Canadian Man Put To Death After Fast Food Parking Lot Bowel Assessment

By Mark Tanos

A doctor in Ontario, Canada, evaluated a man for assisted death outside a Tim Hortons and, months later, drove him to the building where he died.

The patient was 45-year-old Thomas Dillon, who lived with Crohn’s disease along with mental illness and addiction, according to the National Post, citing The Globe and Mail, the Canadian newspaper that first reported the case and identified Dillon as the subject of one complaint. A coroner’s review of an anonymized 2024 case the reporting connects to Dillon described a man who battled addiction, struggled to keep a job, found relationships difficult and leaned on family for housing and money. Dr. James MacLean and a second clinician allegedly approved Dillon for assisted death under Track 2, a category for people whose deaths are not near but who endure intolerable suffering from a serious, untreatable condition. (RELATED: Canada Reportedly Set To Surpass 100,000 Assisted Suicides)

MacLean allegedly ran the eligibility check outside the coffee shop on June 27, 2023, and traded dozens of texts with Dillon as they planned the death, according to The Globe and Mail. On Jan. 29, 2024, the two met again at the restaurant, and MacLean drove him to an industrial site where the dead are prepared for funeral homes. Dillon’s family told the outlet his wish to die came from mental illness, not the bowel disease.

In a separate complaint, MacLean allegedly failed to provide one of three required drugs during an assisted death, the National Post reported. After he declared the patient dead and left the residence, the man started breathing again on his own. MacLean came back and finished the procedure, according to the Globe and Mail.

A reviewer determined MacLean fell short of professional standards in five of 20 files examined, the National Post reported. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) issued a verbal caution and ordered six months of clinical supervision, chart audits and remedial training. He keeps his license and can still perform assisted deaths.

Health Canada counted 16,499 assisted deaths in 2024, close to one in every 20 nationwide, the Globe and Mail reported. Track 2 cases, which cover patients whose deaths are not imminent, climbed 17% in a single year, according to Canadian Affairs.

“Due to the rules regarding privacy and my professional responsibilities to the CPSO regarding confidentiality of complaint investigations, I am unable to respond to your questions,” MacLean told the National Post.