Seniors in every region of B.C. will benefit as 52 local governments receive age-friendly grants to support older residents in staying healthy and active in the community.

One element of Age-friendly BC is a partnership between the Province and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) to provide grants of up to $20,000 to local governments, through UBCM's age-friendly planning and project grant program, to help establish or continue a variety of projects, from improved transportation options for seniors to community gardens.

In September 2011, Premier Christy Clark announced the launch of Age-friendly BC, a grant and recognition program to help local governments create environments that support the good health and community participation of seniors. Due to an overwhelming response from communities, the Province has provided an additional $750,000 to further support age-friendly community planning and projects.

Examples of age-friendly community changes include widening sidewalks, installing benches, maximizing green space, and making information, programs and services more accessible to the older population.

More than 120 B.C. communities have completed some form of age-friendly initiative to date, ranging from setting public policy to making physical improvements to address the needs of older residents. With this round of grants, 100 local governments will have received grant funding for age-friendly planning and projects since 2007.

The Age-friendly BC program focuses on providing communities with support, information and recognition to help meet the needs of an aging population. Local governments can achieve age-friendly recognition and officially become an Age-friendly BC community once they have completed four basic steps that focus on community engagement, commitment, assessment and action.

Until Feb. 29, 2012, local governments can apply to be recognized using applications available on: www.seniorsbc.ca/agefriendly

Quotes:

Heath Slee, president, Union of British Columbia Municipalities -

"We are proud to partner with the Province on the Age-friendly BC program and it is wonderful to see how many B.C. communities completed some form of age-friendly initiative to support the needs of their older residents."

Mayor Ernie Daykin, District of

"In Maple Ridge we have a variety of projects underway to support our elders in the community, and I am thrilled that we have received funding to develop a volunteer program with the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society."

Quick Facts:

By 2031, close to 1.5 million British Columbians, or almost a quarter of the province's population, will be over 65.

• In June 2011, the Province - in partnership with the BC Chamber of Commerce -launched a guide entitled 'Creating an Age-friendly Business in B.C.' for businesses to address the needs of older customers and employees.
• In September 2011, B.C. launched 'Becoming an Age-friendly Community: Local Government Guide', a new tool for local governments, community organizations or local champions to help them create an age-friendly community.
• B.C. has 18 BC Seniors Community Parks - located right across the province - that are designed to help older adults stay mobile, physically active, and healthy in their communities.
• The easy-to-read B.C. Seniors' Guide contains information on a range of topics including transportation options, housing, health services and healthy living. It is also available in Chinese, Punjabi and French translations and includes telephone numbers and website information for frequently used resources.
• In 2009, the Province partnered with the United Way of the Lower Mainland to develop and pilot the Community Action for Seniors' Independence (CASI) project in five communities - including Maple Ridge. CASI gives seniors access to a range of non-medical home support services such as transportation, housekeeping, home repair, yard maintenance, friendly visiting and information to help them remain independent longer.

Learn More:

For more information on Age-friendly BC, please visit: http://www.seniorsbc.ca/agefriendly/.

Want your community recognized as age-friendly? Learn how: http://www.seniorsbc.ca/agefriendly/communities/recognition.html.

Want to know how to make your business more accessible to seniors? The guide, Creating an Age-friendly Business in B.C., is available at any BC Chamber of Commerce or online at: http://www.seniorsbc.ca/agefriendly/businesses/becoming_agefriendly.html.

Looking for general information on seniors and seniors' services? Visit: http://www.seniorsbc.ca

A backgrounder follows.

Contacts:

Ryan Jabs
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)

Paul Taylor
Relationships and Communications Advisor
Union of British Columbia Municipalities
250 356 2938

BACKGROUNDER

Project: Age-friendly Assessment and Plan. Grant Amount: $20,000

Cache Creek
Project: Seniors' Wellness Equipment and Program. Grant Amount: $20,000

Campbell River
Project: Walkability Inventory and Assessment. Grant Amount: $20,000

Capital RD
Project: Seniors' Trail Assessment and Info System. Grant Amount: $20,000

Castlegar
Project: Seniors-Oriented Transportation Service. Grant Amount: $20,000

Chetwynd
Project: Voice of Chetwynd Task Force. Grant Amount: $20,000

Clearwater
Project: Age-friendly Needs Assessment and Plan. Grant Amount: $17,670

Comox Valley RD
Project: Age-friendly Working Groups, Forums, Resource Guide. Grant Amount: $20,000

