It was standing room only at city hall as more than 85 residents jammed into council chambers to support Moose Jaw’s two struggling seniors’ organizations and their request for financial support.
Representatives from the Cosmo Senior Citizens’ Centre (CSCC) and the Moose Jaw and District Seniors Association (MJDSA) spoke to city council on May 26, explaining their financial struggles and how they could dissolve in months.
The association operates the Timothy Eaton’s Building on Main Street, while Cosmo operates a building on Third Avenue Northeast.
In the end, council unanimously approved a motion to have administration convene a meeting within two weeks with the executives of both groups, members of city administration, and councillors, to explore options around the long-term viability of the two seniors’ centres in Moose Jaw, with a report to come back to council about what could be done.
Click here for the story with council’s comments.
Cosmo centre
The Cosmo Senior Citizens’ Centre was established in 1960 as a place for people to socialize and participate in recreational activities such as card games and shuffleboard, explained organization president Bill Smith.
The Cosmo Centre also provides a hall where residents can hold weddings, funerals, dances, meetings and other activities. Some of these events attract people from across Canada, who stay in Moose Jaw and contribute to the economy, he continued.
While Cosmo does some fundraising, it has had difficulty keeping up with increasing expenses, such as utilities, while it has also depleted half its reserves during the last few years, Smith said. These reserves are for emergency situations, such as fixing aging furnaces.
Smith pointed out the municipality subsidizes other city-owned buildings, such as Mosaic Place and the library. All Cosmo wants is to be given the same consideration financially.
According to Cosmo’s financial statement for 2018, it had excess revenue of $8,836 at the end of last year. In comparison, it had a deficit of $44,291 in 2017.
Seniors association
The Moose Jaw and District Seniors Association has $40,000 left in savings, which would keep the doors open for another six months, said spokeswoman Lori Friars.
It has been running a deficit of $40,000 every year ever since the provincial government cut funding to seniors’ organizations in 1994. It had built up a contingency fund of $177,000 through fundraisers, but has dipped into those savings to offset the deficits.
Its lease with the municipality expired in 2010 and has remained on a year-to-year tenancy at the same terms, she continued. Despite several attempts, the association has been unable to negotiate a new lease with the municipality or Moose Jaw Housing Authority.
Parking is also a problem since there is very little near the Eaton’s Building, said Friars. The municipality promised in 1989 to give the organization an adjacent parking lot, but turned it into a public lot instead. Since parking costs have risen regularly, there has been a decrease in participation for events such as pickleball and dances.
“Seniors are vulnerable to isolation and poor nutrition,” Friars said. “The centre offers a solution to both situations. We offer 24 programs every week, with 300 users. We (also) have café that offers low cost breakfasts and lunches … .
“The loss of the centre would be a loss to the people of the city.”
Financial statements from the seniors association show it had a balance of $755 in 2018, compared to $13,338 the year before. However, it used savings both years to wipe out those deficits.
Membership at the seniors centre is 344, while Cosmo’s membership is 156.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, June 10.
