Children, Seniors and Social Development
December 27, 2017

Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development Enhances Well-Being for Residents in 2017

Throughout 2017, the Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development continued to deliver on its commitment to enhance the lives of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians by addressing poverty; improving the child protection system; improving the lives of seniors; working more collaboratively with Indigenous communities; improving inclusion of persons with disabilities; and enhancing healthy active living.

Highlights from the department include:

  • An investment of $1.79 million in the Community Healthy Living Fund, providing funding to municipalities and community-based organizations to support local physical activity, recreation, healthy living and wellness programs throughout the province.
  • The coming into force of amendments to the Smoke-Free Environment Act, 2005 and the Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act, aimed to further protect the public, in particular children and youth, from the harms of flavoured tobacco products, hookah smoking, and the potential harms of electronic cigarettes.
  • An investment of $300,000 to continue and enhance the Age-Friendly Transportation Project, benefiting older adults as well as people with mobility disabilities.
  • Continuation of the Accessible Taxi Program for companies or agencies that are able to commit to delivering 24/7 accessible taxi services, providing accessible and affordable transportation options throughout the province.
  • Awarded Inclusion Grants in the amount of $100,000 to community-based organizations to enhance the inclusion of persons with disabilities and to enable greater participation in community opportunities through the removal of barriers.
  • Support of more than 100 poverty reduction initiatives with an investment of $270 million in Budget 2017-18.
  • The surpassing of The Way Forward goal of engaging 10,000 new users by March 31, 2018 by reaching more than 33,000 Carrot Rewards users in Newfoundland and Labrador by December 2017.
  • The hosting of the 18th meeting of the Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Ministers Responsible for Seniors Forum in September.
  • The appointment of the province’s first Seniors’ Advocate, Dr. Suzanne Brake. The Office of the Seniors’ Advocate will collaborate with seniors, their families, caregivers, policy makers and frontline service providers to identify and address systemic issues facing seniors in the province.
  • Amendments to the Child and Youth Advocate Act requiring mandatory reporting of child deaths and critical injuries to the advocate by the departments of Children, Seniors and Social Development and Justice and Public Safety.

This was also an exceptional year for Newfoundland and Labrador athletes. For a full list of accomplishments please see backgrounder below.

Quote
"Providing enhanced service delivery to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians at all stages of life is a priority for our government. We look forward to continuing to deliver a wide range of family-focused services with a concentration on nurturing strong, healthy communities into 2018. I am incredibly proud of our successes over the past year and would like to take this opportunity to thank staff of the department and our community partners for their hard work and dedication.”
Honourable Lisa Dempster
Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development

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Learn More
Grants Awarded for Accessible Taxi Funding Program - gov.nl.ca/releases/2017/cssd/0317n02.aspx

Provincial Government Supports Community Healthy Living Projects – gov.nl.ca/releases/2017/cssd/0428n06.aspx

Minister Acknowledges World No Tobacco Day – gov.nl.ca/releases/2017/cssd/0531n02.aspx

Provincial Government Announces Age-Friendly Transportation Grants – gov.nl.ca/releases/2017/exec/0724n01.aspx

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors Meet to Advance the Social Well-Being of Canada’s Older Adults – gov.nl.ca/releases/2017/cssd/0915n04.aspx

Premier Ball Announces Carrot Rewards Milestone – gov.nl.ca/releases/2017/exec/1026n03.aspx

Provincial Government Proposes Amendments to the Child and Youth Advocate Act – gov.nl.ca/releases/2017/cssd/1205n03.aspx

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Media contact
Krista Dalton
Children, Seniors and Social Development
709-729-3768, 685-6492
kristadalton@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER

Some accomplishments of Newfoundland and Labrador athletes in 2017.

  • Team Gushue captivated audiences winning the 2017 Brier as well as the 2017 World Men’s Curling Championship.
  • Liam Hickey took home a gold medal at the 2017 World Para Ice Hockey Championships.
  • Sarah Davis competed in the 2017 Women’s World Hockey Championships, bringing home a silver medal.
  • Kaetlyn Osmond won silver at the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships.
  • Katarina Roxon won two gold medals at the World Para Swimming Championships Series and nine medals at the Can-Am International Swimming Championships.
  • Angel Hiltz-Morrell captured a silver medal in wrestling at the 2017 Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg.
  • Sandra Smith, Justin Dodge, Crystal Young and Floressa Harris combined for nine medals at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria.
  • Brooklyn Woolfrey and Nicholas Quinn combined won eight medals at the 2017 World Dwarf Games in Guelph.
  • Team NL took home a total of 34 medals at the 2017 North American Indigenous Games this summer in Toronto.

2017 12 27                              2:40 p.m.