Happy Canada Day!

The survey by The Dominion Institute and Citizen and Immigration Canada was released on Monday, just ahead of Canada Day, in the form of a list of the top 101 things Canadians named.

Here are the top five:
Maple leaf
Hockey
Canadian Flag
Beaver
Canadarm
Though the list is broad in its content, ranging from Tim Hortons, ranking at number 58 on the list, to snow at number 61, it also showed a surprising amount of commonality among Canadians' priorities.

"The findings show citizens in Canada define their country largely in similar ways, regardless of where they're from," Marc Chalifoux, of The Dominion Institute, told CTV's Canada AM.

"Different regions will put different local elements in perspective and we'll include them in the list, but at the top of the list people define themselves in similar ways -- the beaver, hockey, the Canadian flag, Canada Day. These are key elements for Canadians to understand their country."

Perhaps more surprising than what was on the list, was what was missing, Chalifoux said.

Elements of aboriginal culture, for example, were completely absent from the top 101. And there was also a void in the area of arts and culture. Author Margaret Atwood, painter Tom Thomson and singer/songwriter Neil Young were all missing from the list.

But Celine Dion made the list, coming in at number 27 -- sandwiched between the Calgary Stampede at 26 and the Canadian National Railway at 28th on the list.

"She ranked ahead of John A. Macdonald which is a kind of surprising finding in itself," Chalifoux said.

"At The Dominion Institute we're very engaged in telling Canadians about their history, particularly young Canadians. So to find Celine Dion ahead of John A. Macdonald was a bit surprising, but we're happy to see a lot of historical elements make the list."

Confederation, for example, came in at 20th on the list. Vimy Ridge came in at number 30 and the repatriation of the constitution came in at 24.

Canadians can go to the website 101things.ca to vote on a list that is constantly in flux as votes are registered. That list had the following as its top five as of Monday afternoon:

Maple leaf
Queen Elizabeth
Confederation
Vimy Ridge
Hockey

Here we Go!

SO The Pop boom is coming ! or Is it here? i hope we are ready for it?

Sask. population up 18,000 over last year: StatsCan
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Saskatchewan grew faster in the first three months of 2008 than it has in any first quarter in decades, Statistics Canada says.

The federal agency's report on population released on Wednesday said in that quarter, Saskatchewan's population grew 0.35 per cent to an estimated 1,010,146. It was the second highest rate of growth among the provinces, with Alberta taking the top spot with 0.41 per cent.

Although Saskatchewan was long a place that was losing population to Alberta and other provinces, that trend began to turn around in 2006.

From the end of March 2007 until the end of March 2008, the provincial population grew by close to 18,000 people.

Provincial government officials were hailing the latest statistics on Friday as another sign that prosperity is taking hold in Saskatchewan.

"Saskatchewan's job opportunities and quality of life are attracting thousands of people from other provinces and other countries," Rob Norris, the minister of Advanced Education, Employment and Labour, said in a news release.

Among the newcomers are Nicole Hassen and Jason Beaumont, who are excited about moving into their own home in Regina after living in relatively cramped quarters in Calgary.

"It was pretty tough to get accommodations," Hassen said. "This is a huge step for us, starting our lives together."

According to Statistics Canada, the population jump is due to record numbers in immigration, interprovincial migration and non-permanent resident net inflows.

This is Canada.

June 26
This USA not Canada
Entry for June 26, 2008

This in the USA people NOT Canada so if Hear one more thing about gun control crowd. How it is our right to carry a gun..I will Scream! Yes I am liberal the liberal party screw up gun control the problem with it too much government in it that is one of the reason it cost too much ! Also in the west a gun is a tool not a weapon.. but please donot use this a arguement. why it was not sold in West...


Court says individuals have right to own guns
Decision is justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history


WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history.

The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms laws intact.

The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

The basic issue for the justices was whether the amendment protects an individual's right to own guns no matter what, or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia.

Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for four colleagues, said the Constitution does not permit "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home."

In dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the majority "would have us believe that over 200 years ago, the Framers made a choice to limit the tools available to elected officials wishing to regulate civilian uses of weapons."

He said such evidence "is nowhere to be found."

Joining Scalia were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas. The other dissenters were Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter.

Capital's strict gun law
The capital's gun law was among the nation's strictest.

Dick Anthony Heller, 66, an armed security guard, sued the District after it rejected his application to keep a handgun at his home for protection in the same Capitol Hill neighborhood as the court.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in Heller's favor and struck down Washington's handgun ban, saying the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to own guns and that a total prohibition on handguns is not compatible with that right.

The issue caused a split within the Bush administration. Vice President Dick Cheney supported the appeals court ruling, but others in the administration feared it could lead to the undoing of other gun regulations, including a federal law restricting sales of machine guns. Other laws keep felons from buying guns and provide for an instant background check.



Scalia said nothing in Thursday's ruling should "cast doubt on long-standing prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons or the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings."

The law adopted by Washington's city council in 1976 bars residents from owning handguns unless they had one before the law took effect. Shotguns and rifles may be kept in homes, if they are registered, kept unloaded and either disassembled or equipped with trigger locks.

Opponents of the law have said it prevents residents from defending themselves. The Washington government says no one would be prosecuted for a gun law violation in cases of self-defense.

A new way of doing business!

Ryan Bater to Launch Liberal Leadership Campaign
On Wednesday, June 25th, Ryan Bater will officially announce his candidacy for the Leadership of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party. Please join us Wednesday morning for his announcement to the media and Wednesday evening for a social meet and greet with Saskatchewan Liberals. Campaign Launch Press ConferenceDate:Wednesday, June 25thTime:11:00 a.m.Location: Innovation Place near the fountain outside the Galleria Building(inside the Galleria Building atrium in case of rain)15 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon – north end of U of S Campus( Google Map )Campaign Launch Meet and GreetDate:Wednesday, June 25thTime:7:30 p.m.Location: Nino’s Restaurant 801 Broadway Avenue, Saskatoon ( Google Map )For more information, please contact Ryan Androsoff at: or newday@ryanbater.ca

Manley warns NATO could fail in Afghanistan

Manley warns NATO could fail in Afghanistan

CTV.ca News Staff

Manley, who led a government-appointed panel that outlined conditions for Canada's continued military commitment in Afghanistan, said the mission is a real test for NATO's credibility.
"When you just look at the commitment, it's about 50,000 troops in Afghanistan. NATO sent 50,000 troops to Bosnia (in the 1990s), which is a country of about 1.8 million. Afghanistan's (population) is over 30 million," he told CTV's Question Period.
Bosnia is a tiny place, while Afghanistan is the size of France, he added.
"They just aren't taking it seriously enough, in my view. The risk of (the mission) coming out without a very satisfactory outcome is a real one."
The Manley panel recommended that NATO find a 1,000-soldier battle group to assist Canada's 2,500 troops in Kandahar province -- one of the most insurgency-wracked parts of Afghanistan. It also said Canada's soldiers should be supplied with helicopters and aerial drones.
NATO has indicated that it will provide the additional troops and equipment. Poland has said it will make two Mi-17 helicopters available to transport hard-pressed Canadian troops around the battlefield in Kandahar province. That should happen later this summer.
A German NATO general said in radio interview Sunday the Western military alliance needs to send as many as 6,000 troops to the region immediately. Egon Ramms told public radio station Deutschlandfunk that the troops are needed to hold on to key areas, win over Afghan citizens, and to allow NATO to eventually handover security control to the Afghan government.
Ramms said NATO's presence in Afghanistan will need to be extended, unless NATO sends more troops now.
Manley said the outcome of events in Afghanistan is important as NATO carries out its first mission outside of Europe.
"The consequences for NATO failing will be very serious," he said.
The prison break
Manley said this month's prison break in Kandahar -- which freed almost 400 Taliban prisoners -- indicates just how quickly the situation in Afghanistan could turn for Canadian and NATO forces.
"It's an indication that (insurgents) are capable of accomplishing something that clearly required not an insignificant degree of coordination," Manley said.
Manley said he was "very dismayed" by news of the prison break, which he said indicates "a break down in our intelligence."
"Information on something like that is something we should have been able to obtain," he said.
CTV Middle East Bureau Chief Janis Mackey Frayer told Question Period that about 30 prison escapees from Sarposa Prison been recaptured. Afghan authorities have said the men are being kept at a secret location, she said.
Officials are now trying to find out how to better co-ordinate Afghan security needs with NATO, she said. Beyond the official investigations into the matter, she said. Frayer said the incident has raised serious questions in the Afghan public.
She said people are wondering how Taliban fighters "can file into town with a tanker bomb, roll up to the front gates of the prison, blow them up, and have mini-buses waiting for the prisoners as they ran out."

