WATCH: BC Conservatives unveil plan to support seniors

BC Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson has pledged to reverse changes to the property-tax deferment program, make long-term care funding portable, and expand publicly funded home care.

He made the announcement in front of a home in Coquitlam, flanked by candidates Keenan Adams, John McEwen and Matthew Liang. He opened with the morning’s jobs numbers, saying 20,000 jobs were lost last month and 43,000 full-time jobs over two months, then turned to seniors.

Doerkson said people who built the province are being taxed more on less, squeezed out of their homes, and left waiting for care. He said the NDP raised the rate on the lowest income bracket, the one a pensioner on a fixed income falls into, and changed the property-tax deferment program so it costs more for seniors to stay in a home they have paid for.

“Let’s call that what it is," he said. "It is a punitive tax on our seniors."

He put the long-term care wait list at 7,200 and said design rules drove the cost of proposed beds to $1.8 million each. He said Budget 2026 stopped seven projects, in Abbotsford, Campbell River, Chilliwack, Delta, Fort St. John, Kelowna and Squamish.

A BC Conservative government would reverse the deferment changes so seniors are not taxed out of their homes, and would review design rules with providers, residents, families and builders to deliver beds sooner while protecting safety. Because construction takes years, funding would follow the senior: anyone eligible for publicly funded care could choose a qualified provider, public or non-government, held to standards for safety and quality.

Home care would be expanded on the seniors advocate’s recommendation, with more of it publicly funded and directed by the senior, who would choose an accredited provider. HandyDART would be expanded where demand is greatest, with service standards enforced on contractors.

The plan also includes digital-literacy and fraud education, keeping government services open to people who would rather talk to a person than use an app, and prosecution guidelines seeking maximum penalties for serious violent and financial crimes against seniors.

A Long-Term Care Access and Transparency Act would publish the wait list each month for long-term care, hospice, capacity, and home support, backed by an access plan updated every year.

The commitments are campaign proposals and would require budget and legislative decisions if the Conservatives form government after the October 24 election.