MALPEQUE, PE, Oct. 10, 2023 /CNW/ – It is our responsibility as Canadians to make sure that the seniors who built this country can age with dignity and security. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the local organizations that support our seniors by empowering them and contributing to their health and well-being.
Today, Canada’s Minister for Seniors, Seamus O’Regan Jr., announced an investment of $496,571 to fund twenty five community-based projects to support seniors across Prince Edward Island.The Minister made the announcement at the Crapaud Community Curling Club in Malpeque, PEI, who will be using NHSP funding to purchase heat pumps, soseniors can continue to curl and participate in social events and community programming at the club’s facilities. This funding was awarded through the 2022–23 New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) call for proposals for community-based projects.
As part of the 2022–23 NHSP call for proposals for community-based projects, organizations were invited to apply for funding that created opportunities for seniors to be more connected, supported and active members of their communities and reflect the national priorities:
- supporting healthy aging through engaging social, physical and artistic activities;
- preventing senior abuse such as through financial literacy training, fraud prevention training and digital literacy sessions;
- celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion by promoting intergenerational mentoring, serving vulnerable groups and holding peer support sessions; and
- helping the majority of seniors who want to age in their own homes to do so by providing practical supports.
Today’s announcement builds on the Government’s commitment to helping seniors age with dignity and choice, including the new Canadian Dental Care Plan and the Retirement Hub on Canada.ca. The Canadian Dental Care Plan will become available to eligible low-income seniors by the end of 2023, because no Canadian should have to choose between their smile or their heating bill. After opening the Plan last year for eligible kids under 12, this year’s expansion will include low-income seniors, as well as persons with disabilities and uninsured Canadians under 18. The Retirement Hub on Canada.ca is the new one-stop shop for retirement planning, and is already helping Canadians plan for a secure and dignified retirement with simple applications, benefit estimators, quizzes and checklists. By removing barriers and making services easier to access, the Retirement Hub is making it easier for seniors to retire on their terms.
“When seniors are more connected, engaged and active members of their communities, everyone benefits. So, we want to support organizations in PEI that build more inclusive communities and give seniors the tools they need to age on their own terms.”
– Seamus O’Regan Jr., Minister for Seniors
“I am glad to see investments for seniors in Malpeque and across Prince Edward Island. These initiatives will enhance seniors’ social well-being and help more Islanders age on their terms. I’m excited to see the outcomes of this funding and the benefits for seniors.”
– Heath MacDonald Member of Parliament for Malpeque
- Seniors are one of Canada’s fastest-growing population groups. They will represent almost 25% of the population by 2051 and could reach close to 11 million people within 15 years.
- The New Horizons for Seniors Program community-based stream is a federal grants program whose goal is to support projects that help seniors stay active and engaged in the community. Organizations are eligible to receive up to $25,000 in grant funding.
- The Government invests approximately $50 million per year to support NHSP community-based projects. In Budget 2022, an additional $20 million over two years was proposed, for an expanded program to support more projects that improve the quality of life of seniors and help them to continue to participate fully in their communities.
- Since its inception in 2004, NHSP has funded more than 36,500 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada, with the Government of Canada having invested a total of more than $780 million.
- Program funding supports projects that address one or more of the program’s five objectives: social participation, volunteering, mentoring, expanding awareness of elder abuse and providing capital assistance.
- Every year, organizations are invited to apply for NHSP community-based funding through a call for proposals. The projects announced today were approved as part of a call for proposals that was launched on September 21, 2022, and closed on November 1, 2022.
- Since its release this summer, more than 60,000 Canadians have made use of the Retirement Hub.
Programs and services for seniors
New Horizons for Seniors Program – Engaging seniors, strengthening communities
Backgrounder: Government of Canada supports for seniors
https://retraite-retirement.service.canada.ca/en/home
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