It is about time?

The liberal new Green Plan what I saw of it is not to my liking. This one of the reason why we need to separated the provincial liberals and federal liberals. The federal liberals need to understand Western Canada. We here in Western Canada again getting shafted again the plan is taxing people and buying votes of the east. I know that we One country but does one part of the country gets hurt for another benefits. I am really not sure on this new plan .We need to look at green house gases and the environment problems that we are facing but is taxes the best solution? I am really not sure? Expertly when hurts a parts of the country? This another example of why we need more liberals in Ottawa to bring more common sense. No more things like Gun Control stupid idea, the National energy program another dumb idea. Not this what the heck? Where is our voice in Ottawa?

One different note this story is about time to see this .

Federal government quietly releases $490B military plan
Details posted online Thursday night
Last Updated: Friday, June 20, 2008 5:57 AM ET Comments224Recommend102CBC News
The Conservative government has quietly released the details of its extensive plan to beef up the military, including spending $490 billion over the next 20 years to ensure Canadian soldiers are well-equipped, well-trained and highly active.

Details of the plan, known as Canada First Defence Strategy, were posted Thursday night without fanfare on the Department of National Defence's website.


The posting comes almost six weeks after Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced at a news conference that his government had a strategy for the military, but provided few details about it. Critics at the time said the strategy was nothing more than a speech, since Harper offered no document to back it up.

Military analyst Rob Huebert told CBC News that he can't understand why Harper would release the document so quietly, and why he would do so the day before the House of Commons is expected to adjourn for the summer.

Still, he praised the document's contents, saying the strategy appears to be a well-balanced assessment that juggles the military commitments at home and overseas.

"I'm hard-pressed right at this point, looking at it, to be really overtly critical," said Huebert, associate director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies in Calgary. "I do think they've got a good balance on this particular aspect."

The document says the military needs to spend about $45 billion alone on large capital purchases, and should replace some of its destroyers, frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, search-and-rescue aircraft, next-generation fighter aircraft and land combat vehicles.

It also says the military needs to enhance its ability to operate alongside the American forces.

The document suggests that in the next 20 years, the international community will be coping with failed states, rogue nuclear nations and the increasing threat of terrorism. As a result, the military needs to be well-prepared to focus on six core missions:

Defending Canada's sovereignty.
Supporting a major international event in Canada, like the 2010 Olympics.
Responding to any major terrorist attacks.
Providing aid to civilian authorities during natural disasters and other crises.
Conducting a major international operation for an extended period, such as the Afghan mission.
Have enough troops remaining to deploy to other international crises for shorter periods of time.
NDP defence critic Dawn Black questioned why the document does not stress the peacekeeping work of Canadian soldiers.

"The more and more we become meshed with American foreign policy… the less and less ability we have to be independent and have a clear Canadian voice on the international stage."

6th human foot found on B.C. south coast

Why is this not getting more press?? This so weird?


6th human foot found on B.C. south coast
Last Updated: Thursday, June 19, 2008 CBC News
A sixth foot in a size 10 running shoe was found Wednesday on a beach on Tyee Spit near Campbell River. (CBC)A sixth human foot was found in the south coast of British Columbia Wednesday following the discovery of a fifth just two days earlier.

