'With heavy heart,' seniors' group cancels programs due to lack of space

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The Moncton Lions Community Centre group, which had to move when its headquarters on St. George Street was converted into a homeless shelter, has cancelled future fitness activities because it can’t find a suitable location.

Joanne Richard, executive director of the seniors organization, said in a video posted on the Facebook page Friday that she has resigned the position and taken a new job but will continue until the end of February to finish up with paperwork. A letter dated Jan. 4 and signed by president Winston Pearce and other members of the board of directors said: “It is with great sadness and heavy heart that the Moncton Lions Community Centre wishes to inform the programs will no longer exist.”

The Times & Transcript attempted to reach Richard and Pearce by phone and email Tuesday, but did not receive a response by press time.

The letter said the organization has been trying over the last year to find a way to continue programs at the Crossman Centre in Lewisville and the North End YMCA, but were told by instructors that they would not teach classes at either location because of increased travel time. Because of that, the letter said, the group can’t develop a schedule of activities. Members will be reimbursed for fees they’ve already paid. The letter said the club’s membership has grown back to pre-pandemic levels.

The Lions Community Centre on St. George Street was used by the group for nearly 50 years as a place for fitness classes and special events. But that ended in December of 2022, when the building was converted into an emergency warming centre for the city’s homeless. The seniors group was moved to a new location inside the Heritage Court building, with the city paying for the rental of space. In the fall of 2023, the seniors group had to move again.

At a city council meeting last November, the city announced the Lions building on St. George Street would be used as a homeless shelter for the winter of 2023-24, operated by the John Howard Society. It had been operated by the Humanity Project, which has since focused its efforts on building “bunkhouses” at its farm outside the city, creating homes for the homeless.

At that same meeting, Pearce and Richard appealed to city council for help in finding another permanent location for the seniors’ group.

When the seniors group moved out of St. George Street to make room for the homeless shelter, the city made a deal for them to go to a space in Heritage Court on Foundry Street at a cost to the city of $379.325. The city agreed to pay over $125,730 for a new model, which would allow the seniors to carry out their programs in different places. Pearce said they would be out of Foundry Street location at the end of 2023 and looking for a new location in 2024.

Isabelle LeBlanc, director of communications for the City of Moncton, said the city is aware of the letter and remains committed to providing support services to seniors in the city.

“As valued members of our community, we are committed to excellence in seniors programming. We are striving to find a solution so that all seniors in Moncton can enjoy and participate in recreational activities on a regular basis with the hope of increasing participation throughout our community facilities,” LeBlanc said Tuesday.

She said programming options will be brought to city council during a public meeting in February.  In the meantime, she said, the YMCA has offered a free month-long membership to any current member of the Moncton Lions Community Centre.

In a letter to the Times & Transcript, Barbara Freeman of Moncton, said she and others are hopeful that the city and province can help provide a new location for the seniors programs.

She said making space for the homeless was something that had to be done.

“However, a new central seniors centre has not been forthcoming,” Freeman said. “Instead they offered different satellite locations around the city which meant losing continuity and having to travel  further by both instructors and members ,some of which have no means of transportation to get to those locations.”

And now, she said, seniors have lost out because the programs have been cancelled completely.

“The various classes, lessons, socializing and fitness which took place in the centre helped keep seniors active and healthy,” Freeman said in her letter. “One would think that in these days of our medical system being overrun that good health and fitness would be a priority, especially to seniors.  Apparently not so!”