Key Authorized Battle Over Finish-of-Life Care Entry
A trial within the British Columbia Supreme Court docket facilities on the apply of transferring sufferers nearing the top of life from faith-based services to obtain medical help in dying (MAID). The space required for these transfers emerges as a central query, particularly as practices in Vancouver have advanced for the reason that occasions sparking the lawsuit.
Household’s Problem Stemming from 2023 Switch
Samantha O’Neill recounts how her mom, Gaye, one of many plaintiffs, required an ambulance switch from St. Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver to a Vancouver Coastal Well being-operated hospice about 25 minutes away in April 2023 to entry MAID. Operated by Windfall Well being Care, a Catholic group, St. Paul’s prohibits MAID on its premises.
Gaye O’Neill, aged 34 and battling Stage 4 cervical most cancers, had already signed a waiver for last consent. Sedated previous to departure from St. Paul’s, she didn’t regain consciousness however proceeded with MAID on the hospice.
Current Developments at St. Paul’s and Past
In response, the B.C. Ministry of Well being later instructed Windfall, which receives substantial public funding, to switch a part of its leasehold curiosity in adjoining land to Vancouver Coastal Well being. This enabled the creation of a devoted MAID area subsequent to St. Paul’s Hospital, generally known as the Shoreline Area, constructed at a price of $2.75 million and linked by a hall.
In line with courtroom paperwork, 27 sufferers from St. Paul’s accessed MAID in 2025, all using the Shoreline Area. Plans embody a Vancouver Coastal Well being-managed MAID space within the forthcoming St. Paul’s Hospital on the False Creek Flats website.
Vancouver Coastal Well being has additionally established related adjoining areas at two Windfall-run hospices: St. John Hospice at UBC in 2022 and Might’s Place within the Downtown Eastside in 2023. Prices for these developments stay undisclosed.
Provincewide Patterns in MAID Transfers
Over 80% of MAID-related transfers prompted by facility insurance policies occurred within the Vancouver Coastal Well being area throughout 2023 and 2024, primarily based on out there information. These transfers happen much less generally in different areas however persist throughout the province.
Fraser Well being Area
From 2019 to 2025, Fraser Well being recorded 33 transfers for MAID from its services. St. Michael’s Centre in Burnaby stands as the only faith-based supplier of hospice or acute end-of-life care on this, the province’s largest well being area. Residents there should switch out to entry MAID.
In 2023, Fraser Well being and Windfall launched the Chénchenstway long-term care residence in Burnaby, that includes a ground-floor area for MAID transfers from faith-based websites. Windfall-funded residents can transfer to this space in the event that they select MAID.
Island Well being Area
Island Well being reported 26 MAID transfers between 2017 and 2025. The area consists of 5 faith-based services providing end-of-life care, none of which enable MAID on-site. No adjoining MAID areas exist at these areas.
Inside Well being Area
Inside Well being operates no owned faith-based services however contracts websites for faith-oriented end-of-life care. A small variety of MAID transfers occurred from 2017 to 2025.
Northern Well being Area
Northern Well being has no faith-based establishments offering end-of-life care, leading to no such transfers within the area.
