Seniors’ coalition pushes home support onto B.C. election agenda

Seniors’ coalition pushes home support onto B.C. election agenda

Published 5:30 am Friday, October 2, 2026

A coalition of seniors’ organizations, caregivers and care providers is urging B.C.’s political parties to make affordable home support an election issue as voters prepare to head to the polls next month.

The call comes from the Health Care Needs Home Care coalition, which says more than 1,200 constituent letters have been sent to MLAs since its campaign launched June 2, asking for improved access to affordable home support for seniors.

The campaign’s push now lands in the middle of a provincial election.

Writs were issued Sept. 22 for B.C.’s 44th provincial general election, with voters set to elect MLAs in the province’s 93 electoral districts.

The coalition says the election shouldn’t interrupt efforts to address a problem that existed before the campaign began.

For many seniors, home support can provide the assistance they need to remain safely and independently in their homes.

The coalition argues co-payments and other barriers can make publicly funded services difficult for some seniors to access, while inadequate support can increase pressure on relatives and other caregivers.

The group is calling for co-payments for publicly funded home support to be eliminated and for greater access to alternative ways of delivering those services.

“More than 1,200 British Columbians have taken the time to write to their MLAs because this issue matters to them,” Jeff Moss, speaking on behalf of the coalition, said in a statement.

Moss said seniors and their families need to know that political parties and candidates support them by improving affordable access to home support.

“This is an issue that needs to be part of the provincial election conversation,” he said.

The coalition says the organizations involved in the campaign represent more than 500,000 B.C. seniors.

It also wants home support considered in the broader discussion about health-care capacity, arguing that helping seniors remain safely at home can ease demands on family caregivers and potentially reduce pressure on hospitals, alternate-level-of-care beds and long-term care.

Barb MacLean, executive director of Family Caregivers of British Columbia, said the issue affects both seniors and the people who help care for them.

“Seniors and their family caregivers need solutions that allow people to age with dignity in their own homes and communities,” MacLean said. “We want to see seniors’ home support addressed by all parties during this election.”

Throughout the campaign, the coalition says it plans to press parties and candidates on several issues, including how seniors will access needed home support and whether they will support eliminating co-payments and other financial barriers.

It is also seeking commitments on investments that help seniors age in place, measures to support family caregivers, alternative models for delivering home care and policies addressing pressures on hospitals and long-term care.

Advance voting is scheduled for Oct. 16 to Oct. 21, followed by final voting day on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Health Care Needs Home Care is a provincewide coalition that brings together B.C. seniors’ organizations, caregivers, advocates and care providers to push for more accessible and affordable home support. The campaign is calling for the elimination of co-payments for publicly funded home support and changes aimed at helping more seniors remain safely and independently in their own homes.