When my father retired, seniors made up 9% of BC’s population. Now they are 20%. And here on the Sunshine Coast, 33% of our population is aged 65 or over.
A few years ago I travelled to England and was startled to discover that seniors discounts are next to nonexistent there. This is a North American phenomenon dating back to a time before public pensions when there were high rates of old age poverty. But times have changed. Most seniors have pensions now and a majority are mortgage free, living comfortably in homes that were purchased when housing was relatively cheap.
This CBC article: Do seniors discounts make sense? notes that only 6% of Canadian seniors are low income today, compared to 11% of other adults. So I believe that it’s past time that we based discounts on income rather than age.
I also fully support Generation Squeeze’s campaign to cap Old Age Security eligibility at a much lower income threshold and redirect that public money to those who need it the most. (Currently retired couples earning up to $180,000 receive the full OAS.) And we need to close loopholes so that senior discounts are not abused. (See recent Vancouver Sun article about property tax deferment)
And while we’re at it, why not look at a single transportation discount card good across the province on multiple modes of transportation? The BC Bus Pass is a terrific program, available to low income seniors and people with disabilities. For $55 a year you get unlimited travel on transit everywhere in BC. Why not make the BC Bus Pass valid on BC Ferries for walk-on passengers instead of giving one third of the Sunshine Coast a free ride every Monday to Thursday?
I recognize that there are still holes in the public safety net for seniors, especially around home support and extended medical costs. People living in care facilities, for example, have to pay for their own walkers, wheelchairs, hearing aids, glasses, and dentures. So again, let’s redirect public subsidies to areas of real need.
And while I’m ranting, let me share the words of a wise friend of mine who pointed out that Canadians have stopped thinking of ourselves as citizens in a democracy and instead become consumers in an economy. In the consumer model of citizenship, retirement is an indulgent spree of travel and leisure products.
But now that 70 is the new 55 (according to landmark studies of aging as reported in New Scientist), we have an unprecedented number of healthy, educated, talented, affluent seniors. That’s an incredible resource and a huge opportunity. Those of us who were fortunate enough to benefit from the post WWII economic boom can surely find significant ways to give back to our communities.
For me, that would include ditching seniors discounts and paying $15.65 for a round trip on the ferry. Wait, make that $12.30 with the Experience card discount.
It’s still a deal.
