Article content Re: Brian Bird’s concluding comments in his op-ed on the legal challenge against St. Paul’s refusal to provide medical assistance in dying (MAID) completely misses the point. MAID is about individual choice and access.
Why would or should any patient at St. Paul’s care whether another patient opts for MAID? It has nothing to do with them. Patients can’t access MAID without going through a rigorous application and assessment process.
Rather, why should anyone in a publicly funded health-care facility be restricted from being provided a medical service which requires no high-tech equipment nor specialized training? It tragically leads to unnecessary suffering, such as that endured by Sam O’Neill and her family. Mr. Bird’s contention that increasing MAID numbers indicate that access is easy, ignores the barriers that exist, including access in some smaller communities in Canada where the only local hospital is faith-based.
Even in Vancouver, in emergencies we have no choice whether we end up at Vancouver General or St. Paul’s. Sam O’Neill had the misfortune to end up at the latter, and suffered as a result of institutional religious obstruction.
This legal challenge is long overdue. Re: Following the major structural fire in downtown Vancouver that sent embers into Pacific Spirit Park, a wildfire ecologist downplayed the forest fire risk because that park “tends to be more moist.” So what is the risk of a major forest fire on Burnaby Mountain in the heart of the Lower Mainland? I’m concerned because I live on the eastern shoulder of this mountain, and 10,000 people live in the UniverCity neighbourhood on top of the mountain.
About 10 to 12 years ago in the fall, several violent windstorms toppled dead trees and tore off limbs on the south and east sides of Burnaby Mountain. The following summer was extremely dry, so the risk of a forest fire was very high. To the best of my knowledge, the City of Burnaby does not have a wildfire prevention plan for Burnaby Mountain.
They will simply deploy fire fighters and other resources to suppress a fire once it is raging. But, not surprisingly, Simon Fraser University commissioned a in June 2019, which is available online to download. It addresses measures to prevent a forest fire.
But what action has been taken over the subsequent five years? As the operations manager for Pacific Spirit Park remarked, “Any type of fuel management such as removing woody debris and thinning trees is ...
expensive.” But is it more expensive than the cumulative cost of a succession of losses of structural assets, fatalities, recovery costs, emergency response, and loss of undamaged park enjoyment? Re: There will never be enough words to thank this incredible gentleman for all the joy, beauty, humour, history and happiness he has brought into all our lives for so many years. We will miss you so much, Mike (and your cameraman), but you do deserve a rest.
Our deepest sympathy, too, on the loss of your beloved wife. The segment you did as a tribute to her touched all of us who have suffered loss. CTV will never be able replace you.
Thank you for being who you are and for giving so much of yourself to so many for so long..
