More than 130 Sunshine Coast seniors and their representatives crowded into the Seaside Centre on Feb. 6 for a town hall meeting with Isobel Mackenzie, BC’s Seniors Advocate. The Sunshine Coast Seniors Planning Table (SPT) welcomed Mackenzie to speak on her office’s most recent report BC Seniors: Falling Further Behind, and to have a dialogue about local seniors issues on the Coast.
The Seniors Advocate highlighted her office’s recent research on BC seniors, including the startling fact that 45 per cent of BC seniors live on less than a minimum wage and that while minimum wage has gone up 14 per cent, pension incomes have only gone up six per cent. She also revealed that BC’s Seniors Supplement is the fourth lowest in all of Canada.
Housing continues to be challenging for B.C. seniors, according to Mackenzie, whether living in their own home or renting: 73 per cent of B.C.’s subsidized housing units are for seniors and they face an average wait time of three years for an available unit.
Follow up questions from the audience focused on local concerns for seniors. The privatization of long-term care facilities in Sechelt was brought up several times as was transportation and lack of access to local physicians. Some attendees reflected that the presentation was too general and lacking information related to the housing, transportation, and health issues that are prominent on the Sunshine Coast. Others commented that the presentation was eye-opening and prompted them to have more conversation with loved ones about what to expect with the level of service and the personal expenses associated with rural seniors’ health care.
SPT Seniors Planning Manager Mary Caros said, “We were so grateful that the Seniors Advocate agreed to the Town Hall and that so many people and organizations came out to have a dialogue. Local seniors’ issues and concerns continue to be our focus and we look forward to having more discussion with the community at the local level.”
Residents who have questions or concerns about Sunshine Coast seniors can contact the Sunshine Coast Resource Centre at https://resourcecentre.ca The Seniors Advocate’s Sechelt presentation can be viewed on their website at https://www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca/osa-events/sechelt-town-hall/
