Join author, speaker, and mental health advocate Alicia Duncan for an evening exploring the story behind her debut memoir, The Other Side of the Straitjacket: A Daughter's Story of Mental Illness and Assisted Dying.

In 2021, Alicia's mother, Donna Duncan, died through Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), a death that became the first police-investigated MAiD death in Canadian history. What began as a daughter's search for answers evolved into years of advocacy, legal action, and an examination of how systems can fail the very people they are intended to serve.

Featured in the BBC documentary Better Off Dead? and CBC's The Fifth Estate, Donna's story has become part of the national and international conversation surrounding assisted dying. Alicia has since testified before Canada's Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying and has spoken publicly in Canada and the United Kingdom on the intersection of mental health, ethics, and end-of-life policy.

During the evening, Alicia will share the personal journey that led her to write The Other Side of the Straitjacket, including the events that unfolded after her mother's death, the investigation that followed, and why these conversations matter now more than ever.

Your ticket includes:

• Author presentation

• Book reading

• Audience Q&A

• Light refreshments

• Book signing

Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Whether you've already read the book or are simply interested in the story behind it, we would be delighted to welcome you for an evening of conversation, reflection, and connection.

Reserve your spot here