Lək̓ʔəŋən [LEKWUNGEN] TERRITORY / VICTORIA, B.C. — Leader of the BC Greens and candidate for Saanich North and the Islands launched the BC Greens’ plan to address the needs of seniors, while easing pressure on a stretched health and social services system.
“Every senior in BC deserves to feel secure, valued and supported at home and in their community,” said Lowan. “Yet one in every nine food bank visits in B.C. last year was made by someone over 65, and the waitlist for long-term care has tripled since 2016. Seniors are the fastest-growing population in our province, and successive governments have failed to plan for it. Our plan expands rental help for low-income seniors, protects people in assisted living from surprise fees, and builds the public care our parents and grandparents were promised.”
44% of renters who are seniors live in unaffordable housing, as compared to the 30% of renters who are working-age adults who live in unaffordable housing.
“British Columbians deserve a province that is prepared to care for people at every stage of life,” said Lowan. “Helping seniors stay in their own homes is better for them and better for the public purse. A long-term care bed costs taxpayers $27,740 more per year than two hours of daily home support — this move is the right thing to do for our seniors, the right thing to do for our economy, and the right thing to do, period.”
The BC Greens will:
- Further increase the thresholds for Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters to provide greater monthly rental assistance for low-income seniors. The thresholds will be raised to $48,000 for single individuals and $53,000 for couples, ensuring more seniors qualify for support.
- Apply vacancy control to assisted living, including the additional fees for services, to protect seniors from rent increases and extra charges.
- Develop and implement a detailed plan to increase the number of publicly-funded long-term care facilities to meet the growing demand for senior care services.
Please find our full Supporting Seniors policy brief below.
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Media contact
Prym Goodacre, Media & Campaigns Officer
+778 650 0597
newsroom@bcgreens.ca
The BG Greens believe that seniors should be valued, secure, and supported to live the lives they want.
People aged over 65 are the fast-growing population group in British Columbia, now making up more than one in five people. Seniors are an incredibly diverse group of British Columbians, with a range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, life experiences, and support needs. While many seniors have benefited enormously from accrued housing wealth and generous pensions, others are struggling with the cost of living crisis; 11% of food bank visits in British Columbia in 2025 were by people over 65.
The BC Greens will support seniors to remain independent and connected with families, friends and communities. People who wish to remain in their homes should have access to services that assist with daily living; on average, a long-term care bed costs taxpayers $27,740 more per year than two hours of daily home support. Correcting this imbalance by reimagining how we care for seniors will not only help with spending, it will also promote independence and quality of life for seniors. At the same time, we must fix the crisis in long-term care that has ballooned under this and previous governments. Between 2016 and 2025, the number of people waiting to be admitted to long-term care rose from 2,381 to 7,212, an increase of 200%. This problem has been exacerbated by the decision by the NDP Government to delay construction of seven long-term care facilities. In 2025, 5,900 seniors were forced to remain in hospital for an average of 38 days because there weren’t care beds to take them, causing distress for the patient and placing further strain on desperately needed health resources.
In 2025, the BC Greens worked with the government to increase supports available for seniors who rent under the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) programme. We increased thehousehold income limit to $40,000, including 1600 more seniors, and increased the average supplement by nearly 30%, bringing the average monthly subsidy to $337.
British Columbians deserve a province that is prepared to care for people at every stage of life. Yet today, our care systems are already struggling to meet demand, while the needs of an aging population continue to grow. More seniors will need home support, affordable housing, long-term care, caregiver respite, and reliable income supports in the years ahead. The gaps we face today will only widen if we fail to act now. We must build a province that plans ahead, invests in care, and treats dignity, independence, and support for older British Columbians as essential public responsibilities, not afterthoughts.
The BC Greens will:
Establish a clear dementia care pathway and support family practitioners to do more early screening for dementia, and develop a dementia support strategy, with a focus on cultural safety.
Further increase the thresholds for Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters to provide greater monthly rental assistance for low-income seniors. The thresholds will be raised to $48,000 for single individuals and $53,000 for couples, ensuring more seniors qualify for support.
Apply vacancy control to assisted living, including the additional fees for services, to protect seniors from rent increases and extra charges.
Improve access to respite care and day programs, ensuring that at-home care services are available for both medical care and assistance with daily tasks.
Develop and implement a detailed plan to increase the number of publicly-funded long-term care facilities to meet the growing demand for senior care services.
Develop and implement a rural seniors strategy to address the needs of seniors in rural communities.