Age-friendly Assessment and Action Plan

On December 7, 2021, Council received the final report for the Whistler Age-friendly Assessment and Action Plan Project through Information Report No. 21-134.

The final report is the outcome of the project that was conducted by municipal staff with Cardea Health Consulting Inc. between April and October 2021. The report includes an action plan that will guide community partners and the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) to help Whistler seniors to age-in-place and further make Whistler an age-friendly community. 

Project overview

In March 2020, the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) provided a grant of $24,418 to the RMOW under Stream 1 (Age-friendly Assessments, Action Plans & Planning) of the UBCM 2020 Age-friendly Communities Program. The purpose of this funding was for the RMOW to undertake an assessment of Whistler’s current age‐friendliness and then develop a plan to support local seniors to age‐in‐place and to further make Whistler an age‐friendly community.

The project’s final report makes recommendations for the Whistler community within each of B.C.’s following eight age‐friendly community components:

  1. Outdoor spaces and buildings;
  2. Transportation (including traffic safety);
  3. Housing;
  4. Respect, social inclusion, or cultural safety;
  5. Social well‐being and participation;
  6. Communications and information;
  7. Community engagement and employment; and
  8. Community support and health and wellness services.

Community engagement and consultation

A Working Group of two community members and representatives from community organizations contributed to the project. The project’s engagement also included a community-wide survey, one-on-one interviews and a focused conversation. The Working Group and these engagement activities are discussed in detail in the final report. The RMOW and Cardea thank community members who participated in the project’s survey, interviews and focused conversations, and on the Working Group.

Background

The UBCM 2020 Age‐friendly Communities Program helps B.C. communities support aging populations by: developing and implementing policies and plans; undertaking projects that enable seniors and Elders to age in place; and facilitating the creation of age‐friendly communities. Local governments may apply for funding under two streams: Stream 1: Age‐friendly Assessments, Action Plans & Planning; and Stream 2: Age‐friendly Projects.

On January 21, 2020, Council passed a resolution endorsing the submission of a grant application to the UBCM 2020 Age-friendly Communities Program. At this meeting, Council also passed a resolution that if the grant is successfully obtained, staff would oversee the management of the grant and the undertaking of activities required by the Age-friendly Communities Program to develop an age-friendly assessment and action plan. These resolutions and further information are provided in Administrative Report No. 20-006.

The RMOW was successful in obtaining the grant. On April 6, 2021, Council received Information Report No. 21-029, which informed Council of the UBCM grant funding and provided an outline of the Whistler Age-friendly Assessment and Action Plan Project and its work plan. The RMOW and Cardea Health Consulting Inc. subsequently embarked on the project.

Contact

For questions or comments on this project:

planning@whistler.ca

604-935-8170