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I'm all ears for seniors - Cantelon

Parksville-Qualicum MLA looks forward to his new role in the government
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Ron Cantelon ... seniors still have a lot to offer society

Ron Cantelon agrees that his appointment as Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors is a good fit.

The MLA for the Parksville-Qualicum constituency said this week he’s looking forward to learning from senior citizens about what they see as both needed and important.

“I think the pre-occupation with many seniors is not growing old, but still growing up,” he said. “They still have a lot to contribute to society and the community. We need to listen to what seniors have to say. They are such an important demographic, we need to hear what they have to say.”

Cantelon said not only is there a higher proportion of seniors in society today, but being a senior makes up a much larger portion of people’s lives.

“It is the most significant portion of your life now,” he said.

Cantelon said he’s eager to hear the concerns of seniors, both in his home constituency and from those around the province.

“I’m going to learn from seniors, being a newbie in the seniors department,” he joked. “I want to find ways we are being effective and share Parksville’s knowledge about how to act responsibly as a senior-friendly community.”

To this end, Cantelon said he hopes to set up consultation sessions to hear first-hand what works, and what doesn’t.

“I would like to do outreach,” he said. “I plan to do something, with the session coming in, but probably not until December or maybe late November.”

One thing he does know however is that many seniors are snowbirds who head south for the winter, so any consultation sessions he plans are going to have to take that into consideration.

He said pension issues, the local health centre and the Condominium Act are high on seniors’ agendas.

 

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