Re: St. Albert seniors funding reductions
The provincial NDP requested an opportunity and were provided an opportunity to present to the St. Albert Seniors Association members their position and strategies for Seniors.
The St. Albert Council has reduced funding to the St. Albert Seniors Association.
Does St. Albert council understand the value and extent of services provided by the association (This is not a club). The association provides services such as the Seniors Meals For Wheels and it also is the focal point for senior’s assistance and information.
I have lived in St. Albert since 1988 and have willing paid higher municipal taxes because of the services provided by the city. I retired eight years ago and utilize the service of the seniors association daily. I am disappointed those city services now provided no longer fully support seniors.
Discussions with other seniors has indicated to me the lack of common sense council used to spend over a million dollars on a traffic circle for marginal benefits while ignoring the needs of seniors who have contributed a lifetime of revenues to the city.
My father was a federal, provincial and municipal politician who was a president of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA), was president of the Alberta Municipal Service Corporation and was named one of Alberta’s “50 Most Influential Citizens” by Alberta Venture magazine and specifically identified as one of seven “political power houses” in the province.
His lifetime as a politician over 50 years; he profoundly indicated the need to be aware of and communicate with seniors as to what their needs were. Seniors have always been considered to be the electoral base. When is St. Albert council and the UCP going to communicate with the seniors and better understand our needs?
David Patterson, St. Albert
