04/18/2026
Healthy Active Living for Seniors ! 🥌🥌🥌🥌❤️
The World Health Organization recently said there are three factors that are necessary for seniors to age well :
1.Eat healthy foods
2. Get daily exercise , and
3. Social interactions
Being a senior , I thought I should follow this advice. So last year I joined the local curling club called the Peace Arch Curling Center . ( PACC )
I discovered a great family of friends and neighbors, mixed in with some friendly competition on an ice surface where you get to throw rocks , and a great social life of fun together.
I soon came to find out that the huge group of volunteers who run the non profit society of curling was in trouble . The curling equipment was 40-60 years old and the organization that had been around for 60 years in the community had been run on a break even basis . The membership fees always had to be on the same level of neighboring curling centers that were built and funded by their municipality.
So a committee was formed. There was an estimated cost of curling equipment needed. I knew other municipalities had been involved in building and funding curling centers in their communities, so I went to our local mayor and offered to donate half the cost and the city could fund the other half . There was no response to this offer for over six months. Time was running out for the old equipment. It was thought we could lose an entire season if we didn’t act soon .
So I went to the city council and told them that I would pay for it all and it would be a donation to the city curling center to keep it going for at least another thirty years .
In return I asked the municipal council to agree to fund the operation of the building for the next thirty years. After all it’s a tremendous service to all the seniors living in the neighborhood and it’s common practice of other neighboring communities.
The cost of operating the facility for the next thirty years is exactly the same cost as the money for the new equipment financed over the next thirty years , which I have donated on behalf of the city .
None of the finances even takes into consideration the health benefits to so many local residents, which is put on by an army of local volunteers who every day for eight months give their own time and effort into providing this recreation for the community.
The Council of White Rock is now considering whether they will live up to their side of the bargain.
For all the seniors , for all the volunteers, for all the exercise and interaction, being provided to so many, by so many volunteers, I think there is lots of good reasons for the city on behalf of local taxpayers to build this into their annual budget .
The operating costs are exactly the same the capital costs which have been paid for by me . So this is cost neutral proposal .
If you agree that the city is getting a benefit and should honor their side of the bargain , please share your opinion with our local mayor and councilors , to help them understand our point of view and what a great community center the curling center is for so many.
Thank you , Bruce