Ontario Building More Accessible Communities in Pickering-Uxbridge

On November 25th, Peter Bethlenfalvy, MPP for Pickering-Uxbridge with Minister Raymond Cho announced the Ontario government is providing over $138,000 in provincial grants to Pickering-Uxbridge Senior focused initiatives. A $60,000 grant to Pickering Public Library was also announced through this year’s Inclusive Community Grants Program which provides funding to municipalities, Indigenous groups, and community organizations for programs and infrastructure projects that promote inclusivity for older adults and persons with disabilities.

Pickering Public Library will use the funding towards Making Rural Library Services Accessible in Pickering.
The Ontario government is committed to investing in Seniors and their communities to stay fit, active, and healthy in their communities.

Locally, the following organizations were successful to receive funding through the Seniors Community Grants programs:

• City Of Pickering – South Pickering Seniors Centre $ 25,000.00
• Durham Tamil Association- 1481911 Ontario Inc $ 25,000.00
• Tenille Chen Yoga $ 9,840.18
• The Township Of Uxbridge $ 18,486.40

The Ontario government is investing more than $740,000 in seventeen Inclusive Community Grants Program Projects across the province in 2022-23 that promote innovation and expand digital literacy to older adults and persons with disabilities, support infrastructure upgrades to improve accessibility and respond to the unique needs of Indigenous communities, and much more.

Funding ranges from $1,000 up to $25,000 for local projects and each year Seniors Community Grants support hundreds of diverse, accessible and innovative activities that provide something for everyone – from Tai Chi lessons, lawn bowling and other physical activities, to arts and music appreciation, to virtual speakers’ series, day trips, and so much more.

QUICK FACTS
– Twenty per cent of Ontarians ages 15 to 65 have a disability and forty three
percent of Ontarians over age 65 also have a disability. These
numbers are expected to increase as the population ages.
– By 2025, there will be 3 million older adults in Ontario – the fastest
growing demographic group in the province.
– Inclusive and Age-Friendly Communities work to promote accessibility,
safety and active living for older adults and people with disabilities.
– This years projects will reach and serve over 150 small communities;
create over 32,000 social connections for older people and/or people with
disabilities; and engage over 36,000 people province wide.
– The Seniors Community Grant Program provides funding ranging from
$1,000 up to $25,000 for local projects.
– Ontario’s seniors are the province’s fastest growing demographic, and by
2023, there will be 3 million Ontarians over the age of 65.
– Since June 2018, the Seniors Community Grant Program has provided
more than 950 grants to benefit older Ontarians.

Quotes:
Ontario’s older residents and people with disabilities deserve to have more inclusive opportunities to stay fit, active, healthy, and socially connected to their community. That is why our government is investing in projects across the province that will build community programming and accessible infrastructure that will help increase the well-being and quality of life for older adults and people with disabilities.-

Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility

I want to congratulate Pickering-Uxbridge organizations, all of whom received funding from our government’s Seniors Community Grant Funding. We all recognize that seniors across Pickering-Uxbridge and Durham Region have contributed so much over the course of their lives to make our province the place we know and love today. The provincial government is also proposing to double the Guaranteed Annual Income System (GAINS) payment for all recipients for 12 months starting January 2023. This would increase the maximum payment to $166 per month for single seniors and to $332 per month for couples, a maximum increase of almost $1,000 per person in 2023.

Peter Bethlenfalvy, MPP for Pickering-Uxbridge

On behalf of the City of Pickering, its Members of Council, and its residents, I thank the Government of Ontario for making this key investment towards seniors to advance the tenets of accessibility, inclusion, and entrepreneurship. Not only will these funds enhance accessibility at City facilities, they will also go towards innovative and leading programs that will provide seniors with the knowledge and skills to pursue their entrepreneurial goals in the digital marketplace.

Kevin Ashe, Mayor of Pickering

The Pickering Public Library is so grateful for the support of the Government of Ontario in creating more accessible library programs, services and spaces for our communities. Through the Inclusive Communities Grant, the Claremont Library will be retrofitted with a brand-new, accessible washroom facility that will enhance the Library’s Extended Access service and ensure the library is welcoming to all community members.
Thanks to the Seniors Community Grant Program, the City of Pickering and the Pickering Public Library will deliver a multi-week entrepreneurship program that guides participants aged 55+ on how to start a small business, utilize the resources in the Central Library’s Maker Space and build financial resiliency.

Jackie Flowers, CEO/Director of Public Libraries

“The Township of Uxbridge will be hosting a Senior’s Information Fair thanks to the funding available from the Seniors Community Fund. Our seniors will be able to network and reconnect with clubs, organizations, recreation programs and each other and join break-out sessions on topics of interest. Thank-you Min. Cho,
and Min. Bethlenfalvy for supporting the well-being of our seniors so they can
stay active and socially engaged.”

Dave Barton, Mayor, Township of Uxbridge

MORE INFORMATION:

Adam Bradley
Office of Peter Bethlenfalvy
MPP, Pickering – Uxbridge
(905) 509-0336
Peter.bethlenfalvyco@pc.ola.org