Overview
- Alberta’s government has introduced a broad plan to end Track 2 medical assistance in dying, which covers people whose deaths are not near, and to allow MAID only when death is reasonably expected within 12 months.
- The proposal bars MAID when mental illness is the sole condition and rules out advance requests, minors, and anyone unable to give consent at the time of the procedure.
- Operational measures would block referrals to out‑of‑province practitioners, create a 150‑metre buffer around facilities that decline to provide MAID, and raise penalties for clinicians who break the rules.
- Track 2 cases account for less than 5% of assisted deaths, yet an editorial argues the package will likely be challenged in court and could prompt the Supreme Court to set nationwide guidance.
- New letters to the Edmonton Journal show strong pushback from residents, including concern over Premier Danielle Smith’s stated willingness to use the notwithstanding clause to limit eligibility.