What happens when community leaders from coast to coast to coast come together with a shared vision for the future of ageing in Canada? The answer was on full display at the 2026 CBSS Sector Summit.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in person and online for this inspiring national gathering!

Under the theme The Power of Community: From Local Vision to National Action on Ageing, participants explored how local innovation, grassroots leadership, and collective action can shape a stronger future for ageing in community. Building on the momentum of the 2024 CBSS Sector Summit and informed by insights from 20 community consultations held across Canada over the past two years, the Summit showcased the growing strength of a sector that is coming together with shared purpose and a national voice.

Delegates exchanged ideas, celebrated successes, tackled shared challenges, and explored new opportunities to strengthen both their own organizations and the sector as a whole. The Summit highlighted the incredible work happening in communities across Canada while reinforcing a powerful message: when we work together, our impact reaches far beyond any one organization or community.

The conversations, connections, and momentum generated at this year’s Summit are only the beginning. Together, we are building a strong, unified, pan-Canadian CBSS sector — one whose vital role in Canadian society is formally recognized and supported.

A Milestone Event for Ageing in Community

Yet despite their tremendous impact, the sector often remains under-recognized, and many organizations face common challenges, including securing sustainable funding, building organizational capacity, and strengthening collaboration across communities and regions.

The CBSS Sector Summit has become a cornerstone event for organizations working at the heart of healthy ageing in Canada. Held every two years, the Summit provides a unique opportunity for community leaders to look beyond their local contexts and come together as part of a growing national movement. By gathering with hundreds of peers from across the country, participants share promising practices, explore innovative solutions, and help shape a collective vision for a strong, unified, and recognized pan-Canadian CBSS sector.

More than a conference, the Summit is a catalyst for sector-building. It strengthens relationships, sparks new partnerships, and creates space for organizations to align around common priorities and collective action. Together, the sector is building the momentum needed to advance the supports, investments, and policy changes that will enable older adults to age in the right place and participate fully in community life.

This year’s Summit reinforced a powerful message: while CBSS organizations across Canada all serve a diverse range of older adults and communities, the opportunities and challenges confronting the CBSS sector are deeply shared. Lasting progress happens when organizations come together — not only as local leaders, but as part of a coordinated national effort to create a better future for ageing in Canada.

Highlights from Our Two Days Together

The Summit began with an energizing networking reception with opening remarks from sector leaders and opportunities for participants to connect with colleagues from coast to coast to coast. The evening set the tone for what would become two days of learning, collaboration, and collective action.

Over the course of the Summit, delegates engaged with keynote presentations, panel discussions, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and collaborative planning sessions designed to strengthen the CBSS sector and advance a shared vision for ageing in community.

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What’s Next?

The conversations sparked in Winnipeg do not end with the Summit. The work of building a recognized, connected, and sustainable national CBSS sector continues through ongoing community consultations, collaborative planning, knowledge sharing, and advocacy efforts across Canada.

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