But in the province’s eastern region, which includes the capital of St. John’s and is home to roughly three-fifths of the provincial population, the number of people seeking medically assisted death climbed from 16 in 2019 to 107 in 2022, McKim said in his briefing note. There were 37 requests in the first quarter of 2023.

Each application for MAID must be evaluated by at least two assessors, who can be doctors or nurse practitioners. Seven medical professionals did 75 per cent of the primary assessments for all requests in the region between 2016 and Aug. 31, 2021, McKim’s note said. Eight people did 76 per cent of the primary assessments in 2022.