Madam Speaker, this week we celebrated National Seniors Day. Last weekend, I met with a wonderful group of seniors from my riding at Woodroffe United Church, organized by the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre oasis program.
My riding has many buildings where most of the residents are older adults. They call these NORCs, naturally occurring retirement communities. The Olde Forge, with partial funding through the federal government's New Horizons for Seniors program, provides coordinators in these seniors buildings who facilitate social gatherings, food and nutrition events, wellness and physical activities, and anything else the seniors want. These seniors told me that because of this program, they feel less lonely, are healthier and can stay in their homes longer. This pilot project is now in four buildings in my riding, the three Ambleside buildings and the Rosewood.
I want to thank all the staff, the volunteers and the participants for contributing to a better community.