By Canadian Press

B.C. and Ottawa announce $733M in federal health funding for province’s seniors

Feb 12, 2024 | 1:22 PM

VANCOUVER — British Columbia and Ottawa have announced $733 million in new federal funding over the next five years to improve health care for the province’s seniors.

They say the funds will help expand home and community care, improve access to palliative and end-of-life services and improve the quality of long-term care.

The announcement by Canada Health Minister Mark Holland and B.C. counterpart Adrian Dix in Vancouver marks the second major bilateral health funding deal between the two governments in four months.

It builds on a $1.2-billion bilateral agreement announced in October, which aims to improve how health information is collected, shared and used as well as to streamline foreign credential recognition for internationally educated health professionals.

Dix says the province is working to improve the health-care system, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a big impact on seniors.

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He told the news conference there’s been a significant increase of elderly seniors in the province and the new agreement reflects the needs of a changing society.

“As B.C.’s seniors’ population grows rapidly and in some communities at an unprecedented rate, so does the demand for health-care services,” he said in a news release Monday.

“The bilateral funding agreement announced today bolsters B.C.’s investments to meet that need in the short and long term by improving access to high-quality, safe, dignified home and community care, palliative and end-of-life care as well as long-term care services for seniors and their families.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press