Plan for new Moncton seniors' centre hits 'bump in the road'

Victoria Walton · CBC News

· Posted: May 16, 2025 5:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Nothing was acceptable successful stone, but Dennis Cochrane says determination was a "gentleman's agreement" betwixt Rising Tide Community Initiatives and the citizens' radical looking for a location for a seniors' centre successful Moncton.

So erstwhile Rising Tide backed distant from the plan, it came arsenic a shock.

"We are evidently disappointed," Cochrane said. "We felt it was a spot of a betrayal to the seniors and to our group."

Cochrane and dozens of others had been looking for a caller determination since the seniors' centre astatine the Moncton Lions  Community Centre was turned into an exigency structure successful 2022. Seniors person been trying to find places to stitchery ever since.

"We wanted to marque definite determination was a spot for seniors to socialize," Cochrane said. "It whitethorn beryllium carnal activity, it whitethorn beryllium a paper game, it whitethorn beryllium yoga — but they request to person a spot to get together."

The radical precocious incorporated the sanction 1010 Seniors Centre Inc, aft months of discussions with Rising Tide astir leasing the main level of its gathering astatine 1010 St. George Blvd.

But the group might person to alteration that name, since it volition nary longer beryllium occupying that building. 

WATCH | 'We felt it was a spot of a betrayal to the seniors': 

Rising Tide president Dale Hicks told Information Morning Moncton that the gathering volition alternatively beryllium leased to a radical of doctors operating a aesculapian clinic. It volition service the seniors who volition inhabit the affordable lodging units being renovated by Rising Tide connected the 2 precocious floors.

"We looked astatine it arsenic a large alternative, not conscionable for the seniors successful the building, not conscionable for the seniors adjacent door, but besides for the community-at-large wellness care," helium said.

The seniors' radical had approached Moncton metropolis assembly for backing for the centre, since it had helped with the erstwhile one.

Council agreed successful April to springiness the seniors' radical $1.1 cardinal if it met 16 conditions, including  forming a committee and creating a concern plan.

But Hicks said those conditions hadn't yet been met, and Rising Tide couldn't hold the commencement of the renovations.

"We're sitting connected a task we're acceptable to spell on," helium said. "It's a $9 cardinal project. We can't beryllium and hold for different four, five, six months to get an answer."

City inactive confident

In Cochrane's mind, the 16 requirements specified arsenic forming a committee and creating a concern program were a formality, and the backing from the metropolis was virtually guaranteed.

"We felt we could commencement the operation and commencement getting acceptable to physique our facility, and we would person each of that done agelong earlier the installation was ready," helium said.

Moncton Deputy Mayor Paulette Thériault was besides assured the seniors' radical would met the requirements eventually.

"I'm inactive hopeful that they volition conscionable those conditions," she said.

For now, the backing is connected hold, but Thériault said the radical could inactive person wealth erstwhile it finds a caller location.

"We'll person to woody with that arsenic we spell along. We person nary idea, they whitethorn find a gathering that they bash not person to person a indebtedness to renovate, truthful it's benignant of excessively premature to determine connected that," she said.

Theriault said the metropolis is inactive committed to helping the seniors find a determination that works.

"We person a bully basal to enactment on," she said. "We've got the proposal from council. So now, hopefully we'll conscionable proceed the dialog and travel up with different proposal."

"I'm convinced that we volition find what the seniors request and want."

Cochrane hopes that the momentum of the seniors' radical volition pb them to find a new determination for their centre.

"We've got a fewer leads that we're going to look at," helium said. "We're going to sermon them with the metropolis and we'll spot if they travel to fruition.

"This is simply a bump successful the road, This is simply a setback, but it's not terminal."