GABRIOLA ISLAND – NDP MLA Doug Routley says a new grant will benefit seniors and help them live active, socially engaged and independent lives by making Gabriola Island more age-friendly.

“Having support systems in place for seniors that work for them is key to their ability to stay in communities,” said Doug Routley, MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan. “Through this grant funding, the Regional District of Nanaimo and Gabriola Island in particular will be able to better understand and serve the needs of seniors in our communities”

The Regional District of Nanaimo will receive $15,000 to create a plan to provide better information and data to enable more effective decision making on design for a transit service to serve Gabriola residents.

Through the Age-friendly Communities (AFC) Program, a total of $500,000 in age-friendly grants are being awarded across 25 communities in B.C. this year, with 6 Indigenous communities being among the grant recipients. The AFC Program is a partnership between the provincial government and BC Healthy Communities Society (BCHC), which is a provincewide not-for-profit organization that facilitates the ongoing development of healthy, thriving and resilient communities.

The New Democrat government continues to make BC more age-friendly, through the Age-friendly BC Strategy, in collaboration with key stakeholders, to engage, strengthen and support communities to prepare for an aging population that can age actively in place.

Learn More: https://news.gov.bc.ca/29888