Older Canadians on the move often have special concerns that can complicate the moving process. Their moves can require decisions around downsizing, DIY packing or hiring the job out, making sure they've hired the right mover, and so much more.
Watch for new content coming on March 24, 2025.
Recognizing that there’s a lack of knowledge and awareness about many of the pitfalls of moving – be they financial, emotional, or physical – the Canadian Association of Movers (CAM) and the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) team up to present “Moving Seniors Safely” to provide education and tools to help not only older Canadians but their adult children and friends, make informed decisions about their moves.
Read the joint CAM-CARP press release on the Moving Seniors Safely program.
Moving Mom (or Dad)
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A few days before Mother's Day, CAM President Nancy Irvine sat down with Judie Dahl, owner of Your Moving & In Home Concierge, as they discussed considerations families must remember when dealing with moving Moms (or Dads) later in life when the household dynamic changes. We hope that this 11-minute conversation might provide some solace if you are going through this difficult and taxing situation yourself. |
Q&A with CARP & CAM!View Video |
CARP and CAM sat down on March 27th, 2024 with special guests Move Coordinators Karen Bodoano and Lisa Ann Robinson to discuss everything to do with moving seniors. |
Moving Seniors - Special Concerns for Special People
Here's an article from The Canadian Press that will help you get started in your planning: Parents finally downsizing? How to help with the big move — without the big costs (January 23, 2024)
Seniors have special concerns when it comes to moving, including being targeted in scams. The program aims to equip seniors to be proactive and safe throughout the moving trajectory: from researching future living options, communicating with loved ones about preferences, decluttering and organizing, packing up, and finally ensuring a reliable moving company is secured and potential scams avoided. Read about Navigating the 'silver tsunami': Helping seniors with moving issues here. (March 22, 2024)
Video
The Intricacies of Moving Seniors
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In celebration of the Moving Seniors Safely Program, Lisa and the team at Streamline Relocation Services decided to visit past clients at Wellington West, an Ottawa retirement home. They asked their senior clients about their moving experience and what they thought of the process. As well, Lisa talked with industry professionals from real estate and retirement living to educate about the intricacies of moving seniors. |
Make a Plan
Moving is stressful. There’s no doubt about it. To reduce your stress, it’s important to get an early start on preparing for your move and staying organized. We have created a checklist that can help you with that. Simply click on a calendar date that you are thinking of moving and voila! A personalized checklist will be created for you. If you don’t know a specific date, choose some day during that month in order to have a list form.
Click here to access CAM's personalized to-do checklist.
Find a Professional Mover
CAM has hundreds of certified moving companies to choose from. To find a mover in your area, you can Search for a mover by providing your location. If you already have a few names, and you want to check to see if they are a CAM member, you can check CAM's member directory
Carefully Consider Who's Moving You
Choosing the right mover can avoid serious emotional stress and inflated financial costs to you and your family. Don’t trust your family’s treasured belongings to some part-time guys with a weekend rental van or someone off the internet that you've never met. Hiring a professional mover is a smart decision that saves you time and effort while providing the best protection for your household goods or business assets. Protect your peace of mind with a trusted, accredited member of the Canadian Association of Movers.
The most important element in moving is finding a mover you can trust – and you can trust the members of the Canadian Association of Movers to treat you fairly and deliver the services you've been promised.
CAM mover members:
- have sufficient insurance to cover your goods in their care;
- workers’ compensation coverage to ensure you’re not liable for injuries to workers that may occur in your home;
- are in compliance with the GST/HST requirements of the Canada Revenue Agency;
- are rated highly by consumer agencies;
- have invested in personnel, equipment, and facilities to serve you professionally;
- are not telemarketers, scammers, or thieves. They are certified professional movers who are located in your marketplace – not at a remote computer terminal perhaps outside the country;
- include some of Canada's top independent movers as well as major van lines and their agents – brand names you know. And for those you may not know, CAM validates all members for reputation and professionalism; and
- abide by a code of ethics.
We have helped Industry Canada develop guidelines for movers and we consult regularly with the media, the Better Business Bureau, law enforcement, and provincial consumer protection agencies about the moving industry. CAM strives every day to help consumers make safe choices. Read more on why it's wise to hire a professional mover.
