BC FORUM News October 1 is the United Nations
International Day of Older Persons October 1 is the UN Day of Older Persons. October 1st is an opportunity to appreciate and celebrate seniors. It is also a day to remember that in B.C. we need a government that will address senior’s issues. Housing Seniors who rent are finding it more and more difficult to find safe affordable housing. For the many low and moderate income seniors in this province there is a real and genuine need for more financial support in meeting their basic housing costs. Half of B.C. seniors live on $24,000 per year or less and more than 50,000 seniors are living on $20,000 or less. These are incomes that will not rise. Yet, in all corners of the province rents are increasing and seniors are finding it more and more difficult to pay rent, buy food, purchase medication etc. The province has a rent subsidy program for low income seniors, but the rates are too low. There is a desperate need for more seniors housing, yet despite Christy Clark’s statements that housing is front and centre in her government’s priorities, there is no provincial program to build affordable housing for seniors. We need a provincial government that will address housing issues for seniors. The Canada Pension Plan The BC Government is backing away from the support for CPP enhancement which would then destroy the entire deal for Canada. This proposed CPP enhancement may not help us all but it will sure help our younger colleagues, our kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews. The BC Government’s participation in this proposed enhancement is essential. However, the Christy Clark government has now slowed down the actual signing of this deal. We need a government that will safeguard and improve pensions for everyone. Seniors Health Care Seniors in residential care are suffering because of the policies and actions of the Christy Clark Government. A recent report from the B.C.’s Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie reveals four out of five care homes in the province don’t receive enough funding to meet the government’s minimum staffing guidelines. According to the Vancouver Sun, of the 232 government-funded facilities that are below the recommended 3.36 hours of care per resident per day, 74 per cent are owned and operated by private, for-profit businesses. Seniors in residential care deserve good treatment not understaffing. Seniors and home care Home care services for seniors have reached a breaking point in British Columbia. A 2015 study found that the number of people receiving home support in B.C. in 2013-14 was almost exactly the same as those who were receiving it 12 years earlier. This, despite the fact that over the course of those 12 years, there has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of seniors over the age of 65 and a 49 per cent increase in those older than 80. Seniors need decent home care to stay in our homes. We need a provincial government who understands that. The fight for $15 minimum wage Sadly, the fight for a $15.00 minimum wage is a senior’s issue. Nearly 10,000 working people age 55 and older earn the minimum wage. This means they cannot afford to have a dignified retirement. We need a provincial government who will raise the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour. On October 1st, BC FORUM urges you to participate in the UN International Day of Older Persons events in your community. (Please find a complete list at http://seniorsvoice.org ) On October 2nd and every day thereafter, please continue building a better world for seniors. Happy International Day for Older Persons. In Solidarity,
Diane Wood
President, BC FORUM | 
