Release. Abbotsford has been awarded a $18,000 age-friendly community planning and project grant to help support local strategies to help seniors stay mobile, physically active, socially connected and healthy.
Funding will be used by the city for its Take a Walk! – Improving Walkability for Older Adults program. Through the Take a Walk! program, the city will develop a plan to improve the safety and accessibility of trails and parks in the Clearbrook Centre neighbourhood.
“Staying active is a key part of disease prevention and this program will make it easier to make walking a part of anyone’s daily regimen,” said Abbotsford Mission MLA Simon Gibson.
“Ensuring accessibility and safety are also key elements of the Take a Walk! program,” said Abbotsford South MLA Darryl Plecas. “This will encourage more people to get out there and stay healthy.”
The age-friendly community planning and project grant program is a partnership between the provincial government and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM).
For the 2015 grants, local governments were encouraged to consider projects that complement Accessibility 2024 and other provincial priorities for seniors such as dementia, elder abuse prevention and non-medical home supports
Accessibility 2024 is government’s 10-year plan to make B.C. the most progressive place for people with disabilities in Canada. Of the 28 funded projects, 12 projects include a focus on accessibility. Other successful applicants will specifically address issues facing seniors in rural communities.
Including this announcement, over 135 local governments throughout B.C. have received at least one grant, and over 225 projects have been funded.