Medicine Hat senior charged with kidnapping, receives second approval on MAID application

UPDATE: Sixty-five year old Lester Landry has been charged with one count of kidnapping. Medicine Hat Police say on January 14th, they responded to a call from a woman who claimed she was confined to a vehicle and was driven into a secluded area against her will. She was able to exit to car she was in with the accused as it slowed down. After receiving the call, police did locate the woman walking in the area of 23rd Street NW.

Following an investigation, the woman had arranged to be picked up by the man after responding to a request for house cleaning service that was posted online. He was released from custody with a condition to not contact the victim. He is scheduled to appear in court on February 28th, 2023.

Landry, who applied for Medical Assistance in Dying says he has gotten a second approval from doctors and now it’s up to a decision board. Les Landry says he submitted a MAID application last year because his AISH disability benefits were cut off after he turned 65. He says he can no longer afford to live. Landry says there is an easy fix to such a big problem that seniors in poverty are faced with.  

“Do not take away people’s disability benefits just because they turn 65. Whether or not I die or, or the person beside me dies, you know, so Les Landry dies. Too bad. We should have paid more attention to him when he was alive. The solution, the long term solution for everybody concerned, the seniors, that the ones that did have a disability benefit and we’re on a disability plan like AISH in Alberta. For, for somebody that is off of AISH, how do they justify transitioning that person off of AISH just because they they turned 65. That’s one heck of a birthday present,” said Les Landry, Medicine Hat senior facing poverty.

Landry says he isn’t sure when a final decision will be made on his application, but for now it’s a waiting game.