- Today
- Holidays
- Birthdays
- Reminders
- Cities
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Berwyn
- Beverly Hills
- Birmingham
- Boston
- Brooklyn
- Buffalo
- Charlotte
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Fort Worth
- Houston
- Indianapolis
- Knoxville
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Madison
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- New York
- Omaha
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Raleigh
- Richmond
- Rutherford
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Seattle
- Tampa
- Tucson
- Washington
Union Today
By the People, for the People
BC's Long-Term Care Crisis: Waitlists Double, Seniors Struggle
Aging population growth outpaces long-term care bed expansion, leaving thousands waiting months for placement
Apr. 12, 2026 at 5:41am
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›
An aging population and insufficient long-term care infrastructure in British Columbia have created a crisis, leaving thousands of seniors waiting months for placement.Union TodayThe number of seniors waiting for publicly funded long-term care in British Columbia has more than doubled since 2016, with the average wait time now approaching 10 months. Experts warn that the province's aging population is growing much faster than the capacity of long-term care facilities, creating a crisis that will only worsen without significant investment and expansion of services.
Why it matters
The long-term care crisis in BC has far-reaching social and economic implications. Overburdened healthcare services, increased pressure on families, and the potential for seniors to experience desperate circumstances like hospitals becoming overflow areas for long-term care needs all highlight the urgent need for the provincial government to prioritize solutions.
The details
According to a report from BC's seniors' advocate, the waitlist for long-term care beds has expanded by over 200% in the past seven years. While the senior population has grown by 19% in the last decade, the number of long-term care beds has only increased by 5%. Advocate Dan Levitt says BC needs to build approximately 16,000 new beds per year to keep up with demand, but current plans fall far short of that target.
- The waitlist for long-term care beds in BC has more than doubled since 2016.
- The average wait time for seniors to move into a publicly-funded care facility has increased from 5 months in 2016 to nearly 10 months currently.
- By 2036, nearly one in four British Columbians will be over 65 years old.
The players
Dan Levitt
The seniors' advocate leading the charge to address the long-term care crisis in British Columbia.
Laura Tamblyn Watts
The CEO of CanAge, a national seniors' advocacy organization, who is criticizing the provincial government's funding plans as 'woefully inadequate'.
What they’re saying
“To keep pace, BC needs to expand capacity significantly—proposing that approximately 16,000 new beds should be built each year. Currently, plans fall far short of this target, with just a few thousand beds expected to be added over the next five years.”
— Dan Levitt, Seniors' Advocate
“The announced efforts—particularly the lack of comprehensive plans beyond 2030—are 'woefully inadequate,' especially when one considers the population trends that predict an even greater need for services.”
— Laura Tamblyn Watts, CEO, CanAge
What’s next
The provincial government will need to make significant investments and expand long-term care capacity in order to address the growing crisis and prepare for the projected increase in the senior population in British Columbia.
The takeaway
The long-term care crisis in BC highlights the urgent need for the provincial government to prioritize the health and dignity of its aging population. Failure to act decisively could lead to increasingly desperate circumstances for seniors and their families, with profound social and economic consequences.
