CANDIDATES POSITION ON SENIORS' ISSUES

I will continue to work with the City and the Region to ensure that condo owners are taxed fairly. • Community Connections To address social well-being, my plan is to engage the community through Neighbourhood Circles. This initiative would see small communities of people getting together to talk, interact and discuss those issues important and meaningful to them and then to develop strategies. My approach is to have the ambassadors of these Neighbourhood Circles actively reach out to the seniors in those communities and invite their participation, and to provide the resources (such as transportation) to support their involvement. I am also committed to supporting initiatives that arise out of the work of the Elder Services Advisory Committee. Each year, this committee is charged with a mandate to “promote the well-being and the quality of life for seniors in the Region”. Through policy recommendations, partnerships and research the task forces develop an annual action plan will be implemented. I would use my position as Mayor to move these initiatives forward so that real and tangible outcomes can be achieved. I will work with the other orders of government to identify opportunities that will support the programs that we need in Halton Region.

• Transportation I am committed to free transit for seniors. Yes, there will be some lost revenue but the preliminary numbers are minor. But to the critics, I say, what better investment can you make than to provide a service to our seniorsthat helps them stay active, healthy and involved? It is not just about getting from one place to another. Providing free transit supports community connections – there is a social element about taking public transit, getting on a bus with other people – for some seniors, this would be the only interaction they have with others. Of course free transit will not just attract these new riders, but it will also allow them the ability to give up their cars without giving up their independence and make better use of an existing transit system, and that of course, is good for the environment. We have the opportunity to put Burlington on the map as an ‘age-friendly’ city and the initiatives I propose will go a long way towards supporting the seniors in our community now and those who will become seniors in the years to come.

Gerry Marsh – Milton

Thank you for the opportunity to provide my thoughts on issues of importance to your organization. Let me start by saying that I fully agree with the bolded objective statement in your note below. Now to your specific questions: As I’m sure you would agree, I would say that the needs of each senior differ depending on their individual situation: financial state, health, family status, etc. I feel that seniors deserve to feel secure and comfortable and to maintain their dignity as they age. Depending on their circumstance this may mean that they require no outside assistance or that they need round the clock care. Ideally I’d like to see that seniors can remain in their own home for the longest period of time. This may mean that they would require occasional help for things like cleaning, minor maintenance… This sort of care is often provided by local agencies and as mayor I would lobby on behalf of these agencies who generally receive their funding through charitable organizations such as the United Way and from government funding from the provincial and federal levels. Another key factor to me is that given most seniors are on fixed incomes expenses like property taxes should not become a factor restricting a senior’s ability to remain in their home. If elected I’d promote the idea of fixing property assessments until the property is sold. For seniors unable to (or who do not wish to) remain in their own homes I feel that most would at least like to remain in the community. As mayor I’d push for development of more seniors residences for Milton. As well I feel it would be nice if seniors could remain with their partners even if only one needs additional care. As such I feel a range of residential options is needed. Seniors need easy access to recreational activities, groceries, health care and as such I would encourage planning that favoured this. Given the increasing senior population I feel that Milton’s growth plans should include sufficient housing and facilities to accommodate seniors. And obviously, given the rate of growth in Milton, the town and region both need to lobby the province for the expansion of Milton District Hospital. “Seniors’ Issues” is a big subject, if you would like more information on my position on it please feel free to contact me. Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to comment.