This week, HelpAge Canada CEO, Kahir Lalji, travelled to Whitehorse and Haines Junction to connect with older Yukoners and dedicated staff and volunteers from local Community-Based Seniors’ Services (CBSS) organizations in the territory. Alongside Gabrielle Gallant, Director of Policy at the National Institute on Ageing, meetings took place with the Golden Age Society, Yukon Council on Aging, and the St. Elias Seniors & Elders Society, along with a stop at the Yukon Legislative Assembly Office, and interview on CBC radio.
Working Side-by-side with Local Communities
This visit reflects HelpAge Canada’s ongoing commitment to working side-by-side with local organizations in the ageing space across Canada, to better understand and amplify the unique needs and challenges facing older people in every region of the country, including remote, equity-seeking, and under-served cultures and communities.
“As we continue our work to convene, coordinate, and collaborate with our country’s growing network of CBSS organizations, these powerful conversations at the community level will help to shape, build, and scale programs, policy, practices, and processes to keep older persons socially connected, active and meaningfully engaged in their communities, while at the same time addressing ageist barriers to access,” Kahir says. “We know one of the most impactful ways to do this is to strengthen the work and network of community-based seniors-serving organizations that provide these programs and services.”
A Critical Time for Older People in Canada
The Yukon visit marks Phase 1 of a two-part consultation in the territory that will lead to critical recommendations at a critical time: Canada’s older population is growing rapidly. By 2030, 1 in 4 Canadians will be 65 or older. Yet in March 2025, the federal Minister of Seniors role was discontinued. Now, with a Canadian election for Prime Minister April 28th, calls to reinstate a Minister for Older Persons are being heard collectively from HelpAge Canada, NIA Canada, CanAge, International Longevity Centre Canada, and other leading voices to ensure older people are not forgotten on or after election day. Kahir says, “Older people must be central to policy, platform, and funding discussions – not an afterthought.”
Stay Tuned as CBSS Sector Community Consultations Continue
This spring and summer, HelpAge Canada will continue with provincial and territorial visits and CBSS consultations, in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Eastern Canada regions.
Together with local voices leading the way, HelpAge Canada continues its work to support, invest in, and build a unified pan-Canadian CBSS sector that ensures older people can age in community, and live with dignity, connection, and purpose – at every age.
