Since 2012, BC Healthy Communities has recognized 61 B.C. communities as age-friendly places for seniors to live, but Prince George is not one of them.
The not-for-profit organization offers the recognition to communities “taking steps to ensure British Columbia seniors can live active, socially engaged and independent lives.” The Age-Friendly Cities initiative was started by the World Health Organization in 2006 and is intended to promote seniors’ health, participation and security in the places where they live.B.C. communities which have earned the designation range in size from Vancouver and Surrey to Granisle and Telkwa.Ten northern B.C. communities hold the official age-friendly designation, with Quesnel to be the most recent to receive the designation in February 2021.“An Age-Friendly city focuses on its social and physical environments with respect to a mix of land-use, street connectivity, access to green spaces, and neighbourhood aesthetics to promote healthy aging as well as maintaining social ties to family and friends,” a statement issued by the City of Quesnel in 2021 said. “Age-Friendly cities offer benefits for the entire population in retaining a sense of attachment, familiarity, and identity of home and environment.”In order to achieve the age-friendly designation, Quesnel hired consultants in 2018 to prepare an age-friendly assessment and develop an action plan based on those recommendations.The North Cariboo Seniors’ Council, with support from the City of Quesnel, Northern Health and the Cariboo Regional District, conducted a seniors housing assessment in 2021.Northern B.C. communities which have achieved age-friendly designation include Granisle, Telkwa and Kitimat in 2014; 100 Mile House and Burns Lake in 2015; Smithers in 2017; Mackenzie in 2018; Houston in 2019; and Quesnel in 2021."Given the aging population is the fastest-growing demographic in B.C., now more than ever, planning and implementation of age-friendly communities is critical,” BC Healthy Communities executive director Jodi Mucha said in a statement released on Monday.
On Monday, the B.C. government announced a $500,000 grant program for communities to conduct age-friendly assessments and action plans, or to support age-friendly projects. The grant program provides up to $25,000 for cities looking to do age-friendly assessments, or up to $15,000 for age-friendly projects.
"I encourage communities to apply for an age-friendly grant to support our seniors," said Mable Elmore, parliamentary secretary for Seniors' Services and Long-Term Care. "The opportunities available through the age-friendly program are important in making sure seniors feel connected to their community."
