News

A group of local philanthropists with a goal of raising $1 million to help seniors isolating on their own and living in long-term care homes during the pandemic have reached three-quarters of their goal. See the attached website link for the full article.

This Globe and Mail article discusses the statistics on COVID-19 deaths in long-term care homes in Canada, and compares these numbers to other OECD countries. See the attached website link for full article. Published June 25, 2020.

MLA of Courenay-Comox, Ronna-Rae Leonard, writes about the challenges of COVID-19 for seniors and the success of the BC211 program in supporting seniors during this time. See attached webpage link.

See the attached website link for Isobel Mackenzie's (Seniors Advocate) media statement released on June 15, 2020 regarding World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. This statement outlines some of the current approaches her office is taking to address and bring awareness to the various types of elder abuse

As COVID-19 continues to spread globally, watch out for associated scams. Fraudsters want to profit from consumers' fears, uncertainties and misinformation. Fraudsters are exploiting the crisis to facilitate fraud and cyber crime. Since the Government of Canada launched the Canada Emergency Response

May 25, 2020 – The horror and sorrow arising from the disproportionate number of deaths in long-term care facilities as a direct or indirect result of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed grim realities about the conditions in which Canadian seniors (and others who cannot care for themselves) live

The federal government is promising additional support for seniors amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 21, they pledged to give a one-time, tax-free payment of $300 to eligible seniors through the Old Age Security (OAS) pension. Those eligible for the Guaranteed Income Supplement will receive $200 on

Surrey Shares, is an initiative of the Surrey Intercultural Seniors Social Inclusion Partnership Network, starting new free program Over the course of 16 weeks, participants will engage in goal-setting and personal-growth exercises with a certified life coach, while working with a speaking coach to

The Government of B.C. has announced a new website where you can find all government information on COVID-19 that is made available in eight languages. This includes: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Punjabi, French, Farsi, Arabic, Tagalog, and Korean. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content

BC Minister of Healthy Adrian Dix and Isobel Mackenzie, B.C.'s Senior's Advocate announce the expansion of bc211 and the Better at Home Program to provide additional community supports for seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic. View the announcement here.