Back-track motion on seniors definition voted on tonight

Just weeks after approving the change, city council is considering lowering the age for residents to qualify for seniors discounts when it comes to city services.

Councillors will revisit the issue Tuesday following a presentation by the city's seniors advisory panel. As part of this year's budget process, the age went up to 65 from 55, a move expected to generate about $175,000 in revenue from things like bus tickets and memberships at city-owned recreational facilities.

Ward 4 Coun. Evelyn Dutrisac and Ward 5 Coun. Bob Kirwan are moving the motion to reconsider the decision. Their motion says the change is “creating significant challenges for many of the seniors who have been affected by this decision.”

In a letter, Kirwan said he and Dutrisac have heard stories of hardship by people affected by the change.

“We are aware of a significant number of individuals between the ages of 55 and 65 who depend exclusively on public transit for getting around the city,” Kirwan wrote. “These people are now finding their annual cost of 31-day passes increasing by $408. For a couple, that works out to $816 per year for the household.

“One lady informed us that she travels by public transit to the Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre five times a week for therapeutic reasons to control her chronic pain. Her fee is not only going up $408 for transit, but she also must pay an additional $117 per year for a membership.”

In their presentation, the seniors advisory panel says many older people in the city have been hurt by the change.

“Financial hardship is being placed on a very small segment of the population,” the panel says in its presentation.

“The Seniors’ Advisory Panel is recommending that the needs of our aging population be best served by city council returning the definition of an older adult to 55 years and over immediately.”

To reverse the decision, two-thirds of councillors will have to vote in favour of reconsidering the budget motion. City council begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Tom Davies Square.