Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

NNSL (Oct 29/99) - The Department of Health and Social Services is getting ready for January's National Non-Smoking Week by funding several public service announcement projects.

"As part of our communication campaign, two anti-smoking public service announcements were made by Sir John high school students," said health promotion consultant Rick Tremblay.

"Yellowknife Films are creating a series of other television PSAs. We have Inkit producing newspaper PSAs as well as radio PSAs."

Tremblay said the spots, which cost up to $5,000 each, will start airing the third week of January. The spots were funded under the communications section of the tobacco health promotion strategy.

"We will pay to get them aired for a certain length of time. Everything hinges on budget," he said.

Tremblay said there are three areas within the department's health promotion strategy: tobacco, healthy living and active living.

Anyone or any group in the NWT can submit a proposal for funding, he said, though the department does not actively seek people to submit proposals.

"We're working together with the Department of Municipal Affairs and Community Development with regards to active living," he said.

"We have a tobacco message that we're inserting into a number of publications that they're doing, but we're working with MACA because they're the lead people with active living."

He said the Department of Health and Social Services and MACA are also co-operating on initiatives such as funding active living posters that will be produced by NWT recreation and parks association.