Dunbar Seniors Give Advocate an Earful

By Carol Volkart

You could almost hear two worlds colliding when the city’s new advocate for seniors came up against the sometimes-harsh realities of aging in Vancouver.

While Anthony Kupferschmidt spoke of making the city an age-friendly place “where older persons are valued, engaged and supported,” his Dunbar Seniors’ Café audience had other tales to tell.

They spoke of broken sidewalks that send seniors tumbling; of eliminated bus stops that make transit harder to access; of a HandyDart system that requires booking a week ahead for a ride that may well be cancelled. They recalled an incident in which it took 35 minutes for an ambulance to reach a bleeding senior after a fall downtown. They mentioned problems with elevators and isolation in high-rise living. And they spoke of the difficulty of accessing services and programs when there’s no central list of what’s available.

Kupferschmidt, appointed in 2024 to the brand-new role of Strategic Lead for Aging and Older Persons, told the May 27 meeting in the Fireside Room at St. Philip’s Church that the city is now placing a priority on older adults.

Spurred on by statistics showing 17 percent of Vancouver’s population, or 110,000 people, were over the age of 65 as of the 2021 Census, Vancouver City Council passed the Older Persons Strategic Framework in February of 2025.

It sets out a series of goals that sometimes contrasted ironically with the issues raised at the Dunbar meeting. The goals are that seniors:

• be “engaged and included”
• be “connected and informed”
• “live in a home that supports aging in the right place”
• be able to “get around with dignity”
• have “access to spaces and places that meet their needs”
• be “supported by programs and services that enable health and well being”

And now, through a survey that ends June 22, and meetings like the Dunbar one with Kupferschmidt, the city is looking for input on what it should be doing in 2026 to move toward those goals.

Seniors listened politely to Kupferschmidt’s presentation on the city’s goals, achievements and aspirations, although the bureaucratic language caused Colleen McGuinness, who served as chair of the city’s seniors’ advisory committee for several years, to ask him to “speak English.”

And when it came time for seniors to speak, the frustration that simmered beneath the surface was evident, with several participants apologizing for their passion.

Far from enabling seniors to get around with dignity, “TransLink is undermining what people need,” said Bruce Gilmour, who is blind and relies on transit. Removing bus stops – as has happened in Dunbar and is now underway on Granville – has not speeded up service, he said.

Kupferschmidt said he has raised the matter with TransLink, but there are competing issues, and what’s been missing is a strong voice for seniors. He said he personally agreed with Gilmour: “You are preaching to the converted.”

When McGuinness noted that a request from one resident had led to the removal of two stops for more than a year, inconveniencing hundreds of people, Kupferschmidt said the city and TransLink work together on bus stops, meaning “there’s lots of finger-pointing.”

McGuinness also raised concerns about HandyDart service, noting that people must book a week ahead and trips can still be cancelled. There’s no spontaneity for users, she said. “There has to be a better system.”

Regarding places for seniors to meet, there was a discussion of programs at community centres, and a suggestion that proposed parking fees at community centres be waived for seniors.

The city’s drive for increased high-rise living also raised concerns about the impact on seniors, especially if there are emergencies that put elevators out of commission for long periods. (Coincidentally, the Vancouver Sun reported June 5 that one of the many seniors affected by a two-month-old elevator shutdown in a five-storey West End apartment building got so exhausted that she spent a night sleeping on the lobby floor.)

One speaker said there’s a need for accessible, free, communal spaces in high-rises where residents can get together, given that new security systems mean fewer casual encounters in elevators. “High-rises can become like a village if you have communal spaces where people can get to know each other,” one participant said.

Regarding one senior’s comment that she must use a cane now because she’s had three falls on poorly maintained sidewalks, Kupferschmidt agreed there are many tripping hazards. But he said the city will never be able to catch up on installing and repairing sidewalks.

So how much can Dunbar seniors – and others – expect from the city’s new focus on making Vancouver an age-friendly city?

The city’s Strategic Framework itself notes that aging issues cut across many agencies, including Vancouver Coastal Health, not-for-profit groups and the private sector, so the city can’t do it all on its own. “Greater coordination and shared accountability are necessary to improve the lives of older persons,” the report said.

Kupferschmidt’s own role is limited. He works out of the city manager’s office, but has no staff or budget, instead working in collaboration with various city departments and depending on their budgets for actions to be carried out.  “I’m a team of one,” he told the meeting. “I lead with influence rather than authority.”

The framework itself gives an idea of what’s been accomplished since the city decided it needed to pay more attention to seniors.

Among the “new” items: Awareness campaigns against ageism, updated content on the city’s website to make it accurate, the idea of providing some senior-serving organizations with multi-year funding so they don’t have to reapply every year, and an analysis of community centre programs and services for seniors.

Among the “ongoing” ones: Helping seniors overcome digital literacy barriers; celebrating aging by recognizing significant dates; improving transportation infrastructure through sidewalk repairs, traffic signals and bus stops; improving seniors’ knowledge of renters’ protections; and accelerating programs to increase safety for older pedestrians.

Those who want to take the seniors’ survey can fill it out here.