CBC’s Friday night prime-time special will introduce six finalists and their proposals encouraging Canadians to be more active and live healthier lives. A week-long vote at vote.playexchange.ca will follow to determine the winner.
Can Canada become a healthier and more active country in 2015? The Play Exchange, a national call-to-action powered by Canadian Tire, the Government of Canada, LIFT Philanthropy Partners and CBC, will work to make that happen. This Friday at 7 p.m. (7:30 p.m. NT) on CBC-TV, Canadians will be introduced to the six finalists during an hour-long broadcast hosted by CBC’s Amanda Lang as celebrity advocates Patrick Chan, Jessica Holmes, Wab Kinew, Scott McGillivray, Chantal Petitclerc, and Trish Stratus champion for each of the individual finalists. Following the broadcast, Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast will have one week to vote for the winner of up to $1 million in funding from the Government of Canada to help turn one of the six ideas into reality.
During the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games in February, CBC, in partnership with Canadian Tire, LIFT Philanthropy Partners and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), issued a challenge to Canadians to share their plans to make the country healthier and more active through a competition called The Play Exchange. Over the course of the following months, groups and individuals from across Canada submitted their ideas to The Play Exchange in hopes of being selected as a finalist for the chance at up to $1 million in funding.
“Canadian Tire is committed to inspiring Canadians to get more active and we’re excited to be part of The Play Exchange - giving Canadians the chance to cast their vote for the best idea that will get our nation moving more,” said Susan O’Brien, vice president, marketing, Canadian Tire.
Six finalists have been selected and have been working with LIFT Philanthropy Partners since the fall of 2014 to develop their ideas into strategic business plans. On Friday, the six finalists and their individual celebrity advocates will present their case to Canadians as to why they have what it takes to make Canadians healthier. The finalists and their advocates are as follows:
•GOODcoins with advocate Scott McGillivray (@smcgillivray) - An app that rewards users for making healthy decisions by awarding them “coins” that can be exchanged for prizes.
•Healthy Schools with advocate Trish Stratus (@trishstratuscom)- Teaching children to make their own healthy decisions in every facet of their lives, rather than forcing the decisions on them.
•Prescription to Get Active with advocate Jessica Holmes (@happyfeetholmes) - Allowing doctors to write prescriptions that entitle patients to free access to fitness facilities and equipment.
•Sharing Dance with advocate Patrick Chan (@Pchiddy) - A website from the National Ballet School that encourages activity though dance by offering free access to the school’s talents online.
•Trottibus with advocate Chantal Petitclerc (@Cpetitclerc) - An alternative to a traditional school bus that sees children walking to school together in large groups, encouraging exercise and road safety.
•Walk to Tuk with advocate Wab Kinew (@WabKinew) - Challenging residents of the Northwest Territories to walk the equivalent of the distance of the Mackenzie River by walking within their own neighbourhoods and tracking their progress.
Canadians can vote online up to three times at vote.playexchange.ca between Friday, Jan. 9 at 5:55 p.m. ET and Friday Jan. 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET to help select the recipient. More about The Play Exchange and the six finalists is available now at playexchange.ca. Voters are encouraged to share their pick with @CBC on Twitter using #PlayExchange.
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About Canadian Tire Corporation
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, (TSX:CTC.A) (TSX:CTC) or “CTC,” is a family of businesses that includes a retail segment, a financial services division and CT REIT. Our retail business is led by Canadian Tire, which was founded in 1922 and provides Canadians with products for life in Canada across its Living, Playing, Fixing, Automotive and Seasonal categories. PartSource and Gas+ are key parts of the Canadian Tire network. The retail segment also includes Mark’s, a leading source for casual and industrial wear, and FGL Sports (Sport Chek, Hockey Experts, Sports Experts, National Sports, Intersport, Pro Hockey Life and Atmosphere), which offers the best active wear brands. The nearly 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets are supported and strengthened by our Financial Services division and the tens of thousands of people employed across the Company. For more information, visit Corp.CanadianTire.ca.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.
A space for us all is CBC/Radio-Canada’s strategy to transform the public broadcaster, and ensure that it continues to fulfill its mandate for Canadians, now and for future generations. Through to 2020, the Corporation will increase its investment in prime-time television programming and continue to create radio programs of the highest quality, while promoting the development of digital and mobile platforms and content.
For more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre. Follow CBC’s publicity team on Twitter @CBC_Publicity.
For further information, please contact:
Simon Bassett, publicist, CBC
simon.bassett@cbc.ca 416-205-8533 (office) 416-988-1590 (mobile)
