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Fourth Session, Thirty-Ninth Legislature

This version is based on the printed bill that was distributed in the Legislature after First Reading.   It is not the official version.   If accuracy is critical, you can obtain a copy of the printed bill from Statutory Publications or view the online bilingual version (PDF).

Bill 222

THE SENIORS' RIGHTS ACT


Table of Contents Explanatory Note

(Assented to                                         )

WHEREAS the right to an adequate standard of living is a human right enshrined by the United Nations;

AND WHEREAS all citizens are entitled to social and economic security;

AND WHEREAS many seniors live on fixed incomes;

AND WHEREAS many seniors are victims of physical, emotional or financial abuse;

THEREFORE HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, enacts as follows:

Definitions

1

The following definitions apply in this Act.

"minister" means the member of the Executive Council charged by the Lieutenant Governor in Council with the administration of matters relating to seniors. (« ministre »)

"senior" means a person who is 65 years of age or older. (« aîné »)

Bill of rights

2

Every senior in Manitoba has the following rights:

(a) the right to freedom, independence and individual initiative in planning and managing his or her own life;

(b) the right to access affordable and appropriate services and programs that are molded by the principles of strengthening independence, affirming dignity and expanding choice;

(c) the right to be able to remain in his or her community and in his or her home with the support of community-based, long-term care services;

(d) the right to a system where long-term care needs are met, regardless of income, in a culturally and linguistically sensitive way as those needs change over time;

(e) the right of access to services that allow aging in place where possible;

(f) the right to transition between the various forms of long-term and end-of-life care with minimal disruption and maximum attention to quality of life;

(g) the right to an opportunity to choose a healthy lifestyle and be supported in this choice by culturally appropriate programs designed to foster health and wellness without regard to economic status;

(h) the right to protection from abuse, neglect and exploitation;

(i) the right of consumer empowerment to make informed quality of life decisions;

(j) the right to be fully informed of all programs and benefits, financial and otherwise, available to seniors, including the criteria and conditions of the programs and the amount of benefits.

Annual report

3(1)

By March 31 of each year, the minister must prepare a report on the number of seniors who are not able to access the rights set out in section 2.

Tabling annual report in Assembly

3(2)

The minister must table a copy of the report in the Assembly within 15 days after preparing it if the Assembly is sitting or, if it is not, within 15 days after the next sitting begins.

C.C.S.M. reference

4

This Act may be referred to as chapter S85 of the Continuing Consolidation of the Statutes of Manitoba.

Coming into force

5

This Act comes into force on the day it receives royal assent.

Explanatory Note

This Bill establishes a bill of rights for Manitoba's seniors.