A review of the Age-friendly University Global Network in Canada

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The Age-Friendly University (AFU) Global Network, launched in 2012, promotes age inclusivity in higher education through principles supporting lifelong learning, intergenerational engagement, and aging-focused research. With Canada’s population aging rapidly, universities face growing imperatives to create age inclusivity in education, research and community engagement. This paper reviews the AFU Global Network in Canada, examining how institutions have implemented AFU principles. A review for the environmental scan was conducted using publicly available documents, including AFU and university websites and related literature. Data were extracted and synthesized to identify patterns and gaps in age-friendly initiatives across Canadian universities. Eleven Canadian post-secondary institutions, spanning research-intensive, comprehensive, and smaller primarily undergraduate universities and a college, hold AFU membership. Common initiatives include lifelong and intergenerational learning programs, applied research on healthy aging, community partnerships, and strategies to enhance campus accessibility. Executive-level sponsorship in many universities demonstrates institutional commitment. Intergenerational engagement, lifelong learning, and community outreach are consistently prioritized, while infrastructural accessibility and formal recognition of older adults’ contributions vary across institutions. AFU principles are operationalized through research centers, tuition exemptions, intergenerational mentorship programs, and participatory projects involving older adults.Canadian universities and colleges are emerging as leaders in age-inclusive higher education, embedding AFU principles into research, education, and community engagement. Strengthening national collaboration, integrating age-friendly principles into strategic and policy frameworks, expanding translation of aging research, deepening community partnerships, and enhancing accessibility can further advance inclusive, innovative, and socially responsive postsecondary environments for older adults.