The Colwood Age-friendly Community Plan will guide improvements that make our City more welcoming, comfortable and safe for people of all ages and all levels of mobility.

In December 2014, the City of Colwood earned an Age-friendly Community Planning grant of $20,000 from the BC Seniors' Housing and Support Initiative.

An Age-friendly community meets the diverse and changing needs of older adults, encouraging them to comfortably and safely age and engage in their community. Age-friendly cities are also highly accessible for all users, whether they have mobility issues or are pushing a stroller, and provides a high quality of life for all ages. Read the City news release Colwood wants your ideas to become more age-friendly.

Is Colwood Age-Friendly?

The first step was an external review of Colwood's current age-friendliness, assessing everything from City plans and bylaws, to facilities, infrastructure, programs and services. The World Health Organization Global Age Friendly Cities Guide recommends focusing on eight key features of an age-friendly community: Outdoor Spaces, Public Transportation, Housing, Community Support & Health Services, Social Participation, Respect & Civic Life, Employment & Volunteerism and Communications.

Hearing from you

The City invited seniors and other community members to share their experience of each of these aspects of Colwood and provide input through a survey. 

The survey was available to be completed online or on paper for submission by September 23, 2015. Paper copies were available at either Colwood City Hall (3300 Wishart Road) or the Juan de Fuca 55 Plus Activity Centre (1767 Island Highway).

Delving deeper through workshops

Community members were also invited to attend an Age-friendly Colwood Workshop on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 from 3-6pm at the Juan de Fuca Fieldhouse at 1767 Island Hwy in Colwood, and a follow up workshop at City Hall.

Read the Colwood Age Friendly Community Plan

Colwood Council received the Colwood Age Friendly Community Plan [pdf] at their meeting on March 14, 2016, and directed staff to consider age-friendly objectives in every project undertaken. Staff will also prepare a Council resolution that demonstrates the City’s commitment to becoming an age friendly community.