The Leisure Involvement For Everyone (LIFE) program, offered through Saanich Parks and Recreation, used to be a remarkable initiative, providing financial access to expensive recreational programs for people of modest means. However, as of 2024, it has been gutted and downsized so severely that it no longer offers the access to recreation programs that it once did.

The cost-cutting measures have been savage and cruel. I am a low-income senior and the discounts provided by the old LIFE program made it possible for me to take exercise classes and art programs for years, with huge benefits to my health and well-being. But the new 2024 version of the program has been slashed to the bone, with the discounts sharply reduced, so the recreational programs I used to enjoy are no longer affordable for me.

The LIFE program, which promises accessibility to recreational programs, has now curtailed my access to valuable programs that kept me independent and thriving in the community. The Saanich Recreation administrative staff who made these cost-cutting changes have taken everything away from me that kept me healthy and engaged in the community and have now sentenced me to a life of isolation, inactivity and compromised health.

There has to be a better way to save money than forcing vulnerable seniors to take the brunt of financial mismanagement at Saanich municipal hall.

Doreen Marion Gee

Saanich