Quebec woman wins MAID case to die at home after legal fight with landlord

A woman who requested medical assistance in dying (MAID) won a major case in front of the Quebec rental board.

She wanted to die at home, but her landlord didn't want her to.

Victoria Taylor has ALS, and her health has been rapidly declining with an iPad now her only way to communicate.

In recent days, she has often enjoyed the last little pleasures of her life outside of her apartment in the Laurentians.

"It's my little paradise," she said through her friend and neighbour Pascale Beauregard.

Taylor is at peace that she will die at home on Oct. 30.

"I don't want to die in a CHSLD (long-term care centre)," said the 63-year-old, who was diagnosed with ALS (or Lou Gehrig's disease) in 2022.

The decision to die at home let to a painful confrontation with her landlord, Taylor said, as the landlord wanted to repossess the apartment and didn't want her to die there.

The landlord argued that MAID was against her orthodox religion, which is not Taylor's belief.

"Being religious means helping your neighbour," Taylor said.

A lawyer friend of Taylor's decided to fight back pro bono.

"It was enough for me with all of the harassment and letters and facts in the file to help me build up a case," said lawyer Isabelle Metivier.

Last month, the rental board ruled that the religious justification was just an excuse to force Taylor out, and it allowed her to remain where she is.

The landlord, who requested that CTV News hide her identity, said she's the one who was treated unfairly because her goal was to move next to her parents, who live upstairs from Taylor.

"I feel sorry for my dad," she said. "My dad, if I'm not mistaken is 15 years older than is Victoria Taylor and it's my dad."

She blames the rental board for missing key evidence, and, as for her religious beliefs, she says it's being taken out of context.

"I said, 'Victoria, I feel. I feel so sorry for you,'" she said. "All my empathy. But I would appreciate if you could just... If you feel that you're not capable to handle your life alone, better be in charge of a CHSLD. They always wanted to help. They always wanted to give her a place to stay somewhere."

Metivier is stunned by how far she had to go to protect Taylor.

"And even at the hearing, we even suggested to postpone the case for a year because we all knew that Mrs. Taylor would not survive one year and just leave it as is and the landlord refused," she said.

Taylor said she still feels some pressure from her landlord, but as she looks at her calendar, she said she "will leave one day, but it will be feet first."