17.38°C Vancouver 17.38°C Vancouver
Feb 27, 2020 12:18 AM -
A hospice society in British Columbia says it is outraged by the province's decision to stop its funding because it refuses to provide medically assisted death.
Angelina Ireland, president of Delta Hospice, says there wasn't any consultation between the care facility, Fraser Health and the Health Ministry.
On Tuesday, Health Minister Adrian Dix said Fraser Health will stop paying $1.5 million in annual funding to the Delta Hospice Society next year after giving the organization one year's notice to end its service agreement without cause.
Ireland says if the government wants to implement medical help in dying then it should create facilities for people who want the procedure.
She says the hospice will look at its legal and other options to continue serving patients and families in their final days.
In announcing the decision to cut off funding to the Delta Hospice Society, Dix said people have the right to receive medical assistance in dying where they live and that decision must rest with the patient alone.
