Vancouver City Council voted today to refer the Pearson Dogwood Redevelopment Policy Statement back to staff for further discussion and revision.
Both the Seniors Advisory Committee and the Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee have been critical of this policy statement because it appears to ignore the needs of seniors and people with disabilities. Our concerns have been described in a series of motions, which are included in Appendices “D” and “F” of the policy statement. Our three main concerns are as follows:
- The proposed redevelopment will not be a “campus of care” for older adults. A campus of care provides a range of housing and care options in one location, from independent housing to assisted living and complex care. This allows older adults to remain in one location as their care needs change. The proposed redevelopment does not include any new housing or care options (e.g., supportive housing) beyond the 113 residential care beds that currently exist in the Dogwood Lodge location. This is troubling given the growing population of older adults and the City’s commitment to make Vancouver an age-friendly city, of which aging-in-place is a key element.
- The proposed redevelopment does not embrace the Green House Project model for its residential care component, opting instead for institutional-style living (the differences between these types of residential housing are listed in Motion 2E of Appendix “F” in the policy statement). Both SAC and PDAC are adamantly opposed to the continuation or expansion of institutionalization in Vancouver, as this is not a best practice for aging adults or persons with disabilities who require residential care.
- The proposed redevelopment does not include a sufficient amount of affordable housing for seniors—units that do not exceed 30% of household income, as per the definition of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
We have called on the City to ask staff to work with us and other stakeholders to revise this proposal so that it better acknowledges and meets the needs of vulnerable older adults (recognizing, of course, that the City has limited jurisdiction over projects involving healthcare, which is the purview of the Province).
For media coverage of our presentations at the January 22 meeting of the City’s Standing Committee on Planning, Transportation and Environment (video: part 1, part 2), see the following:
Dogwood Pearson Policy Statement: Human dignity vs. development plans, Vancouver Observer, January 22
Vancouver delays decision on Pearson Dogwood policy after redevelopment plan draws concerns, Georgia Straight, January 23
Critic calls Pearson proposal ‘ethically wrong’, Vancouver Courier, January 23
