21st Ellen Gee Memorial Lecture

Simon Fraser University's Gerontology Research Centre invites you to the 21st Ellen Gee Memorial Lecture featuring Isobel Mackenzie. This event will take place on Thursday, February 5, 2026, from 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm (PT) at SFU's Harbour Centre Campus in room HC 7000 (Earl & Jennie Lohn Policy Room).

Canada's population is aging, and this shifting demographic requires adjustments in public policy and resource allocation, specifically in health care and social spending. The underlying principle of the Canadian health care system is a "no-fault" approach to individual use, and we all pay for a system that not everyone will use equally. One of the tentacles of our cherished social safety net is that Canadians are entitled to retire from paid work for a period of time before they die and be assured of enough money for a roof over their head and food on the table. These health and social policies were developed decades ago by governments that were elected by Canadians of all ages. From these rationale and widely supported decisions of yesterday we have morphed into headlines, editorials and podcasts today that cast older adults as the reason why no one can get a doctor, costs of health care have skyrocketed, housing is out of reach for anyone without a mortgage from the bank of "mom and dad" and our public accounts will be bankrupted by payments to wealthy seniors who have ripped money from the hands of impecunious millennials so stressed from struggling to achieve work-life balance their mental health has taken a nose dive.

Like most issues, the facts behind the catastrophizing headlines (and those who want to drive them) are much less dramatic. There are nuances, context, countervailing arguments and actions that have both intended and unintended consequences. "Blaming" old people for getting old is not an effective strategy for achieving the public policy changes we need to be thinking about as our population continues to age. Despite this, there continues an undercurrent of trying to "whip up" the masses (and indeed older Canadians are a distinct minority at only 20% of the population) to fault a group of Canadians who committed no other crime than to "grow old" for every shortcoming between your expectation and your experience.

This lecture will explore the complexities of an aging population on the socioeconomic dynamic of our population and the dangerous rise in anti-aging sentiment that is seeping into our daily discourse.

Isobel Mackenzie served as Seniors Advocate for the Province of British Columbia in 2014-2024. As a statutory officer of government, Isobel was responsible for monitoring services to seniors and released over 30 public reports that prompted changes to legislation, regulations and policy across a wide spectrum of seniors’ programs.

As a recognized national authority on issues related to seniors, Isobel has testified as an expert witness to numerous parliamentary and legislative committees, served as national media spokesperson and addressed over 100 professional conferences and symposia on topics related to seniors, aging and the health care system.

Isobel has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the B.C. Medical Services Commission, the Canadian Home Care Association, The University of Victoria Board of Governors, the Canadian College of Health Care Leaders and is a member of both the Canadian Gerontology Association and the Canadian Association of Business Economists.

Prior to her appointment as the Seniors Advocate, Isobel served as the CEO of B.C.’s largest Not-for-Profit serving over 6000 seniors annually in housing, home care and long-term care.

Currently, Isobel is a faculty member at Simon Fraser University’s Department of Gerontology, is Chair of the HSO Technical Committee to establish national homecare standards and serves on the Diabetes Canada Mission Committee.

The 2026 Seniors Leadership Award will be presented during the reception. You are invited to submit a letter nominating a person aged 65+ in the community or from an organization who has contributed time and experience providing exemplary voluntary service. Seniors eligible for nomination must presently reside in the Province of British Columbia. This award is also open to seniors organizations as a whole that perform community voluntary service. The nomination deadline is January 29, 2026.

Nomination procedures: https://www.sfu.ca/grc/about/grc-community-achievement-awards.html

If you have questions regarding this event, please email [email protected].

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