Seniors in 100 Mile House will soon benefit from a $20,000 Age-friendly BC grant from the B.C. Liberal government.
The grant will support hiring an information and volunteer co-ordinator and setting up an advisory committee. The committee will choose and start implementing priorities beginning with the establishment of a network of contacts in “satellite” communities to improve communication and co-ordination of services in the region.
“With our population getting older, it’s important that services be suited to the needs of seniors in our community,” Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett said when the grant was announced last week.
“That’s why I’m glad to see older residents in 100 Mile House benefitting from this Age-friendly BC grant.”
During the District of 100 Mile House council meeting on Dec. 10, Councillor Ralph Fossum talked briefly about the grant and started by thanking South Cariboo Community Planning Council executive co-ordinator Lea Smirfitt and chief administrative officer Roy Scott for all the time they put into the application.
Noting the application was to have 100 Mile House becoming age-friendly “rural” community, Fossum estimated 80 per cent of the area’s seniors live outside of the District’s municipal boundaries.
“I think the bulk of the $20,000 grant will go towards hiring a part-time co-ordinator.”
The councillor added he thinks the joint committee of the Cariboo Regional District directors and District councillors will likely get together to talk about how they would like to see services provided to the region’s seniors.
He noted there will be a need for office space for the co-ordinator to work with all the age-friendly rural community project partners.
100 Mile House is one of 26 communities across the province to receive an Age-friendly BC grant this year.
All applications were reviewed by a committee made up of staff from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) and the Ministry of Health.
To learn more about Age-friendly Community Planning and Project Grants, visit www.gov.bc.ca/agefriendly.