THUNDER BAY — Two city elementary schools are the initial participants in a new program called Walk Or Wheel Thunder Bay.
Ecole Gron Morgan Public and St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary schools are working with WOW Tbay's stakeholder committee to encourage students to go to and from school in any way other than in a motorized vehicle.
Two additional schools will be selected in January.
A grant of $86,000 and other support for the project has been provided through Ontario Active School Travel, a program of Green Communities Canada funded by a transfer payment agreement with the Ontario government.
"In recent decades we have seen a significant decline in walking to school among children across the province," said Wallace Beaton, a spokesperson for Green Communities Canada. "This initiative...is a great opportunity to reverse this downward trend and rebuild a culture of active school travel."
The local steering committee includes representatives of the two major school boards, Student Transportation Services of Thunder Bay, the City of Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay Police, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, and EcoSuperior Environmental Programs.
"We are very excited about this," said EcoSuperior's Caroline Cox. "Our goal is to get more families choosing walking or wheeling for their daily school journey."
Wheeling could include cycling or using a skateboard, scooter or wheelchair.
Students outside the walk zone are encouraged to participate by riding the bus, which results in decreased traffic and improved safety in the school zone.
WOW Tbay will also deliver four special events throughout the year which will be open to elementary schools across the city.
