Statistics Canada is projecting that British Columbia’s senior population will comprise between 24 per cent and 27 per cent of B.C.’s population in 2038. This is nearly five-per-cent higher than the Canadian average. According to the data released this week and published in The Vancouver Sun, the number of seniors living in B.C. is expected to reach between 1.4 million and 1.6 million, compared with 750,000 in 2013. “B.C. has had an older-than-average age structure for a number of years now, so that is really just continued to project for the future,” said Nora Bohnert, an analyst with Statistics Canada. By 2030, the year in which the youngest baby boomers will reach age 65, the agency says close to one in four Canadians will be over 65, or roughly 23 per cent of the population, compared with 15.3 per cent in 2013. Stats Can predicts that the number of seniors will be the highest in the Atlantic Provinces, followed by Ontario, Quebec and B.C. The lowest proportion of seniors is expected in Alberta, where more young people are migrating for job opportunities, combined with continued higher fertility rates. Overall, the Canadian population is expected to reach between 40 million and 63.5 million people by 2063. The number of Canadians aged 80 years and over will reach nearly five million, compared with 1.4 million in 2013. In 2014/15, United Way British Columbia will be investing $12.7 million into programs and services for seniors including funding for the provincial seniors program Better at Home.
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