A Canadian doctor is under scrutiny after euthanizing a man with inflammatory bowel disease and depression, following an assessment conducted outside a Tim Hortons, as reported by officials.
Dr. James MacLean faces a mandatory six-month clinical supervision period amid claims that he improperly applied Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) protocols to two individuals.
MacLean’s actions came under investigation after he authorized euthanasia for Thomas Dillon, a patient suffering from Crohn’s disease.
Medical records accessed by the Globe and Mail revealed that Dillon, 45, was approved for MAID by MacLean and a nurse practitioner due to his condition, which caused ongoing issues with a colostomy bag.
The report from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) also noted Dillon’s history of alcohol abuse, suicidal thoughts, and depression.
In June 2023, MacLean assessed Dillon for MAID outside a Tim Hortons, determining him eligible under ‘track 2’. This category is for patients not facing imminent death but enduring severe suffering from an incurable illness.
He then exchanged dozens of text messages about plans for him to be medically euthanized, records showed, which culminated in the doctor personally driving Dillon to a morgue facility in London to undergo the procedure.
The doctor administered a lethal cocktail of drugs into Dillon’s system in January 2024, inside a holding facility room in an industrial unit where human cadavers are prepared for funeral homes, officials said.
Thomas Dillon was euthanized in January 2024 after suffering from depression and Crohn’s disease by a doctor whose use of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) to patients has come under investigation
Dillon was euthanized after meeting Dr James MacLean outside a Tim Hortons in Ontario, Canada where the doctor conducted a MAID assessment. Pictured: A Tim Hortons location in Ontario
In a separate case, MacLean also botched an assisted death by failing to administer a vital drug that paralyzes the body’s muscles, according to the CPSO.
That patient resumed breathing again after they were pronounced dead and MacLean had already left their home, officials said.
The CPSO examined several of MacLean’s cases and found that he: ‘Did not meet the standard of practice of the profession, displayed a lack of judgment and that his conduct exposes or is likely to expose patients to harm or injury in five out of twenty charts reviewed.’
In documents prepared in his defense and submitted to the probe, MacLean defended his MAID approach and said he used his best judgment and tried to honor his patients’ wishes, the Globe and Mail reports.
MacLean also agreed to take steps to improve his practice, per the outlet.
However, the lenient response from the CPSO probe drew backlash in Canada, after MacLean was allowed to continue administering MAID despite being under investigation for alleged malpractice.
His case reignited concerns over the widespread use of MAID in Canada, which critics say has grown far too common and results in patients being euthanized when other promising treatments are available.
Since being legalized in 2016, the use of MAID has rapidly increased and medical euthanasia now accounts for over five percent of all deaths across Canada.
Dillon’s family said they are concerned that MacLean will be allowed to continue providing assisted death, with his aunt Megan Nicols and sister Sarah Dillon telling the Globe and Mail they are ‘horrified’ by the case.
‘What does it take?’ Nicols asked.
Amid mounting scrutiny on Canada’s expanding use of MAID, the federal government is currently weighing whether to expand it further to include patients who only suffer from mental illness and are not physically dying.
The use of MAID has sparked controversy in Canada after the family of Kaine Vafaeian accused doctors of coaching him to be approved for the procedure in January due to being blind and diabetic, before he was euthanized at the age of 26.
Canada’s MAID program has received backlash, with the family of Kiano Vafaeian accusing doctors of coaching him on how to get approved for the procedure. He was 26 when he died and was suffering from depression
Dr Ramona Coelho, a former member of the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario’s MAID death review committee, said she is concerned by MacLean’s cases
Dr Ramona Coelho, a former member of the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario’s MAID death review committee, told the National Post that she also did not believe MacLean’s punishment was severe enough for his use of MAID.
‘What is striking is not only the seriousness of the concerns identified in these cases, but the limited regulatory response.’
MacLean was forced to appear before the committee to face the MAID complaints, where he was reportedly ‘cautioned’ before he agreed to six months of supervision.
He will then undergo an assessment which ‘may form the basis of further action by the College,’ Laura Zilke, a CPSO spokesman, added to the National Post.
‘The undertaking imposes extensive oversight and monitoring requirements on Dr. MacLean’s practice,’ Zilke said.
‘The college takes any complaints brought to our attention extremely seriously as part of our mandate to serve the public interest and ensure safe, ethical and competent medical care for all Ontarians.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to MacLean’s practice, Westmount Family Physicians, for comment.
