Jocelyne Lahaye

BC Seniors Advocate statement on Health Care Assistant Day – October 18, 2023 VICTORIA – “Today is Health Care Assistant Day in B.C and an opportunity to acknowledge the increasingly important role of these professionals in the well-being of seniors not only in our province but across the country. “Health care assistant is a broad … Read More

Wildfires are spreading in B.C. and some communities are under evacuation, evacuation alert or travel restrictions. Seniors can be more vulnerable to effects of wildfires and should take extra precautions at this time. Please monitor appropriate channels for the latest updates on wildfire activity and safety. Emergency Info BCFor the most current wildfire information including … Read More

Following a comprehensive review of the province’s assisted living services, the BC Seniors Advocate is calling on government to address the current confusing legislative landscape to protect seniors from significant rent and service fee increases, improve oversight and reporting, and address affordability challenges. Read the news releaseRead the full reportView the live stream presentationView the … Read More

BC Senior Advocate Isobel Mackenzie and Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin launched B.C. Seniors’ Week with a garden party at Government House to honour local senior volunteers on Monday. “Every day, seniors in this province give of their time and immense talents to make our communities better places to live. Whether it is delivering meals, raising … Read More

BC Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie has advised government that she will retire on March 31, 2024, and to begin the process of finding her successor. “While I could happily continue this richly rewarding work forever, I am aware that I cannot and should not go on indefinitely. With this in mind, I advised the Minister … Read More

March is Fraud Prevention Month, and with reported cases of fraud on the rise, all British Columbians are encouraged to increase their awareness of current scams and learn how they can protect themselves and their loved ones. Every year, people of all ages fall victim to fraud. In fact, 57,055 Canadians reported being targeted by … Read More

The Office of the Seniors Advocate has released its updated long-term care home directory for 2021/22 which also now also includes information on all publicly-funded assisted living facilities in British Columbia. The 2021/22 Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Directory includes basic information such as room configuration, languages spoken by staff, food preparation and also offers … Read More

Yesterday the BC Seniors Advocate released “BC Seniors: Falling Further Behind”, a new OSA report outlining the income and affordability challenges seniors in our province are facing. The report highlights the impact of rising costs on B.C. seniors who depend on government pensions and ranks B.C. as the lowest in its financial support for seniors … Read More