Videos
Researching Movers
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Here is a short video about selecting your mover from Karen at Move Coordinators Inc. And here's an accompanying mover checklist that you can use while you are interviewing your movers and making your choice. Document
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Something in the Way We Move
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Is this your first time moving or you haven't moved in a long time? The Canadian Association of Movers has put together a 25 minute video that gives an overview of different types of moves, packing options, and most importantly, how to find a mover and what to ask them so you get a proper quote and inspection of your belongings. |
Tip Sheets - Moving
Here are some tip sheets to help you plan for and have a successful move. More can be found on the Moving Tips page.
- Buyer Beware!
- Your Personal Moving Checklist
- Asking for an Estimate
- Moving Artwork & Sculptures
- Moving Antiques & Valuables
- Safe Packing
- The Dos & Dont's on Moving Day
Tip Sheets - Downsizing & Decluttering
We know, we know … having to part with cherished items you have had around your home for 30 – 40 years (or longer) is not easy – especially as no one wants them, nor understands what they meant to you. You can’t take it all with you when you move and tough choices are going to have to be made.
Where do you begin? Here's an article with some tips to get you started:
- 5 essential downsizing & decluttering tips for a hassle-free move (Yahoo!, June 17, 2024).
And here is an excellent resource from Comfort Life that will help guide you with reducing your belongings, to fit a smaller living space (simply called decluttering) and an article on downsizing your home, so you can enjoy a simpler lifestyle.
- Downsizing Advice - an e-book publication of Comfort Life
And there's lots of useful information on a variety of topics related to retirement living on their website as well. - Decluttering Before Your Move
Here's a simple guide on how to let go of years of accumulated belongings.
Scams Target Seniors
Moving scams - what you need to know
During the pandemic and especially in 2022, moving scams were on the rise in Canada and seniors were being targeted. Nancy Irvine, President of the Canadian Association of Movers talks with Toronto lawyer Rocco Scocco about the anatomy of the rise of these scams, how he got involved and is taking on these unlawful companies and what help is now available for victims as a result of his dogged determination. Here's a three-part interview, total length is 34.21 minutes.
- Part 1 – How the Scam Works
- Part 2 – How to Protect Yourself
- Part 3 – The Rise of the “Gas Station Bandit”
Global News - March 25, 2022: Seniors in N.S., across Canada, targeted in growing number of ‘devastating’ scams
Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) and RCMP warn seniors of various scams that are targeted toward older Canadians - of which only 30% are being reported.
“This was the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life, literally, and it was a really costly mistake,” says Kathleen Finlay, who hired a moving company that advertised specifically for seniors to move all of their family’s belongings. After being satisfied with the initial estimated cost the company provided her, Finlay said she was severely overcharged and had her items held hostage. Hear more of her story by clicking here.
Fast Forward to Present Day
CAM is happy to say that moving scams targeting seniors have reduced dramatically due to a number of factors.
- CBC Marketplace's two exposés on moving scams in 2022. Click here for more info.
- An ongoing, very public, police investigation of moving scams in the Toronto area. Click here for more info.
- Two successful Moving Seniors Safely awareness campaigns
- and most importantly ... YOU! More older Canadians and their family members are doing their research or contacting CAM to find about their mover before booking them. Well done!
Videos
Secret trackers and hidden cameras expose how some movers can be ripping you offwith CBC Marketplace View CBC episodeRead article |
March 4, 2022 - In this episode, David Common CBC Marketplace went undercover to expose a group of moving companies offering low quotes, then charging customers higher prices based on inflated weight estimates. The episode featured Toronto lawyer Rocco Scocco (who has been instrumental in getting media and legal attention for moving scams) as well as CAM President Nancy Irvine. This program led to the Toronto Police Service investigating the parent company Move Me Again and its multiple aliases and raiding their warehouse in June 2022. |
Inside the police raidwith CBC Marketplace View CBC episodeRead article |
November 4, 2022 - David Common revisits customers from the last investigation and meets a new customer as she's reunited with her belongings. And wait until you see the dramatic footage of the arrests and Marketplace's attempt to get answers from company bosses as they're released on bail. As the list of charges grows to the hundreds, Marketplace takes you inside the bust. This episode includes CBC’s exclusive access to the police raid on June 24, 2022. Canadian Association of Movers was there too - assisting police with identifying and reuniting victims with their stolen belongings. If you are moving … this is must-watch TV that can save you thousands of dollars. |
