by Leah Mushet
A BC palliative care facility that had its funding taken away by the BC government for refusing to provide Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) to its patients is planning to open a facility in Alberta.
CALGARY — A BC palliative care facility that had its funding taken away by the BC government for refusing to provide Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) to its patients is planning to open a facility in Alberta.
The Delta Hospice Society (DHS) built their palliative care facility in 2008, in Delta, BC — with a 35-year lease granted by the Fraser Health Authority (FHA), one of BC’s five regional health authorities.
The contract provided DHS with $1.5 million annually, covering an estimated 94% of its costs for maintaining 10 beds at Irene Thomas Hospice (ITH), their palliative care facility.
DHS had raised an estimated $8 million to construct the facility, which included two buildings: ITH, and the Harold and Veronica Savage Supportive Care Centre.
DHS maintained the lease agreement until a rift with the FHA, when the BC government demanded it incorporate MAiD into treatment options for palliative care patients.
In December 2019, Norm Peters, the Vice President at FHA, pushed DHS to offer euthanasia stating the order came “straight from the Minister,” referring to the BC Minister of Health at the time, Adrian Dix.
DHS refused, and as a result, FHA cancelled their lease and funding with the hospice on February 25 2020, the cancellation taking effect after a year later, in February 2021.
When FHA cancelled its service agreement with DHS, it triggered a default on DHS’ land lease, even though 22 years remained on the lease.
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