In 2010, City Council adopted the

Edmonton Seniors Declaration

and Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council led extensive consultation and development of an action plan based on the World Health Organization’s Guide age-friendly cities.

In 2012, the Vision for an Age Friendly Edmonton Action Plan was endorsed by City Council and ongoing municipal funding was approved.

Since 2013, Age Friendly Edmonton partners have been actively implementing projects and initiatives that will help us achieve the goals outlined in the Vision for an Age Friendly Edmonton Action Plan.

Age Friendly is an international movement in which cities and communities around the world are preparing for two major demographic trends: aging of populations and urbanization.

One million people worldwide turn 60 every month and United Nation estimates the number of persons aged 60+ will double from 600 million to 1.2 billion by 2025 and again, to 2 billion by 2050. Many of these older adults will continue to live in their homes and communities, but these environments have not always been designed to meet their needs.

In 2010 City of Edmonton became a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Network of Age Friendly Cities and Communities. This network includes 258 Cities and Communities in 28 countries, along with 12 affiliated programmes. Creating an age-friendly city is one of the most effective policy approaches for responding to demographic ageing.

As a member of this global network, Age Friendly Edmonton has access to resources, tools, expertise, and best practices from across the world.

• In 2014, 20% of Edmontonians were aged 55 or older. 
• In 30 year, it is projected that 32% of Edmontonians will be seniors
• The number of adults aged 55-64 is projected to more than double and the number of seniors aged 80+ is projected to increase by as much as 266%.