FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2025
Premier Eby’s Cuts Will Bankrupt Charities, Putting One-Third of B.C.’s Long-Term Care Beds at Risk
Vancouver, B.C. — Charitable long-term care (LTC) providers across British Columbia are warning that Premier David Eby’s recent funding cuts will devastate nonprofit operations and jeopardize thousands of care beds for seniors.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, additional funding envelopes allowed LTC organizations to stabilize operations, but it still did not completely fill the gap. The NDP government repeatedly promised that these supports would remain until a new, fairer LTC funding model was in place. Discussions on that model began in 2019 but have produced no results. Now, the government has broken its promise.
Cuts have already begun:
– “Visitation” funding ended April 30, 2025.
– Overtime funding will end October 31, 2025.
– Wage Leveling for private operators will end December 31, 2025, and we expect it to end for charities next.
Historically, LTC contracts for both charitable and private affiliates have been underfunded. Charities have managed to close this gap through their own ingenuity—subsidizing LTC contracts using fundraising and other revenue generating activities, and, in some cases, surpluses from affordable seniors’ housing. “It’s ludicrous that low-income housing operations are being used to prop up long-term care, but that’s the current reality” said Janice Boyle, CEO of The Three Links Care Society.
“The trust has been broken,” Boyle said. “We are still subsidizing our LTC contract with little margin for error. Adding to the concern, the Ministry has stated it will keep providers “whole and operating”—but not through grants. Instead, they are offering loans or advances, which will only deepen the financial burden on already stretched nonprofit operators.
Without the continuation of the funding introduced during COVID, the Three Links Care Centre will be in debt to the Ministry of Health by approximately $500,000 by 2026/27, with an annual deficit of $800,000 thereafter. We have no hope of financial recovery in that scenario. All options are on the table.”
What We Need!
- DO NOT cancel “overtime” funding. It’s not really about overtime; it’s about funding the contracted services we are providing and not requiring charities to subsidize health care.
- REINSTATE “Visitation” funding. It’s not really about “visitation”; it’s about funding the contracted services we are providing and not requiring charities to subsidize health care.
- DO NOT cancel “wage levelling” funding. It’s not really about “wage levelling”; it’s about funding the contracted services we are providing and not requiring charities to subsidize health care.
- Get back to the table and finish the conversations about a fair, equitable, sustainable LTC funding model, ready to implement April 1, 2026. The work has been largely done. Time to finish it and put our seniors first.
A Good Question for The Government
- About 1/3rd of LTC beds in BC are owned and operated by the Health Authorities. Are they cutting funding to all overtime and agency expenses?
The Numbers Tell the Story
- Charities operate roughly one-third of all government-funded LTC beds in B.C., estimated at 10,000 beds.
- The LTC waitlist has surged by 200% over the past decade—from 2,381 in 2016 to 7,212 in 2025.
- Average wait times have nearly doubled, from 146 days in 2018 to 290 days in 2025.
- B.C. will need an additional 16,858 LTC beds by 2036 to meet the needs of its aging population.
(Source: Office of the Seniors Advocate)