A Campbell River resident walking on a beach on Tyee Spit found the foot around 10 a.m. PT and reported it to police, the RCMP said.

The woman contacted the manager of a local trailer park, Sandra Malone, who told CBC News that she called police before going down to the beach to see the foot herself.

It was a right foot in a size 10 running shoe, RCMP Const. Annie Linteau said in a new release Wednesday afternoon.

Malone said the foot was clearly visible inside the shoe.

"I got the chills right away — really grossed out," Malone told the CBC.

"It was definitely a foot in a shoe. You can see the bones sticking out the top part of the shoe a few inches. And it was clean cut, like straight across," said Malone.

Forensic pathologist will examine foot
"The object will ultimately be examined by a forensic pathologist in attempts to determine the source of the foot and if it is related to other feet recently found," Linteau said.

Three years ago, a small float plane took off from Tyee Spit and crashed 10 kilometres away from where the foot was found Wednesday. Four of the five people on that plane remain unaccounted for.

Linteau said police are looking at the possibility that the foot found Wednesday could have belonged to one of the crash victims.

"We're exploring the possibilities that it could be people who may have been drowned. It could be missing fishermen. It could be the remains of people who may have died in a plane crash," she said.

2 feet found this week
A left foot was discovered partially submerged in the water near Westham Island in Ladner on Monday.

A couple out for a walk in the 2800 block of Savage Road spotted a shoe floating in the water around 10:30 a.m. and called police.

Four right feet, each wearing a sock and sneaker, have been discovered in the province since August.

A woman's right foot was found on the uninhabited Kirkland Island in the Fraser River in May, just a few kilometres from Westham Island.

Three men's right feet washed up in the Gulf Islands between Vancouver and Vancouver Island. In August, feet were discovered on Gabriola and Jedediah islands and, in February, a foot was found on Valdes Island.

With files from Dan McLennan

CIA defended waterboarding, harsh techniques

I know the USA and Canada are at War but when do we draw the line in this thing? War is hell ?


CIA defended waterboarding, harsh techniques
Torture 'is basically subject to perception,' CIA lawyer advised Pentagon

By Joby Warrick

A senior a lawyer advised Pentagon officials about the use of harsh interrogation techniques on detainees at www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Guantanamo+Bay?tid=informline">Guantanamo Bay a in a meeting in late 2002, defending waterboarding and other methods as permissible despite U.S. and international laws banning torture, according to documents released yesterday by congressional investigators.
Torture "is basically subject to perception," CIA counterterrorism lawyer Jonathan Fredman told a group of military and intelligence officials gathered at the U.S.-run detention camp in Cuba on Oct. 2, 2002, according to minutes of the meeting. "If the detainee dies, you're doing it wrong."
The document, one of two dozen released by a Senate panel investigating how Pentagon officials developed the controversial interrogation program introduced at Guantanamo Bay in late 2002, suggests a larger CIA role in advising //www.washingtonpost.com related/topic/U.S.Defense Department interrogators than was previously known. By the time of the meeting, the CIA already had used waterboarding, which simulates drowning, on at least one terrorism suspect and was holding high-level al-Qae/a> detainees in secret prisons overseas -- actions that Bush administration lawyers had approved.

The new evidence, along with hours of questioning of former Pentagon officials at a hearing of thetid=informline">Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday, shed light on efforts by top aides to then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to research and reverse-engineer techniques used by military survival schools to prepare U.S. service members for possible capture by hostile forces. The techniques -- sensory deprivation, forced nudity, stress positions and exploitation of phobias, such as fear of dogs -- would eventually be approved for use at Guantanamo Bay and would spread to U.S. detention facilities in Afghanistan and Iraq, including the prison. Nearly all were later rescinded.
The newly released documents show that in the summer of 2002, Pentagon officials compiled lists of aggressive techniques, soliciting opinions from the CIA and others, and ultimately implementing the practices over opposition from military lawyers who argued that the proposed tactics were probably illegal and could harm U.S. troops.
The memos and other evidence evoked intense bipartisan condemnation from members of the Armed Services Committee who spent nearly eight hours grilling some of the former and current officials involved with the decisions.
"The guidance that was provided during this period of time, I think, will go down in history as some of the most irresponsible and shortsighted legal analysis ever provided to our nation's military and intelligence communities," said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham
Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.)a, the committee chairman, asked: "How on Earth did we get to the point where a United States government lawyer would say that . . . torture is subject to perception?"

