Age-friendly grants worth $10,000 each available to municipalities

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There are thousands of dollars available to Manitoba municipalities that want to create age-friendly spaces, places, transportation, or housing for older adults.

Age Friendly Manitoba is looking for groups to apply for a $10,000 grant, said Connie Newman, executive director of the Manitoba Association of Senior Communities (MASC), the organization that manages the Age Friendly Manitoba initiative.

“When communities, including their municipalities, invest in these kinds of initiatives, they become better places to live. It’s as simple as that,” said Newman. “Being age friendly means encouraging physical exercise, better nutrition, and more social interaction for everyone throughout their entire lives. For too long, we’ve tended to treat seniors as unneeded and unwanted people, which leads to more loneliness, more chronic illness, and shorter lives.”

Age Friendly Manitoba was launched in 2008 through the Manitoba government to help older adults remain active, healthy, and independent, to contribute to their families and communities.

Currently, there are 229,050 Manitobans aged 65 or older, which is 17 per cent of the population. Of that group, 29,255 are aged 85 or older.

On a national scale, the number of people aged 85 and older has doubled since 2001, with predictions that the number could triple by 2046, according to Statistics Canada.

There are 10 age-friendly grants up for grabs that will be awarded to municipalities that partner with at least three local organizations including non-profits, volunteer and Indigenous groups, and businesses.

Examples of partners include a local chamber of commerce, a senior organization, a service club such as the Lions, Kinsmen or 4H, an immigration service, a school, community foundation, or church.

Through the grant process, the municipality must provide the list of improvements it would make in a certain facility, including being more accessible, creating a room that encourages all ages to gather and visit, improving transportation options, or reducing social isolation among older adults.

So far, 91 of the 137 municipalities in the province have adopted the age-friendly initiative, and only those that have can apply for the grant, Newman told the Sun.

While it may not seem to be a large sum of money, Newman added, it’s meant to create connections and get the conversation started between municipalities and the groups “that have been there.”

“Municipalities can’t do this on their own, they need collaboration and community support. The whole premise is to work with the groups, to make their municipality the best place to live from birth to end of life.

“This $10, 000 is not a lot of money in the big picture, but we’re hoping it’ll spark collaboration,” Newman said.

There are 34 age-friendly municipalities within the Prairie Mountain Health Region, including Brandon, Dauphin, Ste. Rose and Deloraine-Winchester.

The area stretches north to include the community of Mafeking on the shore of Lake Winnipegosis, west to the Saskatchewan border, east to Treherne, and south to the Canada-United States border.

Glenn Schellenberg, economic development officer with Deloraine-Winchester, told the Sun he just learned about the $10,000 grant and is unable to say whether they will apply for it, but he said his community is forward-thinking when it comes to being age friendly.

“We definitely are, I think we have to be, our demographics are skewing in that direction,” Schellenberg said. “There are people retiring from farms just looking for an affordable lifestyle as they age. So, I think other small communities recognize that as an asset too.”

Embracing age-friendly initiatives means lowering health care costs and improving the quality of life for all ages, said Kam Blight, president of Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM).

“Age Friendly initiatives not only benefit seniors but also enhance the overall well-being of all residents. AMM wholeheartedly supports efforts aimed at engaging residents of all ages to live and participate fully in their communities,” said Blight in a news release.

There are 10 grants available across the province, at $10,000 each. The application deadline is Dec. 3, with successful applicants to be notified by Feb. 14, 2024.

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