Seniors across the County of St. Paul will be able to connect with family and friends over social media and other methods thanks to a $24,000 grant from the New Horizons for Seniors Program.
County of St. Paul and Elk Point FCSS director Janice Fodchuk was excited to announce the Reach to Learn to Connect project, which will see the purchase of 20 iPads and six printers, to be used in six communities across the municipality.
Heinsburg, St. Lina, Ashmont, Mallaig, Elk Point and St. Paul will each host Beginning, intermediate, and advanced iPad courses, aimed at seniors who want to learn more about the technology.
“The seniors were telling us they wanted to Skype with their grandkids,” says Fodchuk. The program’s main goal is to help seniors connect with their families, using applications such as Facebook, which is a tool that seniors show a lot of interest in, since they can see photos of their grandkids and keep in touch with family members who may not live nearby. Other methods of communicating, such as how to use Skype or Facetime will also be touched on.
The program will be lead by a senior trainer, Marg Laberge, who has been hired to go out and teach fellow seniors about the technology.
One of the reasons the program is being made possible in rural locations across the county is because of a partnership that has been established with local Internet service provider, MCSNet.
The business has agreed to provide free wireless Internet capabilities in the locations where the courses are taking place, for the length of the program, which begins in May, says Fodchuk.
To get more information about the free iPad course, and to register for the program, contact Laberge at (780) 645-2088 or by email at [email protected]. Registration for the course opened on April 15.
The County of St. Paul was successful in its bid for a number of Alberta Community Partnership Program grants, which will help five projects move forward.
“These projects represent important investments in municipal infrastructure that will maintain safe, healthy, and prosperous communities in the region. Once complete, the work will significantly improve key municipal services for residents and help boost regional development,” says a media release from the County of St. Paul
The objective of the Alberta Community Partnership Program is to improve the viability and long-term sustainability of municipalities by providing support for regional collaboration and capacity building initiatives.
“The provincial government has created an extremely valuable program that allows the St. Paul Region to capitalize on the strong relationships that we have with our neighbouring municipalities . . . The ACP Program greatly aids us in accomplishing these goals,” says County of St. Paul CAO Sheila Kitz.
The following projects were approved in the St. Paul Region:
Regional Occupational Health and Safety Initiative ($78,000) - Partners: County of St. Paul, Town of Elk Point, Town of St. Paul, and Summer Village of Horseshoe Bay
Enhanced Regional Radio Communications Plan ($130,000) - Partners: County of St. Paul, Town of Elk Point, Town of St. Paul, and Summer Village of Horseshoe Bay
Value-added Waste Feasibility Study ($150,000) – Partners: County of St. Paul and Town of St. Paul
Winter Road Maintenance Storage Shed Project ($180,000) – Partners: County of St. Paul and Town of Elk Point; and
Potable Water Truck Fill Facility Construction ($280,625) – Partners: County of St. Paul and Town of Elk Point
“These initiatives further solidify our Region’s desire to continue working collaboratively with our neighbours to enhance programs and services for our residents,” says Reeve Steve Upham.
The Regional Occupational Heath and Safety Initiative will witness all four municipalities getting together under one safety program. This project will enhance oversight and health and safety practices while creating a safer workplace for employees of all four municipalities. This Initiative is the first of its kind in Alberta.
The Enhanced Radio Communications Project will upgrade tower equipment that will significantly improve radio communications in an effort to strengthen emergency, volunteer fire, and other day-to-day radio communications within the St. Paul Region.
The Value-Added Waste Feasibility Study will examine strategies that the Region can take to divert municipal waste from landfills and transfer stations through the use of unique and innovative technologies that can convert municipal waste into value-added products.
The Winter Road Maintenance Storage Shed Project will create a new location for the stockpiling, storage and joint use of winter road maintenance supplies such as salt and sand in the eastern portion of the St. Paul Region. This will help increase response times for the delivery of snow and ice removal services.
The Potable Water Truck Fill Facility Project will provide for the design, construction, and commissioning of a new facility. This will vastly improve potable water access for residents in the eastern part of the region. The upgraded facility will cost less to operate and will be able to accommodate the region’s current and anticipated residential and business needs.
“As a small community, we do not always have the capacity to carry out the large scale projects that we desire, but by pooling resources with our neighbours, we have been able to make critical infrastructure investments that have positive and lasting effects on the quality of life for our residents,” says Mayor Parrish Tung of the Town of Elk Point.
Town of St. Paul Mayor Glenn Andersen was also happy to hear of the success of the grants.
“I would like to thank the respective councils and administrative personnel for their due diligence and hard work in pursuing these funding opportunities. It demonstrates the Region’s commitment to being creative and innovative when delivering municipal services and I am excited to see what the region comes up with moving forward.”
