An overhaul of Manitoba’s health curriculum is on the way, with some big changes to gym class. Premier Wab Kinew made the announcement Thursday morning on CTV Your Morning Winnipeg, saying the class will be mandatory for all students up to Grade 12 to attend in-person, with 25 schools piloting the program this coming school year. “We’re overhauling the whole curriculum,” the premier said. “It’s been 25 years that the health curriculum hasn’t been updated, and we’re going to take this approach of everybody, every day.” Speaking at a Thursday afternoon news conference, the premier said the province has been the leader in too many negative areas when it comes to health, noting Manitoba has one of the highest rates of type-two diabetes in Canada. In addition to making gym class mandatory, the new curriculum will also explore nutrition, the harms of excessive screentime, and proper sleep practices. “By ensuring young people are exposed to this, we’re going to ensure the future generations of young people in Manitoba are going to be healthy, and they’re going to be happy,” Kinew said Thursday afternoon. “The message of this curriculum is that physical activity and healthy living are for everyone,” said Tracy Schmidt, the province’s minister of education and early childhood learning. “The curriculum helps kids find movement, activities that make them happy and healthy, whether that be sports and weightlifting, whether that be yoga or walking or any of the other creative solutions our phys. ed teachers will help come up with.” Kinew said the province will be working with physical education teachers to help develop the new curriculum and make the course a more “welcoming” experience for students. “The whole idea is, make a broader view of fitness; let’s have a broader approach to include everybody, and that way, we’re going to have a healthier province.” Kinew said there will be accommodations for children who need them. “If a young person has a mental health need, if a young person has sensory needs, if a young person has a mobility device, those are all things we can plan around,” he said.
