The Government of Ontario announced plans to construct 40 new seniors’ centres across the province. The goal, reads a press release, is to create “more spaces and programs to help seniors stay healthy and active.”

These 40 centres will be designed to not just “better meet the needs of [Ontario’s] growing seniors’ population,” but to also provide these citizens with important social and recreational programming. For instance, these venues will feature exercise classes, health and wellness courses, communal dining and transportation services. The Government of Ontario will seek out building proposals this autumn.

Currently, there are 263 Elderly Persons Centres (soon to be officially renamed Senior Active Living Centres) in Ontario. Combined, they serve more than 100,000 people, so clearly this move toward expansion makes sense.

“Creating 40 new seniors’ centres across Ontario will help to improve services for seniors who may be vulnerable, including those living in multicultural, Indigenous and rural communities,” noted Dipika Damerla, Minister of Seniors Affairs, in a prepared statement.

Added Daiene Vernile, MPP (Kitchener Centre): “Helping seniors stay connected, active and engaged has been shown to contribute to their overall health and well-being. This announcement addresses that need for a growing segment of our population.”

Back in May of this year, results from the 2016 Census confirmed that there are now more senior citizens living in Canada than children. All in all, Canada is home to 5.9 million individuals ages 65+ and 5.8 million children under the age of 14.

Considering those numbers, hopefully all Canadian provinces and territories will continue to open up even more of these centres in the years to come.

-Adam Grant

On a recent edition of “theZoomer,” host Marissa Semkiw and a panel of medical experts discuss the growing issue of social isolation among seniors. You can watch that episode below: