A trial in the British Columbia Supreme Court examines the ethics and logistics of transferring patients from faith-based health facilities to access medically assisted dying (MAID). Central to the debate is determining acceptable distances for such moves to ensure dignity in end-of-life care.

The O’Neill Family’s Experience

Samantha O’Neill recounts the ambulance transfer of her mother, Gaye, from St. Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver to a Vancouver Coastal Health-operated hospice, a 25-minute journey, in April 2023. Gaye, aged 34 and battling Stage 4 cervical cancer, sought MAID but could not receive it at St. Paul’s, managed by the Catholic-affiliated Providence Health Care, which prohibits the procedure on site.

Sedated prior to departure, Gaye did not regain consciousness during the transfer. Her prior waiver of final consent allowed the procedure to proceed at the hospice.

Recent Developments at St. Paul’s

Following the incident, the B.C. Ministry of Health instructed Providence, primarily funded by public sources, to allocate part of its leasehold interest adjacent to St. Paul’s for MAID services. Vancouver Coastal Health constructed the Shoreline Space, a dedicated facility linked by corridor, at a cost of $2.75 million.

In 2025, 27 patients from St. Paul’s accessed MAID via this space, as outlined in court documents. The forthcoming St. Paul’s Hospital on the False Creek Flats will include a Vancouver Coastal Health-managed area for such provisions.

Vancouver Coastal Health also established similar adjacent spaces at Providence-run hospices: St. John Hospice at UBC in 2022 and May’s Place in the Downtown Eastside in 2023. Costs for these were not disclosed.

Transfer Patterns Across British Columbia

Provincewide data from 2023 and 2024 shows over 80% of MAID-related transfers due to facility policies occurred within the Vancouver Coastal Health region. Transfers happen less often elsewhere but persist.

Fraser Health

Between 2019 and 2025, Fraser Health recorded 33 such transfers. St. Michael’s Centre in Burnaby, the region’s sole faith-based hospice for end-of-life care, requires residents to transfer for MAID.

In 2023, Fraser Health and Providence launched the Chénchenstway long-term care home in Burnaby, featuring a ground-floor space for MAID transfers from faith-based sites. Providence-funded residents there may use this area if desired.

Island Health

Island Health reported 26 transfers for MAID from 2017 to 2025 across its five faith-based facilities offering end-of-life care, none of which permit MAID on premises. No adjacent spaces exist in this region.

Interior and Northern Health

Interior Health has no owned faith-based facilities but contracts sites for faith-aligned end-of-life care, with a small number of transfers between 2017 and 2025.

Northern Health operates no faith-based institutions providing end-of-life services, resulting in zero such transfers.