Veiner Centre important to seniors

For local seniors the possibility that the city will stop funding senior services at the Veiner Centre has loomed large this past year.

In October, councillors on the public services committee voted 2 to 1 in favour of sending the city’s recommendation about the future of seniors services to council for a decision.

The recommendation includes a transition to a multiservice model for seniors services, conducting a community evaluation to identify what services would best meet the needs of seniors, and to then issue a request for proposals (RFP) with the possibility of an independent governance operating model for the Veiner Centre and Strathcona Centres.

Recently the city held the first of two public consultations to hear what services are important to seniors.

At the consultation, held at the Veiner Centre, a number of people said they felt the membership fee going from $40 to $100 a year and $300 a year if you want to use the exercise equipment has contributed to the drop in number of members.

There was also a sense that along with a lovely new building after the 2013 flood, the operating model was transformed changing the atmosphere as well.

Once the community consultation is complete, staff will evaluate the feedback and explore alternative operating models.

A recommendation will be forwarded to council in the spring of 2020.

In August, Aaron Nelson was appointed the city’s new manager for community connections and support and this includes overseeing the Veiner Centre.

Also this year the provincial government decided to not renew the appointment of the seniors advocate. The seniors advocate office was established in 2014 and Sheree Kwong See was appointed for a three-year term in September 2016. Some of the staff in that office and some of the budget for the seniors advocate will be transferred to the existing health advocate’s office. The health advocate reports directly to the minister of health.

Since Kwong See was appointed the seniors advocate’s office handled 3,560 client cases with a budget of about $980,000. About $770,000 of that amount accounting for salaries and benefits.

Medicine Hat hosted the 55Plus Summer games in 2019. Hosting the event raised $250,000 and some of that was spent on improvements that will continue to benefit the local community.

Alberta Newspaper Group file photo Sheree Kwong See, now former seniors advocate for the province, addresses a crowd at the Veiner Centre last fall. Her three-year term as seniors advocate was not renewed in December.