As a provincial election closes in, a local MPP is getting input on issues affecting senior citizens.
About 30 people gathered at the Essex Sports Centre Friday for a town hall meeting on seniors issues. The meeting was organised and hosted by Essex MPP Taras Natyshak.
Attendees were invited to submit written questions during the meeting, to be answered by Natyshak and his guest, Essex MP Tracey Ramsey.
Also attending the meeting were Lakeshore Mayor Tom Bain, LaSalle Deputy Mayor Marc Bondy, and Essex town councillors Larry Snively and Steve Bjorkman.
Natyshak told BlackburnNewsWindsor.com that Ramsey joined him in answering questions because some issues concerning seniors need the attention of provincial and federal lawmakers, as well as those at the municipal level.
"These are issues that people are very concerned about," said Natyshak. "They want to see the viability of our national pension plan, they want to see continued investment in our health care system, and they want to ensure that the services that our various levels of government offer are protected."
Essex MPP Taras Natyshak speaks to seniors at a town hall meeting in Essex, as MP Tracey Ramsey looks on, April 27, 2018. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
At the top of the list of concerns was long-term care. In addition to questions taken at the town hall meeting, Natyshak said his office is getting questions about wait times for hospitals as well as for space in long-term care facilities across the province.
"We know that there's a lack of space," said Natyshak. "There's a lack of affordable long-term care beds. We've made a commitment in our (election) platform to infuse an extra 30,000 beds into the province's stock of long-term care beds."
An ongoing issue concerning seniors is a lack of disposable income that keeps up with the rising cost of living. Natyshak said that's another frequent issue, particularly when there are hikes in hydro and utility rates.
"The seniors that I spoke to, they're on fixed incomes. When the cost of living goes up, they don't have disposable revenue or another source of income coming in to make up their budget shortfall," said Natyshak.
Natyshak says questions about prescription medications, dental care and other topics pertaining to seniors will be used to support the Ontario NDP's platform once the provincial election campaign begins, likely in a matter of days.