Sask. oil and gas rights sale generates $143M for treasury

I met premiere Wall at a event a month ago. He told me to call him Brad. I just know a guy that down to earth will share the wealth with us the poor people. I just know it . Please Brad share the wealth with the little people. Help us ! More money to the those who need it. Those who need a home also those work for a living.

Sask. oil and gas rights sale generates $143M for treasury

Last Updated: Thursday, June 12, 2008 11:35 AM CT
CBC News
So far this year, oil and gas rights sales have generated $605.4 million for the provincial treasury. (CBC)
The Saskatchewan government's June sale of oil and natural gas rights has raised $142.5 million, the third-biggest sale in history.
It's also the third consecutive month that sales have topped $100 million, the first time that has ever happened, the provincial government said. So far this year, the province has made $605.4 million on oil and gas rights sales, compared with $250.3 million for the entire year last year.
Companies bid on properties and pay the province money for the right to drill for oil and gas.
The Weyburn-Estevan area was responsible for $132.5 million of the proceeds. Also attracting interest was the Kindersley-Kerrobert area, which had $7.1 million in sales, followed by the Lloydminster area at $2 million and the Swift Current area at over $900,000.
The sales take place every two months. The next one will be held on Aug. 11, at which time oilsands exploration permits — something relatively new for Saskatchewan — will also be up for grabs.

Last Updated: Thursday, June 12, 2008 11:35 AM CT
CBC News
So far this year, oil and gas rights sales have generated $605.4 million for the provincial treasury. (CBC)
The Saskatchewan government's June sale of oil and natural gas rights has raised $142.5 million, the third-biggest sale in history.
It's also the third consecutive month that sales have topped $100 million, the first time that has ever happened, the provincial government said. So far this year, the province has made $605.4 million on oil and gas rights sales, compared with $250.3 million for the entire year last year.
Companies bid on properties and pay the province money for the right to drill for oil and gas.
The Weyburn-Estevan area was responsible for $132.5 million of the proceeds. Also attracting interest was the Kindersley-Kerrobert area, which had $7.1 million in sales, followed by the Lloydminster area at $2 million and the Swift Current area at over $900,000.
The sales take place every two months. The next one will be held on Aug. 11, at which time oilsands exploration permits — something relatively new for Saskatchewan — will also be up for grabs.

Ok here we go

The provincial liberal party is going down a new path. We start a fresh again with a leader. Please no more saviours. The party has to figure out what out message is, stick to it .Then develop a made in Saskatchewan vision . A Sask liberal party for Saskatchewan. My personal view the federal party does not help us at times and maybe we have to cut lose. But then we lose money ...and help.. There we be allot thought needed in this now. what we we do ? Is the million dollar question. But the membership need to give there input the time is right now for this in put. New ideas a new fresh start..

This picture says alot

Randoms on Early Sunday AM

I am up early before I go to work So I began to think? These things?
1. How did I get myself invovled in politics? Now i am on team for a leadership cadidate?

2. Are we in the Soccer team every going to win a game?

3. Saskatchewan and Canada are we going to get rid of the Steve and Brad show soon?

4. Is the place I work going to finally get which employees are valueable and credit them and which do something with the ones are not pulling their weight. There has to be something wrong when senior mangers come to me to blow off stream about the owner poor choices>

5. How can I make my relationship even better. I can I make sure i donot screw it up like I have done with alot of things in my life. because i do love this woman.

Ok Is this wrong or right??

