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Seniors vital to community

Canada’s population is aging. That’s not really news.

Canada’s population is aging. That’s not really news. The headlines for the past decade have pointed to the affects of our aging population – rising health care costs, more people leaving the work force, more seniors housing and assisted living complexes dotting cities and towns.

Much of those issues are accompanied by a litany of complaints from the public ranging from opposition to further development, increased health care costs and spending on transit and accessibility options to improve mobility.

Growing old is costly. Not just on society, but on the individuals and families as well. Or is it?

In 2007, there were more than 1 million seniors serving as full time caregivers.

To kick off the millennium up to 35 per cent of grandparents who shared their homes with either their children or their children and their grandchildren were financial providers not financial drains. One in 10 grandparents lived in homes without a middle generation, where they were the primary caretakers of their grandchildren, according to census data. The numbers showed that 57,000 grandparents parented their grandkids, an increase of 20 per cent over the last decade.

In their working years, they were business owners, tradespeople and civil servants. They contributed to both building this province’s economy and infrastructure. Most of us take for granted the list of amenities and luxuries we take for granted because of the work put in by our aging populations.

Some who remain today – although few – fought in the Second World War, many sacrificing their lives for our freedom.

In retirement seniors are no less dedicated to making the world they live in better. Nearly half of seniors volunteer their time dedicating millions of hours to a variety of causes. According to statistics Canada, that contribution is worth billions of dollars.

That economic boost is added to the billions in taxes seniors paid to all levels of governments. Taxes that helped build roads, schools, hospitals and ensure the programs we all enjoy were possible.

And, once they are gone, seniors will continue to give.

According to CIBC, over the next decade Canadians over the age of 50 are set to inherit $750 billion in what is being classified as the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in the nation’s history.

Focusing on the negatives can be easy, but while communities celebrate Seniors Week June 6 to 12 it might be a time to remember all the contributions our seniors have made to this country.

So next time you complain about your taxes helping the elderly, remember the contributions they have already made to our society. For the most part, many of our older citizens have earned our respect. They have given us more than we likely realize.




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