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- calendar_today October 22, 2026
The B.C. NDP's Promises on Seniors Care
The B.C. New Democratic Party (NDP) made prominent commitments in 2024 to bolster support for seniors care. These promises included adding 5,400 new long-term care beds to the system and expanding access to home care, aiming to allow more seniors to live independently at home.
Status of Long-Term Care Beds
Data from the Office of the Seniors Advocate reveals that between March 2024 and March 2025, the B.C. government added 484 new publicly funded long-term care beds. Overall, since the NDP government was elected in 2017, just under 1,700 public beds have been added.
Despite these additions, access has become more strained due to the province's aging population. According to a 2025 report by the Seniors Advocate, there were 77 long-term care beds per 1,000 residents aged 75 and over in 2015/16, a figure that dropped to 58 by 2024/25. Median wait times have risen in all health regions—most notably in Fraser Health, where wait times increased tenfold between 2018 and 2025. The number of people on waiting lists for long-term care has more than tripled over the past decade.
Facilities Development and Budget Constraints
The NDP government paused the development of seven long-term care facilities in its recent budget, which projected a $13 billion deficit for the year, to review and manage high construction costs. One example is the Beedie Long-Term Care Centre in Delta, which has been on hold for several months as the government seeks to reduce the per-bed cost—for one facility, that cost was anticipated to reach $1.8 million.
If re-elected, the NDP said it would resume work on the seven paused facilities, located in Abbotsford, Campbell River, Chilliwack, Kelowna, Delta, Fort St. John, and Squamish, and add a new facility in Oak Bay. Party Leader David Eby explained that costs have now been standardized to allow these projects to move forward.
Major Party Proposals and Alternatives
Opposition parties have presented their own approaches to seniors care. B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson proposes a more flexible funding system where public money would follow the senior, allowing for more choice in choosing providers. Doerkson emphasized that any provider—public or non-government—that meets strict safety and quality standards would be eligible.
The B.C. Green Party has committed to improving affordability for seniors and increasing the number of publicly funded long-term care facilities.
The State of Home Care and Support
The Seniors Advocate estimates that 12.5 percent of new admissions to long-term care could potentially have been managed at home, which many seniors would prefer. The cost to health authorities for providing a senior with one hour of home support daily is roughly $15,000 per year, in contrast to just over $100,000 annually for long-term care placement.
The NDP government invested in expanding the Better at Home program, operated by United Way, which assists seniors with non-medical needs such as grocery shopping and transportation. The party also pledges to add 500 health-care workers and expand virtual long-term care monitoring, which it estimates could help about 5,600 seniors stay at home longer.
Despite these efforts, home support remains out of reach for many. The Seniors Advocate estimates a single senior earning $31,000 annually would pay over $10,000 each year for a daily one-hour home visit. Home support rates for those aged 75 and over have dropped 10 percent in the past five years, and rural clients receive 23 percent fewer hours of support than those in urban areas.
Ongoing Challenges in Seniors Care
Both long-term care bed availability and home-based support have not kept pace with demand, leading to longer wait times and rising costs for seniors. While parties have outlined plans to address these issues, data indicates that further investment and changes will be necessary to meet the needs of an aging population in British Columbia.
Source: cbc.ca.
