Together, we care for families when and where they need it
We are grateful for the generosity of our donors, government, and corporate partners. Together, we help ease the suffering of vulnerable children and families across BC and the Yukon.
Read more below about some of our Canuck Place families and how we walk alongside them during the most unimaginable circumstances.
Canuck Place offers families choices
For families at Canuck Place, having choices is important. Canuck Place staff, including Nurse Practitioners Rachel Neufeld and Camara van Breeman, provided the Premia family and their daughter, Angelina, with comprehensive in-home support, managing pain and symptoms, and overall comfort.
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4,013 Community-based care consultations, which includes 24-Hour Clinical Care Line, in-hospital, in-home, and virtual care. This is a 27% increase since 2021-22.
Each Canuck Place family has a unique story
Canuck Place care is a beacon of light and lasting memories
Marie and Wes Toews received the heartbreaking news that their daughter Sophia had been diagnosed with Trisomy 18, during Marie’s pregnancy. Canuck Place Nurse Practitioner, Camara van Breemen helped guide the family in creating a care plan that reflected Sophia’s diagnosis and the family’s values.
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19% increase in counselling sessions in-hospice for children and families to support mental health, over last year
Medical respite care helps parents just be parents
Canuck Place supports the Hernandez family with pain and symptom management and through medical respite care, a program offering that allows Emi, and his family, to stay in hospice to receive rest and renewal.
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23% Increase in family members staying in our hospices for medical respite care over last year
Let the joy and adventure in!
Every year with your support, our recreation therapy team brings joy and adventure to Canuck Place families with the Summer in the City program. It is a way for families to try new and exciting things and create lasting memories through various activities across BC.
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715 Recreation therapy Sessions For over 3,165 child and family attendees, a 28% increase over last year
Over 920 children and families on program
Canuck Place Children’s Hospice helps give short lives the gift of great days. We provide pediatric palliative care to children 0–19 with life-threatening illnesses across BC and the Yukon and journey with families during uncertain times. Below is the representation of children and families on our program from the five BC Health regions.
Children and families on program
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Fraser Health (44%)
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Vancouver Coastal (17%)
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Island Health (12%)
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Interior Health (13%)
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Northern Health (9%)
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Yukon/Out of Province (2%)
Engaging with purpose
With your support, Canuck Place formed a project group called the Family Engagement Coalition (FEC), comprised of staff and family partners. This amazing team co-developed an evidence-based framework and tools to ensure meaningful engagement with children, youth, and families at Canuck Place.
The framework is important as it provides the structure for consistent, safe, and respectful engagement with children and families. Canuck Place is focused on representing the diverse perspectives of patient-partner families and to informing improvement of care and services at Canuck Place.
We are grateful to donors supporting the future of collaborative care!
Our Donors
We are grateful for the 10,129 incredible donors who help us provide compassionate, complex care to children and families. Read more below about some of the amazing individuals that help make our work possible.
Honouring Karim
In 2009, Farah and Eric's son Karim was diagnosed with neuroblastoma and spent his last two months at Canuck Place, which quickly became a second home for the family, providing exceptional care and creating cherished memories
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Monthly giving makes a major impact
Robert “Bob” McCallum has been a dedicated monthly donor to Canuck Place since 2010. Despite moving to Portugal permanently in September of 2022, he has continued his unwavering support for our cause.
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Transforming lives through music therapy
The Music Heals Charitable Foundation has been a steadfast supporter of the music therapy program at Canuck Place for over a decade and instrumental in expanding the therapeutic use of music for children and families in home, in hospice, and within the community.
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Family Advisory Council Chair
“Canuck Place Children’s Hospice supports the care of our daughter, and also cares for our family. This critical and complex care is why I have been part of the Canuck Place Family Advisory Council (FAC).”
FAC Chair
CEO and Board Chair
“The support of donors, and corporate and government partners is vital to the delivery of pediatric palliative care. Every dollar that is donated helps Canuck Place care for terminally-ill children, and helps support their families through the toughest of times.”
