Honourable Ujjal Dosanjh, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Health
House of Commons
Ottawa

Weighing the Risks: Obesity and Safety

Dear Minister,

The attached Canada Safety Council release Weighing the Risks: Obesity and Safety and its French language equivalent Soupeser les risques : l'obésité et la sécurité was released to the media and concerned individuals and organizations on September 20. This release generated significant interest and concern across the country.

As you are aware, obesity brings with it a high risk of serious health problems such as diabetes and other diseases. A Statistics Canada survey released this past July found alarming obesity rates. Today, 23 percent of adult Canadians — well over 6,000,000 — are obese. Twenty-nine percent of teenagers aged 12 to 17 are obese; that means almost 650,000 in this age group are obese.

The Canada Safety Council is concerned that obesity is also a safety issue. The information in our release bears this out. Due to limited mobility, obese persons contribute to a host of problems including lifting injuries and fatalities in vehicle collisions. The economic costs of obesity also being a safety issue must be considered.

We are aware that earlier this year, Health Canada proposed a Canadian Obesity Network to address the problem through education, public information and research. We commend you for this important initiative. The Canada Safety Council is a longstanding partner in encouraging workplace programs that promote healthy eating and physical activity. Stairway to Health is an on-line resource that encourages stair use as a way to build physical activity into daily living, focusing on the workplace. An environmental scan of workplace healthy living policies was initiated in 2005 in conjunction with Health Canada’s objective to reduce obesity by 10 percent.

Preventing obesity is crucial. It’s a matter of safety for all.

Sincerely,

Emile-J. Therien
President, Canada Safety Council