B.C. woman already banned from midwifery is charged after infant dies

By The Canadian Press on January 7, 2025.

The RCMP logo is seen outside the force's 'E' division headquarters in Surrey, B.C., on March 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

LADYSMITH, B.C. – A British Columbia woman who describes herself as a childbirth advocate has been charged with manslaughter after police say an infant she helped deliver died days after its birth.

RCMP in Ladysmith, B.C., say 77-year-old Gloria Lemay was involved in the birth process of a child who was unresponsive when delivered on Dec. 27, 2023, at a private residence.

Police say the infant died on Jan. 6, 2024, despite life-saving efforts from emergency workers.

A statement from the police say that they believe the woman’s involvement in the birth process “led to the child’s injuries and eventual death.”

Lemay has been arrested and charged, and police say no further details will be released given the case is now before the courts.

The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives issued a public advisory a year ago, shortly after the child’s death, saying that Lemay “continues to hold herself out as a birth attendant,” but has never been a registrant and is not entitled to practice as a midwife in the province.

Police say the investigation process involved both the provincial Ministry of Children and Family Development and the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives, as well as the coroners service.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2025.