EDITORIAL

Gatineau wants to assist  seniors . . . but not really

Earlier this year, Gatineau received $60,000 to update its action plan for seniors in the city.

In 2014, the Ministry of Health recognized Gatineau as an official MADA city – a Municipality “amie des aînés”. A city qualifies for this status, and extra help, by fulfilling certain criteria which make life better for the seniors who live there. Ease of getting around, places for seniors to gather for exercise, centres for social activities, organizations that use their skills -- these criteria. The benefit of being a MADA city is that an action plan is tabled in public, and the priorities in the policy must be carried out by the city. Like any adopted official plan, the goals in it become non-negotiable at city council, covering all policy decisions, from arts to sports.

Further to being a city where the wellbeing of seniors is a priority, these cities take into account the reality that all its residents are headed into those very years, so the wellbeing of future seniors is also taken into account.

And here we have a clash on council. Curling has a long tradition in West Quebec, with excellent and busy rinks in Shawville and Buckingham. Curling is enjoying a renaissance. Chelsea is building a new rink. But the rinks in Masson and Buckingham don’t provide enough ice time, so curlers from the area drive over to Ottawa. The attraction of curling is that it is a low-impact sport, perfect for seniors. Health-minded people have been turning to curling as the immortal years of the teens and twenties slip into an age where longevity becomes part of the very goal of a sport. 

At first glance, curling would be an activity that Gatineau would embrace. Seniors can be active together on the ice, so the sport fits with the MADA framework. And as younger and younger hipsters polish up their curling rocks with a healthy old-age in view, the city would be ensuring the next generations of seniors are healthier than ever.

But this hasn’t happened. When Gatineau’s active living community requested more curling rinks be built, particularly in the west (Aylmer or nearby), Gatineau cited a single line in its policy on leisure, sports and outdoor activities: “The policy prioritizes users who are 18 years old or younger.” (Bulletin translation of line 1.2.1) The request had been for six rinks in the western portion of Gatineau -- Aylmer, for example. They do not have to be expensive monumental buildings. Because the two sites now are in Buckingham and Masson, it is actually closer for Aylmerites to drive to Shawville or Ottawa (just as if they needed health-care!) Proposing six new rinks certainly shows a desire from the community to be active, and living an active lifestyle means the world to becoming a healthy senior.

None of this is rocket science . . .  so can the administration please explain why their response sounds like it came from a kindergarten playground and not from 18 wise city councillors and the mayor of an official MADA city?