PSAs was provided by OMNI television’s Public Service Announcement Production Fund, which Supports local community groups and helps ensure the accessibility of important public information to third language communities.  Alison Duke of Goldelox Productions and Susan Nation of Tween Entertainment were responsible for creation and production of the PSAs, working in association with the GYMO Public Awareness Action Group.

For more information and to view the PSA, visit the Get Your Move On web site www.toronto.ca/getyourmoveon  or call the Toronto Health Connection at 416-338-7600.

Media Contact:
Rishma Govani
Toronto Public Health
416-338-7974