LionsBayAge Friendly Transitional Housing Initiative
We need to look into Age-Friendly Housing. LionsBayis among many communities in the world with a high population of elderly residents – in the last Census, over one-third of us were aged 55 and over. Council’s talks with Lions Bay seniors have revealed that housing is a main concern. Many might like to downsize, but Lions Bay lacks options for those who might like to do so. We are a community of large, single family residences. This is an area where Council needs to explore and understand Villagers’ opinions and needs and when we saw that grant funding was available (Age-Friendly Communities initiative sponsored through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities), Council decided to explore this further with the whole community.
A community specific survey was designed.Council has engaged a consultant, Raymond Penner of the Strategic Action Group, to design and conduct a survey to elicit Villagers’ interests, opinions and needs regarding age-friendly housing. Two workshops were held with a working group to help develop the survey questions that are specific for Lions Bay.
We are looking for views to help inform future choices. All Village residents of voting age are encouraged to complete the survey. In this initiative, Council is working from the ground up. At this point, we have no specific ideas or commitments regarding appropriate kinds of age-friendly development for the Village. Our intent is to run as neutral a process as possible to draw views from the community at large as to what the needs and interests are in age friendly housing. The consultant is under our instructions to that effect.
There will be opportunity for feedback and more input.The results of the survey will be first presented to the working group who helped in the development of the survey and then will be discussed at a public meeting to be scheduled in May (date to be announced). The data and public meeting input will be considered in future decisions around age-friendly housing options for Lions Bay. These options are likely to have a considerable range - building codes, programs to help older people stay in their houses as long as possible and possibly age-friendly housing developments. While our OCP directs Council to "explore" multi-family developments, this survey by itself will simply provide additional background information on community viewpoints. Any specific proposed changes in our current building codes or support for age-friendly housing will be examined on their own merit and subject to appropriate consultation and Council debate prior to decisions being made.
Mayor Brenda Broughton,
on behalf of VILLAGE OF LIONS BAY COUNCIL
LIONS BAY TRANSITIONAL AGE-FRIENDLY HOUSING SURVEY REPORT
To see the presentation made to Mayor and Council on June 21, 2010, please go Here >>
For a PDF copy of the above text, please visit the following link. Here >>
Click Here >> to view and download the Community Survey. Please submit to the Village Office or forward directly to Raymond Penner at strategicactiongroup@telus.net by May 3, 2010.
Thank you.
The Village of Lions Bay, PO Box 141, 400 Centre Rd, Lions Bay, BC V0N 2E0
604 921-9333 office
604 921-6643
