Seniors issues discussed at round table in Vaughan

Vaughan Weekly
April 9, 2014  
By Angela Gismondi

Seniors issues were the topic of discussion at the Healthy Seniors Round Table held at Chateau Le Jardin Conference and event Centre in Vaughan Friday.

Over 650 seniors were in attendance to discuss pensions, retirement security, legal rights and protection, health services and support.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne was among the dignitaries who attended and spoke at the event. She was joined by MPP Mario Sergio, Minister Responsible for Seniors and Vaughan MPP Steven Del Duca. Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua and Vaughan MP Julian Fantino were also in attendance.

The event was presented by Chartwell Valley Vista, Patronato Epasa and Tibollo & Associates Professional Corporation. The moderator for the event was Mario Ferri, former councillor for the City of Vaughan, who has been a strong advocate for the seniors community. He was also instrumental in creating the Seniors Association of Vaughan Initiative (SAVI) which provides support to local seniors.

“I have been involved with the seniors community for many years,” said Ferri. “My parents are 94 and 92, so I have first-hand experience with seniors. I want to help find ways to improve their lifestyle. Issues of pension and income security for retirement, taxes, mobility and support services, all those things are critical for a lot of seniors.”

Wynne thanked all the seniors in attendance for their contributions. She also thanked everyone who organized the round table.

“Thank you for putting together a discussion about something I think is so important,” said Wynne, adding she turned 60 last year. “My mantra is we have to stay as healthy as we can. It’s (the) governments responsibility to put the supports in place to help you stay healthy and to make sure that you stay in your home as long as possible and that you have the support you need.”

In the next 20 years, there will be twice as many seniors living in Ontario, she added. Wynne said it is important to have services in place to ensure seniors have the support they need.

First and foremost is safety and that is why the government introduced a strategy to combat elder abuse, she explained. She also wants to make sure seniors are active for as long as possible, that they have the freedom to choose when they want to retire and to live healthy, independent lives and stay in their own homes as long as they can. Although the government has increased funding to community health services and provided programs such as the Healthy Homes Renovation Tax Credit, there is more to be done, Wynne said.

“What we realize in this province is that the future is a  bit problematic,” said Wynne. “The Canada Pension Plan does not provide enough security for people at the end of their working life…It needs to be enhanced, it needs to be better.”

Many middle-income families lack the resources to save for retirement and many company pension plans are disappearing, Wynne pointed out. The solution to the problem is clear, she said. The Canada Pension Plan needs to be expanded to provide a larger pension benefit. However, Stephen Harper and the federal government have failed to show leadership in this area. Wynne said Ontarians cannot wait any longer and that is why the provincial  government is putting together a plan to help pensioners.

“We in Ontario are making a plan to enhance the retirement security for people in this province because that is the right thing to do,” said Wynne.

Sergio also spoke at the event. Although he couldn’t speak about it at length, he did mention an announcement to benefit seniors. He officially made the announcement later that day.

Ontario is doubling the Seniors Community Grant Program, the province’s first grant program dedicated solely to seniors.  The Seniors Community Grant Program supports initiatives by not-for-profit community groups that help seniors stay connected, active and involved in their community by encouraging greater social inclusion, volunteerism and community engagement. This could include courses for seniors on financial literacy, computer literacy classes, community events and physical and learning activities such as exercise classes and cooking classes.

“We are working with our community partners to address the problem of social isolation faced by seniors,” said Sergio after making the announcement. “Through the Seniors Community Grant Program we are helping seniors remain active and engaged members of their communities.”

Seniors in attendance at the round table also heard from a number of speakers including Silvana Tibollo who spoke on pensions and income security for seniors, Isabella Ferrara president of SAVI, who spoke about home support services for seniors and Michael Tibollo who spoke on legal rights and protection for seniors.

Following the speakers there was a question and answer period. The information from the session will be put into a report and submitted to the proper authorities at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. Once responses are received, the public will be informed of the outcome.

Overall, Ferri said the forum was a success.

“I was very impressed with the level of interest on the part of the government officials that were there,” said Ferri. “They showed a real concern in addressing the needs of seniors.”