REPRESENTATIVES from the Gaia Community Care and Wellness Society (Gaia) on Tuesday joined seniors, their families, and caregivers in delivering a petition to Premier David Eby’s Vancouver office, urging the BC NDP provincial government to immediately restore funding for what they said was a unique and indispensable seniors’ service program.
Teresa Wat, BC Conservative MLA for Richmond–Bridgeport, and Brennan Day, Opposition Critic for Rural Health and Seniors’ Health and MLA for Courtenay–Comox, were also present to show their support.
The 100 petition letters, submitted by seniors, families, and caregivers, express deep concern over the decision by the provincial government and BC Housing to stop funding Gaia this year. The petitioners say that the lack of provincial funding has placed the organization under severe pressure and put its services at risk. Families fear that losing this support would pose a direct threat to the health and even the lives of seniors.
“Families of seniors contacted me and invited me to visit the centre to meet the seniors and see for myself the services they rely on. When I visited, I saw first-hand how important these services are to them. Some family members became emotional and tearful when speaking about their fears. They are not asking for luxuries—they are asking to remain healthy, safe, and socially connected. This lifeline must be preserved,” said Wat.
Gaia provides fall prevention exercise classes, home safety checks, medical escort services, interpretation and document translation, caregiver support, and more, delivered in Cantonese, Mandarin, and Taishanese to ensure that seniors receive appropriate care in a familiar language and cultural environment.
“Gaia’s services help seniors remain safe, healthy, and socially connected, significantly reducing hospital admissions and delaying entry into long-term care homes. Such community services also effectively ease pressure on the healthcare system by reducing emergency room visits and hospital stays,” said Day.
He added: “The provincial government’s own ‘Aging in Place’ strategy emphasizes helping seniors stay in their homes and reducing demand for long-term care—Gaia is exactly the kind of program that achieves this goal. The decision to stop funding it is very short-sighted, will only increase healthcare costs, and will put more seniors at risk.”
Percy Wong, Executive Director of Gaia, said: “Culturally and linguistically appropriate services are vital to seniors’ health. Many of our seniors do not speak English and cannot navigate government services on their own. We are their interpreters, and sometimes their only social connection. Seniors have told us that before coming to Gaia, some went weeks without meaningful conversation because they could not speak English. They say that activities like singing Chinese songs and sharing traditional dishes give them a reason to get up in the morning, stay active, and even avoid hospitalization or moving into long-term care. We cannot let this lifeline disappear.”
The BC Conservative Caucus said it stands with Gaia and the families of affected seniors, emphasizing that dignity in aging should apply equally to seniors of all language backgrounds.
It is calling on the provincial government to:
- Immediately restore Gaia’s funding to prevent service disruption.
- Commit to multi-year funding agreements for culturally specific seniors’ programs.
- Ensure equitable access to seniors’ services across all cultural communities.
The provincial government must act immediately to ensure all seniors can continue to live in safe, supported, and connected communities, it said.
