The people of Taylor, B.C., get active with the help of trainer Garfield Wilson, right, in the new series Village on a Diet. (CBC)CBC is launching a major initiative across all platforms this January to talk about how Canadians can live a healthier lifestyle.

The Live Right Now project will be launched in January 2011, beginning with TV series Village on a Diet, which focuses on a B.C. town where residents work with experts to lose weight and take up physical activity.

National and local radio, the CBC website and TV shows such as The National and Steven and Chris will also take part in the Live Right Now initiative.

The public broadcaster announced the project Thursday at a news conference to launch the winter season.

CBC-TV also announced a new series, Insecurity, a half-hour comedy that parodies series such as CSI, 24 and The Border.

Other new series include the historical drama Pillars of the Earth and a series called Make the Politician Work, which will see NDP Leader Jack Layton take on a job in busy hospital emergency department and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson work as a garbage collector.

January 2011 will also see the return of established series, including:

• Heartland.
• The Republic of Doyle.
• 18 to Life.
• Little Mosque on the Prairie.
• Marketplace.
• The Nature of Things.

Natalie Lisinska plays Alex Cranston, a security agent in the fictional government agency NISA, in the new comedy series Insecurity. (CBC)

Insecurity, shot in Regina by the same crew as Corner Gas and some of the same creative team, follows a fictional national security agency whose agents bear a closer resemblance to Get Smart's Agent 86 than 24's Jack Bauer.

"It's got the dark, moody lighting and action of 24, but it's flipped on its head, because we're a bunch of idiots," said Matthew MacFadzean, the greatest bumbler among a team of agents led by Natalie Lisinska as Alex. MacFadzean describes it as a fast-paced show, with a lot of action and humour.

The bad guys are a revolving door of high-profile actors, and the regulars include Richard Yearwood and francophone star Rémy Girard, in his first English-language TV series.

Village on a Diet follows the people of Taylor, B.C., over a four-month period as they learn to change their lifestyle with the help of a dietitian, a chef, a psychologist, two personal trainers and a medical doctor.

"Just to actually get started is the big challenge," said Garfield Wilson, one of two trainers who helped people incorporate physical activity into their lives. Winter in the northern B.C. town can last into May, and there was no local gym until a sponsor agreed to assemble one.

Taylor was chosen from among six towns that applied for the chance to participate in Village on a Diet.

"The obesity rate is 60 per cent — that's twice the national average," said Dr. Ali Zentner, the physician who worked with the people of Taylor.

"But it was chosen because it was indicative of Canada. It's no different from any other Canadian town."

Taylor committed to a collective effort to improve overall health in the community, with parents conscious that poor eating and lifestyle habits could be passed on to their children.

The Live Right Now initiative, including Village on a Diet, will challenge Canadians to reflect on how they can become more healthy.

"It started in my mind with the report last year that the average Canadian life expectancy went backwards," said Kirstine Stewart, CBC's interim executive vice-president of English services.

Obesity was on the rise, even among children, and many Canadians admitted to getting little or no physical activity. Stewart said she saw a role for the national broadcaster to start to talk about how Canadians live their lives.

"We want to engage people by giving them tools to change their lives. You can't tell people what to do, but maybe one idea might inspire them — if I walk this far every day, if I eat less processed foods and more fresh."

The Live Right Now initiative will roll out over the first six months of 2011.