Ottawa may use green fund to help GM: Flaherty
Last Updated: Thursday, June 5, 2008 | 7:44 AM ET CBC News
The federal government may be able to use a multimillion-dollar green vehicle fund to entice General Motors to continue manufacturing cars at a plant slated for closing next year, according to the finance minister.

Jim Flaherty suggested Wednesday the Conservative government could put up money from its $250-million automotive innovation fund, meant to assist in the development of environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient vehicles, to help keep the Oshawa, Ont., pickup truck factory alive.

Flaherty said he hopes to use federal money to encourage production of another car to replace the trucks that will no longer be manufactured at the plant.

"I've already spoken with General Motors about that," said Flaherty.

We're going to stay on that as a federal government, and if we can participate in funding that innovation, then we're certainly going to be there. The key is to work with the union, work with the company to see what's necessary in terms of technological innovation."

General Motors announced Tuesday it is planning to halt production at the Oshawa plant, which produces the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra, sometime in 2009, axing around 2,600 jobs in the process. Three other plants across North America, including two in the U.S. and one in Mexico, are also due to be closed.

The Canadian Auto Workers union has promised an all-out fight against what it called an "illegal" betrayal, establishing a road blockade outside GM's Canadian headquarters in Oshawa on Wednesday. The blockade was still up on Thursday after angry employees and union activists spent the night outside.

CAW leaders are scheduled to hold a one-hour meeting with GM officials in Detroit Friday morning in a bid to convince them to reverse their decision to close the plant. The meeting will include top-level GM executives, along with senior members of the CAW.

"Decision-makers will be in that room," union president Buzz Hargrove said.

Local 222 president Chris Buckley said GM had promised the Oshawa plant would be employed to work on the next generation of light-duty pickup trucks as part of an agreement reached with the union in May. The agreement with GM also postponed a 900-worker layoff at the plant until September 2009.

Must replace trucks
Buckley said Wednesday that if the company refuses to manufacture pickup trucks at the plant, it must replace them with another vehicle in order to keep workers on the job.

GM, however, has said it does not plan to allocate any new products to the four plants slated for closing.

Meanwhile, the Ontario government has said it will try to recover some of the $175-million loan it provided GM earlier than scheduled if the company violates minimum job levels outlined in their agreement.

Premier Dalton McGuinty expressed sympathy Wednesday for GM's workers in Oshawa, who have said the closing will be devastating.

"This is their livelihood," McGuinty said. "There aren't that many things that are more important than that. It's their ability to feed their families and build a bright future for themselves."

Time to let play?

Study: Organized sports participation among children
2005
A smaller percentage of Canadian children participated regularly in organized sports activities in 2005 than in 1992, and the decline was larger for boys, according to a new study.

The study found that participation in sports rose with household incomes and the education levels of parents.

It also showed that sports participation rates among children were highest in smaller towns and cities, and that children in Canada's three largest cities were least likely to participate in organized sports on a regular basis.

The study, "Kids' sports," published today in the June 2008 edition of Canadian Social Trends, examined trends in participating in regular organized sports among children aged 5 to 14, using data from the 1992 and 2005 General Social Survey (GSS).

Soccer was the most frequently reported sport for both boys and girls in 2005, replacing swimming, which was most frequent in 1992.

In 2005, just over one-half (51%) of children in this age group, an estimated 2.0 million, regularly took part in organized sports during the 12 months prior to the survey. This proportion was down from 57% in 1992.

About half of these active children participated in more than one organized sport. Active children played on average about 2.6 times per week per sport during their sport's season.

Boys still more likely to participate, but gap is narrowing
Data from the 2005 GSS showed that boys aged 5 to 14 were still more likely to participate in organized sports than girls the same age, but the gap between them had narrowed.

In 1992, about two-thirds of boys (66%) were active participants; by 2005, this had declined to 56%. Participation among boys decreased in both the 5 to 10- and 11 to 14-year-old age groups, but among girls, the decline depended on their age.


