The Moncton Lions Community Centre programs have been cancelled.
The programs were previously offered on St. George Street until 2022 when the building was converted to a centre for the homeless. In 2023, programs were relocated to Heritage Court for one year.
Executive director Joanne Richard says there were plans to offer them at the Kay Crossman and North End YMCA centres in 2024 as a result of a pilot program from the City of Moncton.
But a letter was sent to members last week informing them of the cancellation.
“It is with great sadness that the Board of Directors of the Moncton Lions Community Centre wishes to inform you that the program will no longer exist. Throughout the year, many attempts have been explored to find a viable solution that would have enabled us to continue the program,” said the letter.
Richard says despite their best efforts, they have exhausted all avenues after the majority of the instructors said they would not teach classes at either location due to increased travel time.
“We are unable to develop a suitable schedule and these recent developments leave us in the unfortunate position to make this difficult decision,” the letter adds.
It also states that a staff member who looks after the financial aspect of the programs has submitted her resignation.
During the last year, with programs operating out of Heritage Court, membership had grown to pre-COVID levels.
In a post on social media, Richard says that an email has been sent out informing members on how they can be reimbursed for their punch passes.
She has taken another job but plans to remain until the end of February to finalize paperwork.
In November, Richard and other seniors appeared before Moncton City Council with a plea for funds to allow them to stay at Heritage Court for another year until a permanent home could be found.
Deputy mayor disappointed by the news
Deputy Mayor Shawn Crossman said he is disappointed with the decision to cancel programs.
“During budget deliberations in November, I brought forward a motion to put $120,000 into the budget to find a permanent home for the seniors program,” Crossman says.
The seniors were looking for a central location downtown that was secure and safe and had parking.
“I made a few phone calls and was able to get their rent (at Heritage Court) lowered to two and a half times less than what the city had agreed to,” Crossman adds.
The deputy mayor’s motion was moved to a private session to be discussed.
“Councillors were pointing fingers at me asking me how I could negotiate such a sweet deal for the seniors to stay in the permanent location without allowing this so-called pilot project, to try it for a year to see what the outcome was going to be.”
Crossman adds that the seniors had already voiced that they did not want multiple locations across the city for their program.
“When we came out of the private meeting, it was requested by the mayor that I withdraw my motion. I’m disappointed because these folks (seniors) have been the heartbeat of Moncton. They’ve been the backbone and built Moncton to what it is today,” Crossman stated.
The deputy mayor says he is prepared to go back and speak with Heritage Court again and is willing to put forth another motion to council to help find a permanent home for the seniors.
“I want my motion voted on in a public session. I’m sick of the private meetings. I’m sick of having discussions behind closed doors because, unfortunately, this is the situation we’re in today. We had a good motion. We had secured funding, we had a secure location,” Crossman stated.
He is also encouraging the Lions Seniors Community Centre to come back to council and make their voice heard.
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