CENTRE WELLINGTON – Plans for a rural hospice offering medical assistance in dying (MAID) has the backing of township council after a previously denied request for support was reconsidered and ultimately approved on Monday.
The township will send a letter to the province in support of the project which would see a six-bed hospice proposed by retired Dr. Alan Simpson and built on two acres of land donated by the County of Wellington at Aboyne’s Wellington Place campus.
“I fully support this,” commented Mayor Kelly Linton. “It’s something this community absolutely needs.”
Ahead of the 5-2 vote, Linton noted he’d recently signed a letter of support on behalf of Wellington County council, for which he serves as warden.
“There is widespread support for a hospice in Centre Wellington,” said Coun. Bob Foster, who said he’s spoken with members of the community, hospice proponents, paramedics and more following council’s July 18 rejection of a letter of support. “It was nearly unanimous and passionate support.”
Voting in opposition were councillors Stephen Kitras and Steven VanLeeuwen, who expressed concern about endorsing a facility which provides MAID – something they’re morally opposed to.
“We’re seeing a huge change in MAID already,” said VanLeeuwen, explaining that when it received Royal Assent in 2017 the program was limited to mentally competent adults whose death was foreseeable, pending approval from three doctors. However, it’s already been amended to allow for individuals whose natural death is not considered reasonably foreseeable, providing mental illness isn’t the sole underlying medical condition.
“It’s a slippery slope and it seems to be running fast.”
Kitras pointed out slavery was once legal in Canada, as was the removal of Indigenous children from their family to be placed in residential schools.
“I think we are doing something that is basically wrong,” he said of MAID.
“MAID and palliative care don’t mix,” Kitras added. “MAID is about saving money.”
Reconsideration of the letter of support came after Coun. Kirk McElwain brought forward a notice of motion, which he successfully sought to have addressed Monday rather than at council’s September meeting.
That required council’s procedural bylaw to be suspended and a motion of reconsideration approved. Both passed 5-2, with VanLeeuwen and Kitras in opposition. Because of the nature of the motions, both matters required a two-thirds of council’s support to move ahead.
