A special event was hosted by the Speaker of the Alberta Legislature to declare October 1 as the UN International Day of Older Persons for the province. Over 60 seniors, including representatives of many organisations, crowded the rotunda of the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton to witness Seniors and Housing Minister Lori Sigurdson sign a Government Declaration for the Day. The event formed one of a range of activities across the country coordinated by the Congress of Union Retirees (CURC) with the Senior’s Voice – a national seniors’ coalition – promoting the recognition of the Day. In Alberta, a flag raising ceremony also took place in Red Deer and its Mayor issued a proclamation, while Calgary hosted a special event to highlight October 1st.
After raising the October 1st flag on the grounds of the Legislature, Sigurdson spoke to recognize seniors for their contribution to the prosperity of the province. “The time for Alberta to join this initiative is long overdue”, she said. Lucien Royer (Alberta Federation of Union Retirees (AFUR), John Wodak from the Seniors Action & Liaison Team (SALT), Donna Durand from the Alberta Council on Aging (ACA) and Judy Lederer (CURC Edmonton) spoke in praise of the Government’s initiative, each identifying priority issues facing Alberta seniors.
Moderated by the Deputy Speaker of the House, the event at the legislature took on an upbeat and celebratory tone, as singers from the Raging Grannies enthusiastically sang to inspire participants to work together and to remind the rotunda crowd about the power of seniors to make change.
The event was coordinated by AFUR and CURC Edmonton Area Council with the Legislature Speaker’s office at the request of Minister Sigurdson. Both AFUR and CURC Edmonton reflected on the importance of the event for bringing seniors and other groups together for dealing with issues.
For pictures, see: Minister Lori Sigurdson Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lorisigurdson.ndp/
Alberta Legislative Assembly Photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/legassemblyofab/sets/72157687257976334/wit…
AUPE Facebook https://www.facebook.com/yourAUPE/
For further information: Lucien Royer lroyer@gfoundation.
date:
Thursday, October 5, 2017