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B.C. Seniors’ Poverty Rate Highest in Canada, New Report
VANCOUVER, British Co-
lumbia -- Seniors’ poverty in
British Columbia is the highest
rate in the country, according
to the B.C. Seniors’ Poverty Re-
port Card released today by the
Social Planning and Research
Council of British Columbia
(SPARC BC), and United Way of
the Lower Mainland.
The B.C. Seniors’ Poverty
Report Card is the first of its
kind and is based on the latest
data available from Statistics
Canada (2015). It consists of 13
fact sheets illustrating the scope
of seniors’ poverty in British Co-
lumbia.
The report is available at
www.uwlm.ca/news/bc-seniors-
poverty-report-card
Among the key findings:
• B.C. has the highest se-
niors’ poverty rate in Canada
o 8.8 per cent of seniors
live in poverty, in B.C.
o 6.6 per cent of seniors live
in poverty, on average, across
Canada
• The number of seniors
living in poverty has more than
doubled since 2000
o 33,780 seniors lived in
poverty in 2000
o 70,990 seniors lived in
poverty in 2015
• Single seniors are more
than 3 times as likely to be poor
than coupled seniors
o 16 per cent of single se-
niors in B.C. live in poverty
o 4.9 per cent of seniors in
B.C. live in poverty, in coupled
families
“The B.C. Seniors’ Poverty
Report Card provides com-
pelling evidence that seniors’
poverty is a growing challenge
across our province,” said Scott
Graham, Associate Executive
Director and Manager of Re-
search, Planning and Consult-
ing with SPARC BC. “It provides
clear evidence that specific pov-
erty reduction strategies for se-
niors are necessary.”
“Older adults living in pov-
erty are often vulnerable and
isolated,” said Kahir Lalji, Pro-
vincial Director of Healthy Ag-
ing at United Way of the Lower
Mainland. “Every older adult is
a part of a larger community,
which is why holistic, commu-
nity-based supports are essen-
tial to prevent and mitigate the
negative impacts of poverty in
their lives, and for their families
and their caregivers.”
The B.C. Seniors’ Poverty
Report Card is released as a
panel struck by the Government
of B.C. consolidates feedback
from online and in-person com-
munity consultations on poverty
solutions. Representatives from
SPARC BC, United Way of the
Lower Mainland and their part-
ners were active, collaborative
participants in the community
engagement process, which
took place from the fall of 2017
Vancouver
Port Coquitlam
Burnaby
Richmond
to spring 2018. Poverty reduc-
tion legislation is anticipated in
fall 2018, with the province’s
first poverty reduction strategy,
expected to follow.
In 2017-2018, 60,000 se-
niors found vital connections in
128 United Way-supported pro-
grams. These programs com-
bine physical and social activi-
ties to help improve vulnerable
seniors’ quality of life, so they
stay independent and healthy,
for as long as possible. (www.
sparc.bc.ca; www.uwlm.ca)
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