We are pleased to introduce the Mayne Island Collective, a collaborative effort spearheaded by 10 island charities and non-profits (listed below). Through the last 10-15 years there have been multiple studies, town halls and reports about what would be priority improvements to address the challenges facing our island community. We know that through collaboration, our impact and ability to get thin
gs done are multiplied. Initially spearheaded by Mayne Island Assisted Living Society, we have successfully secured seed funding to help us as a collective make headway implementing what constitutes attributes of an age-friendly community. We aren’t reinventing the wheel. We will use the guidance of the Canadian government Age-Friendly Community program (https://bit.ly/44VOb2h). Further, we will work on the priorities you have already pointed out in the 250+ survey responses to the 2019 Designing the Future aspirations survey:
• Sustainable and Affordable Housing
• Environmental Sustainability and Resilience
• Climate Action and Adaptation
• Conservation and Environmental Awareness
• Community Engagement and Development
• Economic Opportunities and Employment
• Infrastructure and Accessibility
• Health and Wellness
• Cultural Awareness and Reconciliation
• Regulatory Adjustments, Planning & Funding
We want to prioritize concrete projects, plan & organize them, get funding and execute them. The funds will be used to pay for doing the leg work and grant writing. As an island that “runs on (exhausted) volunteers”, we will assemble a team of paid, dedicated people to do the heavy lifting and to see projects through. A word about funding: there are hundreds of grants and funding programs designed to help rural and remote communities like ours to get a semblance of the services available in larger communities. We just have to organize and claim these funds. This is what we are doing. Members of the Mayne Island Collective:
Mayne Island Agricultural Society, Mayne Island Assisted Living Society, Mayne Island Community Bus, Mayne Island Community Centre, Mayne Island Community Garden, Mayne Island Emergency Program, Mayne Island Food Bank, Mayne Island Housing Society, Mayne Island Library, Taking Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS), Mayne Island Chamber of Commerce.
