DRYDEN, ONTARIO, May 19, 2009—Mr. Greg Rickford, Member of Parliament for Kenora, today announced federal support to the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation under the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.
 
Mr. Rickford made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, and the Honourable Marjory LeBreton, Leader of the Government in the Senate and Minister of State (Seniors).
 
“The Government of Canada is proud to support seniors in building and strengthening communities across our country,” said Rickford. “These projects will enable the continuation of programs and activities in Dryden that allow seniors to stay involved in their community.”
 
Mr. Rickford highlighted $49,491 in funding to the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation under the Community Participation and Leadership and Capital Assistance components of the New Horizons for Seniors Program.
 
The project Healthy Aging – Encompassing the Past, the Present and the Future will receive $25,000 in funding under the Community Participation and Leadership component, which encourages seniors to continue to play an important role in their communities by helping those in need, providing leadership, and sharing their knowledge and skills with others. The Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation’s other project will receive $24,491 in funding under the Capital Assistance component, which helps organizations that support seniors to replace outdated equipment or undertake needed renovations.
 
A call for proposals under the Community Participation and Leadership component is currently open.
 
With the other component of the New Horizons for Seniors Program—Elder Abuse Awareness—the overall budget of the Program is $35 million per year.
                                                                                                                                                       
Since its beginning, the New Horizons for Seniors Program has funded over 5,000 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada. For more information about the Program, please visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca/seniors.
 
In Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government made a clear commitment to protect Canadians, including seniors, in difficult times by implementing several key measures:

• Increasing the Age Credit by $1,000 for 2009 and beyond to allow eligible seniors to receive up to an additional $150 in annual tax savings.
• Providing seniors with $200 million in tax relief by reducing the required minimum withdrawal amount for 2008 from Registered Retirement Income Funds by 25 percent, in recognition of the impact of the deterioration in market conditions on retirement savings.
• Helping older workers and their families through these tough economic times by investing an additional $60 million over three years in the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, and by expanding the number of eligible communities to include older workers in small cities.
• Providing $400 million over two years through the Affordable Housing Initiative for the construction of housing units for low-income seniors.
• Establishing an independent Task Force to make recommendations on a cohesive national strategy on financial literacy for Canadians.