'A much needed resource:' Elgin County prepares to open its first hospice facility

Jack Sutton · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 27, 2025 5:34 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 hours ago

A long-awaited hospice is acceptable to unfastened its doors successful Elgin County and it expects to beryllium acceptable to admit its archetypal diligent by the extremity of July. 

The recently named Barrie Family Hospice of Elgin aims to conscionable a increasing request in the southwestern Ontario county, southbound of London, which has astir 800 deaths each twelvemonth successful the assemblage of astir 90,000 residents, said enforcement manager Brenda Fleming.

"This is simply a overmuch needed assets for Elgin County and is thing that the assemblage has truly wrapped their arms astir and supported arsenic we get acceptable to open," she said. 

Elgin was 1 of the past areas successful the portion without a hospice, Fleming explained. Until now, radical seeking palliative oregon end-of-life attraction had to beryllium placed successful a hospital, astatine home or successful adjacent communities with hospice attraction similar London, Woodstock or Chatham-Kent.

The caller sanction honours the precocious Marianne Barrie, a long-time St. Thomas nonmigratory whose property precocious donated $3.5 cardinal to the hospice, making it the largest charitable donation successful Elgin County's history, according to Fleming, who added that fundraising efforts have been ongoing since 2019 to marque this task a reality.  

Barrie died successful 2017 and was well-known for her "quiet, but committed support of the St. Thomas community," Fleming said. She had a agelong vocation arsenic a lawyer on with beardown household ties to the metropolis wherever her father Vincent Barrie, served 2 presumption arsenic politician successful the 1960s.

LISTEN | Elgin County's archetypal hospice centre volition conscionable a increasing need:

This donation was a cleanable mode to honour the family, said Bill Graham, the executor of Barrie's estate.   

"As I became alert of the important interaction this task would person connected families, I realized it would beryllium a cleanable embodiment of the Barrie household values," said Graham. 

'Not an organization environment'

As of now, the people day for the archetypal admittance is July 22. Fleming said the hospice volition enactment intimately with Ontario Health to place radical receiving palliative attraction successful the assemblage and notation them to the hospice erstwhile appropriate. 

With a absorption connected comfortableness and prime of life, attraction volition beryllium provided astatine nary complaint to patients and their families successful a relaxing situation surrounded by greenish space. Staff affectionately notation to the caller gathering arsenic "the cottage." 

"It's not an institutional environment," Fleming said.  "It's truly a location distant from location for radical to travel and marque immoderate memories with their families successful the past moments of life."

The installation volition person 10 private suites, 8 of which volition beryllium opening this summertime to supply end-of-life hospice attraction to radical successful the community.

About 125 radical are expected to walk their last weeks determination each year, but determination volition besides beryllium a palliative attraction hub for patients who are continuing to unrecorded astatine home. The 2 services combined volition service 500 radical annually. 

The hospice volition besides see a ample assemblage room, wherever people will beryllium encouraged to clasp meetings and events, Fleming added.

"So that it's not a spot that is feared and that radical deliberation radical are conscionable going to die," she explained. "But it's truly a spot wherever the assemblage is live and well."