Southeast Vancouver has a glaring void of resources for seniors in comparison to the rest of the city.

As the proposal outlines, there are currently nine seniors centres in Vancouver, none of which are located in the southeast quadrant of the city.

According to Census Canada statistics specially compiled by the city’s Social Planning Department, the southeast quadrant has close to 25,000 seniors aged 65 and older, accounting for approximately one third of all seniors in Vancouver.

Park Board Chair Raj Hundal is calling for a portion of yesterday’s $70 million in unallocated infrastructure funds from the federal government to be directed towards the Killarney proposal.

Hundal started working closely with Lorna Gibbs, chair of SVSACS, and Keith Jacobson, President of the Killarney Community Centre Society soon after getting elected last fall.  The decade-long efforts of these two individuals to keep the issue at the forefront of attention for all three levels of government has been nothing short of remarkable.  Councillor Raymond Louie has been the most active political figure on the file since 2002,  galvanizing the city’s efforts to bring a joint funding agreement between governments to fruition.

Hundal had the following to say in a phone conversation earlier this morning:

“Seniors in southeast Vancouver have been given the run-around by senior levels of government regarding secure funding for several years.  Since 2001, City Council and the Park Board have served as huge supporters without the funding available to make it happen alone.  With this federal contribution of unspecified dollars, it is time that a collective commitment is made to erect this 20-year dream into a functioning facility.”

Former Vancouver Fraserview MLA Wally Oppal was completely ineffective in pushing forward a provincial contribution (in spite of years of guarantees to the contrary), and current MLA Kash Heed has met with the seniors, but faces a barren fiscal wasteland as a rookie in cabinet (a recipe for further inaction).

With the federal funds in hand, Hundal is convinced that the province will have no choice but to step up to the plate to at the very least, match any yet to be confirmed allocation.

“The federal government has given the City of Vancouver the ability to direct those funds to the most pressing needs of the city.  A seniors centre in southeast Vancouver most definitely passes that criteria in terms necessity, particularly with the east Fraserlands redevelopment just over the horizon.”

There is no word yet as to the parameters of how exactly this infrastructure money will be distributed.