January 27,2026
RED FM News Desk
British Columbia’s seniors advocate is warning of a growing shortfall in long-term care spaces, saying demand has surged far faster than capacity over the past several years.
In the newly released 2025 Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Directory, Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt says the number of long-term care beds in B.C. has increased by just five per cent since 2019–2020, while the population aged 65 and older has grown by 19 per cent during the same period.
Levitt estimates the province will need an additional 16,000 long-term care beds over the next decade to keep pace with demand, adding that the B.C. government currently has no plan to meet this demand.
The Canadian Press says that the report notes that more than 1,400 long-term care beds and six new facilities have been added since 2019, including 513 beds in 2024–2025 at new care homes in communities such as Kamloops, Aldergrove, Victoria and Prince George.
However, the data also shows a decline in assisted living options, with seven fewer publicly subsidized assisted-living units available last year compared with the year before.
Levitt says wait lists and wait times for long-term care continue to grow, while publicly funded home-support services remain unaffordable for many and often fail to provide enough assistance for seniors living at home.
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