UPDATE:The seniors’ town hall has been postponed due to potential snowfall. The new town hall date has yet to be set.
Local seniors will get a chance to learn about the services they may be missing out on at an upcoming town hall meeting.
The event, being held at the Kennedy Seniors’ Recreation Centre from 2 to 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23, is a chance for seniors to learn about services available in North Delta and share their thoughts on those services.
“We see a real need to bring the seniors together, to provide them with the proper information,” said Peggy Richardson, one of the organizers for the event.
This is the second such town hall meeting organized by the Delta Federal Liberal Elders committee. The first was held at the Ladner Community Centre on Nov. 10, 2016 with the aim of bringing seniors together, Richardson said.
“Now of course, there’s many of them happening throughout British Columbia,” she said.
The Delta seniors’ town halls are designed to be a non-partisan way for seniors to get more information about services in their community.
Each event can have a different format, at the discretion of the host. The first event in South Delta followed a simple town hall format: speakers shared their knowledge, seniors listened. That format will be changed slightly at the upcoming event in North Delta.
The meeting will start with a town hall-style speaking sessions, where seniors will be able to listen to Delta MP Carla Qualtrough, Delta North MLA Ravi Kahlon and Counc. Sylvia Bishop talk about services that are available from all three levels of government. Community organizations such as the Delta Police Department and Deltassist will also be talking about services available for seniors.
Some of these services will include income tax preparation and how to fill out forms, how to avoid fraud and elder abuse, and how to get provincial support for housing.
After the town hall portion of the event, participants will then be able to join round table discussions on particular topics to share their thoughts and learn more from the speakers.
“There really needs to be more of a sense of hearing from the voices of seniors as well,” Richardson said. “So this gives the politicians, the lawmakers an opportunity to go grassroots. Because this truly is a grassroots movement.”
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