What age is a senior? Richmond defines it as 55 and older, but one city councillor challenged this number.
Given the healthy lifestyles of many in their fifties, Coun. Alexa Loo questioned why a senior in Richmond isn’t classified as 65 and older.
She told the planning committee this week she has a friend who’s 50 years old and is expecting twins – she hardly thinks her friend considers herself a senior.
“I don’t think when she’s taking her kids to preschool, she’s thinking herself a senior,” Loo said.
Furthermore, Loo questioned the seniors discount that in Richmond starts at 55 years old.
“You have a guy rolling in on his $20,000 bike, he doesn’t need a discount to go swimming,” Loo said.
And defining a senior at 55 can skew the numbers showing there are more seniors than there actually are in Richmond, she added.
“A lot of those 55 years olds are out biking 100 (kilometres) on Saturday morning, they’re working as lawyers, making good money – they’re none of these things,” she said, referring to the analysis of seniors in the seniors strategy document.
The planning committee was looking at an updated Seniors Strategy for the city, which stated 32 per cent of Richmond’s population are seniors, expected to go up to 39 per cent by 2036.
In 2019, city council was going to raise the age for discounts from 55 to 65, but, after a petition was brought to council with 300 signatures, the 55-age was kept in place.
Debbie Hertha, the city’s program lead for seniors, told the planning committee there will be a report coming to council later this year to address this issue.
Nevertheless, with an aging population in Richmond, Coun. Harold Steves argued the city should be adding a lot of more seniors housing.
New construction should always include a few storeys of seniors housing, he said, something he wanted at the new Steveston Community Centre, which will be built over the next few years at a cost of about $90 million.
“Wherever we have air space above a building, we should be putting in seniors housing,” Steves said.
But, he also pointed out, at his age – 84 years old – he’s still working “24 hours a day,” at least until he retires from council in October. (He is not running for another term after sitting on council for about 50 years.)
There were seven themes that emerged through consultation, reviewing literature and studying the demographics of Richmond.
These were reducing barriers so seniors can participate in activities, helping seniors age in place, making sure facilities are designed to be “age-friendly,” addressing stereotypes about seniors and ageism, raising awareness about seniors programs and services, ensuring there are enough resources for a growing seniors population and making sure the needs of a diverse population of seniors was being met.
