Musings for Spring 2022( Continued from page 6)
Will Rogers once said, “we become in part a little bit of everyone we know” and we are better for having known Vic and the world is a better place. RIP Vic, you have earned your rest free from pain. You are missed but will not be forgotten.
patients a yearlong Parks Canada Discovery Pass to Canada’s National Parks System to improve their mental and physical health and counteract the stress and anxiety levels that have recently built up. The program is called “A Prescription for Nature and known as PaRx which encourages patients to go into natural settings for a minimum or two hours per week. Parks Canada has whole heartedly joined the program because being in and around Nature promotes learning, better health and mental well being according to numerous sources. Currently over one thousand Doctors have prescribed this program. In a written statement, BC Minister of the Environment and Climate change Steven Guilbeault described the new collaboration as a “breakthrough” in how practitioners treat mental and physical health. With the impacts of COVID-19 still felt across much of the country, it couldn’t come at a better time, he said. “The destiny of future generations depends on our actions today”, said Sunday Adelaja recently. Does this not support the forward thinking of Jamie Houston when he penned the OPA mandate “Protecting Tomorrow Today”! Past President Jamie was in a highly creative mode when he passed that along to OPA many years ago and everyone picked up on it. That is who OPA is and what we are about. Like the commonly stated premise that “those who plant a tree and will not sit under its’ shade”, are doing it for others. Well OPA has been pointing out for years that our planet needs help and continues to help those who train, educate themselves and do good things for our planet day to day to help future populations. More open spaces ….Toronto is again challenging the value of Golf courses to golfers and looking at the possibility of re-purposing or selling/ incorporating into affordable housing, trails and other public recreation facilities. At a time when open spaces and outdoor activities are highly valued and use going off the charts this opportunity
“It’s time to say: enough. Enough of brutalising biodiversity.
Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet. Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves.” Antonio Guterres at COP 26,The United Nations Climate Change Conference.
“ Too much talk and not enough action between conferences.” 95 year old Queen Elizabeth regarding the COP 26 Conference.
It is surprising and rewarding that we can read so much about the value that nature could play if we enhance and promote it more. Numerous scientific studies outline the many benefits that nature, more trees, more green areas, more community gardens, more forested areas could help us with health, both physical and mental, climate change improvements as well as grow healthy food. Members of OPA have touted a stronger alliance with the health industry for many years. We need a couple of programs and some interaction with the Health Industry. The planet is screaming for help. Governments have to act. Our youth are showing leadership in many countries and they should be heeded as they are our future and have the most to lose by our inaction now.
Recently an announcement that several Canadian provinces have Doctors who are prescribing
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Ontario Parks Association
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