Newsletter
April 2021
Be Wise reaches 25,000 Older Adult

At the end of March, 25,000 copies our new resource Be Wise – Cannabis and Older Adults has been distributed across Canada. All members have been sent two copies and community centres or senior organizations have received 25 copies to share with their members. The French version and the other 14 languages will be printed and distributed by the end of April. Should you wish to order additional copies there is an order form on our website. Please share the resource with others.
The CNIB will work with us to translate the document into braille, and make it available for ePub and an audio version. We are also creating pod casts and videos which will be released in the spring.
Lots of work ahead of us to get this information out to older adults across Canada!
Member Highlight

The Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability (ALACD) is a national network dedicated to the wellness of citizens with a disability through sport, physical activity, and recreation. Unlike many organizations, the Alliance is dedicated to those of all disabilities and all ages. Did you know that in 2017, 22% of Canadians reported having a disability? Also, 38% of individuals over the age of 65 reported having a disability.1
ALACD and Active Aging Canada have much in common and work together on many initiatives. Together we continue to break down barriers to participation for all, no matter what age or level of ability or disability. Being active for life is a key to good health and community inclusion.
For more information about the Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability, visit our website at https://ala.ca/ or contact Jane Arkell, Executive Director at jane@ala.ca1Canadian Survey on Disability (2017) https://www.facebook.com/activelivingalliance/posts/2220138414874821
Member Representative

Jane has been the Executive Director of the Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability (ALACD) since its inception in 1989. Prior to that, Jane was Executive Director for the Canadian Blind Sports Association. In addition, she also was Project Director for the Federal Accessibility Legislation Alliance with Spinal Cord Canada to assist in the development of the Accessible Canada Act (2019).
As a volunteer, Jane is Chair of the Accessibility Working Group for the 2021 Canada Games (Niagara). In addition, she has been asked to advise many committees to further access and inclusion in Canada such as ParticipACTION, Accessibility Standards Council (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act - AODA), CNIB Lake Joseph Centre, and PHE Canada Afterschool and Intramurals Committee. Jane is also Co-Chair for the Brock Niagara Penguins (ParaSport Club).
Jane has a background in Sports Administration and is currently furthering her credentials in Universal Design.
Membership Renewals
As I reported in the March issue, we are in the process of moving our data base system to the Cloud. It appears to be more complicated than what we had intended! So membership renewals may be processed the same way as last year and I will be sending out renewal forms in April. Stay tuned!
Patricia Clark
National Executive Director
exdir@activeagingcanada.ca