Chief Executive Officer
Board Chair
Clinical and Medical Director
“At Canuck Place, we are in the service of human beings. We value connection and partnership with children and families and we view this relationship as a powerful instrument of healing in the face of pain and uncertainty.”
Medical Director
Clinical Program Director
Fostering Inclusion and Global Impact in Pediatric Palliative Care
Canuck Place is an award-winning organization committed to fostering diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging. We have received numerous accolades, including the 2023 Children’s Healthcare Canada Organizational Leadership Award and the 2023 Supporting Lines High-Performance Culture Award.
In 2022, Canuck Place partnered with Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration to support pediatric palliative care globally. To meet the growing need for healthcare for children with a serious illness, Canuck Place clinicians are participating in the Children’s Palliative Care Leadership Institute, a one year program aiming to develop the next generation of healthcare leaders, educators, and clinicians.
Additionally, Canuck Place serves as a hub for international pediatric hospices, sharing best practices and modelling pediatric palliative care. Notable collaborations include those with hospitals in Costa Rica, Kuwait, Australia, South Africa, Romania, the Netherlands, Russia, Mexico, the UK, and the US. With your support, Canuck Place remains dedicated to compassionate care locally, nationally, and internationally.
80 Pediatric palliative care presentations by Canuck Place clinical staff and Canuck Place Research Initiative clinician scientists to provincial, national, and global audiences
Canuck Place Research Initiative
Canuck Place Research Initiative (CPRI), under the leadership and direction of Scientific Director, Dr. Hal Siden, provides leadership in knowledge dissemination and education of clinicians and researchers to benefit the children and families confronted with fragility, uncertainty, grief, and loss.
In 202324 the CPRI focused on five core research projects.
Gabapentin for Pain in Children with Severe Neurological Impairment
Investigating gabapentin’s efficacy, optimal dosage, tolerability, and safety for treating Pain and Irritability of Unknown Origin (PIUO) in children with severe neurological impairment.
Post-Operative Decline in Children with Severe Neurological Impairment
A qualitative study exploring unexpected and persistent functional changes in children with SNI after surgery, from caregivers’ perspectives.
Population Data for Children Living with Serious Illness in BC
Describing demographics, calculating prevalence, and modeling instability risk for the population benefiting from Pediatric Palliative Care services in British Columbia.
Health Equity Considerations in Children with Health Complexity
Addressing health inequities faced by children with complex health conditions, emphasizing disability intersectionality and social determinants of health through a scoping review.
Pain and Irritability of Unknown Origin (PIUO)
Evaluating the PIUO Pathway’s effectiveness in managing unexplained pain and irritability in children with limited communication and complex conditions, potentially creating evidence-based guidelines for pain management.
17 Research projects improving the quality of care for children and families
Serious Illness Conversation Guide—Pediatrics©
Canuck Place has a mandate to share knowledge for the benefit of seriously-ill children everywhere. One of the ways Canuck Place fulfills this mandate is through the training and education of the Canuck Place Serious Illness Guide – Pediatrics© (SICG-Peds©). SICG-Peds© is a tool to support health care providers in leading conversations to explore a family’s understanding of their child’s serious illness and their values, goals, priorities and preferences for care. An important part of SICG-Peds© program is the patient-family partner faculty who bring an essential lived-experience element to the training program.
Most recently, the Canuck Place team held training sessions for clinicians and trainers at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton and supported one of the hospital’s pediatric palliative care doctors to become a master trainer.
Canuck Place clinicians have also created a training guide specific for neonatal care.
“Serious illness conversations between clinicians and patients and families is already an international movement,” says Camara van Breemen, Canuck Place Nurse Practitioner. “We took the Ariadne Labs program and adapted it for pediatric and neonatal situations in line with evidence-based practice that integrating values into advanced care planning is essential, particularly for parents who have seriously ill children.”
Since mid-2018, over 900 clinicians in Canada have been through the training Canuck Place provides and more than 150 clinicians have been trained in Southeast Asia including parts of India where the program has been translated into a local dialect.
900+ Clinicians have been trained globally on Canuck Place Serious Illness Conversation Guide—Pediatrics© since 2018
At Canuck Place we understand that uniqueness is powerful. We hold each other accountable for an inclusive environment where employees feel empowered to share their experiences and ideas. Everyone knows that they belong.
