By Balwant Sanghera

Canada is one of the wealthiest and resource rich countries. Also, it is a very welcoming and inclusive country. Our social safety net is an envy of the world. Unfortunately, our generosity and hospitality have often become the subject of misuse and exploitation by some unscrupulous elements. Our governments at all three levels, especially federal and provincial ones need to take appropriate measures to stop the misuse and abuse of our taxpayer dollars and help those who need it the most. Take for example our vulnerable senior citizens. 

Most of these people have made an excellent contribution to the growth and development of Canada. A large number of them are reported to have difficulty in making a decent living. As a person grows older his/her medical issues begin to take their toll. It has been reported that some of these seniors must make a choice of putting food on the table or pay for their medications. They don’t need to make these hard choices. The state has a responsibility to provide them with enough financial support so that they can live a decent life.  

A recent report released by BC’s Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt has highlighted the problems faced by senior citizens in B.C. It states that among other issues, there is massive increase in demand for long term care beds. The rapidly increasing senior’s population needs more at home care, assisted living facilities and long-term care beds. It goes on to state that wait list for long term care beds in BC has ballooned from 2381 in 2016 to 7,212 in 2025… Similarly, the wait times for long term care beds have increased from 146 days in 2018 to 290 days in 2025. This is just one of the many issues facing our seniors’ population. Physical, social, emotional and financial abuse of seniors are some of the other issues that need to be addressed. A lot of seniors are living in isolation. They desperately need to interact with another human being.  

As an alternative to long term care homes, home care is another viable alternative. Former Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie has been quoted in the media on this subject. According to her in the 2021-2022 fiscal year it is estimated to cost the government $14,000 a year to provide an hour of home support a day to a senior while it cost almostn$60,000 annually to house a senior in a long-term facility. In 2025 these figures may have changed. There is no doubt that the BC Ministry of Health has been doing everything it can to accommodate our fast-growing seniors’ population. In view of the financial constraints, it can do only so much. Thus, it is incumbent upon Ottawa to step in and support our seniors. It is time for Ottawa to focus more on issues like this.  

Now is the right time for our federal government to reset its priorities and help our vulnerable seniors.  Rather than sending money to some other countries and supporting their various programs and projects, Ottawa needs to focus more on helping Canadians first, including our senior citizens. Surrey based Progressive Intercultural Services Society (PICS) is a good example of providing much needed services to our seniors in a very effective and efficient manner. In this context, organizations like PICS are a good example for our decision makers-both in Ottawa and Victoria.   It is incumbent upon our governments to provide more support to this vulnerable segment of our society. They deserve it.     

Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist.