Vancouver City Council

REPORT TO COUNCIL

Date:

February 25, 2005

Author:

Bruce Chown

Phone No.:

604.266.1039

RTS No.:

4926

CC File No.:

3057-2

Meeting Date:

April 14, 2005

TO:

Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets

FROM:

Chair, Advisory Committee on Seniors' Issues

SUBJECT:

Advisory Committee on Seniors' Issues: 2004 Annual Report

RECOMMENDATION

THAT this report be received for information.

CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The City Manager submits the foregoing for INFORMATION.

PURPOSE

The Advisory Committee on Seniors' Issues submits its 2004 annual report to City Council.

BACKGROUND

The Advisory Committee on Seniors' Issues was established on December 11, 2003. The Committee is a continuation of the Special Advisory Committee on Seniors which was previously established by City Council on July 26, 1983. This former Committee continued in operation until the new Committee was appointed.

On March 26, 2004, City Council appointed 16 members to the Committee. All appointments were effective April 1, 2004. These appointees included five individuals with previous experience on the Committee and 11 new members.

The mandate of the Committee is to work to enhance access to City services for seniors, and to identify and suggest solutions to gaps and barriers that impede their full participation in all aspects of City life.

The terms of reference for the Committee are:

o advises on matters which affect seniors, including but not limited to;

o providing input on City policies and reports that affect seniors, e.g. Congregate Housing Guidelines, Accessible and Adaptable Design;

o monitoring and contributing to City programs to ensure that the needs of seniors are considered, e.g. sidewalk safety, crosswalks, pedestrian lights;

o acting as a resource and providing information to staff doing work which involves seniors e.g. public involvement processes, CityPlan Visioning;

o providing input on the design of seniors housing applications received by the City;

o contributes to City programs and policies to ensure that the needs of seniors are considered;

o views City programs and policies through a variety of lenses, including gender, racial origins, income levels, sexual orientation, age and levels of ability.

o works co-operatively with other civic agencies whose activities affect seniors

o engages in outreach to the seniors' community to disseminate information and encourage participation;

o acts as a conduit for feedback from seniors on civic matters affecting them;

o acts as a resource for staff doing public involvement processes involving seniors;

o supports groups endeavouring to initiate and develop projects to assist seniors;

o attends City-sponsored public forums to provide information on City programs and receive public input on seniors' issues;

o produces an annual work plan with specific objectives by no later than March of each year, in consultation with its Council and staff liaisons, for distribution to Council and civic departments for information;

o submits an annual report to Council describing its accomplishments for the year, including reference to each objective set out in the work plan and any arising issues to which the Committee has responded.

DISCUSSION

In 2004, a two-year work plan was developed for the Seniors' Committee. Following is a summary of the work undertaken in 2004.

Guest Presenters

Names of Presenters

Subject

Susan Adams, Registrar, Assisted Living

Supportive Living

Karis Hiebert, Planner, Central Area Major Developments Group, Jeff Olson, Via Architecture, Rob Whitlock, Housing Centre, Ian Smith, Seniors Planner for Southeast False Creek

Southeast False Creek Official Development Plan Proposal

Nancy Largent, Public Involvement Coordinator

Advisory Committee Orientation, Committee Web Pages, Citizens Participate Web Page

Bill Kilpatrick, Executive Director, Beulah Garden Home Society, Doug Purdy, Doug Purdy Associates, Jack Clerkson, Clerkson Consulting Inc.

Beulah Gardens Development

Patricia St. Michel, Planner, Neighbourhood Centres

Kingsway and Knight Housing Area Plan

Matt Shillito, Project Planner, Central Area Planning, Jeff Hull, Stantec Architects

Expansion of Vancouver Community College - King Edward Campus

Tom Yang, Manager, Service Contracts, TransLink

HandyDART Contract

Linda Thomas, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority

Seniors' health and housing issues

Charlene Masaro, RN and Executive Director, Chown Adult Day Centre

Adult Day Centres

Balwinder S. Chahal, Secretary, Harbans S. Pawar, President, M.S. Dhaliwal and Kulwand Minhas, Directors, Old Age Benefits Forum

Sought Committee support for a Federal Government request to ensure pension equality for all Canadian senior citizens regardless of their country of origin.

