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Data & Statistics

Medical Assistance in Dying

Below you will find the most recent statistics on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in Alberta.

Data is broken up into two sections and updated as often as data is available provincially. Note: Both section one and section two are cumulative data since June 17, 2016.

  • Section one includes cumulative provincial and zone data.
  • Section two includes cumulative data containing: average age of patients, number of people who did not meet federal mandatory eligibility criteria, number of patients transferred from a non-AHS facility, and most cited health conditions.

The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of the timely release of accurate information. That said, until regulations are made, a series of interim reports are posted on the Government of Canada website that cover six month periods until permanent federal monitoring and reporting is in place.

Section One

Current as of February 28, 2021

Since February 6, 2016, court orders made medically-assisted death possible.

Six deaths occurred between February 6, 2016 and June 17, 2016, when federal legislation removed the need to attain a court order prior to undergoing medical assistance in dying. Those six are not included in the totals below.

Total June 2016 - December 2016: 63
Total 2017: 205
Total 2018: 307
Total 2019: 377
Total 2020: 555

Medical Assistance in Dying Activities

Zone Total Facility Community
South 155 106 49
Calgary 575 357 218
Central 180 115 65
Edmonton 539 298 241
North 118 74 44
TOTAL 1,567 950 617

*data is cumulative beginning June 17, 2016

Section Two

There have been 190 people who have not met the federal criteria across the province to receive medical assistance in dying.

Some ineligibility reasons include:

  • death is not reasonably foreseeable
  • loss of capacity or competency
  • mental health diagnosis

The most cited health conditions to date:

  • cancer
  • multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
  • advanced lung disease

The average age of people receiving this service:

  • South: 71
  • Calgary: 72
  • Central: 75
  • Edmonton: 72
  • North: 71

Number of patients transferred from faith-based or non-participating sites to either a participating facility (AHS) or to the patient’s home to receive medical assistance in dying:

  • 125 patients in total have been transferred
  • 109 patients have been transferred from faith-based facilities
  • 16 patients have been transferred from non-faith-based facilities to either a participating facility (AHS) or to the patient’s home to receive medical assistance in dying