Our health care system continues to underutilize and under-deliver palliative services. The first option for patients with terminal or life-threatening conditions. This must remain the public policy priority.

HPCO position on the issues is that of the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) and the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians (CSPCP). We believe that Canadians to ensure that there is universal access to quality hospice palliative care and that physician assisted suicide or euthanasia are not part of the palliative care continuum.

The expectation that the hospice palliative care community will carry out assisted suicide for persons facing end-of-life is misguided.  Quality hospice palliative care is focused on improving the quality of life for patients and their families. Quality hospice palliative care neither hastens death or prolongs life.  Doris Barwich, president of the Canadian Society for Palliative Care Physicians says “A recent survey of the CSPCP (to which almost half of members responded) showed that an overwhelming majority of our physicians were opposed to the legalization of euthanasia (88%). Furthermore, 90% of responding members would not be willing to participate in the act of euthanasia.”  A recent survey of CMA members’ views on major end-of-life issues has found that only 20% of respondents would be willing to participate if euthanasia is legalized in Canada, while twice as many (42%) would refuse to do so.

Assisted suicide, physician assisted dying, and euthanasia is an important public dialogue but the hospice palliative care community should not be expected to provide these services.  HPCO promotes the Let’s Talk About Hospice Palliative Care First campaign which provides information on the importance of hospice palliative care.

The Healing Cycle Foundation raises funds to support hospice palliative care programs that compassionately uphold the quality of end-of-life and foster the vision that individuals living with a life-limiting illness can live every day to the fullest with dignity, meaning and hope.

Any hospice palliative care organization in Ontario that wants to raise money through the annual Healing Cycle Ride in Mississauga can enter a team. In 2012, teams from all over Ontario participated. 100% of the funds raised by each hospice palliative care team will go directly back to its organization.

If your organization does not have a team, you can join Team Hospice Palliative Care Ontario and raise funds for our organization. You may also join the team as a Sidekick to raise funds without riding. You may also support Team HPCO by sponsoring John Crean, team captain, or Rick Firth, HPCO Executive Director. Click here to open the rider list, where you can locate Rick or John.

Please take a moment to visit the volunteer section of our website for more information on getting involved. Once you’re ready to get started, you can fill out our online application, which only takes a few minutes.

If you would like more information on volunteering, you can get in touch with our Information Officer, Matt Blair, by calling 416-304-1477 or 1-800-349-3111, and dialing extension 28. You can also reach him at mblair@hpco.ca.

Rick Firth presents the Balfour Mount Award to Dr. Larry Librach

Dr. Larry Librach has been a tireless champion for hospice palliative care in Canada, and has continuously worked to improve hospice palliative care for all throughout his career. Dr. Librach’s involvement in palliative care began in 1978.

Dr. Librach is the co-founder of the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care at Mount Sinai Hospital, and served as the Director for over twenty years, and most recently as the Leader for Continuous Quality Improvement for the Centre.
Dr Librach was the W. Gifford-Jones Professor in Pain Control and Palliative Care at the University of Toronto from 1999 to 2011, and continues to hold the position of full professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He was the first Head of the Division of Palliative Care in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto from 2007 to 2011.

Dr. Librach is the Sun Life Financial Chair in Bioethics and the Director of the Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto. He is a member of the University of Toronto’s Centre for the Study of Pain. He is an academic educator with the Centre for Professional Development at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He was the physician leader of the national Educating Future Physicians for Palliative and End of Life Care Project (EFPPEC) which introduced curriculum in palliative and end-of-life care to Canada’s seventeen medical schools. He is an education consultant to the Education in Palliative & End-of-Life Care (EPEC) project in the USA. He is the Past President of the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. He is a board member of the Room 217 Foundation, a music therapy foundation.

Dr. Librach is the recipient of a number of awards from a number of organizations including the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association, the Ontario Palliative Care Association, the Ontario Medical Association, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and the University of Toronto.  Dr. Librach’s academic interests are wide-ranging but the development and implementation of education programs, quality of care and patient safety are areas of special interest. He has delivered over five hundred lectures and workshops. Dr. Librach has published extensively and is the author of the Pain Manual (over 150,000 copies distributed) and co-edited a textbook, Palliative Care: Core Skills and Clinical Competencies which is into its second edition.

“It’s not always easy,” Gerace writes, “but taking the time to reflect on and discuss these issues can lead to better experiences at the end-of-life. Yet, despite the importance of advance care planning, a 2012 study done by Ipsos Reid for Canadian Researchers at the End of Life Network (CARENET) and Fraser Health showed that 86% of Canadians are not familiar with the term, less than half have talked to a family member or friend about their wishes for care if they become ill and are unable to communicate, and only 9% have ever spoken to a healthcare provider about their wishes.”

Read the full article at healthydebate.ca.

Mr. Manning delivered a compelling and compassionate address on a range of end-of-life issues, from palliative care to assisted suicide. He discussed the history and evolution of these debates in Parliament to present day, and he spoke to the empathy and broad perspective we must maintain in moving the conversation forward.

Proceeds from the event will Hospice Palliative Care Ontario’s Volunteer Hospice Programs. The Toronto Commandery was pleased to provide HPCO with a very generous $20,000 donation at the close of the night.

Many thanks to all who could attend! Please stay tuned for more news on this event and others in the future.

First, we invite you to join us at tomorrow’s tribute luncheon in honour of our colleague and friend Dr. Larry Librach. We are proud to share this opportunity to celebrate Dr. Librach’s lifetime achievements and contributions to palliative care. Dr. Librach and his family will be in attendance.

Second, we are excited to announce the launch of the Dr. S. Lawrence Librach Award for Palliative Medicine in the Community, newly created by HPCO. The portion of all tribute luncheon tickets above the cost of the food will go toward this new award.

Finally, a reminder that we have launched a new “text to donate” fundraising program, in partnership with the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. All funds donated during the conference will go toward the Dr. S. Lawrence Librach Award.

Whether you’re joining us at this year’s conference, or following us online, we invite you to support this new initiative and celebrate the achievements of one of the leaders in our field.

Visit our about page to learn more about the work we do with your support. Please take a moment to donate today, and to spread the word among your friends and loved ones. We appreciate your support!

Michael Enright

“Michael Enright has been the host of CBC Radio One’s The Sunday Edition since September 2000,” reads his CBC biography. “Enright’s journalistic credits are impressive. Prior to joining The Sunday Edition, he hosted This Morning for three years, and he spent ten years hosting CBC Radio’s As It Happens.

“Enright’s innovative approach to the coverage of world events established As It Happens as a program that breaks through the boundaries of standard news broadcasting. He joined As It Happens after two-and-a-half years as managing editor of CBC Radio News. Prior to that, he held a number of important editorial positions with leading Canadian magazines and newspapers.