Housing minister hosts advisory forum on seniors

Ageism, the specific needs of older workers and aging at home were all on the table this week at a seniors advisory forum in Calgary.

More than 25 seniors organizations and advocacy groups from across Alberta took part in the discussion, hosted by Seniors and Housing Minister Lori Sigurdson. It’s the second forum of its kind in the province. This year, talks focused on aging in the community, affordable housing, community supports and older workers.

Information gathered at the forum will help inform government decision-making so seniors receive the supports they need to be vibrant, active community members, a news release said.

United Conservative Party MLA on trade mission:

United Conservative MLA Prasad Panda has just returned from a European trade mission which stopped in London, Dublin and Hamburg. Along with NDP MLA Maria Fitzpatrick, Panda attended the Westminster Seminar, which brings together parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth to explore different approaches to parliamentary democracy. Seminar expenses were covered by the Legislative Assembly Office.

Panda also spoke with trade commissioners in Dublin, the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and members of the German provincial parliament. It’s the second time Panda has dipped into his own pocket to head overseas on a trade mission on behalf of the Opposition.

Report highlights child poverty:

Alberta needs to create and implement a poverty reduction strategy if it’s ever going to stamp out child poverty in the province, according to a new report co-authored by the Edmonton Social Planning Council, Public Interest Alberta and the Alberta College of Social Workers.

Released Thursday, Keep Investing in Alberta’s Children drills down into 2015 data (the most recent available), which shows close to 150,000 children living in poverty, or around 15.7 per cent of the province’s youth. That’s significantly lower than other provinces, but the report said there’s still work to be done.

The report made a number of recommendations to government, including a provincial poverty reduction strategy, expanding the $25-per-day child care pilot program, reducing school classroom sizes, and addressing the significant shortage of annual tax revenue without cutting funding for crucial social services.