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Sidhu hosts town hall meeting tonight

Mission residents invited to hear about the development of a National Seniors Strategy
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Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon MP Jati Sidhu will be in Mission tonight (March 8) as part of a series of town hall meetings to discuss the development of a National Seniors Strategy.

The meeting takes place from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Mission Community Services (33179 2nd Ave.).

Sidhu’s colleague, Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré, had his private members’ motion M-106 passed by Parliament in May 2017. The motion aims to improve the quality of life for Canadian seniors and provider better support to caregivers through the development of a national strategy.

The strategy itself is still early in its development, but is exploring how the federal government can improve access to housing for seniors including aging in place and affordable and accessible housing; income security for vulnerable seniors; overall quality of life and well-being for seniors including community programming, social inclusivity and social determinants of health.

“People are living longer, and by 2036 seniors are expected to make up 25 per cent of the Canadian population,” Sidhu said. “People aged 85 years and over make up the fastest growing age group in Canada. We need to build a plan that will both serve our seniors and address possible gaps in existing policy before it is too late.”

Sidhu welcomes all interested to attend the presentation and discussion, and to contribute ideas and any potential concerns for the strategy going forward.