We all have the right to fully engage in the social, economic, and cultural life of our city. To ensure this happens, the City of Toronto promises to amend the Official Plan to recognize the City’s commitment to age-friendly principles.Age-Friendly City:For those of us who are older and have varying needs and capacities, an age friendly city adapts its structures and services, so we can access them. They address our needs, enhance our quality of life, and ensure we remain engaged in every aspect of civic life. Ensuring affordable and accessible social and community supports throughout our lives assists in easing the stress on ourselves or family members caring for older relatives. Check also, The Future Of Aging Age-mindful city: Toronto aims to govern with age-mindfulness, which means it views all aspects of city life from the perspective of us citizens, spanning the age spectrum. Toronto, like the rest of Canada, is ageing. The number of people over 45 years of age is growing rapidly, as well as in proportion to the total population. Increased urbanization of older Canadians throughout Canada means that Toronto has a greater share of people over 65 years of age living within the municipal boundaries compared to the surrounding regions. An Age-Friendly Toronto represents a shift in the relationship and responsibilities the City has with us. It will transform Toronto into a city in which all citizens have confidence in movement and residence and stay fully engaged in every aspect of civic life just as we have throughout our lives. For more on an Age-friendly Toronto, have a look at Canadian Association for Retired Persons’ (CARP) article.

We all deserve to feel safe and secure from physical, psychological and financial abuse. Programs and supports across Ontario’s systems of health, social, community, financial and justice are responsible for protecting us from these threats. Let’s find out how Ontario is protecting vulnerable seniors. Efforts protecting vulnerable seniors Ontario’s Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee acts as a public guardian for more than 13,500 mentally incapable adults and assists over 50,000 of Ontario’s most vulnerable citizens. To better safeguard our interests, the government promises to strengthen Ontario’s Office of the Public Guardian by improving its customer service provided through the creation of a contact centre, improved information management, and modernized service delivery. This will help them to support the anticipated increases to case volumes and complexities. It will also ensure that as demands increase with the aging population, they are able to continuously meet their service standards and legislative requirements. Improving prevention of elder abuse Elder abuse should never be tolerated. We all deserve to live safely and without fear in our homes and communities, which is why the government is planning on strengthening their work to prevent and respond to elder abuse. Actions include public education, service provider training, research, and improved community response, to better support abused older adults. This also includes dedicated efforts to address violence against older women as well as support to older people in Indigenous communities. Expansion of senior’s consumer protection services Unfortunately, seniors are a key target of scams. The Ontario government plans to launch a consumer protection program aimed at protecting our hard-earned money through education and awareness, as well as through enhanced assistance and intervention programs for those who have fallen victim to consumer threats or scams. If you’d like to report a safety or privacy-related incident, contact the Seniors Safety Line on 1-866-299-1011.