Evidence of meeting #70 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was hospice.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
November 2nd, 2017 / 4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
One of the roles of this study is to find out how the federal government can participate. What do we need to do to assist in taking care of our aging population? At this time, hospice care is taking care of people in the last days and weeks of their lives.
Last week, maybe two days ago, there was a suggestion that the federal government could provide the standards for a pan-Canadian approach, which would say this is how we recommend a senior, in their last days, would at least get this level of care, and that every senior who needs palliative care would have access to it. Right now, 70% do not. The suggestion was that the federal government could provide the standards and the funding for the training to make sure that volunteers do not have to pay to get the training or that it could even be rebated as a tax-deductible receipt.
Is there any comment on that?
Client Volunteer, Langley Hospice Society
Sure, anything that would help would be good. Any carrot to dangle would be a good thing to encourage people.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
What percentage is funded by the provincial or federal government for hospice care right now?
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
My understanding is that it's approximately 10%. Is that close?
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
Then 90% is being provided by donations and fundraising.
Client Volunteer, Langley Hospice Society
It is thrift stores and the gaming society.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
To take care of our seniors, we need to refocus how we're providing health care. Is that fair?
Client Volunteer, Langley Hospice Society
Yes, but if a senior is terminally ill, I could encourage more focus on more services to help get them palliative care and a place in hospice, if that's where they need to be.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
I'm afraid not. Maybe he could do that in the next question.
Mr. Ruimy, you have six minutes.
Liberal
Dan Ruimy Liberal Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
I'll be sharing my time with MP Vaughan.
Marika, in your publication on co-housing, could you just give me a quick answer as to where the funding comes from? Is it federal, provincial, or municipal?
Executive Director, Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria
We have an example of a co-housing complex here called Harbourside; it's in Sooke, about 45 minutes outside of the city of Victoria. It was privately financed. Seniors pooled their money, essentially, and paid for the development itself, which is the same model that happened in Saskatoon.
In the U.S., there's a mixture of financing. A lot of faith-based communities have supported co-housing, and so those churches then contribute financing.
Liberal
Dan Ruimy Liberal Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Thank you.
Just to clarify, would her report have been submitted to the clerk? She provided a link to it, but I want to make sure that it's part of the testimony.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
We can look into that.
We didn't get a brief, but we can include something.
Liberal
Dan Ruimy Liberal Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
That would be great. Thank you.
I'm going to pass to MP Vaughan.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
Marika, the co-housing model you talk about is effectively housing adults who are not related in a single living environment, which in many parts of the country is called a rooming house or supportive housing. I'm curious as to your thoughts on whether or not local zoning allows for rooming houses universally across the country and whether that's an impediment to co-housing.
Executive Director, Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria
It can be.
Municipalities can implement policies. For instance, they can do something called “pocket neighbourhoods”. They can zone to do gentle densification in certain neighbourhoods so that you can build more multi-unit dwellings there. Then you create more of a neighbourhood style: you have housing facing inwards, and you can create a courtyard area. You can do that already in pre-existing neighbourhoods.
Executive Director, Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria
Not everywhere, but they can do it. Here in British Columbia, it's an option for municipalities, but not all of them have implemented it yet.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
If we made it a requirement for federal funding to the provinces that they embrace group homes or co-living environments as a condition of receiving dollars, would that facilitate the growth of the sector you're advocating for?