The Government of Canada invests in renovations of three Shelburne County facilities

May 20, 2010

MP Gerald Keddy is shown here with June Williams, President of the Sable River Community Hall and Pat Thorburne, Chairman of the Grants Committee with the Shelburne Area Lions Club.

Sable River, NS - Gerald Keddy, Member of Parliament for South Shore – St. Margaret’s, today announced federal support for the Port Saxon Leisure Hour Club, Sable River Community Hall and the Shelburne Area Lions Club under the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.

MP Keddy made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, and the Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State (Seniors).

The Sable River Community Hall will receive $18,285 to assist the Hall with a number of repairs, including: the repair and weatherproofing of the building and floor, upgrades to the exterior lighting and the replacement of chairs.

The Port Saxon Leisure Hour Club will receive $8,893 to repair the Club’s roof, fix damaged walls and ceilings, as well as replace a door and oil tank and construct a new wheelchair ramp.

The Shelburne Area Lions Club will receive $6,000 to assist the Club to purchase materials to repair the roof and to insulate the ceiling.

“The Government of Canada is proud to invest in these projects,” said MP Keddy. “Coming from a small town myself, I have seen firsthand the benefits that facilities such as these bring to a community.”

“Our hall was built in 1903 and has Municipal Heritage status.  The New Horizons for Seniors grant will fund some important structural repairs on the floor and weatherproofing of the front wall outside,” said June Williams, Chair, Sable River Community Hall. “By preserving the hall we are protecting the social life of the community. Sable River won a Lieutenant Governor's Community Spirit Award this year. We will celebrate the Award in August.”

“The New Horizons for Seniors grant will fund the installation of a new patio door, roof repairs, installation of a new insulated oil tank and protective cover and the construction of a wheelchair ramp,” said Raymond Crook, President, Port Saxon Leisure Hour Club. “The new wheelchair ramp will be constructed on the side of the building to provide for safer and more accessible access to the building from the parking lot.”

“The Shelburne Area Lions was chartered in 1963. The past 46 years have been busy and rewarding. Over $1.5 million has been given back to this community by the Lions. Last Christmas we supplied 92 families and 105 children with groceries and gifts and 5 families were adopted,” said Pat Thorburne, Chairman of the Grants Committee, Shelburne Area Lions Club. “Our building is large and the upkeep is costly. We hope there will be more funding available in the future for organizations such as ours.”

Capital Assistance funding helps non-profit organizations upgrade facilities or equipment required for existing seniors’ programs and activities. This project is one of 645 projects that were approved through the 2009–2010 call for proposals, providing more than $8.5 million in funding through the Capital Assistance funding stream.

The New Horizons for Seniors Program helps to ensure that seniors are able to benefit from and contribute to the quality of life in their communities through their social participation and active living. Since its beginning, the Program has funded over 6,000 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada. Last year alone, more than 100,000 seniors in over 500 communities throughout the country were involved in projects funded by the Program.
Year Two of Canada’s Economic Action Plan committed $10 million over two years to increase funding for the New Horizons for Seniors Program. This will be in addition to the $35 million that is the current overall budget for the Program. Plans for the implementation of this new funding are now under development.

For more information about the New Horizons for Seniors Program, please visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca/seniors.




Backgrounder

New Horizons for Seniors Program

Across Canada, the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) helps to ensure that seniors are able to actively contribute to and benefit from the quality of life in their communities.

Building on the success of the NHSP, in Budget 2007, the Government of Canada increased the Program’s budget by $10 million, therefore increasing the total annual budget to $35 million per year.

The Program offers three types of funding to organizations:

1. Community Participation and Leadership funding (up to $25,000): this funding supports community-based projects across Canada.  The projects encourage 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.
2. Capital Assistance funding (up to $25,000): this funding helps non‑profit organizations that need to upgrade facilities or equipment used for existing seniors’ programs and activities.  It enables seniors to continue to lead active lives by participating in existing programs and activities in their communities.
3. Elder Abuse Awareness funding (up to $250,000): this funding helps non‑profit organizations and coalitions raise awareness of the abuse of older adults on a national or regional level.  Through this funding, new educational and awareness resources about elder abuse will be available to improve quality of life, safety and security for seniors.

Year Two of Canada’s Economic Action Plan committed $10 million over two years to increase funding for the New Horizons for Seniors Program.  This will be in addition to the $35 million that is the current overall budget for the Program. Plans for the implementation of this new funding are now under development.