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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, October 30, 2013 | 4 Seniors want discounts back FALL IN MALL TREND THE MATCH UP OCTOBER 25 ­ NOVEMBER 3 WIN A $1000 SHOPPING SPREE RIOCAN OAKVILLE PLACE PLAY OUR FALL TREND MATCH UP GAME ON FACEBOOK FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A $1,000 RIOCAN OAKVILLE PLACE SHOPPING SPREE! ENTER AT FACEBOOK.COM/OAKVILLEPLACE. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR ENTIRE FALL TRENDS LOOKBOOK AT OAKVILLEPLACE.COM. continued from p.1 The Town's Director of Recreation and Culture, Nina de Vaal said, in 2010, council moved to focus subsidies for seniors on programs offered through Oakville's four seniors' centres. "We currently offer a wide variety of low-cost programs through the Town's four seniors' centres, open to all residents over 50 years of age," said de Vaal. "Consequently, the 35 per cent discount at recreation centres was to be phased out over a period of five years. It should be noted overall, our citizen surveys have shown residents generally prefer the Town to consider increasing user fees before increasing taxes." Robert McKenna, who uses his seniors' discount at the River Oaks Community Centre, dislikes the plan. "The seniors' centres are not equipped with all the programs and equipment for an active, recreational 65-year-old," he said. "The River Oaks centre has a huge, fully-equipped weight room, it has squash courts, racquetball courts, it has wooden floors to do aerobics. It runs so many aerobic programs for people of all ages. (Another community centre) has swimming and skating, which they don't have at the seniors' centres." Hodgson said seniors' centres are big rooms where classes take place. De Vaal acknowledged there are differences between the facilities, but said there are also some similarities. "The seniors' centres do not have fitness centres within them as do our community centres," she said. "They do, however, offer many fitness programs just as the community centres do, as well as many other general interest, sports and arts and culture programs. The cost of these programs is considerably less than the cost of the same programs in our community centres." Hodgson noted Town employees receive a 50 per cent discount at recreational centres while full-time students, aged 14 years and up, receive a discount of 35 per cent. McKenna said his group is calling for the seniors' discount to be returned to 35 per cent in the interests of fairness. He argued many seniors are retired, live on fixed incomes and, as such, are those least able to handle fee increases for Town programs. De Vaal said the youths' rates are in keeping with council's direction of 50 per cent cost recovery for children's and youth services. The employee discount, she said, is for fitness memberships only, and part of the Town's employee attraction and retention strategy. Council reviews all Town rates and fees as part of the budget process and will discuss this issue Monday, Nov. 4 at Town Hall at 9:30 a.m.