Older Persons and Elders Advisory Committee

Mandate and scope

• Advises Council and staff on enhancing access and inclusion for older persons and elders to fully participate in City services and civic life
• Monitors City programs to ensure that the needs of older persons, elders, and their families are considered
• Works collaboratively with counterparts from other civic agencies to identify opportunities for joint action on issues of mutual interest
• Works co-operatively with external agencies and groups whose activities affect constituent communities
• Engages in outreach to disseminate information and encourage participation from constituent communities

Meeting and administrative procedures

• The Older Persons and Elders Advisory Committee holds six regular meetings per year, in addition to working sessions generally scheduled during intervening months throughout the year.
• Type A Advisory Committees may, at their discretion, establish sub-committees focused on relevant topics of interest, non-members may participate in sub-committees and attend regular meetings if invited.
• A member who is absent from more than two consecutive regular meetings without a leave of absence is deemed to have resigned.

Remuneration

• Type A Advisory Committee members and alternate members are eligible to receive reimbursement for certain meeting-related expenses.
• Non-member subcommittee participants are not eligible to receive reimbursement.
• A light meal will be provided to Type A Advisory Committee members attending in-person regular meetings held over lunch or dinner hours.

Eligibility

Persons appointed to a Type A Advisory Committee shall meet the following essential criteria:

• Not be employed by the City of Vancouver
• Live or work in Vancouver, or have a significant body of experience with issues related to the mandate of the advisory body in Vancouver
• Have connections to relevant communities, groups, and/or organizations in Vancouver
• Be able to demonstrate relevant experience or knowledge, abilities, and skills related to the mandate of the advisory body
• Be able to work in a team environment with intercultural sensitivity

Term limit

Beginning in 2019, no member of the public shall serve for more than eight consecutive years on the same Type A Advisory Committee. A former member is eligible for reappointment after one year of non-membership.

Full guidelines

• Older Persons and Elders Advisory Committee Full Terms of Reference 

Membership

Appointments end November 1, 2026

• Sana Aziz
• Warren Chan
• Richard Earthy
• Diane Gibney
• Varouj Gumuchian
• Gloria Gutman
• Andrea Krombein
• Dale Lutes
• Beverly Pitman
• Marion Pollack
• Andrea Sara
• Tricia Sirrs

Liaisons

Council Liaisons

• Councillor Mike Klassen

Staff Liaison:

• Anthony Kupferschmidt, Strategic Lead, Aging and Older Persons

Vancouver Public Library Liaison: 

• Vacant

Vancouver School Board Liaison:

• Trustee Jennifer Reddy

Vancouver Police Department Liaison:

• Detective Constable Anna Grigoletto

Vancouver Park Board Liaison:

• Commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky

Terms and Membership Composition

Persons appointed to a Type A Advisory Committee shall meet the following essential criteria:

• Not be employed by the City of Vancouver;
• Live or work in Vancouver, or have a significant body of experience with issues related to the mandate of the advisory body in Vancouver;
• Have connections to relevant communities, groups, and/or organizations in Vancouver;
• Be able to demonstrate relevant experience or knowledge, abilities and skills related to the mandate of the advisory body.
• Be able to work in a team environment with intercultural sensitivity.

Composition:

• Up to 12 members of the public (quorum is a majority of appointed members);
• Up to 2 non-voting Council liaisons (appointed by Mayor);
• Up to 2 non-voting staff liaisons (appointed by City Manager);
• 1 non-voting Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioner liaison and/or staff liaison (optional);
• 1 non-voting Vancouver School Board Trustee liaison (optional);
• 1 non-voting Vancouver Public Library staff liaison (optional);
• 1 non-voting Vancouver Police Department staff liaison (optional).

Length of term:

• Term ends immediately before the first Monday after November 1 in the year of a general local election. However, no regular meeting shall be held between the last day of the nomination period and general voting day.
• Members are appointed until November 1, 2026, at which point appointments are automatically renewable to the end of the term, and recruitment shall be conducted to fill any vacancies arising.
• Beginning in 2019, no member of the public shall serve in more than eight consecutive years on the same Type A Advisory Committee. A former member is eligible for reappointment after one year of non-membership. 

Meetings, agendas, and minutes

All meetings are open to the public.

In addition to the regular meetings listed here, the committee also meets several times per year for informal working sessions. Please contact the City Clerk’s Office for more information.

2025 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2024 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2023 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2022 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2021 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2020 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2019 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2018 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2017 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2016 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2015 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2014 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2013 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2012 meetings, agendas, and minutes

2023 - 2026 Work Plan

• View the work plan

Report of Activities, 2021–2022

An overview of the committee's 2022 accomplishments.

View the Committee's report (pdf)

2021-2022 Work Plan

The 2021-2022 Work Plan summarizes the high priority objectives for the committee term and establishes an action plan to achieve those objectives.

• View the work plan

2019-2020 in Review

An overview of the committee's accomplishments in 2019-2020, along with future goals. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no Council of Councils event was held.

• View the poster
• View subcommittee reports

2017 in Review

An overview of the committee's 2017 accomplishments and future goals as presented at the Council of Council's on October 12, 2017.

• View the poster PDF file

2017-2018 Work Plan

The 2017-2018 Work Plan summarizes the high priority objectives for the committee term and establishes an action plan to achieve those objectives

• View the work plan PDF file

2016 in Review

An overview of the committee's 2016 accomplishments and future goals as presented at the Council of Council's on November 9, 2016.

• View the poster PDF file (933 KB)

2012-2014 Report of activities

• View the committee's report

2012-2014 Council of Council presentation

An overview of the committee's closing term accomplishments and recommendations for continuation of the work was presented at the Council of Councils in December 2014.

• View the committee's presentation PDF file (1.8 MB)

Fall 2012: Advised and supported the City's Seniors Dialogues

The City of Vancouver held six Seniors Dialogues to ask local seniors, their caregivers and seniors service providers to share their ideas on how Vancouver can prepare for a growing seniors and older adult population. In particular, the City wanted to hear how City facilities and services can be more age-friendly – how they can be made more accessible and inclusive of older residents with diverse needs, an important consideration in pursuit of Vancouver’s Healthy City Strategy goal of making a healthy city for all.

• Learn about Vancouver's Healthy City Strategy