MAID Efficiency Ending It All

"I am a 33-year-old quadriplegic single mom raising three kids with [my] disabilities."

"Every Ontarian that is paying taxes and paying into social programs thinking that one day should they ever need the supports they would be available to them, I'm here to let you know that's not actually the case."

"My life as it is, without support as a quadriplegic is far more deadly than me even exploring the MAID [Medical Assistance in Dying] process."

"It's not what I want. But if I don't receive the support that I need, the outcome is the same. If I get to a point where I am really sick and basically terminally ill anyways, I would like to have other options."

"We [disabled people] need able-bodied allies willing to rally for us and with us to create change. While these issues may not affect you today, it's very likely that it will affect you or someone close to you in the future."

"I've been very ill. I've been bedridden for the last year so my quality of life has significantly decreased."

Rose Finlay, Bowmanville, Ontario resident

Rose Finlay, pictured with one of her three sons, says it's easier to access medical assistance in dying than the Ontario Disability Support Program. (Submitted by Rose Finlay)

Her personal situation is so dire that this woman is waiting to access medical assistance in dying, Canada's version of state-sanctioned and -assisted suicide. The service that the government provides to offer a timely end-of-life solution to the terminally ill, to those sick of life, to the mentally insecure, to children judged to be sufficiently aware of both their options and their medical conditions, in a steadily widening array of potential recruits to this new on-call death-delivery industry. Ms. Finlay does have alternate options -- trouble is they're not quite as readily accessible as aid in dying. 

The eligibility assessment for MAID takes 90 days to conclusion, while applying for disability support requires patience in awaiting a response that can take up to eight months. A mother of three, Finlay suffered a spinal cord injury at age 17. To the present the former Torontonian has been capable of providing for her family independently through operating her own business, Inclusive Solutions, focusing on disability advocacy work. The last year-and-a-half, however has seen her with increased illness.

No longer able to work, she is unable to pay for her own support workers. Living in Bowmanville for the past 17 years, some 80 kilometres east of Toronto, the search for adequate personal care support is difficult. She finally applied for the Ontario Disability Support Program only to be informed it would take at the very least six to eight months for her application to be approved. Leaving her, she felt, with little option but to move toward MAID. Her illnesses include acute kidney pain, extreme nausea, body tremors and muscle spasms.

She had posted messages on Facebook outlining her situation, that government "has created the perfect storm for disabled people here in Ontario. Starve them, cut them off from participating in society and then offer them death", she wrote. The post was seen by a complete stranger who was moved to begin a fundraising campaign for Finlay on GoFundMe. Finlay referenced the Canada Emergency Response Benefit program that was rolled out during the coronavirus pandemic to give practical financial aid to people who lost employment, when government determined that Canadians require a minimum of $2,000 monthly to live.

Ontario Disability Support Program's benefits are such that individuals, on approval, can receive up to $1,228 monthly; "forced poverty", she labelled it. The director of media relations with the Ontario Disability Coalition in an interview stated that ODSP needs to be doubled in financial assistance, so people "can get out of legislated poverty and be in more of a position to be able to thrive".

"Not having support for the last year has made it so that I’m getting sick more often and I think it’s just better to have it as an option, have MAID as an option, should I get really, really sick."

"Smaller communities just don’t have the resources available to have proper infrastructure in place for disability services … here in Durham [Region], I fought the good fight, I’ve lived here for the better part of the last 17 years, and it’s always been a challenge to find adequate personal care support. We don’t have transportation accessibility."

"Many people turn a blind eye when it comes to disability issues … the average Canadian spends 8 to 11 years of their life with one or more disability and so while this may not be their fight today, it’s not a fight that you want to have to fight when you are in a position of need."

Rose Finlay

In place of financial support, Finlay is trying to raise money on social media to move her family to Toronto where she says there are more support services available. (Submitted by Rose Finlay)