Parks staff are assessing how to make three existing Saanich parks more age-friendly and accessible.
This pilot project stems from the Saanich Older Adults Strategy and focuses on universal design - creating parks that are comfortable and accessible for people of all ages and abilities.
About the project:
The Age-Friendly Park Project implements one of the actions in the Saanich Older Adults Strategy:
Action 17 (b): “Develop a plan to establish an existing or new park to be converted into an agefriendly facility (i.e., wheelchair access) as a pilot project.”
The three parks that have been selected are Gorge Park, Gorge Waterway Park and Craigflower-Kosapsom Park.
This work will generate recommendations for future improvements in the three parks. Some improvements may be quick and simple, while others may need to be explored in more detail. Longer term recommendations will be considered as part of a future park renewal process which will include broader public engagement. That process is expected to start within the next 5 years.
Project process:
The Rick Hansen Foundation is conducting an accessibility review of the three parks during summer 2026. Two phases of targeted engagement will follow. Together, the information gathered will help us identify and prioritize possible improvements.
Phase 1 Engagement (Aug-Sept): Staff will invite older adults with diverse backgrounds and abilities to share what works well now, what barriers or challenges exist, and what improvements would help make these parks more welcoming and accessible. This will include:
- Pop-up events in the parks
- Visits to existing gathering spaces nearby (such as Silver Threads Saanich)
- Focus group
Please contact the Parks Division if you would like to learn more about these opportunities.
Phase 2 (Nov-Dec): Staff will report back to Phase 1 participants about what we heard with opportunities for questions and comments.
A summary of the information gathered and staff's recommendations will be available online by the end of 2026.