Carol Theberge reported that the Health Advisory Committee will be meeting with all of the North Region's committees at the end of January.
Henry Hunter reported that Wood Buffalo Housing and Development Corporation are continuing to work with the Government of Alberta on the ongoing review of the Rent Supplement Program. He noted that during the review, there is a moratorium on any new tenants for the program; therefore, there are vacancies that cannot be filled until the review is complete. This impacts not only seniors and the unemployed, but those with low incomes who would otherwise not be able to afford a place of their own.
The Committee agreed that the moratorium and review of the Rent Supplement Program should be brought to Council's attention to start lobbying the Government of Alberta for answers.
Ingrid Blasius, Seniors Resource Centre, spoke about the challenges seniors have with snow clearing and about SMART Bus usage, and noted that there will be an electric bike available for the seniors to use this summer.
Joan Furber, Golden Years Society, noted that the new bus is a fabulous resource for the community and the driver's were trained by Municipal staff on all the features and the ramp operation. The bus will not operate if the temperature is minus 30 or lower as it is too difficult for the volunteer operators to be out in the cold for long periods assisting riders getting on and off the bus.
Luana Bussieres, Urban-at-Large, is working on Seniors Month, noting that although St. Aidan's Society has applied for a grant, it is a regional initiative that requires more stakeholders to be involved in the planning and execution of events.