2008/06/30

Provincial Government - Seniors Promises - Election 2010

Permanently freeze property tax assessments for all home owners over the age of 65.

• Provide tax breaks for home renovations that make houses
senior-friendly.

• Reinstate the $5.5 million home heating subsidy program

• Expand the mandate of the provincial Ombudsman to include
nursing homes, special care homes and home care services as part
of a new Seniors’ Charter of Rights.

• Establish a 1-800-SENIORS, toll-free hotline for people over the age
of 65 looking for government information and services.

• Work with law enforcement agencies to develop new programs to
prevent financial crimes and other abuses against seniors, and take a
tough stand against those convicted of these types of crimes.
Protecting Pensions

• Establish a Finance Minister’s Pension Protection Task Force that will:
• Review current pension laws to make sure New Brunswick has
the toughest rules in Canada to protect workers and members of
private pension plans.

• Work with New Brunswick public employees and pensioners to
fix the multi-million dollar public pension deficit

Establish special wellness clinics for seniors, with the support of
gerontologists, pharmacists and other allied health professionals,
that will be aimed at providing healthy living advice for those over
60 years of age.

• Improve wellness programs aimed specifically at our
senior population.

• Fund and support research opportunities in the field of senior care
services, especially those that build upon best practices and lead to
better services.

• Commit to regular increases in wages and benefits for senior care
workers every year for the next four years, as well as increases in
funding for home care agencies, special care homes, and nursing
homes to help them meet rising costs.

• Provide workers with access to ongoing training and development
opportunities.

• Conduct a comprehensive human resources review to determine
the level of care required to do the job in today’s changing senior
care setting.

• Include a review of the value of work performed by home care
workers (mostly women) which sometimes amounts to less than
minimum wage.

• Work towards meeting the goal of 3.5 hours of care per patient in
nursing home settings over the next four years.