A trial in the British Columbia Supreme Court examines the ethics and logistics of transferring terminally ill patients from faith-based health facilities to access medically assisted dying (MAID). The central question revolves around acceptable distances for these transfers, especially in patients’ final hours.
The O’Neill Family’s Experience
Samantha O’Neill recounts the challenging transfer of her mother, Gaye O’Neill, one of the plaintiffs in the case. In April 2023, Gaye, aged 34 and battling Stage 4 cervical cancer, required an ambulance ride from St. Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver to a Vancouver Coastal Health-operated hospice, approximately 25 minutes away, to receive MAID. St. Paul’s, managed by the Catholic-affiliated Providence Health Care, prohibits MAID on its premises.
Gaye received sedation before departure and did not regain consciousness, but she had previously signed a waiver of final consent, allowing the procedure to proceed.
Recent Developments in Vancouver
Following this incident, the B.C. Ministry of Health instructed Providence, which receives substantial public funding, to transfer a portion of its leasehold interest in adjacent lands to Vancouver Coastal Health. This enabled the construction of a dedicated MAID space next to St. Paul’s Hospital.
Known as the Shoreline Space, this $2.75 million facility connects to the hospital via a corridor. In 2025, 27 patients from St. Paul’s accessed MAID there, as outlined in court documents. Future plans include a Vancouver Coastal Health-managed MAID area at the new St. Paul’s Hospital site on the False Creek Flats.
Vancouver Coastal Health has also established similar adjacent spaces at two Providence-run hospices: St. John Hospice at UBC in 2022 and May’s Place in the Downtown Eastside in 2023. Costs for these additional spaces remain undisclosed.
Transfers Across British Columbia
Over 80 percent of MAID-related transfers due to facility policies occurred within the Vancouver Coastal Health region in 2023 and 2024, based on available data. Such transfers occur less frequently in other areas but highlight ongoing challenges.
Fraser Health
Between 2019 and 2025, Fraser Health recorded 33 transfers for MAID from its facilities. St. Michael’s Centre in Burnaby, the region’s sole faith-based hospice or acute end-of-life care provider, mandates transfers for patients seeking MAID. In 2023, Fraser Health and Providence opened the Chénchenstway long-term care home in Burnaby, featuring a ground-floor space for MAID transfers from faith-based sites. Providence-funded residents can use this area if they choose MAID.
Island Health
Island Health reported 26 MAID transfers between 2017 and 2025. The region operates five faith-based facilities offering end-of-life care, none of which permit MAID on-site. No adjacent MAID spaces exist in these facilities.
Interior Health
Interior Health has no owned faith-based facilities but contracts with sites providing faith-aligned end-of-life care. From 2017 to 2025, a small number of MAID transfers occurred in the region.
Northern Health
Northern Health lacks faith-based institutions delivering end-of-life care, resulting in no such transfers.
