ST. PAUL - Senior housing was among the list of items discussed on Oct. 10 when Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA Scott Cyr stopped by to chat with council and administration.
During discussions, CAO Sheila Kitz explained how the MD of St. Paul Foundation has already conducted a study on the number of housing units required to meet the needs of the aging population in the region moving forward. The MD of St. Paul Foundation manages low income housing and rental programs for seniors, as well as families. All housing units are the property of the Province of Alberta.
The study found that the St. Paul region will need a new building to house seniors, and while there are both provincial and federal grants available, it still leaves local municipalities with a significant portion of the funding to cover.
Kitz said the County alone would “have to come up with $8 million,” on top of other capital pressures like infrastructure and operating costs. “There seems to be more expected from municipalities and the tax dollars that we collect than what we can ask the residents to fund,” said Kitz.
Cyr said senior housing in St. Paul will now be among his highest priorities. “I’m going to be pressing on it.”
Cyr requested a copy of the current wait-list to show the actual number of people waiting to get into senior housing, locally. This wait-list will show that there is a “real need,” not only with funding, but with demand.
