Only a few months ago local media, including the Courier, was running stories with hopeful headlines reading, “Province coughs up cash for seniors centre,” and “Killarney Seniors Centre to go ahead.”
But now there’s concern in the community that at least one level of government is dragging its feet on the project and so far the fingers are pointed squarely at the city.
To date, between the municipal, provincial and federal governments, almost $10 million has been dedicated for the much-needed space for seniors to gather. In April Attorney General Suzanne Anton was at the Killarney Community Centre to announce the last piece of the financial puzzle with a commitment of an extra $1.2 million, which followed the $1.3 million committed in 2012. That additional provincial funding topped up the $1.2 million promised by the city in February, which followed its initial $2.5-million commitment made in 2011. The park board got the ball rolling in 2009, when it dedicated the land adjacent to Killarney Community Centre. In January, the federal government got on board with a promise of $2.5 million so long as work got underway in 2014.
Despite the fact, the province was the last level of government to fulfill its commitment to the project, Anton said in an email to the Courier this week. “... Now that the funding — from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments — is in place, it is natural that the community is asking to be involved with the process. Everything has been in place for the city to move forward on the project for some time now, and I, along with the members of my community would like to see the city get started."
I did not attend the meeting last week of the Seniors’ Arts and Cultural Society at the Killarney Community Centre, which was attended by Anton, Vision Vancouver Coun. Raymond Louie and Conservative MP for Vancouver South Wai Young, but apparently many Courier readers did and I heard from several of them not happy with the way the politicians played the blame game for stalling on this important project. While there are seven seniors centres located west of Cambie Street, there are none in southeast Vancouver, home to one-third, or 27,000, of the city’s seniors.
According to several readers who attended the meeting, what should have been a time to celebrate quickly deteriorated into a political squabble complete with finger pointing. And I can believe it. When I sat through a meeting at city council in February to hear what was supposed to be good news regarding additional funding for the project, the grandstanding between the Vision Vancouver and NPA councillors overshadowed any good will intended that day. Seniors shifted uncomfortably in their chairs during that debacle, while I was told that at last week’s meeting many simply left because no one would answer the big question, “When will shovels hit the ground?”
One reader told me at the meeting that Louie blamed the delay on the federal government, but in response Young jumped up clutching a handful of letters, which supposedly proved that wasn’t the case. (Young did not respond to an interview request before the Courier’s press deadline.)
But this week Louie sent me a copy of a letter from Federal Minister of Infrastructure Denis Lebel, dated May 15, 2014, which clearly states that the expenses for any work started prior to the city receiving the document would not be included within the federal funding. Louie says in order to take full advantage of that money, the city waited until it received an agreement in writing. The feds also suggest a start date of 2016 with completion scheduled for 2018. But with a federal election scheduled for 2015, you can imagine why so many seniors are not only worried but also skeptical the work will proceed at all.
Throw in a municipal election in November and we could be looking at the perfect storm of shifting responsibilities and short-term memories.
Which is why now is the time for all politicians involved to set aside their political differences and get this project started, even if that means picking up that shovel themselves.
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