Cape Breton Regional Municipality Case Study: A Community Walking Challenge

Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) in Nova Scotia wanted to get residents across a large, spread-out region moving together. Its earlier walking programs rarely reached 20 participants. CBRM Moves, its first YuMuuv challenge, drew about 120 residents and gave the recreation team a model for year-round, preventive community wellness.

At a Glance

• Organization: Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM)
• Sector: public sector / community recreation
• Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
• Interviewees: Wil J. Van Hal (Recreation Manager), Justin G. Butler and Adam J. MacLean
• Program: CBRM Moves walking challenge
• Focus: steps, distance and consistency
• Result: about 120 participants, six times more than earlier walking programs

From Reactive to Preventive Wellness

Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s recreation department has a clear vision: promote accessible, community-driven physical activity that builds long-term health. With provincial funding dedicated to “passive recreation” — walking, hiking, and gardening — the team wanted a digital solution that could unite residents across their large, spread-out region.

“A lot of what we do is built on relationships,” says Wil van Hal, Recreation Manager.

“The more we can connect with our community, the better outcomes we’ll have in creating a healthier society.”

Why YuMuuv Was the Right Fit

Before YuMuuv, CBRM used another platform that became too costly and restrictive — both in features and participant limits. After comparing options, YuMuuv stood out for its affordability, scalability, and year-round flexibility.

“YuMuuv offered us more participants, more challenge types, and a better price point,” explains Wil. “It just made sense.”

Within weeks, the team launched CBRM Moves, a municipality-wide walking initiative that quickly gained traction.

A Record-Breaking Start

The community’s first YuMuuv challenge exceeded expectations.

Previous walking programs rarely reached 20 participants — this time, about 120 residents joined.

“We released it on social media,” recalls Adam MacLean. “The next morning, six people had already signed up. Then every day after that, it just kept growing.”

Promotion happened through:

• Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Eventbrite)
• Partnerships with Community Groups
• Posters and digital signage across municipal buildings, coffee shops, and even mall TVs

This grassroots approach helped reach residents in both urban and rural areas.

Community-First Program Design

CBRM Moves launched during Active Aging Week in October 2025 and ran through December 2025 — divided into six mini-challenges inside YuMuuv:

• Total Steps
• Collective Steps
• Walking Distance
• Collective Distance
• Consistency Goals
• Walking Duration Tracking

This breakdown allowed participants to see both individual progress and community totals, motivating everyone to stay consistent.

“It’s cool to see not just how many steps you’ve done, but how the entire community adds up,” says Adam.

Overcoming Seasonal Slumps

Nova Scotia's winters can be tough — rain, ice, and long nights discourage outdoor activity. The YuMuuv challenges gave residents structure, opportunities for group walks and motivation to reach personal goals.

“Cape Breton has a very seasonal culture,” explains Justin Butler.

“Summer is go-go-go, but once fall hits, everything slows. Having YuMuuv helps keep that momentum going.”

To keep engagement high, the team:

• Used in-app messages to send reminders and weather updates.
• Partnered with local groups (e.g., yoga instructors, community centers) to co-host events.
• Explored winter programs like snowshoe or hike hybrid challenges using municipal loan equipment.

Learning by Doing

As first-time admins, the CBRM team appreciated YuMuuv’s intuitive interface but also shared helpful feedback.

“The setup was straightforward, but when creating challenges, we weren’t sure if we had to select all goal types or just one,” says Adam.

“A bit more text guidance there would help — but once we figured it out, everything else was smooth.”

Other insights included:

• Chat moderation controls could make the feature safer for public use.
• Invite-a-friend tools could help organically expand community participation.
• Preventive health framing: positioning the challenge as proactive wellness, not just recreation.

The Results So Far

• 6 Simultaneous challenges with 120 participants.
• Engagement 6× higher than any prior walking campaign.
• Positive community feedback and continued sign-ups via word-of-mouth.
• Collaborative expansion into other seasonal and cross-activity programs.

“Knowing that some of our past challenges only had about 20 people, this response has been amazing,” says Wil.

“We’re building something sustainable here.”

Looking Ahead

CBRM plans to expand YuMuuv’s use beyond walking — exploring integrations for paddling, hiking, and snowshoeing, depending on the season. Future campaigns will also focus on relationship-based wellness, connecting residents through shared activity.

“YuMuuv isn’t just an app for us,” says Justin. “It’s a tool to help build community.”

Key Takeaways for Community and Public Sector Teams

• Combine individual and collective goals. Running total and collective steps side by side let residents see both their own progress and the whole community’s; turn on a collective goal when creating a challenge.
• Promote where people already are. Social media, community groups and signage in coffee shops and malls reached urban and rural residents alike.
• Plan for the dark months. Autumn and winter challenges keep momentum when the weather turns; see why your autumn plan should be built around daylight.
• Partner locally. Yoga instructors and community centers added group events that kept people coming back.

For another public sector story, read how the City of San Diego ran a 21-day mindfulness challenge, or browse all our case studies.

Running wellness for a community or municipality? Book a YuMuuv demo and we will help you plan your first challenge.