A hospice society that had its palliative care home taken over by the B.C. government for not offering medical assistance in dying (MAiD) wants to establish a new home in Alberta.Delta Hospice Society built the Irene Thomas Hospice in Ladner, B.C. for $8.5 million in 2008. However, DHS would not comply with an order by the NDP government in 2020 that all palliative care homes provide MAiD onsite. Religious facilities in B.C. are exempted from the requirement, but DHS is not affiliated with a religion.Palliative patients who chose MAiD at the hospice were given rides to a nearby facility for the procedure. Nevertheless, the province withdrew funding for the hospice over the refusal by DHS, prompting the Fraser Health Authority to evict DHS from their own facility, which was built on Crown land. DHS turned to the courts, but without success.DHS president Angelina Ireland says her organization would build another hospice if the province would allow it. She says her efforts to meet BC Health Minister Josie Osborne and North Delta MLA Ravi Kahlon have been unsuccessful. Nor did they respond to a request for comment from this reporter.“We’re not standing there with our hat in our hand begging the government for money so they can have power over us. That’s why they don’t want to talk to us, because we have almost a million dollars to open a sanctuary tomorrow,” Ireland said. “They only want to talk to people where they can lord it over them and control the purse strings and control them.”.The situation prompted Ireland to look to Alberta. She has had favourable virtual meetings with officials from both justice and health.“I was with the Department of Justice to ask them the simple question, ‘Would our services be welcome in Alberta? Because they're sure as heck not welcome in British Columbia.’ And the answer that we had was yes.”The society has raised funds from donations and a thrift store it operates and has banked almost $1 million. Ireland says that almost four of every five Alberta palliative care facilities are in Edmonton or Calgary, so she is eyeing properties in rural Alberta. Ireland envisions a ten-bed, 12,000 square-foot facility, like their previous hospice. “We want to create a model of sanctuaries to be recreated all over the country. That's why we're looking at a rural Alberta acreage where we can start with a hospice and be able to grow,” Ireland said.Dr. Anna Kindy, B.C. Conservative MLA for North Island and Opposition Health Critic, told Western Standard it was unfortunate DHS had to pursue options outside the province. She says the B.C. government should not have expropriated the DHS property and that they should have at least financially compensated DHS.“We do need services that provide choice for people. And dying is extremely personal. Palliation is extremely personal, and I don't think any government should decide for you,” Kindy said. .“Some people are unable to die at home for one reason or other, and…they don't want to be surrounded in a facility that does MAiD. They should have that option,” Kindy added.DHS issued a “Do Not Euthanize” kit for Canadians wary of potential pressure to get MAiD or even euthanasia without proper consent. Ireland said her conversations with many patients suggest the problem is real.“It’s kind of like they have an expiry date almost, we found. ‘You’ve been here for three months. You’re not dead yet.’ The MAiD regime is very predatory. And so we want to offer solutions to people,” Ireland explained.“We see these euthanasia activists all over the country. They've taken over everything. And they're calling themselves human rights, but we are actually the human rights organization, because we are protecting people's lives,” Ireland added.Ireland finds irony that B.C. allows shelters for animals that DHS cannot provide for people.In nearby Surrey, the Save Animals through Rescue and Adoption Society runs a no-kill shelter for dogs, cats, and birds. “S.A.R.A.’s strict no-kill policy provides a refuge for senior cats for a modest monthly board fee,” the non-profit’s home page explains.DHS is actively looking for a property for their hospice in Alberta. Anyone with a lead has been asked to call 1-800-232-1589.
