Almost half of Canadians say they are not financially prepared for retirement -- including baby boomers who are mere years away from putting their working days behind them. 

The poll of 1,000 Canadians, conducted by Harris/Decima for CIBC, found 44 per cent of respondents said they were not financially ready for their retirement.

Among those aged 55 to 64, it was 31 per cent.

The poll also revealed that only 53 per cent of respondents said they had a long term investment plan for their retirement. Those in British Columbia were most likely to have a plan, while only 42 per cent of those in Alberta had a plan.

The good news was that among Canadians who said they did have a long-term plan for retirement, 76 per cent felt they'd be financially ready for their retirement years. That compares to just 25 per cent among those who didn't have a plan.

The results were based on phone surveys done by Harris/Decima between Dec. 8 and 12 of 1,005 Canadians. The results are considered representative of the population within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Christina Kramer, an executive vice-president at CIBC, says with the Feb. 29 RRSP deadline beginning to loom, planning for retirement is something almost every Canadian thinks about at this time of year.

"And our poll results show that many would like to be further ahead when it comes to their retirement plans," she said in a statement.

Kramer suggests instead of making an RRSP contribution just before the deadline, Canadians should take some time to review their whole financial picture and decide what changes might be needed to keep making progress in their investments.

The poll comes amid findings that one-third of Canadians 55 years or older have at least 16 years left on their mortgage term. And a recent TD Bank report noted that seniors over the age of 65 have racked up debt at three times the average pace over the past decade.