THUNDER BAY – A total of 189 Ontario residents were successful in obtaining medical assistance in dying between June 17, 2016 and the end of the year.
Across the country, 507 medically assisted deaths occurred, only three of which were without the help of a clinician.
Statistics Canada on Wednesday released its first batch of data since the legislation was enacted 10 months ago.
It shows the average age of Ontarians seeking help to die was 73.3, slightly higher than the national average of 72.7.
Province-wide, about 48 per cent of the applicants were male. That’s a little lower than the 49 per cent Canadian average.
In Ontario, 110 assisted deaths occurred in hospital, while 65 took place in the home. Another 14 are listed as other.
The vast majority of people receiving assistance dying, or 75 per cent, live in urban centres; the remainder in rural settings.
The most common underlying medical condition is cancer, followed by nero-degenerative and then circulatory and respiratory diseases.
The province has not released the number of people whose requests were declined.
