Q&A with Salma Zahid, MP Scarborough Centre

Q&A with Salma Zahid, MP Scarborough Centre

Salma Zahid, MP Scarborough Centre.
(Photo supplied by the office of Salma Zahid)

By Irish Mae Silvestre
The Philippine Reporter

In an email interview with The Philippine Reporter, Salma Zahid, MP Scarborough Centre, discussed how the seniors’ program will address food security, wellness and digital literacy. She also addressed efforts to speed up funding distribution to local organizations.

Will this program include grocery gift cards?

The community-based stream of the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) funds and supports local community organizations, which provide services to seniors. A number of projects that will be funded through the program will be providing grocery gift cards.

For example, NHSP is supporting a project in the Scarborough area, which, in addition to offering grocery delivery services, will provide gift cards for groceries and rideshares to provide seniors the opportunity to safely pick up their own groceries.

Many other NHSP projects are supporting the food security needs and well-being of seniors. To help seniors and others get essential services and supplies such as the delivery of groceries, we invested half a billion dollars through partners like the United Way, food banks and charities.
This includes investments outside of the NHSP and includes an investment of $100 million to improve access to food for Canadians facing social, economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What programs are in place to reach out to seniors without gadgets?

Many of these programs provide resources to seniors so they can have the tools and digital know-how to get online. Some organizations will use NHSP funding for initiatives to reduce isolation by promoting digital literacy. A number of projects are also purchasing iPads for seniors in long-term care homes to connect with friends and family. Others will support seniors who are living at home by purchasing gadgets like iPads, which will be loaned out to seniors.

For organizations that depend on government funding, what can be done to reduce delays in funding distribution?

Our government made sure that existing NHSP projects could continue serving seniors throughout the pandemic. We harnessed the NHSP to support pandemic responses in a variety of ways.

First, we enabled projects funded through the annual $50 million stream to reallocate these funds and change their focus to provide COVID-19 supports, such as initiatives to combat social isolation and loneliness while respecting physical distancing guidelines and delivery programs for food, medications and other essentials.

Second, the federal government invested an additional $9 million in NHSP in May and leveraged United Way to help seniors connect with community supports and get the essential services and supplies they needed.