Your support inspires Canuck Place to be a better organization
With your support, Canuck Place is a place of choice to work, connect, and collaborate. Canuck Place is recognized for a commitment to fostering a culture that acknowledges and celebrates diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging. We are pleased to share the following recognition and awards with our donors and community partners:
Canuck Place is committed to financial sustainability, accountability, and transparency in how donor funds are received, directed, and invested.
Report from the Finance & Audit Committee
This fiscal year reports a breakeven position for CPCH, which would not have been possible without the very generous support of individual and corporate donors and government partners. CPCH increased fundraising by 4% and directly invested in providing care for our children and families. We also received additional operational funding of $1.4 million from the Provincial Health Services Authority to continue to provide existing care programs and expand services to meet the increasing need for pediatric palliative care.
Treasurer and Finance & Audit Committee Chair, Canuck Place Board of Directors
CPCH SOCIETY FINANCIAL STATEMENT
CPCH FOUNDATION FINANCIAL STATEMENT
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Investments in care for children and families
The work of our team includes clinical care, counselling, recreation therapy, food services and housekeeping, facilities management and volunteer services.
Clinical Care, Nursing, and Physician care: Medical Respite care, pain & symptom management, medicine, medical supplies, pediatric medical equipment, individualized family care plans, Enhanced Community Care Program, 24-Hour Clinical Care Line available province-wide
Counselling: Grief, loss, and bereavement counselling, spiritual care, social work, school program, music & play therapy, virtual care technology
Recreation Therapy: Exciting age-appropriate excursions for children on the program, bereaved families, and siblings, equipped and accessible vehicles to transport children in wheelchairs, excellent on-site play and recreation facilities, snoezelen multi-sensory room, virtual care technology
Food Services and Housekeeping: Provide healthy, nutritious meals twice a day, 365 days a year, and ensure dietary needs are met for children and families staying in-hospice, ensure the hygienic needs of children and families are met with infection control measures, provide additional comfort and support to family members throughout their stay
Facilities and Garden: Provide a home-like comfortable environment tailored to the needs of the program, fully wheelchair accessible, maintenance of gardens to provide a peaceful place during times of upheaval and great uncertainty
Volunteer Services: Training, management, and support of the following volunteer roles: Family volunteer, Garden volunteer, Housekeeping volunteer, Kitchen volunteer, Maintenance volunteer, Reception volunteer, Special event volunteer, Volunteer driver
Sources of funding
Canuck Place care is supported by donors like you. Additionally, support is provided by key grants and committed funding.
The Province of British Columbia, through the Ministry of Health, supports direct patient care at Canuck Place. Canuck Place raises 60% of annual operating funds required to provide care. This partnership is essential to the delivery of patient care.
The Canucks for Kids Fund has granted vital funds for over 30 years. In addition to an annual grant, the CFKF provides hope, joy and inspiration through player and mascot Fin visits to families in our care, tickets to Abbotsford and Vancouver Canucks events for families and volunteer hours from dedicated staff, Canucks Alumni and management. This grant provides 4% support for overall operating costs.
Investment Priorities
Room to grow
Canuck Place is investing in a major renovation to the Canuck Place Vancouver hospice to improve ventilation systems, structural repairs, improve accessibility and inclusivity and additional spaces for virtual care.
Unlocking the full potential of pediatric palliative care
Canuck Place will continue to invest in: a provincial partnership to improve pediatric advance care planning; the Canuck Place Research Initiative; and knowledge and innovation tools like the Serious Illness Guide – Pediatrics©.
Care for the future
To improve patient safety and quality of care, Canuck Place is investing in an Electronic Medical Record to foster continuity of care.
What is the CPCH Foundation?
CPCH Foundation was established in 2000 to invest and safeguard funds for the purpose of investing in Canuck Place operations and to ensure future generations of children living with a huge variety of complex conditions receive the pediatric palliative care they need. Investments in the CPCH Foundation will provide a bridge to any funding gaps and provide stability in the current economic uncertainty.