HALDIMAND—Haldimand’s Seniors Advisory Committee is asking the County to look ahead now, before a fast-growing older population leaves more residents facing barriers alone.
Committee Chair Valerie Bailey-Phillips presented the committee’s 2025 update to Haldimand Council during the May 19, 2026 Council-in-Committee meeting, outlining work done over the past term and priorities still ahead.
The committee’s mandate is to report directly to Council and act as a liaison between the County and the community, identifying trends, barriers, opportunities, and partnerships affecting older adults and seniors.
Bailey-Phillips said the committee brings together members with a wide range of backgrounds and lived experience.
“We’ve all done a lot of stuff. And we’ve all got a lot of life experience,” she said, adding that experience should be considered when major municipal decisions are made.
The presentation noted Haldimand’s older population is growing quickly. Between 2011 and 2021, the County’s older adult population, ages 55 to 69, increased by 27%, while the seniors population, ages 70 and older, increased by 41%.
Between 2021 and 2041, the County’s overall population is expected to grow by 35%. The largest projected increase is among residents ages 75-plus, with that group expected to rise by 114%. The greatest increase in older age categories is expected between 2031 and 2036.
Bailey-Phillips said those numbers show why Haldimand needs to continue preparing for the needs of older residents.
“You know, there’s a lot of things that we need to cover before all of these things happen,” she said.
The committee’s priorities for the 2022-2026 term include transportation; affordable housing; accessible health, wellness, and fitness programs; and communication and information sharing.
Bailey-Phillips said transportation has been a long-standing concern, while housing and access to services remain shared challenges between the committee and Council. She also pointed to communication barriers, including the need to ensure residents can access information even as services become more digital.
Much of the presentation focused on the County’s first Age-Friendly Community Action Plan. In June 2025, the Seniors Advisory Committee requested Council approval to begin developing the plan. In February 2026, Council approved $50,000 in County funding to support the work.
The plan is intended to support healthy aging in place, social inclusion, accessibility, and better integration of age-friendly considerations into municipal policies, programs, and infrastructure planning.
It is also expected to strengthen access to federal, provincial, and other third-party funding opportunities.
Bailey-Phillips said not having an age-friendly plan can limit both funding and the types of initiatives a municipality can pursue.
Staff have begun implementation work, including background review, data collection, identifying resources, preparing a detailed budget, and planning for community assessment. The plan is expected to guide work into the 2027-2030 period.
The committee also highlighted several accomplishments, including input on the Hagersville Library + Active Living Centre, Community and Recreation Facilities Strategy, Public Arts and Culture Strategy, County website development, and annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) delegations related to seniors’ issues.
The committee has supported Seniors Month activities in June, the Cayuga Seniors Drop-In Centre, and Older Adults and Caregivers Day events in Haldimand County in from 2023 to 2025. Bailey-Phillips said those events help connect residents and caregivers with organizations that can provide information and support.
The committee has also invited stakeholder groups to its meetings, including the Alzheimer Society, Norfolk Haldimand Hospice, and Southern Ontario Transit. In 2026, it plans to support Haldimand County’s collaboration with the Alzheimer Society to become a dementia-friendly organization and, more broadly, a dementia-friendly community.
Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley thanked Bailey-Phillips and said she was pleased to see dementia-friendly work moving forward.
“It’s so important to train our community members to recognize (people with) dementia when you see them, so they’re treated with respect,” Bentley said.
Ward 2 Councillor John Metcalfe, Council’s representative on the committee, said he was proud to serve as liaison.
“It’s a wealth of experience and knowledge, so keep up the great work,” he said.
Ward 5 Councillor Rob Shirton asked whether staff had Haldimand-specific data on the percentage of residents over age 60, noting some statistics are often grouped with Norfolk. Staff said the County has data from the 2021 census and would provide Council with a breakdown of age brackets, while updated census information is expected in February 2027.
Before closing, Bailey-Phillips urged Council and the public to take ageism seriously.
“Be intolerant of ageism, which is now getting to be a public health crisis,” she said.
Council voted to receive the presentation.
