It didn’t take long for the new board of the Delta Hospice Society to reverse the organization’s position on MAiD.
In a letter to staff, volunteers and members dated Dec. 2, president Angelina Ireland said the new board has repealed the decision of the previous board regarding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) at the Irene Thomas Hospice in Ladner.
The Delta Hospice Society held its annual general meeting last Thursday at Genesis Theatre in Ladner. The outcome of the meeting was the election of board members Elizabeth Lawson, Maria Nickel, Susan Rivers, Randy Scott and Frances Sweeney, who have now joined Melissa Granum, Chris Pettypiece and Ireland on the board.
The new board met on Saturday and elected Ireland as president, Nickel as vice-president and Rivers as secretary/treasurer.
The next order of business was to repeal the MAiD decision, made less than two weeks ago by the previous board.
Ireland’s letter said the new board made a motion, based on two independent legal opinions, that MAiD is not compatible with the Delta Hospice Society purposes stated in the society's constitution, and therefore, will not be performed at the Irene Thomas Hospice. The motion was carried.
“We acknowledge that Delta Hospice has been through significant changes, which is hard on any organization. We want to look forward into the future with new leadership under a new board of directors and a new executive director,” the letter states.
