Are Facilities Keeping Up With the Aging Population?
Cities with a larger aging population would normally be expected to have more nursing and residential care facilities, and this pattern appears across most of the six cities. Toronto and Vancouver have the highest number of facilities at around 400 each, followed by Montreal at 276 facilities. In most cities, the number of facilities is approximately proportional to the size of the older population, with roughly 6 to 9 facilities per 1,000 seniors. Vancouver stands out with more than 20 facilities per 1,000 seniors, which suggests a higher concentration of care infrastructure relative to its aging population.
This comparison shows that population size alone does not explain where facilities are located. Cities differ not only in how many seniors live there but also in how their populations have aged over time. Immigration patterns shape whether people age within the same community or arrive later in life, which can affect how care needs develop across cities. To better understand these differences, we next look at when immigrants arrived and how this shapes aging populations today.