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Thousands of errors found in British Columbia euthanasia cases, internal report shows

July 8, 2026 · 1 min read

An internal British Columbia, Canada, government document obtained by Canadian Catholic News (CCN) through a freedom of information request shows doctors, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists in the province made thousands of errors in managing euthanasia in 2024.

According to the report of the Ministry of Health, more than half of all medical aid in dying (MAID) cases in the province that year were found to have had errors requiring government follow-up.

Page 3 of the “Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) Oversight 2024 Year End Report” states 4,169 individuals requested MAID in 2024 — a nearly 10% increase since 2023.

However, a bar graph from the report indicates a total of 4,190 MAID cases in 2024. It also indicates the MAID Oversight Unit found 2,807 errors among 51.9% of “MAID case outcomes” requiring corrective “follow-up.” The report says “follow-up” means obtaining missing information or clarifying existing information.

Among these thousands of errors, 353 cases — or about 12.5% — raised compliance concerns and “required education” of practitioners and pharmacists “to ensure they understand legal requirements and the professional standards associated with MAID,”…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (16) 🌐 Show original

Laura Lewis

This report is chilling — over half the MAID cases in BC last year had errors that needed follow-up, and 353 of them still required the doctors and pharmacists to get extra training on the legal rules. When you're dealing with ending someone's life, "whoops, we'll clarify that later" shouldn't even be on the table. How many families are left wondering if it was done right?

Sarah Taylor

That 51.9% error rate is staggering. When they’re ending 4,190 lives in one province and over half the files need follow-up, plus 353 cases where the people involved still had to be trained on the actual law, it really makes you wonder how many mistakes never got caught. This isn’t paperwork; it’s people’s lives.

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ლევან აბაშიძე

These numbers are scary. In exactly more than half of the 4190 cases, 2807, errors were found and in 353 doctors and pharmacists still need to be taught the law. When a person's life is cut so easily, such "improvements" simply do not fit in the head.

Teodora Jovanović

These 2,807 errors in 4,190 cases, of which 353 where they had to be taught the law additionally - it's terrifying. When your job is to end someone's life, and then we "clarify the data" afterwards, one wonders how many have passed without any control.

Peter Johnson

Yeah, that "clarify later" bit is pretty disturbing when it's literally life and death. The jump to over 4,000 cases in one year with more than half needing fixes makes you wonder how rushed the whole process has gotten. How many of those 353 "education" cases actually changed how they handle it next time?

Дарья Макарова

What a horror. Half of the 4,190 cases were with errors, and 353 were also taught to doctors separately about the law - it’s not like mixing up a prescription for pills. When we talk about a person’s life, such “we’ll figure it out later” don’t fit into our heads at all.

Григорий Михайлов

Wow, 2807 errors in 4190 cases - and another 353 times doctors and pharmacists were then separately taught the law. When talking about ending a person’s life, “we’ll clarify the data later” sounds completely outlandish. I wonder how many such cases were not included in the report at all.

George Anderson

That 51.9% error rate with 2,807 cases needing follow-up, including 353 where they still had to educate the doctors and pharmacists on the actual law, is pretty sobering. When it's life and death you’d hope the paperwork was watertight before anything happened, not sorted out afterwards. Makes you wonder how many slip through without anyone noticing.

Nicolae Gheorghiu

These figures are very difficult. Out of 4190 cases, over 2800 with errors and 353 where he had to teach the doctors and pharmacists the law after the fact - as if it was about wrong prescriptions, not human lives. How can you "clarify" after it's all over?

Corina Rusu

These numbers with 2807 errors out of 4190 cases and another 353 where he had to teach doctors and pharmacists the law after it was all over leave me speechless. When it comes to taking a life, "we'll clarify the data later" sounds like a bad joke, not a serious process. I wonder how many of them would have refused if the rules had been followed in the first place.

Katherine Brown

The numbers are sobering, Laura. When my friend’s mother went through the process in Ontario a couple years back, the paperwork alone felt rushed, and that was just one case. Makes you wonder how many of those 2,807 errors actually affected the final decision.

Тамара Семёнова

I agree, Daria, half of the cases with errors are no longer an accident. Especially these 353, where they also had to complete their education according to the law. And how many, I wonder, such cases were not noticed at all?

Ilie Nistor

Yes, Corina, I was also shocked by these numbers – 2807 errors out of 4190 cases means that more than half were not done correctly the first time. I also wonder how many people would have lived if everything had been checked before, not after. Why doesn't this whole process stop until the chaos is resolved?

Anca Tudor

Yes, Ilie, I was also confused by the 2807 errors - that is, more than half of the cases with problems that are solved only afterwards. I wonder if the pressure on time and targets is causing some to rush things instead of checking them properly. Do you think a mandatory break of a few months would help to get things sorted out?

Teodora Popescu

Yes Elijah, I looked twice at that graph too – 2807 errors out of 4190 cases is too many to be just carelessness. In our church choir, we talked to a sister who worked in Canada and she said that sometimes the family insists on finishing quickly to avoid expenses. Do you think an independent assessment should be required before any decision is made?

Mihai Barbu

Yes, Teodora, 2807 errors in one year is clearly more than simple negligence. That sister in your choir is right, I have also heard cases where family pressure on medical costs weighs heavily. Do you think it would help if a minimum of two independent evaluations, one medical and one psychological, were required before any approval?