On May 10, 2017, Ontario Bill-84, Medical Assistance in Dying Statute Amendment Act, 2017 (the “MAID Act”) received royal assent and came into force. On May 9, 2017, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (the “Ministry”) issued a news release explaining the legislation. The legislation makes changes to various pieces of provincial legislation in order to align provincial law with the federal legislation that came into force in June 2016 through amendments to the Criminal Code (Canada), and to address areas that fall under provincial jurisdiction. The MAID Act amendments include:
- Ensuring that benefits, such as insurance payments and workplace safety and insurance benefits, are not denied only because a person received medical assistance in dying
- Protecting physicians and nurse practitioners, those who assist them, and care provider institutions from civil liability when lawfully providing medical assistance in dying, except in cases of negligence
- Preventing identifiable information about individuals and facilities that provide medical assistance in dying from being disclosed under access to information requests
- Ensuring that there is effective ongoing reporting and monitoring by the Chief Coroner of Ontario for cases of medical assistance in dying.
The MAID Act also requires the Ministry to establish a care coordination service to assist patients and caregivers to access additional information and services for medical assistance in dying and other end-of-life options.