CARP has abandoned a numbering system for its chapters, but when it existed, the Newfoundland and Labrador branch was number one. As Sharron Callahan, the provincial Chair, made clear in a Chapter presentation at a recent CARP President’s Council meeting, her group is proud to be in a province, which is the first place in North America to greet the New Year and welcome every season. And in their hearts, the Newfoundland and Labrador board still think of themselves as CARP’s premier chapter.
Callahan presides over an extremely active CARP branch. She is happy to state that “our chapter has been successful in getting New Horizons for Seniors grants over the past four years. As a result, we’ve been able to develop a lot of programming. We have yoga classes, a French language course, a book club and we sponsor special events. Our activities are very women-centric, so we’re offering information sessions on how to get the best value for shopping at the supermarket and how to fill out taxes, where we do get male attendance.”
Speaking of her background, she says, “I’m a social worker by profession, but I retired from the government in 2002. In my final years, I was with the Department of Justice as a policy specialist. I did a lot of work on legislation and governance and policy development. I moved into being more concerned about issues that impact seniors.”
Callahan’s past work helped to put her in the position of chairing the Newfoundland and Labrador’s Seniors Coalition, which she calculates to represent 200,000 people—nearly half the province. It includes the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Sector Pensioners Association, St. John’s Fire Fighters Retirees Association, NAPE Retirees Local 7002 , Retired Teachers Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, Retired Correctional Officers (Represented by NAPE) , National Association of Federal Retirees (NL) , CARP (Canadian Association of Retired Persons), NL, Marine Atlantic Pensioners Association, Silver Lights Retirees (NL Hydro), Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Veterans Association, 50+ Federation, CBC Pensioners, Memorial University of Newfoundland Pensioners’ Association and the Bell Pensioners’ Group.
CARP, with its membership of nearly 17,000 in the province, would always be a strong voice for Newfoundland and Labrador’s seniors. But with the coalition in tandem, it’s clear what strength in numbers can bring: true clout with the government. Callahan says, “We take credit for being responsible for the creation of the position of the provincial Seniors’ Advocate.” She meets with Susan Walsh, the current advocate, regularly.
In a candid self-assessment, Callahan says, “Caring for people is one thing, but I think doing more of the advocacy on a bigger scale is something that I’m very skilled at doing.” When Callahan met with then Federal Seniors’ Minister Seamus O’Regan last March, topics discussed included the need to develop a National Seniors Strategy, an update on the Dental Plan (which later came to fruition), Pharmacare, Long Term Health Care and the need to tackle ageism.
The CARP Chapter had a successful year with many activities created for its members and the broader community of older adults. Information sessions were set up that dealt with estate planning, tax credits, digital literacy and navigating the health care system. Music and entertainment events are produced on celebratory occasions such as Christmas. For the most recent event, St. Patrick’s Day, a local trio of Celtic musicians, the Salt Beef Junkies, entertained the locals in St. John’s and via Zoom in the rest of the province. In the past year, CARP offered events at Seniors on the Go at MUN Botanical Gardens, Seniors and Science at the Geo Centre and participated in Senior’s Day.
About the future of CARP and seniors in Newfoundland, Callahan is upbeat. “It’s a bit early to tell but it seems that expired members are coming back to the fold. We’re on an upward climb.” With COVID now a memory, CARP’s number one Chapter sees lively days ahead in Newfoundland and Labrador.
