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Creating Healthy Public Policy Webinar – Navigating the Public Policy Pathway
Our Local Government Leaders Speaker Series on Creating Healthy Public Policy is supported by PlanH, a collaboration between BC Healthy Communities Society and the BC Ministry of Health. This...

The importance of using an equity lens in age-friendly communities planning
The diversity of the B.C. population cultivates connections and celebrates cultures, experiences, and life paths that combine to create connected and resilient communities. However, these...



Local and Indigenous governments across B.C. receive grants and capacity-building supports to develop age-friendly communities
Local and Indigenous governments across the province have been awarded $500,000 in grants and additional customized supports through the Age-friendly Communities Grant Program for 13 Plans and 12...


On-demand Webinar: Local Government Leaders Speaker Series – Equitable Extreme Heat Planning
In collaboration with partners in communities across the province, BC Healthy Communities (BCHC) is continuing its speaker series to bring fresh ideas for healthy public policy to local and...


PlanH Grantee announcement! Grants awarded to local and Indigenous B.C. governments to improve community connection and create healthy public policies
Local and Indigenous governments across the province have been awarded $330,000 in grants and additional customized supports through the PlanH program for thirty-four projects that improve community...


Creating Healthy Public Policy: Equitable Extreme Heat Planning
As part of our Local Government Leaders Speaker Series, BC Healthy Communities is pleased to present Creating Healthy Public Policy: Equitable Extreme Heat Planning on August 17, 2022 at 11am...



BC Healthy Communities newly administers the Age-friendly Communities Grant Program
Canada’s population is aging and by 2037, the number of Canadians 65 years and older is predicted to be approximately 10.4 million. Over the next 20 years, this group is forecasted to grow by...


On-demand Webinar: 2022 Age-friendly Communities Grant Program information session
Watch the recording of the 2022 Age-friendly Communities Grant Program information session, where we explained the program in greater detail, answered questions and offered guidance on submitting an...


2022 PlanH Grants deadline extended for Vancouver Coastal Health
In response to requests from communities and partners, we’ve extended the application deadline for our Healthy Public Policy grants for the Vancouver Coastal Health region. We’re now accepting...



BC Healthy Communities steps into Age-friendly Communities grant administration role
Since 2007, the B.C. Ministry of Health’s Age-friendly Communities program has supported local governments, and since 2018 First Nations, across the province to develop policies, programs, and...
From the Team


Learning together: Lessons from our grant communities
If the goal of healthy public policy is to create improved conditions which in turn improve population and community health, then as a whole, healthy public policies must also be equitable and serve...


Change-making through government vs. governance
We can often equate change-makers to those who are the loudest or with the most prominent voices. However, change-making can also exist on a smaller, more indistinct scale—through acts of...


What Makes Public Policy Healthy?
If the goal of healthy public policy is to create improved conditions which in turn improve population and community health, then as a whole, healthy public policies must also be equitable and serve...


THE ISSUE: Healthy Public Policy
Rather than directly addressing health, healthy public policies make changes to living conditions that impact health—such as housing, transportation and income—in order to improve a...



Healthy aging through an equity lens: Older adults experiencing homelessness
The development of Age-friendly Communities involves a policy approach to creating conditions that allow older adults to stay connected and age healthily in place, whether in their home or in their...


Statement on the announcement regarding the former site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School
TW: discussion of the content of Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc’s May 27 announcement; racism; genocide Like so many people across the globe, we were saddened to hear the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc’s...


On-demand Webinar: Local Government Leaders Speaker Series – Living Wage Policies
BC Healthy Communities is launching a new speaker series to bring fresh ideas for healthy public policy to local and Indigenous government leaders in B.C. “Creating Healthy Public Policy –...


New Healthy Public Policy Speaker Series explores policy ideas for creating improved health and well-being in B.C. communities
In collaboration with a selection of local and Indigenous government partners, BC Healthy Communities (BCHC) is launching a new speaker series to bring fresh ideas for healthy public policy to local...



How the eight domains of Age-friendly Communities impact social connectedness
In Age-friendly Communities, the goal is to create a community in which older adults are able to age healthily in place and participate fully in their community. Being part of one’s community...


Four principles for equitable public engagement
This fall, BC Healthy Communities, through PlanH, hosted a webinar on equitable public engagement. In this piece, we share the four main highlights of the insights and experience shared by our panel...
Age-Friendly Stories



The importance of using an equity lens in age-friendly communities planning
The diversity of the B.C. population cultivates connections and celebrates cultures, experiences, and life paths that combine to create connected and resilient communities. However, these...



Local and Indigenous governments across B.C. receive grants and capacity-building supports to develop age-friendly communities
Local and Indigenous governments across the province have been awarded $500,000 in grants and additional customized supports through the Age-friendly Communities Grant Program for 13 Plans and 12...



BC Healthy Communities newly administers the Age-friendly Communities Grant Program
Canada’s population is aging and by 2037, the number of Canadians 65 years and older is predicted to be approximately 10.4 million. Over the next 20 years, this group is forecasted to grow by...



BC Healthy Communities steps into Age-friendly Communities grant administration role
Since 2007, the B.C. Ministry of Health’s Age-friendly Communities program has supported local governments, and since 2018 First Nations, across the province to develop policies, programs, and...



Healthy aging through an equity lens: Older adults experiencing homelessness
The development of Age-friendly Communities involves a policy approach to creating conditions that allow older adults to stay connected and age healthily in place, whether in their home or in their...


New Resource: Applying an Equity Lens in Age-friendly Communities Planning
Designed to support local and Indigenous governments embarking on Age-friendly Community Plans, this resource provides a refresher on the concept of equity in planning, offering ideas and guidance...


The role of neighbourhoods and residents in developing Age-friendly communities
Community can mean different things on different scales, and at one of the smallest units of “community” are neighbourhoods and their residents. People support what they create and it’s essential to...



How the eight domains of Age-friendly Communities impact social connectedness
In Age-friendly Communities, the goal is to create a community in which older adults are able to age healthily in place and participate fully in their community. Being part of one’s community...


On-Demand Webinar: Creating Age-friendly Communities – Approaches for optimizing your needs assessment & planning process
Has your community received an Age-friendly Communities Grant, or is it considering applying for one in the future? BC Healthy Communities hosted a webinar exploring how local and Indigenous...


Keeping older adults safe and connected
As we navigate uncharted territory and attempt to keep up with new information, it’s hard to know what to do, but there are some things we can be doing right now.