Want to get a prescription for nature access in Canada? Here's how it works

Halton Healthcare and Conservation Halton announced in early December they were partnering with a B.C.-based foundation to offer nature prescriptions to patients for free access to the local conservation areas.

They became the latest addition to the program, which has been available in other parts of Canada since 2020. 

But how does it work?

Any licensed health-care professional in Canada can give out nature prescriptions, "from nurses to physicians to physiotherapists," according to the PaRx website.

Dr. Stephen Chin, interim vice president for medical affairs at Halton Healthcare, said health-care providers will need to register with PaRx to give out the prescription.

After registering and getting a code, they will be able to give out the prescription through their clinic and add their provider code, Chin said.

As for patients looking to get a prescription, Chin said there's a "pretty low bar" to be prescribed nature, meaning the prescription will be "freely given" to most. 

"I mean, there's almost no reason why someone should not be more physically active," he said.

After a patient gets the prescription, they'll have to go to either the PaRx website or in some cases, their local partner — for instance, the Conservation Halton website — and fill out a form where they'll be asked for some basic information and the provider code.

If the patient is on the Conservation Halton website, they'll be sent an email with a code they can use for 10 free visits to a Conservation Halton park.

If patients fill out the form on the PaRx website, they must also select which park or conservation area they wish to visit.

Some patients could also be prescribed a year's worth of unlimited visits to "over 80 national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas," with the Parks Canada Discovery Pass, which providers can only give out once a month.

Other PaRx program partners include Conservation Toronto, the Toronto Zoo, and the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Craig Machan, director of parks and operations at Conservation Halton, said the organization is the first outside of national parks to give free day-use access to their parks.