Active transportation needs a federal champion

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment argues that Canada requires a federal champion for active transportation (walking and cycling) to address rising chronic disease rates, reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and improve social equity.

• There is currently no federal minister in Canada assigned responsibility for active transportation, and mandate letters used to set ministerial priorities do not mention it.
• Chronic diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, affect 20% of Canadians and cause 65% of all deaths in the country, costing approximately $200 billion annually in health care and lost-time costs. The rate of these diseases is increasing by about 14% per year.
• Active transportation provides significant health benefits; a five-year UK study indicated that walking to work reduces the risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease by 36%, while cycling reduces the risk of premature death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and all causes by 40% to 46%.
• Active transportation reduces air pollution and greenhouse gases (GHGs). In Toronto, traffic-related air pollution is estimated to cause 1,700 hospitalizations and 440 premature deaths annually. Regarding GHGs, a study in San Francisco estimated a 14% reduction in vehicle emissions if daily walking and cycling for short trips increased from 4.5 to 22 minutes.
• The federal government is urged to take several specific actions to support active transportation, including creating a dedicated infrastructure fund, identifying a modal share goal for Canada, sharing gas tax transfers for active mobility, mandating side guards on large trucks, and investing in cycling tourism and national park infrastructure.

APA

Perrotta, K., & Varga-Toth, J. (2017). Active transportation needs a federal champion. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/active-transportation-needs-a-federal-champion/

Chicago

Perrotta, Kim, and Judi Varga-Toth. Active transportation needs a federal champion. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2017. https://cape.ca/active-transportation-needs-a-federal-champion/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Perrotta |first1=Kim |last2=Varga-Toth |first2=Judi |title=Active transportation needs a federal champion |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=14 December 2017 |url=https://cape.ca/active-transportation-needs-a-federal-champion/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{perrotta2017active, author = {Perrotta, Kim and Varga-Toth, Judi}, title = {{Active transportation needs a federal champion}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2017}, month = dec, url = {https://cape.ca/active-transportation-needs-a-federal-champion/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }