Labrador West is aging and that means a greater need for seniors’ housing and a health care system able to address more complex needs.

That’s according to Lab West MHA Jordan Brown.

He says when Lab City and Wabush were carved out of the woods in the 1950s, people came to work in and around the mines. Initially, residents would leave the community when they retired, but that’s not the case any more.

Brown says more and more residents are staying in the region after retirement and that’s creating a need for seniors’ housing.

He says an aging, generational community is also changing the dynamic of health care in the area, which he says appears to have been ignored until now. He says government hasn’t yet come to terms with the fact that Labrador West is aging and people are choosing to stay.

Brown says more long-term care beds are needed in the area in addition to affordable seniors’ housing.