(Image Credit: Curtis Goodrum / CFJC Today)

By Curtis Goodrum

HEALTHCARE WAITLIST

BC Seniors advocate demands province do more in wake of increasing wait times

Mar 27, 2026 | 6:39 AM

KAMLOOPS – On Thursday (March 26), the BC Seniors Advocate published a report detailing how the provincial government has failed to meet the expectations of an aging population.

Just over 1.1 million people in British Columbia are above the age of 65, a 44 per cent increase from just 10 years ago. As this population ages, more pressure will be put on the healthcare system in B.C., something the advocate says the province should’ve been prepared for.

Important surgeries like knee and hip replacements have increased by over 60 per cent in recent years – a fact the advocate calls troubling.

“A growing number of seniors are unable to access the supports, which is extremely troubling for seniors and their loved ones. The youngest baby boomer is 62, the oldest is 80. We’re going to need more public services as that demographic ages,” Dan Levitt, the BC Seniors Advocate said. 

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The Kamloops Centre for Seniors Information (KCSI) deals with many seniors who have been on waitlists for years. They say the lack of support from the province is felt by those who need it the most.

“People come in and say, ‘I’ve worked my whole life, and I turn 65, and I don’t have any more extended benefits, and I need some hearing aids.’ There’s no provincial help for any of that. It’s tough when you’re adding wait times on top of the people that are already frustrated,” Brandi Allen, KCSI executive director said. 

Levitt says the province lags behind the country in senior supports like long-term care beds, which have seen wait times go from 144 days to 287 days in just seven years.

“Whether it’s transportation, whether it’s income, supports, whether it’s health care or housing, we have to reduce the waitlist. We have to start building the infrastructure now,” Levitt said. 

The silver tsunami was coined years ago to describe the aging baby boomer population. The tsunami has now arrived, and the KCSI says the government didn’t do proper flood mitigation.

“We’re in a position now where it is a silver tsunami. I wish I had answers as to what the plan was. I don’t, and I hope that the powers that be come out with some grand plan on how to fix the system,” Allen said. 

The BC Seniors Advocate says while the province has made some progress, it’s too little, and measures have to be put in place soon to help ease the system.

“There are some bright spots in our report this year. Unfortunately, they seem to be overshadowed by the areas where we have critical investments that are needed going forward,” Levitt said. 

The full report can be found here.