Health
A $20,000 age-friendly grant has been provided to the City of Kelowna to support a community assessment in city parks and buildings.
“These grants are great for supporting communities with an aging population,” said Steve Thomson, MLA for Kelowna-Mission. “The parks and building assessment will ensure that our seniors are able to continue to be active members of our community.”
“As our population continues to age, the age-friendly communities grant is an investment in accessibility and livability," said Premier Christy Clark, MLA for Westside-Kelowna. “This assessment will help ensure Kelowna’s parks and facilities remain welcoming places for people of all ages, including seniors.”
“Developing inclusive infrastructure that is accessible to everyone is an important step in a city’s growth,” said Norm Letnick, MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country. “The audit conducted through the Age-Friendly grant will help ensure that all of Kelowna’s community members have access to great facilities and outdoor spaces.”
The Kelowna Community for All Action Plan includes an audit of local parks and city buildings, with a focus on accessibility, safety features and recreational amenities for all ages and abilities.
“Our Community for All Action Plan will help shape Kelowna over the coming years to meet the evolving needs of residents of all ages and abilities and will be a significant step towards creating an overarching Health City Strategy for our city,” said Colin Basran, mayor of Kelowna. “We thank UBCM for their support of this important initiative.”
The age-friendly communities grant program is a partnership between the Province and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM). Local governments were invited to apply for grants up to $20,000. For the 2017 grants, communities were encouraged to consider projects that focus on accessibility, aging well, physical activity and non-medical home supports. Kelowna is one of 18 municipalities to receive a 2017 age-friendly grant.
Applications were reviewed by a committee from UBCM and the Ministry of Health. Since 2007, age-friendly communities grants have funded 286 projects throughout British Columbia, totalling $3.75 million.
Learn More:
More information about Age-friendly BC can be found by visiting: www.gov.bc.ca/agefriendly
