Thank you to Karin Breuer for your letter (Penticton Western News, March 16, Consider the needs of seniors) about the Smart Cities Challenge and how it relates to seniors.
I can assure you that all the demographics of Penticton are being talked to through this process, including seniors. If you see on our website where our new survey is https://www.smartcitiespenticton.com/a-healthy-penticton, seniors are the second on our list. We understand that there can be at times a disconnect between different demographics and this is something we want to help solve.
We believe that a healthy Penticton means our kids, seniors, young families, community groups, non-profits, support groups, homeless, government, arts, sports, surrounding communities, schools, colleges, businesses, volunteers and tourists all need to be working and communicating together to understand each other. Our first survey had over 1,100 responses in the two weeks we ran it, with 10 per cent being under 18 and 15 per cent being over 65. We’ve also had several personal conversations with seniors at the ExpOCP and other community engagement sessions. We are listening, and this is a group that is top of mind for us. I challenge you, Karin, seniors, and those involved with seniors to connect with us and help us understand better how we can solve challenges for seniors and help connect our different demographics. For the next two to three weeks we have a unique opportunity in Penticton to have conversations and share ideas and we want to talk to as many people as we can.
I would like to address the study that you mentioned in the article. The study was presented at city council directly after our presentation for the Smart Cities Challenge. I have been a software engineer and data analyst for 20 years and there were a few things about how that study was presented that concerned me. First, there were inconsistencies in the data and a number of times the consultant mentioned that the 2011 census data had issues with it and that the 2016 data might not be much better. They did not have detailed data about the migration effect to Penticton other than that a certain percentage came from B.C. Did they take into account the cultural shift of moving out of cities to smaller centres by young families? Or the amount of people moving here to work at the new hospital tower? I know that the real estate industry has much more detailed data about where people are coming from and why. There is no doubt that seniors make up a larger percentage of our population than some cities, but we need to keep in mind that the 65-plus age group is growing across the country. People are living longer and a large portion of people have been approaching the 65-plus age category. I read statistics that our percentage of seniors is growing slower than some other cities.
One of the projects we are looking at for the Smart Cities Challenge is a way to gather municipal census data more often, with greater accuracy and data that is important for Penticton so that we can make the decisions we need to. I would like to see the community as a whole decide what data is important. For example, with people living longer, is 65-plus an accurate age category anymore? What percentage of them (and every age category for that matter), are healthy, active, working part time, working full-time, volunteering? I think there is much more to the conversation than age. How can we embrace our demographic, how can we use the knowledge, experience and the available time of our seniors to make our community better? How can we connect and communicate better? We want to know and we’d love to have your help.
Keith MacIntyre
Penticton