Sutton is crowned the most active community in Quebec!
– PRESS RELEASE –
Sutton has won ParticipACTION’s Community Better Challenge at the provincial level: it is therefore crowned the most active community in Quebec and wins the $15,000 prize!
Mayor Robert Benoît was immediately delighted with the news: “This is phenomenal! We are extremely proud of this achievement. For a first participation, we not only came first in Quebec, but also in the top ten in Canada, ahead of very large cities. It’s proof that a small community, when it is motivated and dynamic like ours, can do great things.”
The Community Better Challenge, supported financially by the Government of Canada and Saputo, took place from June 1 to 30. It invited all Canadian communities to participate in as many physical activities as possible, which were counted according to population and mobilization efforts. The Town of Sutton took up the challenge brilliantly in collaboration with several partner organizations including the Coop Gym Santé Sutton, the Parc d’environnement naturel de Sutton, the CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS, the Sutton School, the Sutton Museum and the Corporation de développement économique de Sutton. Several public events, added to group and individual activities, created a great synergy and led to our score: no less than 3.8 million minutes of physical activity were recorded in Sutton, thanks to the 275 people and 16 local organizations that downloaded the application and registered all kinds of physical activity minutes.
A $15,000 prize to invest in basketball
By submitting its finalist application at the beginning of July, the Town of Sutton had to commit to using the award to support a project that would promote physical activity in the community. The municipal council chose to support a basketball court project in response to a popular demand expressed by many citizens, particularly youth. The $15,000 award will help launch this project, which will be analyzed for funding in the upcoming budget. “This basketball project will bring a lot to our community, and particularly to our teenagers who are at a critical age where giving up physical activity is unfortunately all too common,” explained the Mayor. “We need to encourage their physical activity with a sport they enjoy. They will be our healthy adults of tomorrow.”
Congratulations from our federal MP Pascale St-Onge
Our federal deputy, Pascale St-Onge, did not fail to react to the good news: “As the federal Member of Parliament for Brome-Missisquoi and federal Minister of Sports, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the community of Sutton for being recognized as the most active community in all of Quebec, by winning the Quebec prize in the ParticipACTION Community Better Challenge. I am even more proud to learn that the winning community for Quebec is part of my riding and I am convinced that this achievement will inspire others. Bravo Sutton!
My government is proud to be associated with an organization such as ParticipACTION that encourages physical activity and promotes healthy lifestyle habits amongst people of all ages. Together, through physical activity and sport, we can keep our communities healthy while encouraging a spirit of solidarity and mutual aid between individuals.’’
Honor to the winners
In addition to the congratulations from our MP, I would like to add our congratulations to the community of Red Deer, Alberta (population 100,000) who won the title in Canada,” concluded the Mayor. “We will take example from them to do better next year!
And I especially want to thank all those, in Sutton, who contributed to our success, one minute at a time: this deserved victory belongs to you!”
ParticipACTION’s Press Release on the announcement of the winning community in Canada and each community by province and territory