CONVICTS OR SENIORS; BLOG # 2307; JUNE 17,2016

THE MESSAGE:

'PRISON PARADISE PLACE' 

CANADA'S NEWEST PRISON JUST OUTSIDE OF TORONTO

Toronto's new $594-million ultra-modern jail features 'fresh air' rooms, flat-screen TVs. Take a chance. Rob a bank or steal a car. You could end up here!

HEY THIS IS NICER THAN OUR HIGH SCHOOL GYM

HEY GUARD THOSE BARS ARE SPOILING THE VIEW!

I THINK I'LL WORK OUT TODAY INSTEAD OF PING PONG.

NOT ME!

ME NEITHER. I JUST WANT SOME ALONE TIME! 

COMPARE THIS 'PRISON?' TO THE  PROSPECTS FOR MANY CANADIAN SENIORS!

Mr. Trudeau, what do seniors get in the new Budget? Ms. Wynne, how do higher electricity costs help seniors trying to stay in their homes? Where is the WISDOM?  We have been PATIENT too long!

We need to do more now to help our aging population stay longer in the homes they love. 600,000 seniors in Canada live in poverty, including more than 1 in 4 single seniors according to new Statistics Canada report. 

Seniors need to age at home and in their communities. They are not thinking about housing alternatives. Support from nearby family and friends is an important consideration.

Seniors have home repair needs. In Atlantic Canada, almost half (47%) of seniors spend more than 30% of their income on shelter costs and are therefore at risk of having housing affordability problems.

One in five (20%) seniors spends 40% or more of their income on shelter. 19% of seniors report that their income does not allow them to live adequately and still meet all of their housing-related costs. They require services made available to help them repair their homes.

Many seniors live in rural areas and have considerably fewer options in public transportation services, home, medical  and supportive care services. 

A study done by Statistic Canada between 2012 and 2015 shows that seniors in debt aged 65 and over have increased 40 percent–with one out of 5 Canadian seniors going in debt compared to 15 years ago when it was one out of 20 seniors that were in trouble with debt.

FUTURE DANGER

Twelve million working Canadians do not have workplace pension plans and Canadians are increasingly unable to save sufficiently for their own retirement. Future generations of Canadians face the real prospect of substantial declines in standard of living in retirement if nothing is done now to help.

CARP is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to advocating for a New Vision of Aging for Canada. They demand social change that will result in financial security, equitable access to health care and freedom from discrimination for seniors. 

Following are some of their goals and suggestions.

• Work with provinces to create a national supplementary Universal Pension Plan (UPP) with reliable, predictable benefits and enact a modest CPP enhancement. 
• Eliminate mandatory minimum withdrawals from Registered Retirement Income Funds (RRIFs). 
• Restore the OAS eligibility age to 65. 
• Assist single seniors in financial need  by making the Caregiver Tax Credit refundable. 
• Help low-income workers make pension contributions. 
• Consider a national Guaranteed Minimum Income to reduce poverty and replace multiple, complex, administratively expensive welfare programs. 

THE QUESTION:

Do seniors require as much consideration as that given to convicts or Global War.......ming mongers?

THE LEMON:

This week's award goes to those people who ignore the contributions and the requisite needs of Canadian senior citizens. 

THE QUOTE:

"The future is now! Forget climate change! Advocate for people change!"-Tony at 10  

THE CLIP: