A trial underway in the British Columbia Supreme Court centers on the practice of transferring patients nearing the end of life from faith-based health facilities to access medical assistance in dying (MAID). A central question revolves around the acceptable distance for such transfers to ensure patient dignity and access to care.
Family’s Legal Challenge Over Hospital Transfer
Samantha O’Neill, daughter of plaintiff Gaye O’Neill, recounts the ambulance transfer of her mother from St. Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver to a Vancouver Coastal Health-operated hospice, located about 25 minutes away, in April 2023. This move was necessary to proceed with MAID, as St. Paul’s, managed by the Catholic-affiliated Providence Health Care, prohibits the procedure on its grounds.
Gaye O’Neill, aged 34 and battling Stage 4 cervical cancer, received sedation prior to departure from St. Paul’s and did not regain consciousness. However, she had previously signed a waiver of final consent, allowing the MAID to go forward at the hospice.
Recent Developments at St. Paul’s Hospital
In response to such situations, the B.C. Ministry of Health instructed Providence Health Care, which receives substantial public funding, to allocate part of its leasehold interest adjacent to St. Paul’s for MAID services. Vancouver Coastal Health constructed the Shoreline Space, a dedicated area linked to the hospital via a corridor, at a cost of $2.75 million.
According to court documents, 27 patients from St. Paul’s accessed MAID through this facility in 2025. Plans for the new St. Paul’s Hospital on the False Creek Flats include a Vancouver Coastal Health-managed space for MAID. Similar adjacent provisions exist at two Providence-run Vancouver hospices: St. John Hospice at UBC, established in 2022, and May’s Place in the Downtown Eastside, added in 2023.
Provincewide Transfer Statistics
Data from 2023 and 2024 indicates that over 80 percent of MAID-related transfers due to facility policies occurred within the Vancouver Coastal Health region. Transfers happen less frequently in other areas but remain a concern.
Fraser Health Region
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 site offering hospice or acute end-of-life care, requires residents seeking MAID to transfer out. 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 funded by Providence.
Island Health Region
Island Health reported 26 MAID transfers between 2017 and 2025. The region operates five faith-based facilities providing end-of-life care, none of which permit MAID on-site, and no adjacent spaces have been developed.
Interior and Northern Health Regions
Interior Health has no owned faith-based facilities but contracts sites for faith-based end-of-life care. From 2017 to 2025, a small number of MAID transfers occurred. Northern Health reports no faith-based institutions offering end-of-life care in its region.
