Niagara-on-the-Lake has identified developing strategies for active living in the senior population as one of its key community-wide priorities through the Strategic Plan which was adopted in December of 2014. In June 2015, Council established that the Town should follow the Regional Municipality of Niagara’s Aging Strategy and Action Plan of April 2015 by establishing an Age-Friendly Steering Committee that meets quarterly. The purpose of the committee is to provide guidance on how to make Niagara-on-the-Lake a more age-friendly community by facilitating an active lifestyle for seniors, optimizing health and wellness for seniors, improving access to and utilization of a variety of services and supports, and finally by elevating the engagement of seniors in the community. Objectives of the Committee include the following: to act as a liaison for the aging population in the community, to provide advice based on community input to improve programs, policies, and services, and to form partnerships in the community to educate, inform, and improve the quality of life for the aging population of the Town.

In 2016, the committee convened to assess Niagara-on-the-Lake’s current situation against the World Health Organization’s Checklist of Essential Features of Age-friendly Cities. The results of this assessment will form a baseline for a needs assessment and action plan to foster continuous improvement and implementation of action-oriented programs in line with the Region’s strategy. The main goal of this ongoing initiative is to facilitate a dialogue between the aging population of Niagara-on-the-Lake and Town staff to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of our community based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 8 essential features of an Age-Friendly City.

Niagara-on-the-Lake is currently working with Ryerson University to create an Age-friendly Community Plan that involves a review of resources and opportunities for improvement throughout the Town. A draft Niagara-on-the-Lake Age-friendly Community Plan is scheduled to be completed summer of 2018 with presentation to Council following Town staff review and revisions. The successful implementation of the Age-friendly Community Action Plan would support the implementation of the 8 essential features of an Age-friendly City.