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From Shortfall To Crisis: Growing Demand For

Long-Term Care Beds in B.C.

The Seniors Advocate is calling on the Province to address the increasing shortfall in long-term care bed supply. This systemic review reveals B.C. is not prepared to care for the most vulnerable seniors today or in the future due to the ongoing, increasing shortage of long-term care beds.

Over the past ten years, the waitlist for long-term care in B.C. has ballooned. Between 2016 and 2025, the number of people waiting to be admitted to long-term care rose from 2,381 to 7,212, an increase of 200%. The provincial average wait time has grown by 98% over the past eight years, from 146 days in 2018, the first year data was collected, to 290 days in 2025.