Ted Rogers School of Management is launching a National Institute on Ageing (NIA) to tackle the health and financial realities of Canada’s aging baby boomer population.
Ryerson University is partnering with the City of Toronto, Sinai Health System, Ontario Gerontology Association and the International Federation on Ageing to create Canada’s first academic institution to assess how prepared older demographics are to lead healthy, financially independent lives in their later years.
To do this, the NIA plans to create programs that will research retirement compensation, financial literacy, pensions, health management and age-friendly cities and communities.
“We saw an opportunity and need to consider successful aging from both the financial and health sides of the aging equation, and it is that need that led to the creation of this institute,” said Mitch Frazer, founder and co-chair of the NIA in a statement on Monday.
The institute also plans to hold conferences and workshops to discuss its findings and engage in a public discourse around how the aging population will be accommodated.
According to Statistics Canada, the number of older Canadians is expected to double over the next two decades. Since the first baby boomers reached age 45, the proportion of people aged 45 to 64 has begun to outpace other demographics.
The launch of NIA falls on the same day as the release of a world report on aging and health by the World Health Organization (WHO). The organization will also be announcing that Toronto is being awarded the status of a WHO designated age-friendly city.
“This confirms Toronto is a great and diverse city for people from all walks of life, at any age,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory in a statement. “We will leverage our membership in this global network to learn and share with partner cities in order to advance our goal of being a truly age-friendly and accessible city.”
Following the official launch of the NIA on March 4, a series of workshops will be held at the TRSM, bringing together local and national leaders to discuss required action to make Canada a leader in age-friendly environments.