Some senior’s facilities within the Peace Country received a visit from the province’s Seniors’ & Housing Minister recently.
Lori Sigurdson toured the Falher Lodge, as well as Heritage Tower in Peace River yesterday.
Seniors & Housing Minister Lori Sigurdson hands out cake at the Heritage Towers seniors facility as she talks with residents. (Photo/Peace River Broadcasting)
She told the Trending 55 Newsroom that she’s been spending the summer paying seniors a visit across the province, and that she enjoys having chats with them about various issues.
“At Heritage Towers, we talked a bit about how long they’ve lived in Peace River, as well as in this area,” said Sigurdson. “Many at this facility say they were born and raised in this area, while others are part of a recent phenomenon where the parents follow the kids. So, their son may have moved to Peace River, and they might move later.”
Sigurdson says one of the commitments of their government is making sure the seniors get the choice to stay within their communities.
“We’ve invested $1.2-billion in our capital plan to ensure there is accommodation for seniors in their home communities,” she said. “It’s also four times more than the previous government committed in their capital plan, so it just shows our commitment to support seniors aging within their own communities.”
Also during her visit, she mentioned the provincial Special Needs Assistance Program.
“It helps seniors with the costs of travel,” Sigurdson. “Sometimes, they may have to travel to Grande Prairie or Edmonton, and it’s so hard to do that Peace River, which is quite a ways to travel.”
Richard Walliser, the Executive Director of the North Peace Housing Foundation that runs Heritage Towers, says they were very honoured to have her there.
“Everybody here seems to be happy with her visit,” said Walliser. “There’s always a few issues that people will bring to her attention when given the opportunity, but all in all, (the foundation) is doing their best to meet their needs.”
Walliser says he’s heard her speak on numerous occasions.
“I do know of the province’s capital plan,” he said. “It is something that we’re going to be looking at accessing for some of our projects we have in the pipeline. So it’s important for us that the government’s committed to development some more affordable housing for the Peace Country.”
Today, the minister was in Grimshaw’s New Horizon Seniors Drop-in Centre for the Seniors Service Awards. It was to honour the individuals who support seniors within their communities to improve their quality of life.
– Posted by BET
