Appointment to the National Seniors Council

GATINEAU, QC, March 30, 2015 /CNW/ - The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), announced today the appointment of Mr. James T. Evanchuk as member of the National Seniors Council (NSC).

The NSC was established to advise the Government of Canada on all matters related to the well-being and quality of life of seniors, including the opportunities and challenges arising from a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse population of seniors.

Mr. James T. Evanchuk has built a long-standing, successful career developing programs and resources to promote fitness, active living, recreation and healthy lifestyles. As the Executive Director of the Active Living Coalition for Older Adults in Manitoba, Mr. Evanchuk works extensively on programs that promote health and active aging for older Manitobans. He is committed to helping build supportive communities through public awareness and education campaigns that highlight the value and benefits of adopting and maintaining healthy, active lifestyle practices.

Quick Facts

• The NSC advises on matters related to the well-being and quality of life of seniors, including opportunities and challenges arising from a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse population of seniors.
• Since 2007, the NSC has undertaken work on elder abuse, the effects of low income among seniors, volunteerism, positive and active aging, and approaches to attracting older workers to the labour force and retaining them.
• Currently, the Council is looking at how social isolation affects seniors and exploring ways to prevent and reduce social isolation of seniors in Canada.

Quote

"I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Evanchuk as member of the National Seniors Council. Mr. Evanchuk will bring a wealth of expertise and foresight to the Council on issues of importance to older Canadians."
– The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors)

Related Product

• National Seniors Council Members

Associated Link

• National Seniors Council

Backgrounder

The National Seniors Council

The National Seniors Council advises on matters related to the well-being and quality of life of seniors, including the opportunities and challenges arising from a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse seniors population.

• The Council reports to the Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development, and to the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health. The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), is responsible for the day‑to‑day operations of the Council.
• Council members include seniors, representatives of organizations who serve seniors and/or experts on seniors and aging.

The Government of Canada is working hard to help improve the lives of seniors on many fronts. These efforts include:

• developing Canada.ca/Seniors as a central resource for seniors, including a new Information for Seniors section that brings together a variety of federal, provincial/territorial and municipal resources about relevant programs and benefits;
• providing Canadians with an estimated $80 billion this year through Canada's public pension system;
• adding a top-up to the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) in 2011 to help Canada's most vulnerable seniors, the largest increase in 25 years to the GIS for the lowest-income seniors, further improving the financial security and well-being of more than 680,000 seniors across Canada;
• providing $2.8 billion in 2013 in 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;
• securing voluntary agreements from Canada's eight major banks to improve low-cost and expand no-cost basic banking services to certain groups, including seniors who qualify for the GIS;
• making a strong investment in the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP). Economic Action Plan 2014 recently increased funding for the NHSP by $5 million per year. This is in addition to the $45 million the Government already provides to this program annually. Since 2006, the NHSP has funded more than 13,000 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada;
• actions, including awareness campaigns to address elder abuse through projects funded by the NHSP and legislation to help ensure consistently tough penalties for offences involving the abuse of elderly people;
• supporting positive and active aging through the collaborative Age-Friendly Communities initiative, physical activity tips for older adults and fall-prevention initiatives; and
• helping Canadians who are providing care to loved ones through the Family Caregivers Tax Credit and Employment Insurance special benefits for those caring for a dying relative or a critically ill child.

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

Related Links

http://www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca