Disrupting Death

 "I think if people didn't have to worry about meeting basic needs, there would be a lot more room to figure out their mental health. I think if people weren't worried about poverty and food insecurity and housing insecurity, all of which often disproportionately impact marginalised communities, I think it would be a lot easier to want to be alive for lack of better words."

In this month's episode, Kathy and Keri-Lyn are privileged to sit down with Jay Tang to discuss suicide, mental health, and medical assistance in dying. 

Jay Tang (they/them) is a disabled trans settler currently residing on lək̓ʷəŋən territory, colonially known as Victoria, BC. They are currently pursuing a PhD in sociology and have a multidisciplinary background with an MSc in Social Dimensions of Health and a BSc in Biology and Psychology. 

Jay’s SSHRC-funded study was one of the first to highlight queer/trans perspectives on MAID for mental illness, and their findings have been shared through a public webinar and report via Égale, Canada’s leading organisation for 2SLGBTQI people and issues; at Canadian and international conferences; and at community events and guest lectures. 

Jay is currently the project lead and co-investigator on a CIHR Catalyst Grant-funded study exploring the use of mental health crisis services among 2S/LGBTQ+ communities, and the perceived implication of MAID for mental illness on provision of and access to such services. 

Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever-lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com.

This episode of Disrupting Death was produced by Keri-Lyn Durant.

“I think it's important to have the opportunity to hear that people live through this, and people can be okay on the other side as surviving family members. I think in a way, the process of grief for losing both of my parents at a very young age in a lot of ways to me was made easier because of the conversations we had leading up to their passing and the way in which they passed with MAiD.”

With a long track record of informed engagement, Helen led DWDC through the successful passage of Bill C-7, amending Canada’s medical assistance in dying legislation. She has kept DWDC engaged in the subsequent work of the Special Joint Committee, advocating on behalf of people across Canada, educating stakeholders, and engaging supporters on the most pressing issues related to end-of-life rights today.

Simone Martin experienced the passing of both of her parents through MAiD. Her mom, Wendi, was always known for doing things on her own terms. This included open conversations with her family about her desire to avoid unnecessary suffering when it came to the end of her life. Fortunately, MAiD was legalized in Canada before her terminal cancer diagnosis in 2018, and she was afforded the most important autonomy she deserved. This experience left an indelible mark on the entire family. When her dad, Steve, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2022, he was quick to reflect on the dignified way in which the love of his life passed and bravely chose MAiD. Simone was fortunate to have a close relationship with both of her parents and feels fortunate to have played a role in supporting both of them through their palliative journeys.

Simone honours the legacy of her parents by volunteering for Dying With Dignity Canada and hopes to inspire others to feel comfortable speaking about death and dying. Simone’s mom and dad are very much a part of her life, mainly through stories she shares with her young son about the incredible people his Grammy and Grandpa were. 

Learn more at: wecanchoose.org

Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever-lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com.

This episode of Disrupting Death was produced by Keri-Lyn Durant.

“We have to support people in making the decisions they want to make. So decisions have to be free, they have to be informed, and they must be made by capable individuals. And so we need to be careful not to set up protection of the vulnerable as oppositional to autonomy. I think they're complementary. And so we need to be careful not to set up protection of the vulnerable as oppositional to autonomy. I think they're complementary. We respect autonomy. If people have decision-making capacity, we respect that. We also look to ensure that they're making a fully informed and free decision, and we protect them from external forces, but we don't protect them from themselves.”

Jocelyn is on the plaintiff's legal team in Carter v. Canada, O'Neill v. British Columbia, and Brosseau v. Canada and the Attorney General. She is a member of the provincial/territorial expert advisory group on physician-assisted dying, the Canadian Council of Academics expert panel on MAID, and the Model Practice Standard Task Group.

Jocelyn is also a fellow of both the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and was named a member of the Order of Canada, in part for recognition of her work advocating for high-quality end-of-life care in Canada.

Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever-lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com.

This episode of Disrupting Death was produced by Keri-Lyn Durant.

“Because with each of these movements, when I talk about the pendulum, there will be people that will be left behind. There will be gaps that are created. There will be complexity of the human circumstance that's going to be highlighted. And, from a MAiDHouse perspective, how do we support them? How do we help, guide them? And who are the people within our communities that can do that?” 

“ I'm not sure what my hopes are. I hope we learn how to die well, and that doesn't mean dying efficiently. It means deep dying infused with wonder and mystery and waiting in the unknown.”

This month's episode is a double interview with three Albertans: in part 1 we speak with Dr. Stacy Hume about her father and his unfulfilled choice of MAiD at end of life. In part 2, Dr. Tracy Powell and Tania Stilson share updates about Bill 18 and its implications for Alberta and the rest of the country. 

“So I think it's on all of us to hold multiple truths at once, to respect autonomy, but also advocate for the conditions that make autonomy meaningful for people, and to ensure that when we talk about death, we're actually equally committed to talking about life.”

 But for a lot of people, especially my patients, and I'm not just talking about MAiD, I'm talking about in life in general, the concept of autonomy is highly limited by what is actually available to them, right? So in terms of what are my options for life might be very different for what my patients' options are.

Dr. Ramona Coelho is a family physician based in London, Ontario, and an Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She began her career providing home-based care in Montreal, working closely with patients facing serious illness, disability, addictions, and end-of-life needs.

Her clinical practice now focuses on people with complex medical, mental health, and social vulnerabilities. 

Dr. Coelho is a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. She has served as an expert witness before federal and international parliamentary committees on assisted dying and currently sits on Ontario’s Chief Coroner’s MAiD Death Review Committee.

She is the co-editor of Unravelling MAiD in Canada: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide as Medical Care (MQUP, 2025), and her most recent co-authored work appears in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care (https://spcare.bmj.com/content/early/2026/01/27/spcare-2025-006046). 

A recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal, she is recognized for her contributions to medicine and public service. In this conversation, she speaks in a personal capacity.

Links to works cited in episode: 

Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever-lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com.

This episode of Disrupting Death was produced by Keri-Lyn Durant.

“And through both experiences, what became clear to me is that systems do not only determine access to death, they shape how families are able to show up for one another before and after it.”

Kathy and Keri-Lyn are privileged to share this special February episode in which guest Cindy Lang recounts her story of the important work she does and the loss of two beloved people in her family. 

Cindy J. Lang, RSW is a grief and life-transition specialist, registered social worker, and ontological coach in private practice living in Calgary, AB. She supports individuals, families, leaders, and organizations navigating all forms of loss and major life disruption. Her work is shaped by both professional practice and lived experience. Cindy has accompanied loved ones through serious illness, anticipated loss, and death. Cindy also mentors leaders and teams in developing grief-informed communication and more compassionate workplace cultures. Cindy's work is grounded in an understanding that we often care deeply and still feel tender and uncertain in the presence of grief, in ourselves and with one another. She creates spaces rooted in compassion and an understanding of grief as a shared human experience.

 ”And so, in my perfect world, over the next decade, we would … really dwell in the grey a little bit more and be honest with one another about how we're making sense of this, about what we feel comfortable with, what we don't feel comfortable with. Because if you can't have those conversations, everything ends up on one side of the divide or the other, and we go forward in a polarised manner.”

In the first episode of 2026, Kathy and Keri-Lyn have the privilege and pleasure of speaking with Dr. Barb Pesut about suffering, Track Two, and finding common ground in the grey. 

Barb Pesut is a Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. She holds a Principal Research Chair in Palliative and End of Life Care and has been doing research in MAID since 2017.

Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever-lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com.

This episode of Disrupting Death was produced by Keri-Lyn Durant.