The Province of British Columbia formally recognized the Township as an Age-friendly Community, a designation the Township first sought in 2013.
The Age-friendly Strategy developed by the Township to make that commitment a reality was presented with an Award for Planning Excellence Merit from the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) June 29.
“A lot of hard work and solid planning has gone into our Age-friendly Strategy, and we are very grateful to our Seniors Advisory Committee and the Age-friendly Task Force for everything they contributed to develop this plan,†said Township Mayor Jack Froese.
The strategy was created to ensure that housing and transportation options, services, and programs are in place to help seniors experience a great quality of life, as people are living longer and doing more in their later years.
The Seniors Advisory Committee set about holding workshops, gathering ideas, and suggesting policies and practices.
The strategy was developed with input from the community, partner agencies, stakeholders, and the Township’s Youth Advisory Committee.
It outlines clear, simple actions and easy to follow ideas that were praised by the Canadian Institute of Planners, which noted that other communities could use the Township’s ideas.
“Receiving official designation as an Age-friendly Community from the province is a great step forward and people of all ages will benefit from the results,†Froese said.
The Age-friendly BC Recognition Program is a partnership between the BC Healthy Communities Society and the Ministry of Health.
The Township is currently working with its Seniors Advisory Committee to implement the suggestions outlined in the strategy.
“We have a great plan,†Froese said.