October 1st is National Seniors Day!

An important day in Canada as it formally recognizes and raises awareness of the importance of contributions seniors have made in shaping this great nation.  First celebrated in 2011, it is intended to complement the government’s concrete actions to help seniors.  These efforts include:

• redeveloping Canada.ca/Seniors with new resources for seniors, including the Information for Caregivers portal that brings together a variety of federal, provincial/territorial and municipal resources about relevant programs and benefits;
• developing the Government of Canada Action for Seniors Report, which provides an overview of various Government of Canada programs and initiatives that are helping seniors;
• renewing the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers program, created to assist unemployed older workers, for a three-year period, representing a federal investment of $75 million;
• providing Canadians with close to $80 billion this year through Canada’s public pension system;
• a top-up to the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) in 2011 to help Canada’s most vulnerable seniors. This was the largest increase in 25 years to theGIS for the lowest-income seniors. This measure further improves the financial security and well-being of more than 680 000 seniors across Canada;
• providing $2.8 billion in 2013 in additional tax relief to seniors and pensioners through measures such as pension income splitting and increasing the age credit;
• providing $400 million over two years under Canada’s Economic Action Plan for the construction of housing units for low-income seniors;
• making a strong investment in the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) through an annual budget of $50 million. Since 2006, the NHSP has funded more than 13,000 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada;
• actions to address elder abuse, including awareness campaigns, projects funded by the New Horizons for Seniors Program to raise awareness of elder abuse, and legislation to help ensure that consistently tough penalties for offences involving the abuse of elderly people; and
• supporting positive and active aging through the collaborative Age-Friendly Communities Initiative, Physical Activity Tips for Older Adults, and initiatives that can prevent accidental falls.