Coquitlam
Project: Multicultural Needs Assessment and Pilots. Grant Amount: $20,000

Cowichan Valley RD
Project: Cobble Hill Age-friendly Assessment /Housing Study. Grant Amount: $20,000

Cranbrook
Project: Public Produce Garden. Grant Amount: $20,000

Creston
Project: Develop Age-Friendly Action Plan. Grant Amount: $20,000

Duncan
Project: Duncan Age-Friendly Seniors Safety Implementation. Grant Amount: $20,000

Enderby
Project: Community Garden - Enderby Memorial Terrace. Grant Amount: $19,500

Esquimalt
Project: Seniors' Outdoor Park and Fitness Programs. Grant Amount: $20,000

Fraser Lake
Project: Computer Upgrade and Training Classes. Grant Amount: $13,700

Fraser Valley RD
Project: Age-Friendly Workshop, Report and Official Community Plan Input. Grant Amount: $16,060

Fruitvale
Project: Seniors Co-ordinator - Activity and Information Project. Grant Amount: $20,000

Gibsons
Project: Age-Friendly Committee / Official Community Plan Review. Grant Amount: $19,750

Hudson's Hope
Project: Update Official Community Plan to Include Age-Friendly. Grant Amount: $20,000

Kamloops
Project: Seniors' Fitness Assessment and Programming. Grant Amount: $17,780

Kelowna
Project: Develop Community Garden. Grant Amount: $20,000

Kent
Project: Age-friendly Assessment and Plan. Grant Amount: $20,000

Kimberley
Project: "GrandFriends" Seniors-Youth Mentoring Program. Grant Amount: $20,000

Logan Lake
Project: Age-friendly Assessment and Plan. Grant Amount: $20,000

Maple Ridge
Project: Ridge Meadows Volunteer Management Program. Grant Amount: $20,000

Metchosin
Project: Metchosin Seniors One-Stop Telephone Referral. Grant Amount: $20,000

Midway
Project: Food Preparation Area at Community Garden. Grant Amount: $20,000

Nanaimo
Project: Connecting with New Seniors' Residents. Grant Amount: $20,000

North Vancouver
Project: North Shore Age-friendly Planning. Grant Amount: $20,000

Northern Rockies
Project: Seniors Health and Wellness Plan and Fitness Park. Grant Amount: $20,000

Port Coquitlam
Project: Expansion of Outdoor Gym and Programming. Grant Amount: $20,000

Qualicum Beach
Project: Age-friendly Transportation Plan. Grant Amount: $20,000

Revelstoke
Project: Implementation Projects from Age-friendly Action Plan. Grant Amount: $20,000

Saanich
Project: Seniors Community Kitchen and Nutritional Program. Grant Amount: $20,000

Salmo
Project: Create Age-friendly Park Plan/ Park Update. Grant Amount: $20,000

Sechelt
Project: Resource Directory Project. Grant Amount: $12,480

Smithers
Project: Bulkley Valley Senior Co-housing Project. Grant Amount: $14,095

Sparwood
Project: Upgrade Kitchen and Cooking Education. Grant Amount: $20,000

Squamish Lillooet RD/ Pemberton
Project: Four Part Harmony Age-friendly Project. Grant Amount: $20,000

Stewart
Project: Community Shuttle and Seniors' Mobility Project. Grant Amount: $20,000

Sunshine Coast
Project: Recreation and Rehabilitation Project. Grant Amount: $20,000

Surrey
Project: Information and Outreach for Seniors and Mobility Improvement. Grant Amount: $20,000

Telkwa
Project: Age-friendly Assessment and Plan. Grant Amount: $4,600

Terrace
Project: Seniors Activity Co-ordinator. Grant Amount: $20,000

Vancouver
Project: Planning Dialogues for Social Amenity Plan. Grant Amount: $20,000

Vanderhoof
Project: Engage Seniors in Official Community Plan Update. Grant Amount: $19,768

Vernon
Project: Seniors Computer Group Support. Grant Amount: $12,000

Wells
Project: Workshops and Resources Directory. Grant Amount: $14,000

Whistler
Project: Accessible Community Gardens. Grant Amount: $20,000

White Rock
Project: Enhance Awareness of Community Resources and Emergency Planning. Grant Amount: $20,000

Williams Lake
Project: Fall Prevention/Balance Classes. Grant Amount: $20,000

Contacts:

Ryan Jabs
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)

Paul Taylor
Relationships and Communications Advisor
Union of British Columbia Municipalities
250 356 2938