Category Archives: Seniors

Energy, Seniors

Freeland insists TMX will recoup billions; opposition MPs say no way

By Natasha Bulowski, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is “very confident” the federal government will get back the $34 billion in public funds spent on the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. But her statement produced widespread skepticism from opposition MPs.

“If you look at market analysis right now, the consensus view is this is a project that is worth a lot of money,” Freeland said at the natural resources committee meeting Monday.

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Education, Housing, Indigenous Nations, Jobs, Seniors, Women, Youth

First Draft of the SRD Poverty Reduction Plan

The Strathcona Regional District is considering what could be an extremely innovative and societal changing plan. As CAO David Letich informed the Board, at their Wednesday June 26 meeting, the draft Poverty Reduction Plan is already more than 100 pages long. It was his intention to have the plam introduced through a presentation and then, hopefully, they will forward it to the Committee of the Whole for further discussion. 

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Seniors

Restart of Seniors Helping Seniors

Elinore Harwood posted a thank-you note in the Tideline last week. Writing on behalf of the Board and membership of the Cortes Island Seniors Society (CISS), she stated that Carina Verhoeve had been ‘a fine Coordinator.’ This was the first indication many Cortes residents had that the ‘Seniors Helping Seniors’ program was no longer being funded. When Cortes Currents contacted Verhoeve, she said the funding for her program had been terminated eight months ago. Now the Seniors Helping Seniors program has been restarted under the auspices of a new senior’s society.

“Seniors Helping Seniors is a wonderful initiative and program. I’m happy that it has started way back, I am happy that it has been going all these years and I am even more happy that it’s continuing. It offers essential services to seniors and if we are lucky,  we will all be seniors at some point,” explained Verhoeve.

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Disaster, Seniors

Quadra Island seniors being urged to prepare homes to cope with forest fires

By Greg Osoba, CKTZ News, through an LJI grant from Canada-info.ca

Though it’s early spring, seniors on Quadra Island are being urged to act now to prepare their homes for possible forest fires in BC.

Mike Gladish, coordinator of the local Seniors Emergency Preparedness Program, says that once the weather warms up the risk of forest fires increases.

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Politics, Seniors

New disability benefit would make ‘major difference’ in many people’s lives

By Natasha Bulowski, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A government bill aiming to lift Canadians with disabilities out of poverty is working its way through the Senate after MPs voted unanimously to pass it late last week.

If it clears the Senate, the Canada Disability Benefit Act, or Bill C-22, will provide a tax-free, monthly payment to low-income Canadians with disabilities under the age of 65.It would be the first federal guaranteed income supplement for working-age Canadians with disabilities and is meant to top up inconsistent provincial and territorial benefits to bring people at least up to the poverty line.

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