Note to readers
Data for this article came from the 1992 and 2005 General Social Survey (GSS), which asked respondents aged 15 and over to identify their own organized sports activities, as well as those of other household members.

In the 2005 GSS survey, 2,021 respondents identified 3,112 children aged 5 to 14 living in their household. For most children, the respondent was a parent, an older sibling or a grandparent.

Sport is defined as mainly team or organized activity such as hockey, baseball, basketball, golf, competitive swimming and soccer. A number of recreational physical activities were not defined as organized sports and were excluded, such as non-competitive aerobics, aqua fit, bicycling for recreation/transportation only, body building/body sculpting, car racing, dancing, fishing, fitness classes, hiking, jogging and non-competitive weight-lifting. Guidelines for determining whether a physical activity fell within scope as a "sport" were determined by Sport Canada.

Sports participation refers to sports in which a child regularly participated at least once a week during the 12 months prior to the survey.



In 2005, girls who were aged 5 to 10 played organized sports at about the same rate as in 1992. Older girls aged 11 to 14 were less likely to play sports than they were in 1992, but the decline was not as sharp as it was among boys the same age.

In 2005, boys were not only less likely to participate regularly in organized sports than in 1992, but those who did were involved in slightly fewer sports — an average of 1.8 sports compared with 1.9 in 1992. In contrast, girls who participated played 1.7 organized sports on average, unchanged from 1992.

Household income and education of parents influence participation
Children from households with higher incomes were much more likely to participate in organized sports than those from lower-income families. The same was true of children whose parents were highly educated as opposed to those with parents who had a high school diploma or less.

For the purposes of this study, households were divided into five groups, or quintiles, ranked in order of their income. Each quintile represents one-fifth of the households that declared their income.

The study found that 68% of children in the one-fifth of households with the highest income participated in organized sports. Among the one-fifth with the lowest incomes, only 44% of children did so.

The gap between boys and girls narrowed as household income rose.

The relationship between a parent's level of education and sports participation of their children was linked to household income. The children of university-educated parents were more likely to live in high-income households.

About 60% of children who had a parent with a graduate or first professional university degree played organized sports, compared with 42% of children whose parents had a high school diploma.

Place of residence influences sports participation
Rates of participation in 2005 among children aged 5 to 14 were highest in Atlantic Canada (61%) and lowest in British Columbia (44%) and Quebec (48%).

At the municipal level, rates were low in Canada's three largest cities (Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver) where less than half (47%) of children participated. Rates were highest in smaller cities and towns with populations between 10,000 and 50,000 (58%).

Rural and small town Canada had rates of organized sports participation (49%) that were similar to those of mid-sized census metropolitan areas (51%).

GSS data showed that in large and mid-sized metropolitan areas, children participated less in organized sports in high-density areas (42%) where low-income families are more likely to be found. Participation was highest in low-density suburban areas (52%).

Family structure can affect participation
Family structure can also influence a child's participation, especially if two parents can share responsibilities.

However, children are more likely now than in the past to live in a lone-parent, step or blended family. GSS data showed that participation by boys was almost the same for all family types, ranging from 54% to 58%, contrary to the situation for girls.

About 39% of girls in lone-parent families were participants, below the proportion of 48% among girls in intact two-parent families.

In two-parent families, children's sports participation rates were highest (75%) if both parents were involved in sports themselves, as participants, coaches, referees, sports administrators, as members of sports clubs or organizations, or even as spectators. When only one parent was involved, less than half (49%) of children participated. When neither parent was involved in sports, only 22% of their children regularly participated in organized sports.

In lone-parent families, 69% of children participated in organized sports if the parent was involved in sports in some way, while 27% of children regularly participated if their parent was not involved in sports.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 4503.

The report "Kids' sports" is now available in the June 2008 issue of Canadian Social Trends, Vol. 85 (11-008-XWE, free), from the Publications module of our website. A printed version (11-008-XPE, $24/$39) is also available.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (613-951-5979; sasd-dssea@statcan.ca), Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division.