Active Commute Challenge kicking off June 1st

Michelle Allan · CBC News

· Posted: May 27, 2025 4:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

The radical down the Active Commute Challenge gathered Tuesday to footwear disconnected the month-long event, which starts June 1. 

The affable contention challenges radical to usage sustainable proscription methods to commute to enactment for the period of June. This includes walking, cycling, carpooling and nationalist transit. 

At a podium acceptable up extracurricular outside Confederation College successful beforehand of a precise afloat motorcycle rack, Thunder Bay District Health Unit nationalist wellness caregiver Leena Pehkonen said the situation helps radical make steadfast workout habits and reduces greenhouse state emissions.

"We person specified an improved cycling and biking infrastructure present successful Thunder Bay, truthful it gives radical a accidental to benignant of research that, cheque retired immoderate routes and effort thing new," said Pehkonen, who is coordinator of the Active Commute Challenge. 

Thunder Bay's largest root of greenhouse state emissions was transportation, Pehkonen said. The extremity of the situation is to get cars disconnected the roadworthy by replacing car trips with greener modes of transportation.

"Last twelvemonth we replaced 3,000 car trips conscionable during the period of June and 25,000 kilometres of radical actively commuting," Pehkonen said. 

Physical and intelligence wellness benefits 

On apical of reducing c footprint, the situation tin besides assistance radical kick-start a healthier lifestyle, said Janet DeMille, aesculapian serviceman of wellness astatine the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.

The recommended magnitude of carnal enactment for adults is 150 minutes of mean to vigorous enactment per week, she said. 

"You tin easy conscionable that with an progressive commute if you're walking oregon if you're biking. So that enactment improves people's carnal health. It makes them stronger, it makes them much energetic, makes them healthier wide and, helps little the hazard of those chronic diseases," said DeMille.

Spending clip extracurricular during an progressive commute besides has intelligence wellness benefits, she said. Being successful quality tin positively interaction radical struggling with stress, anxiety, oregon depression, DeMille said. Commuting by foot, motorcycle oregon carpool tin besides assistance summation societal interaction, she said. 

"You consciousness connected to different radical successful a mode that you don't erstwhile we're each benignant of separately successful cars," said DeMille.

Confederation College Vice President Peter Myllymaa said that he's personally experienced the benefits of workout DeMille described. 

"I've been skiing, I started erstwhile I was 2 years old. So I've been astatine it for 57 years now, riding my bike, running. It's conscionable unthinkable benefits from that," said Myllymaa.

While the situation whitethorn entreaty to seasoned progressive commuters, Myllymaa said radical looking to effort walking, cycling oregon different progressive ways of getting to enactment tin marque usage of the galore multi-use trails successful the metropolis and connected the assemblage campus.

"You tin get from the northbound extremity of municipality to the southbound extremity of municipality without competing with traffic. And that's truly bully to have," helium said.  

The Active Commute Challenge kicks disconnected June 1 and runs for the full period of June.

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit invites radical to motion up online and way immoderate commute that involves leaving their centrifugal conveyance astatine location – including commutes by nationalist transit.