WEYBURN - The Weyburn Leisure Services Department received approval from City Council to modify their ‘senior’ category for fees and prices, and it will now be called ‘Active 55+’. All rates associated with the category will remain as currently posted.
Andrew Crowe, director of Leisure Services, explained that the Leisure Services Department is continuously reviewing operations, user trends, requests and inquiries received through engagement with facility users and community members.
A consistent discussion over the past year has been the ‘senior’ age category currently used while establishing user rates and offering programs.
“We have received numerous requests over the previous calendar year from our regular facility users and prospective users advocating for the ‘senior’ rate applied on membership and admissions to be adjusted to a lower age category,” explained Crowe. “Those requesting the changes are typically retirees on fixed incomes and feel that the full ‘adult rate’ is too costly to include within their lifestyle. Due to the costs, many of the individuals who would be still within the ‘adult’ category, who are 55+ are not purchasing memberships.”
“There has been an ongoing trend across service providers and communities across the province to adjust ‘senior’ rate categories from 65+ to 55+,” added Crowe.
A change to the rate category would support the City of Weyburn’s vision statement of “Community for All” as it will assist in breaking down financial barriers resulting in a higher quality of life for City residents, supporting increased access to health and wellness opportunities.
“Due to the number of individuals within the adult age category who are 55+ currently not purchasing memberships due to costs, we are experiencing negative impacts on revenue generation,” added Crowe. “It is expected that by modifying the age category to Active 55+ the City will see an increase in the number of membership holders, assisting in the facility cost recovery which is targeted at 50 per cent.”
A full review of rates and fees as part of the three-year rate review will be completed in the spring, with the proposed changes coming into effect as of September 1, 2025.
