CALGARY SENIORS GET MORE HELP CLEANING THE RECENT SNOWFALL THAN SENIORS IN EDMONTON

The Special Needs Assistance Program makes money available to seniors who qualify due to age and income across Alberta to help pay for snow removal, yard maintenance and cleaning. Calgary has a program which helps qualified seniors access the provincial funds and as a result 51% of the available dollars go to Calgary residents compared to 27% to the rest of Alberta, and just 22% to Edmonton residents. Unlike Calgary seniors who have a program to help them coordinate the help they need a senior in Edmonton must do all of this organizing, paying, and applying for reimbursement themselves. Efforts to change this in Edmonton are ongoing but a council directive known as OP12 calling on administration to cut $60 million from the budget and reallocate a further $240 million to core services are making it difficult to fund a program like Calgary's.