ALMA, NEW BRUNSWICK, February 20, 2009-Mr. Rob Moore, Member of Parliament for Fundy Royal, today announced an investment for the Alma Senior Citizens Club under the Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors Program.
Mr. Moore made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, and the Honourable Marjory LeBreton, Leader of the Government in the Senate and Minister of State (Seniors).
Speaking at the Alma Senior Citizens Club, Mr. Moore announced $18,000 in funding for the Club to ensure that seniors have the opportunity to participate and take an active leadership role in their community.
"The Government of Canada is proud to support seniors in strengthening our communities and building our country," said Mr. Moore. "This project will encourage seniors in Alma to continue sharing their skills, wisdom and experience to benefit others."
The Alma Senior Citizens Club received funding for a book project entitled Come Home When the Whistle Blows-an historical account showing the experience and wisdom of seniors in building the community of Alma. Over 10 months, seniors at the Club will be involved in compiling stories, poems and photos for the creation of the book. The project will enable seniors to interact with other members of the community while re-creating their pasts and being introduced to new technological learning tools.
The investment announced today falls under the Community Participation and Leadership component of the New Horizons for Seniors Program, which encourages seniors to continue to play an important role in their communities by helping those in need, providing leadership, and sharing their knowledge and skills with others.
With two additional components of the New Horizons for Seniors Program-Capital Assistance and Elder Abuse Awareness-the overall budget of the Program is now $35 million per year.
Since its beginning, the New Horizons for Seniors Program has funded over 4,200 projects across Canada, helping seniors bring their leadership, energy and skills to benefit our communities. For more information about the Program, please visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca/seniors.
In Canada's Economic Action Plan, the federal government made a clear commitment to protect Canadians, including seniors, in difficult times by implementing several key measures:
- Increasing the Age Credit by $1,000 for 2009 and beyond to allow eligible seniors to receive up to an additional $150 in annual tax savings.
- Providing seniors with $200 million in tax relief by reducing the required minimum withdrawal amount for 2008 from Registered Retirement Income Funds by 25 percent, in recognition of the impact of the deterioration in market conditions on retirement savings.
- Helping older workers and their families through these tough economic times by investing an additional $60 million over three years in the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, and by expanding the number of eligible communities to include older workers in small cities.
- Providing $400 million over two years through the Affordable Housing Initiative for the construction of housing units for low-income seniors.
- Establishing an independent Task Force to make recommendations on a cohesive national strategy on financial literacy for Canadians.
- 30 -
This news release is available in alternative formats upon request.
For further information (media only):
Michelle Bakos
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development
819-994-5559
