NEW ROSS, NOVA SCOTIA, April 8, 2009-Mr. Gerald Keddy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and Member of Parliament for South Shore-St. Margaret's, today announced federal support to improve the facilities and equipment of the Forties Community Centre under the Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors Program.

Mr. Keddy 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).

"The Government of Canada is proud to support seniors in building and strengthening communities across our country," said Mr. Keddy. "This project will enable the continuation of programs and activities in New Ross that allow seniors to stay involved in their community."

Mr. Keddy highlighted $25,000 in funding that the Forties Community Centre will receive under the Capital Assistance component of the New Horizons for Seniors Program, which helps organizations that support seniors to replace outdated equipment or undertake needed renovations.

Eligible activities for Capital Assistance include repairs or renovations to existing seniors' community facilities, or the purchase or replacement of equipment and furnishings required for community programs and activities for seniors.

On March 18, 2009, Minister LeBreton announced more than $11 million in funding to over 900 projects across Canada through the Capital Assistance component of the New Horizons for Seniors Program.

With the two other components of the New Horizons for Seniors Program-Community Participation and Leadership and Elder Abuse Awareness-the overall budget of the Program is $35 million per year.

Since its beginning, the New Horizons for Seniors Program has funded over 5,000 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada. 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.