In 2012, the Community Development Institute (CDI) at UNBC conducted a survey of seniors needs in Clearwater, BC, which indicated that, a large proportion of older community members struggle with mobility. This was particularly significant given that community is also developing a rapidly increasing population of older adults.

Between 2001 and 2011, Clearwater experienced a 53% increase in residents aged 65 years and older. While the particulars of the aforementioned mobility challenges were unclear, health research have establish a definitive relationship between seniors’ mobility and their health, wellbeing, social engagement, independence, and level of physical activity.

After the exploration into seniors needs in 2012, Clearwater made a commitment to becoming an age friendly community, and in early 2013 this project, called From Front Door to Grocery Store: Getting Seniors Where They Want to be in Clearwater, was initiated to explore dimensions of seniors mobility in Clearwater. 

Led by the CDI, this project partners with the District of Clearwater, local seniors and older adults, and the Age Friendly Advisory Committee (made up of representatives from Evergreen Housing Society, Friendly Club, Interior Health Authority, the local business community, the Wells Gray Country Seniors Society, Wells Gray Country Services, and YCS Community Services). The project is primarily funded by a Community Health Research Grant that the CDI received from the Vancouver Foundation.

The CDI took the lead on this project in Clearwater as a result of its longstanding relationship with the community. From Clearwater’s incorporation in 2007, to the development of a Community Economic Plan in 2011, the CDI has helped Clearwater through a gradual process of community and economic transformation, by facilitating community development projects; these projects helped Clearwater to develop a vision for the community’s future, and to realize many of their goals. 

Since the 1980s, resource-dependent communities have become more susceptible to rapid fluctuations in commodity demand, to industry slowdowns that last longer, and to periods of active operation that are shorter than they were historically (Markey et al. 2012). In addition, climate change is impacting forest health and agricultural ecologies. Declining populations in these communities, coupled with changes to government policy, away from a Keynesian model towards a neo-liberal approach, have resulted in the withdrawal of many core health and social service delivery functions (Ryser and Halseth, 2014). Altogether, these communities face rapid and significant transformation at a time when they have fewer resources to cope with these changes. 

The voluntary health and social service sector (non-profit community-based health and social service agencies) stepped in to fill the gaps left by the withdrawal of government services. These organizations face many challenges when taking on these functions, including: lack of role clarity, lack of recognition of voluntary ‘expertise’ and experience, insufficient support for training and development, inadequate funding for staffing and administration, lack of funder responsiveness to community or economic crises, volunteer burn-out and departure, and barriers to information-sharing and case planning (Hanlon et al., 2011). These challenges impact the effectiveness of voluntary organizations and their ability to help support communities under stress.

Many of the forestry-based communities within UNBC’s service area are experiencing the issues outlined above. Furthermore, they are on the cusp of an additional transformation due to the end of the ‘salvage’ harvest of wood killed by the Mountain Pine Beetle. In all likelihood, this will lead to significant job losses and create an escalating demand for, and stress on, voluntary health and social services. 

To explore issues and challenges faced by the voluntary health and social service sector in the context of readiness for significant community transition, this project aims to better understand how the sector can build capacity and resilience so that it is more equipped to support communities in transition. As well, the project will identify supports that are needed from funders and government. We hope that the lessons learned from this research will be helpful to communities in transition, whether in an upswing or downturn.

We conducted research in two communities in northern British Columbia, Quesnel and Williams Lake, and the discussions mostly focused on the anticipated effects of the reduction in allowable timber harvest rates (Allowable Annual Cut).