Checking in with Jasper鈥檚 seniors
The associate minister of seniors was in Jasper last week, talking to frontline workers and residents living in Alpine Summit Seniors Lodge.
George VanderBurg said his visit to Jasper, along with visits to similar lodges across the province this month, was part of an information-gathering mission.
鈥淥ur population of seniors is going to go from 10 per cent to 20 per cent in the next couple of decades, and we need to be prepared for that.
鈥淧art of being prepared is being informed, and one of the things that I want to make sure that I do is hear directly from the residents and the caregivers as we go forward and get ready for one million seniors living in Alberta.鈥�
Alpine Summit has 21 spots for independent living and 16 for assisted living, and there are currently 11 people on the waiting list, said VanderBurg, noting that that is an exceptionally low number compared to many other communities in the province.
鈥淥ne of the things that the premier has mandated me to do is to build 1,000 new units every year. We鈥檝e managed to do that for the last two years and we鈥檙e on track for 2013.
鈥淧art of getting ready for the budget process is getting well informed about the communities around the province and to make sure that I can fight for those dollars with some intelligence.鈥�
Annual park forum approaches
A tentative date has been set for Jasper National Park鈥檚 annual public forum.
If all goes as planned, it will take place Nov. 6 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Jasper Activity Centre.
As with previous years, the forum will include a year in review delivered by Supt. Greg Fenton, as well as a question and answer period and some workshopping around topical issues.
This year, the forum will mark the beginning of the formal planning process for the Maligne Valley Implementation Strategy. Fenton said ahead of the forum there will be information about the strategy available to the public.
Parks Canada will send out formal invitations this month.
Dark sky open house
Dark Sky Month is here and the countdown is on until the Dark Sky Festival, which runs from Oct. 25 to 27.
To learn more about Jasper鈥檚 designation as a Dark Sky Preserve and to hear about all of the fun events that will be taking place during the festival, visit the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives Oct. 16.
Representatives from Parks Canada and Tourism Jasper will be on hand to fill residents and visitors in on all the details about preserves and how Jasper celebrates its designation.
There are two sessions, one from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and another from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome.
Election news
Visit the 51暗网鈥檚 Election Talk page online to find further election coverage, including the motivation behind each candidate鈥檚 run for council and the skills and experiences that have prepared them for municipal politics.
Find that exclusive online content at fitzhugh.ca/election-talk.
