Canadian Man Alleges Hospital Repeatedly Offered Assisted Death While He Fought for Home Care

A Canadian man with a severe neurological condition alleges that hospital staff repeatedly suggested medically assisted death while he was seeking funding for home care that would allow him to leave the hospital. Roger Foley, who has spinocerebellar ataxia, told Fox News Digital that these conversations began in 2016 at Victoria Hospital in Ontario, where he has been hospitalized for years.

In a July 7, 2026, letter, Foley’s physician, Dr. George K. Dresser, stated that Foley could be safely discharged if an individualized home-care arrangement was authorized by the Ontario government. Dresser described Foley as a patient whose complex needs could not be met by existing community programs and suggested that a self-directed care model would be more cost-effective and better suited to his needs than continued acute hospitalization.

Foley alleges that assisted dying was raised again in 2017 during a disputed discharge process, where he claims he was threatened with daily hospital charges of approximately $1,500 if he did not accept the offered care arrangements. He stated his determination to return to his apartment with caregivers of his choosing.

Foley also claims that the hospital removed lighting accommodations for his neurological condition in May 2025, making it difficult to receive care and consume food and fluids. He explained that his condition makes him sensitive to certain light wavelengths, and the hospital had previously accommodated this with amber-spectrum lighting. The change to fluorescent lighting, he alleged, has made routine assistance challenging, requiring him to wear heavy protective goggles.

Around the time his lighting accommodations were withdrawn, Foley claimed hospital personnel began asking him about suicidal thoughts. He refused to engage in these discussions, stating he no longer trusted the hospital's intentions, particularly after previous mentions of medical assistance in dying.

Despite his prolonged hospitalization, Foley has maintained his apartment and expressed a desire to return, citing his ability to pay bills and the readiness of community support workers to assist him if he receives self-directed funding. He is involved in a project called "Bring Roger Home," aiming to raise money for his care and support others facing similar challenges.

Foley is critical of Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) system, arguing that it cannot be adequately safeguarded without meaningful access to treatment, disability assistance, and home-care alternatives. He believes the focus should be on providing the necessary support for individuals to continue living, rather than solely on the option of assisted death. According to the BBC, Canada's MAID law, legalized in 2016, accounts for one in every 20 deaths in the country.