Like a dentist’s office for dying: Vancouver Coastal Health confirms MAiD clinic beside dialysis

My latest investigative story for the B.C. Catholic.

Vancouver's public health-care provider has confirmed that it is operating a secret euthanasia clinic on the ground floor of an office building, directly across the lobby from a dialysis clinic.

In response to a B.C. Catholic freedom-of-information application, the Vancouver Coastal Health authority confirmed on Dec. 9 what its public-affairs office had refused to verify for more than two months—that an office-type area called Horizon Space is, indeed, an area where patients are euthanized. (The room where euthanasia is performed is shown in the Vancouver Coastal Health photo to the right.)

The B.C. Catholic reported in its Dec. 7 edition that it had received tips earlier this year that a Medical Assistance in Dying facility was operating in the five-floor building, located at 520 West 6th Avenue.

Our on-site investigation revealed that an area bearing a sign reading “Horizon Space” is located across the building's ground-floor lobby from a dialysis clinic operated under contract by Providence Health Care, Vancouver's Catholic health-care provider.

Vancouver Coastal made no public announcement of Horizon Space's opening, and no record of its existence can be found on any Vancouver Coastal website. In fact, there is not even a listing for Horizon Space in the building's lobby directory.

The authority's public-affairs office responded to requests for information about Horizon Space with a vague email explaining it has no designated locations for patients requesting MAiD.

"Patients will have their requests addressed, assessments performed and, if eligible, receive an assisted death in the care location consistent with their care needs and wishes," Vancouver Coastal stated in an Oct. 16 email.

In response, the B.C. Catholic filed an FOI application on Oct. 22, requesting "reports, records, memoranda, emails, contracts and any other pertinent records regarding the planning, construction, and operation of Horizon Space." The newspaper paid a standard $10 fee upon filing.

However, the authority's FOI office responded five days later with a notice that supplying all the requested material would cost an estimated $570—and it could be even more.

Mindful of the expense, the B.C. Catholic narrowed its request on Oct. 30 to one asking for "a single record, memo, email, report, or document that explains what Horizon Space is used for."

And that's exactly what we received—a single, four-page document designed to be distributed to incoming patients, explaining what Horizon Space is, how to find it, and where to park and enter the building (details of which were redacted in the copy given to the B.C. Catholic).

"This guide will provide you and your loved ones with important information about the VCH Horizon Space," the document reads.

A hint about how long the clandestine facility has operated can be found in text at the top right corner of the document's first page, which reads, "Vancouver Coastal Health, Assisted Dying Program, October 2024."

That first page also includes a striking colour image of a spacious room that is apparently the area where family and friends can watch their loved ones die.

With its sleek, striped sofas, muted colours, and seaside-themed ambiance, the area could be mistaken for the waiting room of a spa were it not for its central feature, a multi-function reclining armchair that would not look out of place in a dentist's office.

Overall, the decor is soothing but also unambiguously utilitarian, allowing for rapid cleanup following the central act for which the room is intended.

The guide explains, "There is a reclining chair in the space for your comfort, and room for approximately 20 of your loved ones to be with you if you wish. There are couches and chairs for approximately 16 people."

Interestingly, the guide also states, "Ceremonies requiring an open flame or smoke, such as smudging [a First Nations practice], can be performed," but a following section, perhaps referring to limitations to this allowance, is redacted.

Vancouver Coastal has not explained why it kept Horizon Space secret.

Euthanasia has been legal in Canada since 2016, and the B.C. government's Ministry of Health, which directly funds $5 billion of the health authority's $6-billion annual budget, has been an enthusiastic supporter of the procedure, going so far as to order MAiD to be allowed in all publicly funded facilities, including hospices.

The B.C. Catholic could find no record of any of B.C.'s five regional health authorities announcing a standalone MAiD clinic such as Horizon Space. But a private charity, called MAiDHouse, says it has opened two such facilities, one in Toronto and one in Victoria.

Health Canada reported Nov. 28 that there were 2,997 MAiD "provisions" in British Columbia in 2024, about 18 per cent of the country's 16,499 total.

Addendum not in BC Catholic story but for this blog only: I found it interesting that Vancoiuver Coastal Health would call this euthanasia facility "Horizon Space" in light of the fact that the health authority has called the MAiD clinic that was imposed on the campus of St. Paul's Hospital "Shoreline Space." They are similar names, both evoking feelings of tranquility, I suppose.