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# Age-Friendly Community Plan
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In January 2024, the Township of Tiny was designated as an Age-Friendly Community by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is included in the prestigious Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities. In January 2026, the Township of Tiny was recognized as an Age-Friendly Community by the Ontario government.
Both of these recognitions are a result of the township's dedicated and ongoing commitment to enhancing the lives of people at all stages of life, with a focus on seniors and their wellbeing.
In 2017, with the help of the Township of Tiny's Senior Advisory Committee, the Township implemented a Local Aging Plan (now known as our Age-Friendly Community Plan), to provide clear goals for improving programs, services, and initiatives for older adults.
The new Age-Friendly Community Plan, developed in 2025 is a comprehensive framework that outlines goals and objectives across eight essential domains, focusing on improving the overall quality of life for older adults in our community.
Age-Friendly Community Plan
## Domains of Age-Friendly Communities
The WHO Age-friendly Cities framework developed in the Global Age-friendly Cities Guide proposes eight interconnected domains that can help to identify and address barriers to the well-being and participation of older people. These domains overlap and interact with each other.
Community consultation and input opportunities for Tiny's Age-Friendly Community Plan were structured to obtain resident and stakeholder viewpoints in the context of eight globally recognized domains of Age-Friendly Communities.
* Enhancing physical well-being and quality of life, accommodating individuality and independence, fostering social interaction, and enabling people to conduct their daily activities.
**Goal:** Create outdoor spaces, buildings and amenities that encourage older people to be active and foster social interaction.
* Access to transportation allows seniors to participate in social, cultural, volunteer, and recreational activities, as well as enabling them to carry out daily tasks such as working, shopping, or going to appointments.
**Goal:** Devise a community-based transportation strategy that includes a variety of options for older people to get to where they need to go.
* The ability to live independently in one's own home depends on a range of factors, including good health, finances, and the availability of support services.
**Goal:** Create an environment in which there are a variety of housing options and supports in place so that older people are able to age in place while in the Township of Tiny.
* Social networks, social participation, and feelings of belonging are important to healthy living, disease prevention, and the prevention of isolation among seniors. Older people who remain active in society and socially connected are happier, physically and mentally healthier, and better able to cope with life's ups and downs.
**Goal:** Foster social integration so that older people can continue to exercise their competence and maintain and enjoy caring relationships with other people.
* Older people want to do more than simply continue to reside in their communities - they want to be able to contribute to, and benefit from, community life. Active and involved seniors are less likely to experience social isolation and more likely to feel connected to their communities.
**Goal:** Promote an environment in which older people feel included, acknowledged, and respected.
* Seniors have a great variety of skills, knowledge, and time to contribute to their communities in a range of areas, including civic participation, volunteer activities, and employment.
**Goal:** Recognize, celebrate, and utilize the wealth of knowledge and experience that older people bring to the community.
* Whether or not people are able to age in place depends upon a number of factors, including the availability of support and services like medical and personal care.
**Goal:** Contribute to maintaining the health and independence of older people through the availability of accessible and affordable physical health, mental health, and other social services.
* Keeping older adults informed about community events and broader community information allows seniors to be better connected to their community and supports them in their daily activities.
**Goal:** Create and distribute timely information to the older adult population to ensure they are kept well informed of programs and services.
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## Key Achievements
A key achievement through the Local Aging Plan and the tireless efforts of the Senior Advisory Committee include the development of the North Simcoe Directory of Senior Services, a collaborative project with neighbouring municipalities aimed at providing a centralized listing of services and agencies for seniors.
The township fosters a vibrant, inclusive community through various initiatives such as celebrating June as Senior's Month and the Senior Symposium held every June, the Seniors' Speaker Series every fall, and recognizing outstanding seniors with the 'Heart of Tiny' award which is part of the annual Citizen of the Year awards. The township continues to promote senior-friendly activities, including pickleball, shuffleboard, Coffee and Connect technology drop-ins, and the cooperative art circle, ensuring there is a diverse range of opportunities for older adults to stay engaged and active.
The establishment of partnerships with local senior centres and the creation of volunteer opportunities for seniors further emphasize the township's dedication to building a community where older individuals are valued and can enjoy good health, happiness, and fulfillment.