Langford, seen as a young and happening place, is acknowledging the value of diversity by making an effort to accommodate more seniors, recognizing that corralling seniors in a place by themselves is good for neither the seniors nor the community.
It鈥檚 a necessary move, given that the proportion of seniors in the population is growing rapidly.
Thirty-two per cent of the West Shore municipality鈥檚 population is between the ages of 25 and 44, compared to the sa国际传媒 average of 26.3 per cent, but Mayor Stew Young says there鈥檚 plenty of room for those in their golden years.
The city offers seniors鈥� housing developments a 10-year tax holiday. Conscious of the need to become more senior-friendly, it is adopting such measures as providing wider sidewalks that can accommodate both pedestrians and mobility scooters.
The capital region has an abundance of seniors-only developments, and many retirees choose to live there. There comes a time when looking after a large house and a yard becomes too much of a hassle, either because of capabilities or simply preference.
But it can be a difficult adjustment to move from a suburban home with a spacious yard to a condo in a complex with hundreds of other residents close by. Being able to get out into a community that accommodates seniors provides the best of both worlds.
The whole community benefits. A significant percentage of valuable volunteers are seniors. They offer not only their labour, but their wisdom and experience. A community with a diversity of age groups is a richer community.
鈥淚鈥檝e always supported having seniors living in the community [because] it makes it a healthier community,鈥� Langford鈥檚 mayor says. 鈥淵ou want to have a diverse type of housing, diverse types of people living there and just be welcoming to everybody.鈥�
It鈥檚 a forward-looking approach. sa国际传媒 is facing its biggest demographic wave since the postwar baby boom as those boomers become senior citizens. According to the 2011 census, the number of Canadians 65 and over increased by 27 per cent between 2001 and 2011. By 2036, about 25 per cent of the population will be senior citizens.
And that means challenges for municipal governments.
鈥淢unicipalities are front and centre when it comes to many of the services that benefit older Canadians, including affordable housing, transportation, recreation, physical infrastructure and community health,鈥� wrote Karen Leibovic, 2012 president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, in an FCM report entitled sa国际传媒鈥檚 Aging Population: The municipal role in sa国际传媒鈥檚 demographic shift.
Given the popularity of Vancouver Island as a retirement spot, it鈥檚 especially important for municipalities here to be prepared for the inevitable wave of retiring baby boomers.
To be senior-friendly, a community must be walkable and livable, with easy access to stores, services, recreation and health care. Langford has made a start, but it isn鈥檛 there yet. It has the amenities, including the big-box stores, but they are spread out and not conducive to pedestrian traffic. It is not as senior-friendly as, say, Sidney, which is flat and compact, with a walkable, friendly downtown core.
That doesn鈥檛 mean Langford should try to be another Sidney-by-the-Sea 鈥� it has its own robust, can-do character and doesn鈥檛 need to apologize for that. And its trolley service 鈥� free or by donation 鈥� that connects the municipality鈥檚 various shopping areas is a good concept. Perhaps it could be expanded to include stops at senior complexes and more service centres.
The challenges in accommodating the wave of boomers are significant, and the time for meeting the challenges is before the wave is upon us. Being prepared is a lot easier than catching up.
