New Senior Citizens’ Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee will shape future recreation and culture programming for Squamish’s 55+ community

The District of Squamish is forming a new resident-based Senior Citizens’ Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee to guide the future of Recreation and Culture programming for the 55+ community in Squamish. The Committee will collaborate with and provide recommendations to District staff on programs, and provide a forum for feedback regarding recreation and culture programming for seniors in Squamish. The Committee’s work will focus on the delivery of programs across Brennan Park Recreation Centre, The 55 Activity Centre, and the Westwinds facility. Interested applicants are invited to apply at squamish.ca/committees.

“Who best to tell us how to improve our 55+ recreation and culture programming than the dedicated, enthusiastic and committed Squamish residents 55 and above, and we look forward to their input as we refine our current and future offerings with the interests of our growing seniors’ population in mind,” says District of Squamish Mayor Karen Elliott. “I invite citizens interested in helping to create accessible, inclusive and diverse programming for our 55+ community to consider lending their perspective to what will no doubt be a valuable and productive group.”

The Committee will engage with the 55+ community on recommendations and proposals for new programs, improvements to existing programs and acknowledge feedback received to improve future recreation and culture-related offerings in Squamish. Each appointed member will serve a two-year term and attend the bi-monthly meetings.

Members of the Senior Citizens’ Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee will serve as independent community volunteers for the benefit of the entire 55+ community rather than the interest of a particular community organization.

The make up of the newly formed committee will be as follows:

• Seven (7) Squamish-based residents 55+ (member-at-large);
• One (1) representative of the Squamish Seniors Centre Society
• One (1) representative of the Squamish Nation
• One (1) representative of the Squamish Sikh Community
• One (1) representative who deals with either the housing, care or education of the Seniors Community

Background

The District formed a Senior’s Steering Committee in June 2021 to seek community feedback on senior’s recreation and culture programming to reflect the needs and interests of a wide variety of groups.

The committee engaged the public through data collection, surveys, and liaised with different organizations of interest. A recommendation of the 55+ Recreation and Culture programming engagement summary report was to develop a resident-based 55+ advisory committee under a new term of reference with the mandate to collaborate with and provide recommendations to staff on programs. The District has completed a new terms of reference and is now seeking to fill the roles of a new Squamish Senior Citizens’ Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee to satisfy the recommendation.

Application forms are available online or in person at Municipal Hall. For application information, please visit squamish.ca/committees. Applications are open through September 6, 2022.

July 21, 2022