PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO - Dean Del Mastro, Member of Parliament for Peterborough Riding, on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and the Honourable Marjory LeBreton, Leader of the Government in the Senate and Secretary of State (Seniors), today celebrated funding for four projects in the Peterborough Riding under the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. This funding will help ensure that seniors in the area have the opportunity to participate in and take active leadership roles in various activities.

Throughout Ontario, total funding of $6,014,538 is being provided for 281 projects to support 112 communities, out of which $94,774 is earmarked for four projects in the Peterborough Riding.

The programs that have received funding in the Riding are;

$19,824.00 to Activity Haven Seniors Centre for their Healthy Aging Room.

$25,000.00 to Club Connexion Française, Peterborough for the Aînés et jeunes francophones, au
service les uns des autres.

$25,000.00 to The Learning Disabilities Association, Peterborough for the Rural Seniors Making
Learning Happen Program.

$24,950.00 to VON Canada-Ontario-Peterborough, Victoria & Halliburton Branch for the SMART-Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together program.

“The Government of Canada is proud to support seniors in strengthening our communities and building our country,” said MP Del Mastro. “The projects we are funding in the Peterborough Riding will encourage our seniors to continue sharing their skills, wisdom and experience to benefit others.”

In the 2007 federal budget, the Government of Canada announced an additional investment of $10 million per year for two new components of the New Horizons for Seniors Program - to raise awareness of elder abuse, and to provide capital assistance for upgrades to facilities and equipment used for existing seniors’ programs. Projects funded under these new components will be announced in the spring of 2008.

The federal government is also addressing the needs of Canada’s seniors through the introduction of a series of important measures that include:

• establishing the National Seniors Council to advise the Government on issues of importance to older Canadians;
• enabling 1.6 million low-income seniors to benefit from increased monthly benefits available under the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and to make a one-time application for GIS. As long as they file income tax returns every year, these seniors will never have to reapply;
• 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 that seniors can claim under the age credit on their tax returns for 2007. With less income taxed, seniors save more.
  

Since its launch, the New Horizons for Seniors Program has funded over 2,600 projects across Canada, inspiring seniors to bring their leadership, energy and skills to projects that benefit their communities. For more information about the Program, please visit the following Web site: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/community_partnerships/
seniors/index.shtml