City of Ottawa Older Adult Plan

Ottawa’s population is growing, changing and aging. According to the 2021 Census, 37 per cent of Ottawa’s population is over the age of 50 and represents the fastest-growing age group, with those over 85 and over 100 showing particularly significant increases. In 2021, there were 172,150 older adults over the age of 65 in Ottawa, making up 17 per cent of the population. There are now more older adults than children under 15 and, by 2030, it is estimated that one in five adults will be aged 65 and over. 

Ottawa’s population of older adults is becoming increasingly more diverse and the needs vary greatly between sub-groups of older adults. While people face many challenges as they age, some contributing factors such as low income and living alone are most associated with increased vulnerability and, in turn, a heightened risk of poor health outcomes. Some groups of older adults, such as Indigenous, Black and other racialized groups, women, 2SLGBTQQIA+, newcomer and individuals living with disabilities are more vulnerable to poor outcomes due to inequities within the social and health systems in comparison to the general population.

Like many large municipalities in Canada and around the world, the City of Ottawa is responding to these demographic changes and has been implementing an Older Adult Plan (OAP) since 2012.

Staff undertook a review of the accomplishments, lessons learned and impact of the OAP with respect to mainstreaming an older adult lens in City planning and operations, through consultations with City staff, the Seniors Roundtable members and community stakeholders. 

The evaluation of the OAP had the objectives of identifying the successes and lessons learned through the years of implementing the OAP and on sharing ideas and suggestions on how to improve its design and delivery in its future iterations.   

The findings of the evaluation and a list of accomplishments related to the City’s infrastructure, programs and services, accessibility, communication and access to relevant supports for older adults are included in the OAP Evaluation Report. 

Older adult demographics, needs and resources have changed considerably since 2012. To reflect the findings from the Evaluation Report and to understand the needs of Ottawa’s older adults, City staff consulted and engaged with residents and community agencies from June to the end of September 2024.

Approximately 1,300 individuals participated in the consultations, resulting in approximately 7,000 ideas, suggestions and comments from residents and community agencies. Thank you to everyone who provided their input during the consultation period and the community partners who helped us.

The What We Learned Report summarizes the findings and the next steps for the development of the Older Adult Plan 2025-2030.