A new  federal Conservative strategy to help Canadian kids improve their fitness levels could have many applications here in Jasper, according to the municipality’s director of culture and recreation.

In the budget released earlier this month, the federal government introduced the concept of a $500 tax credit on eligible sport or fitness fees for every child under the age of 16. While the exact list of which activities and programs are eligible is not yet known, Yvonne McNabb is sure that Jasperites will benefit from the introduction of the tax support.

“There’s a lot of people locally who can’t afford to put their kids in minor sports, so I think this will open the doors to a lot of kids who haven’t been able to participate,” she said.

Swimming lessons, minor hockey and soccer and activities like gymnastics are all likely to be incorporated into the strategy, but for now, the government is consulting with national associations and groups about how much physical activity is involved on a weekly basis for each activity. In order to be eligible, the amount of physical activity required should equal or surpass the federal guidelines for daily activity.

The Canadian Coalition for Active Living is encouraged to see the government taking an active step towards supporting physical activity, but the group’s president warns that a $500 tax credit will not stop the spread of childhood obesity and reduced fitness levels on its own.

“This is definitely a bigger step than we have seen in the past, but there is caution on our end in that it isn’t enough,” said Nancy Dubois.

The Coalition promotes a multi-point plan for increasing physical activity that includes measures such as reorganizing family environments and promoting more activity during school time.

“Our communities are built for cars, and that’s something that we should try to change,” said Dubois. “We don’t want people to think that the tax credit is the whole solution.”

Dubois and her colleagues are also eager to ensure that organized sports are not the only eligible activities for parents wanting to take advantage of the tax credit. The coalition supports extending eligibility to any activity that encourages a healthy level of physical activity.

If and when more kids become involved in sports, McNabb is confident that Jasper’s space limitations won’t be a factor.

“We’re pretty full right now, so it’s not going to hurt us. We won’t be adding any more sports but the numbers might increase and that will be good.”

Even in a mountain town like Jasper, where riding bikes to school is the rule rather than the exception, McNabb said that low fitness levels in youth is a problem.

“It truly is,” she said. “A lot of it has to do with the things we have at our fingertips now. It’s so easy to pick up a video game or go on the internet and it’s cheap. It doesn’t cost very much for a Gameboy... Hockey, on the other hand, is a very expensive sport.”