Government Of Canada Partners With Association To Help Improve Services To Seniors In Newfoundland And Labrador

May 02, 2008

ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR — The Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, on behalf of the Honourable Marjory LeBreton, Leader of the Government in the Senate and Secretary of State (Seniors), today announced a new partnership with the Community Food Sharing Association to help improve services to seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“The Government of Canada is working hard to improve the lives of seniors and this partnership is one way we are living up to that promise,” said Minister Hearn. “It will help provide people working with seniors who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with accurate and timely information about Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan benefits.”

Through this partnership, food bank staff across the province will receive training from Government of Canada Outreach Officers, on benefits including Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), the Allowance, the Allowance for the Survivor, and the Canada Pension Plan. The food bank staff will then be able to disseminate information about these benefits to seniors who use the food banks.

“We’re looking forward to a strong partnership with the Community Food Sharing Association,” said Minister LeBreton. “We’ll be able to reach more seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador, making it easier for many to access benefits they may have been unaware of.”

The Community Food Sharing Association represents 58 food banks throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

“The ultimate goal of the Community Food Sharing Association is to eliminate chronic hunger and alleviate poverty,” said Mr. Eg Walters, General Manager of the Association. “By improving access to benefits programs such as Old Age Security and the Canada Pension Plan, we are moving closer to achieving that goal.”

Regional Outreach Officers support the Partnerships and Engagement Division of Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Partnerships and Engagement works with Service Canada and a variety of service delivery organizations to increase awareness and take-up of Old Age Security (OAS) and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits across Canada.

The Government of Canada is working hard to help all seniors live with dignity and respect. Budget 2008 brings progress on many fronts–from tax relief and stretching retirement savings to assisting older workers, building safer communities and protecting our most vulnerable seniors.

In Budget 2008, the Government of Canada announced funding of $13 million over three years to help raise awareness of elder abuse and help in providing support in communities across Canada.

Budget 2008 also included $60 million per year to increase the earnings exemption of seniors who receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement. The federal government is addressing the needs of Canada’s seniors through these and other important measures that include:

• funding projects in hundreds of communities across Canada under the New Horizons for Seniors Program,inspiring seniors to bring their leadership, energy and skills to projects that benefit our communities;
• enabling 1.6 million low-income seniors to benefit from increased monthly benefits available under the GIS and to make a one-time application for this Supplement. As long as they file income tax returns every year, they will never have to re-apply;
• providing more than $1 billion in tax relief to Canadian seniors and pensioners in Budget 2007;
• enabling seniors to build their retirement savings in Registered Pension Plans and Registered Retirement Savings Plans for an extra two years until age 71; and
• raising the amount seniors can claim under the age credit on their tax returns for 2007. With less income taxed, seniors save more.