Northern communities work to become more age-friendly

Seven communities in the North are getting funding to help create more age-friendly spaces and programs for seniors.

The age-friendly grants are given annually to help communities with initiatives improve the lives of seniors.

Senior Advocate, Isobel Mackenzie said communities use the money for developing smaller projects like adding more benches or programs to help seniors connect to services.

“In Prince George, they are using the grant to hold a symposium on seniors housing. You can’t point to how many people are going to get housing as a consequence of that but what you can see is the community starting to look at the issue,” said Mackenzie.

Other communities receiving funding include Quesnel, Kitimat, and Fraser Lake.

She said the money is especially helpful for small rural communities who don’t have enough funding.

“Some small communities are limited in their resources, so these are small building blocks that over time are going to make that community a better place,” said Mackenzie.

This is the first year First Nations communities are also receiving the funding.

“What is encouraging is that that they are reaching out and able to access what other communities can access and ensure first nations communities are as age-friendly as they can be,” said Mackenzie.