Council welcomed the completion of an Age-Friendly Assessment Report that was presented for acceptance at their regular meeting on Tuesday.
The report is an assessment and action plan identifying things the town can do to make Osoyoos more friendly to people of all ages, especially seniors and others with mobility issues.
It was prepared by Cardea Health Consulting Inc., who held focus groups and consulted with local stakeholders.
The report is a necessary step for Osoyoos to achieve Age-Friendly designation, which would make it eligible for various grants to make improvements.
The impediments identified ranged from uneven paving stones that might cause people to trip, to poor local transportation for people who can’t drive.
Osoyoos has one of the largest aging populations in B.C. with 43 per cent over the age of 65 and 62 per cent over the age of 55.
Mayor Sue McKortoff noted with approval a line in the report saying, “older adults are welcomed on town council.”
“I’m totally in favour of this,” she joked. “That’s my favourite bullet in the whole thing.”
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