Patrick Simpson, Safer Home Society

Safer Home Certified Program

Significant Activities

o Co-chair participated in a meeting with the Mayor regarding social sustainability requirements of residents
o Co-chair attended the Mayor's Forum on Social Problems and Crime
o Meeting of Diversity Issues, Disability Issues and Seniors Committee Co-chairs to discuss improved cooperation among the three Civic committees. At this meeting, Chairs of the Seniors' Issues and Disability Issues Committees noted their similar interests in transportation for their respective constituencies and agreed to form a joint Transportation Subcommittee.
o Communicated with Ida Chong, Minister of State for Women's and Seniors' Issues regarding seniors' issues.

Significant Topics Considered

Housing

o Seniors Supportive and Assisted Living Text Amendment
o Safer Home Certified Program
o Subcommittee Chair addressed the Provincial Caucus Committee on Seniors Issues
o Zoning Policy
o 3355 East 5^th Avenue
o 2020 Harrison Drive

Transportation

o Pacific Transit Cooperative, HandyDART provider
o Accessible Trolley Buses

Community Liaison

o The Advisory Committee on Seniors' Issues took the lead and began a series of community liaison meetings in June 2004. The first Public Outreach Meeting held at Beulah Gardens discussed the Beulah Gardens development, Kingsway and Knight Housing Area Plan and invited citizen input regarding local issues and initiatives.
o Seniors Summit II Conference
o Rack cards describing the Seniors Committee were produced and circulated at the Seniors Summit II conference. Rack cards are available for future community outreaches.

Age Discrimination

o City Council approved an age discrimination motion put forward by the Seniors Committee which was forwarded to the Attorney General, Province of British Columbia, UBCM, LMMA, the Greater Vancouver Regional District and various seniors' groups.

CONCLUSION

The Advisory Committee on Seniors Issues submits its 2004 Annual Report for INFORMATION.

* * * * *

APPENDIX A

2004 ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON SENIORS' ISSUES MEMBERS

Mary Bosze, Co-chair
Thomas Brunker
Bruce Chown, Chair
Dena Dawson, Co-chair, Crime & Safety Subcommittee
Gillian Fullerton, Chair, Housing Subcommittee
Wyn Gladman
Sylvia Gurstein
Anne Judge, Co-chair Crime & Safety Subcommittee
Sophie King
Harry Lazar
Beatrice Leinbach
Margaret McPhee
Maureen Maclachlan
Josephine Mallek
Arun Mehta, Chair, Transportation Subcommittee
Joseph Polisky
Simon Oosterhuis, Chair, Health Subcommittee
James Chi Ming Pau
Cynthia Ramsay
Lee Purkin-Simpson
Carol D. Smith
Beverley Thomas
Lilian To
Anna Welbourn
Katherine Willett
Miriam Yu
Carmen Zajac

Council Liaison

Councillor Ellen Woodsworth

Park Board Liaison

Commissioner Loretta Woodcock

Date:	February 25, 2005
Author:	Bruce Chown
Phone No.:	604.266.1039
RTS No.:	4926
CC File No.:	3057-2
Meeting Date:	April 14, 2005

TO:	Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets
FROM:	Chair, Advisory Committee on Seniors' Issues
SUBJECT:	Advisory Committee on Seniors' Issues: 2004 Annual Report

Names of Presenters	Subject
Susan Adams, Registrar, Assisted Living	Supportive Living
Karis Hiebert, Planner, Central Area Major Developments Group, Jeff Olson, Via Architecture, Rob Whitlock, Housing Centre, Ian Smith, Seniors Planner for Southeast False Creek	Southeast False Creek Official Development Plan Proposal
Nancy Largent, Public Involvement Coordinator	Advisory Committee Orientation, Committee Web Pages, Citizens Participate Web Page
Bill Kilpatrick, Executive Director, Beulah Garden Home Society, Doug Purdy, Doug Purdy Associates, Jack Clerkson, Clerkson Consulting Inc.	Beulah Gardens Development
Patricia St. Michel, Planner, Neighbourhood Centres	Kingsway and Knight Housing Area Plan
Matt Shillito, Project Planner, Central Area Planning, Jeff Hull, Stantec Architects	Expansion of Vancouver Community College - King Edward Campus
Tom Yang, Manager, Service Contracts, TransLink	HandyDART Contract
Linda Thomas, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority	Seniors' health and housing issues
Charlene Masaro, RN and Executive Director, Chown Adult Day Centre	Adult Day Centres
Balwinder S. Chahal, Secretary, Harbans S. Pawar, President, M.S. Dhaliwal and Kulwand Minhas, Directors, Old Age Benefits Forum	Sought Committee support for a Federal Government request to ensure pension equality for all Canadian senior citizens regardless of their country of origin.
Patrick Simpson, Safer Home Society	Safer Home Certified Program