Just a few weeks after launching a brand new program to help lower income residents of Canmore afford municipal programs and services, the Town of Canmore’s affordability program has a new area to provide additional savings.
The Affordable Services Program launched March 1 within the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) department and offers residents who meet certain income qualifications a lower rate or fee waiver for municipal services.
Those services include Roam fare discounts for regional transit and free local transit, fee assistance for recreation programs at Elevation Place and services at artsPlace, access to the volunteer income tax program, food support and free access to workshops at FCSS and Parentlink.
But, in order to expand the program to include a one-year dog licence fee, council had to amend its animal control bylaw fee schedule.
Manager of bylaw services Michael Orr explained the purpose of the affordability program is to assist residents for whom affordability is a challenge.
“This amendment for the assistance program would waive the one-year dog licence fee,” he said.
Thanks to Councillor Ed Russell, however, council was able to have a conversation around what the program offers, who it is offered to and how to avoid judgmental language when it comes to discussing affordability in the community.
“I fully support the affordability program,” Russell said. “But if you can’t afford to pay for your dog licence, how are you feeding your dog? This causes me some angst.”
Councillors Sean Krausert and Joanna McCallum took the opportunity to mention how pets can add quality of life and those opportunities should be available to all income levels.
Council pointed out being part of the program does not mean people are managing money poorly or cannot afford to feed their pets. What it means is dignity and a reasonable standard of living are available for all socioeconomic circumstances.
“At this table and throughout the community we need to move away from thinking that people who struggle financially are doing something wrong; the fact is we live in a very expensive place,” Krausert said.
A dog licence is $55 yearly and McCallum said while minimal, including it in the affordability program speaks to the fact Canmore is an expensive place to live and every little bit helps.
In particular, she pointed to seniors living in the community on a fixed income as one group that could benefit from the fee waiver and the program overall.
“To say they don’t deserve the companionship of a pet is folly,” McCallum said.
So far, over 60 applications to the affordability program have been received by FCSS. The income threshold is set at $31,500 for a single person, $62,400 for a family of two and residency is required.
Go to www.canmore.ca for more details or to apply for the program.
