This year, BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) is proud to announce the inaugural Don Ho Long-Service Excellence Award, named after its first recipient, Don Ho, Honorary Chairman at Element Lifestyle Retirement Inc.
Don’s dedication began not in a boardroom, but at home, where he witnessed the deep emotional toll that rigid policies and fragmented care systems placed on his own family. Both his mother and mother-in-law lived with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, while his father and father-in-law remained independent, capable, and deeply devoted, yet the system forced them apart. This painful reality ignited in Don a conviction that seniors deserved dignity, family continuity, and choice. This conviction became the foundation of everything he built.
“As [his] daughters, we’ve had the rare chance to see our father’s work from the inside,” says Wendy and Candy Ho, “not only through the communities he built, but through the challenges he faced and the systems he quietly changed along the way.”
When Don entered the sector in the early 1990s, seniors’ living in B.C. was governed by restrictive legislation and limited by a narrow vision of what aging could look like. Instead of accepting those constraints, he began a decades-long effort to reshape the landscape. He studied the Community Care Facility Act meticulously and worked to develop a model that respected regulations while solving the most pressing challenges seniors faced.
“He created an ownership and operational structure that respected regulations but achieved something policymakers has never envisioned: a seamless path through independent living, assisted living, and licensed care, all in one community.”
In 1995, Don founded CPAC (Care) Holdings Ltd. For the next decade, CPAC developed and operated retirement communities in B.C., with the mandate of enhancing the lives of residents and their families. Pioneering the “Aging in Place” retirement living concept with CPAC, Don created an exemplary model in the industry. CPAC would go on to collaborate with health authorities, local and provincial government bodies, and industry peers to create innovative service options that benefit seniors and their families.
Even after selling CPAC in 2005, Don did not step back from service. He provided guidance to policymakers, clinicians, operators, financiers, and to Michael Diao, which would eventually lead to the creation and ongoing development of Opal Group. Even today, Don shows commitment to the sector in a uniquely powerful way. As a resident at OPAL, the very community he helped envision, he remains a quiet anchor — encouraging participation, spreading warmth, lifting morale, and demonstrating to residents and staff alike what it means to live fully at every age. His presence continues to influence culture, strengthen community, and model the principles he has always stood for: dignity, connection, and belonging.
Beyond his own communities, Don also recognized the sector’s need for a collective voice and collaborated with other leaders to form what became the BC Seniors Living Association. This would build the foundation for the association that would later merge into the BCCPA, which now represents the entire seniors living, wellness, and care sector. His leadership helped set standards for quality, collaboration, and advocacy that continue to guide operators across B.C.
“What set Don apart was not only his business success, but his intuition that operators shared common challenges, and that collaboration would elevate the entire sector,” says Ernie Hee, Executive Vice President of Element Lifestyle Retirement Inc.
Don’s work did not merely create new buildings; it established new expectations for what seniors’ care can be. His initiatives have improved provincial care practices, elevated operational models, and transformed thousands of lives, leaving a legacy that continues to shape the sector today.
“He challenged zoning assumptions, municipal interpretations, land-use expectations, and long-standing age covenants – all while keeping seniors and families at the centre of every decision,” says Wendy and Candy.
Across policy, operations, design, and human experience, Don Ho’s commitment has been constant, courageous, and transformational. His life’s work continues to raise expectations, improve outcomes, and inspire the next generation of leaders in seniors’ care.
Thank you to our award sponsor for their generous support:
