Stanstead begins process to become ‘Age-friendly Municipality’
Asteering committee has begun the process to make Stanstead an “Age-friendly Municipality” (MADA). The committee, comprised of English and French Stanstead residents, and various local service centres, hosted a bilingual public consultation at the Pat Burns Arena Thursday, August 29. About 50 seniors broke into focus groups to discuss issues they would like to see improved upon to make their town more age-friendly.
The meeting was facilitated by Project Manager Lucie Hebert and Helene Hamel, a town councillor and member of the steering committee.
The next step is for Hebert to take the ideas from the seniors and create an action plan to make them a reality. If the council approves the plan it will send it on to the Quebec government. The council will consider the plan as it works on the budget.
MADA (Municipalite amie des aines), Hebert said, is a formal commitment by the municipality to seniors. The policy, which requires a three-year action plan, is recognized by the government.
Hebert and Hamel began the meeting with a Powerpoint presentation of the demographics of Stanstead. The population of 2,788, according to the 2016 Census,
is 2.4 per cent lower than it was in 2011. Seniors make up 24 per cent of the population. Forty-five per cent are 55 or older, and 180 people 65 and older live alone.
The average income for Stanstead residents is lower than the Quebec average. Twenty-three per cent of those 65 or older live below the poverty level.
The mission of the Stanstead policy is to improve the environment and quality of life for seniors by “developing a framework of reference and intervention for the municipal administration,” Hebert and Hamel said. The action plan will consider seniors’ values, accessibility, autonomy, participation, quality of life, respect, and inclusion. The policy will recognize that seniors are full citizens, regardless of their language, they said. They are the builders of society, and they contribute to society.
The themes for the focus groups included transportation, support services, communication and information, social participation, housing, and outdoor spaces and buildings.
Street maintenance and better sidewalks were issues brought up under more than one heading Thursday – transportation and outdoor spaces. Someone raised the idea of a shuttle service and transportation for emergencies and medical appointments, which, like having easy access to a doctor, also came up under support services.
The seniors suggested a walking club and a coffee club might be offered by existing service organizations, as well as shopping trips, Bingo, and a variety of activities like painting lessons.
Under housing, they proposed a service that would help them stay in their own homes, and adaptive lodging.
It seems like Stanstead’s seniors enjoy being outside. They would like to see more benches on the bike paths, and perhaps use the tennis court used for the fastgrowing sport of pickle ball.