Philip Aziz Centre / Emily's House

Philip Aziz Centre / Emily's House PAC is a non-profit community hospice program. Emily's House is Toronto’s first children's residentia

PAC staff and volunteers are skilled and compassionate in the provision of hospice care for adults and children and are committed to respecting confidentiality, beliefs, choices, faith and culture. To ensure good standards of practice PAC has achieved Level 2 Accreditation, (currently the highest level offered by the Hospice Palliative Care Ontario). The courage and vision of the clients we have had the privilege of journeying with over the past 16 years through our community hospice programs at Philip Aziz Centre, has led us to establishing Emily’s House, the first Pediatric Hospice in Toronto (GTA) and 6th in Canada. If you would like to donate to the Philip Aziz Centre please click on the following link: http://www.philipazizcentre.ca/how-you-can-help/

10/08/2026

💙 The work of supporting grieving children, youth, and families can be deeply meaningful—but it can also carry an emotional weight that stays with us long after the workday ends.

Join Scott Maksymyk, Executive Director of Metis Child, Family and Community Services , as he leads “Holding the Holders: Compassionate Leadership in Organizations Supporting Children and Families Through Grief.”

Drawing on his extensive experience in child welfare, from frontline practice to executive leadership, Scott will explore what it means to lead with compassion in organizations where grief, trauma, and loss are part of the work every day.

This session will shine a light on the impact of secondary traumatic stress and emotional fatigue on helping professionals, while exploring practical ways leaders can foster psychological safety, emotional honesty, reflection, and connection within their teams.

Participants will have an opportunity to consider how we can build workplaces where compassion is sustained rather than depleted, and where the people carrying this important work feel supported, connected, and cared for.

Because when we intentionally care for the people who support others, we strengthen the capacity of the entire system to care for children, youth, families, and communities. 💙

Tickets are selling fast for our 2 day virtual event, get yours today!

Thank you to our leadership partners IWK Health Canuck Place Children's Hospice Philip Aziz Centre / Emily's House Lighthouse for Grieving Children and Families Hospice Simcoe Seasons Centre Lumara Grief & Bereavement Care Society

Here’s what paediatric palliative care looks like ... this National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day for children ...
10/08/2026

Here’s what paediatric palliative care looks like ... this National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day for children at Emily’s House.

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National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day, Oct 8, 2026The second Thursday in October marks National Children’s Hos...
10/08/2026

National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day, Oct 8, 2026

The second Thursday in October marks National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day in Canada. On this day, CHPCA encourages governments, healthcare organizations, communities, and individuals to recognize the gaps in children’s hospice palliative care and take action to ensure every child with a serious illness and their family has access to compassionate, high-quality support.

Short Lives Can’t Wait
Every child with a serious illness and their family deserves high-quality, family-centred hospice palliative care, yet many families across Canada continue to face gaps in accessing care, limited caregiving supports, and inadequate grief and bereavement services.

This National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day, CHPCA (Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association), in collaboration with Canada’s Pediatric Palliative Care Alliance , is calling on governments, healthcare leaders, organizations, and communities to take action. By raising awareness of, and advocating for, equitable access to care, stronger supports for families, and sustainable investment in children’s hospice palliative care, we can help ensure every child and family receives the compassionate care they need, because short lives can’t wait.

To learn more about the 2026 National Children's Hospice Palliative Care Day campaign including how to get involved, please visit: https://www.chpca.ca/awareness/national-childrens-hospice-palliative-care-day/

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Today’s special visitor… Dallas the dog!Dallas (a 4-year-old Golden Doodle) and her handler, Christina, stopped by this ...
10/07/2026

Today’s special visitor… Dallas the dog!

Dallas (a 4-year-old Golden Doodle) and her handler, Christina, stopped by this afternoon to bring cheer to the Emily’s House kids in-house.

She was extremely popular with the kids, and even balanced the shoe of our littlest client on her head!

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10/05/2026

💙 When a grieving child withdraws, becomes oppositional, or struggles to regulate their emotions, what might be happening beneath the behaviour?

Join Corrie Sirota at our 6th annual Canadian Children's Grief Symposium as she leads “What Lies Beneath: Understanding the Basic Needs of Bereaved Children,” an interactive session exploring what children’s behaviour may be communicating when they are experiencing grief and loss.

With a strength-based and compassionate approach, this session will explore how grief can show up in children’s behaviour—including both internalizing and externalizing responses—and how we can respond in ways that support rather than simply manage the behaviour.

Drawing on her extensive experience as a psychotherapist, educator, author, and Clinical Director of Myra's Kids Foundation, Corrie will share practical strategies that can be applied in clinical and caregiving settings.

Through hands-on activities and discussion, participants will build skills to better understand the “why” behind behaviour, identify the underlying needs of bereaved children, and discover ways to create greater emotional safety and support.

Thank you to our leadership partners IWK Health Philip Aziz Centre / Emily's House Lighthouse for Grieving Children and Families Canuck Place Children's Hospice Lumara Grief & Bereavement Care Society

Core Volunteer Training – 42 New Volunteers! ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
10/05/2026

Core Volunteer Training – 42 New Volunteers!

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National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Sept 30Today, we pause to remember the profound sorrow, loss, and injustices ...
09/30/2026

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Sept 30

Today, we pause to remember the profound sorrow, loss, and injustices experienced by First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples across our country. We honour those who have suffered and those whose lives and families have been forever affected….

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Thank you to everyone who came out for Hike for Hospice on Sunday. It was a beautiful day, packed with family activities...
09/29/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out for Hike for Hospice on Sunday. It was a beautiful day, packed with family activities, bouncy castles, soft serve ice cream, and connecting with our friends and families from across hospice communities: Emily's House children's hospice, Philip Aziz Centre for Hospice Care, Hospice Toronto and Toronto Grace Health Centre.

JoshMatlow, Toronto City Councillor, Ward 12 Toronto-St Paul, gave a very personal and heartfelt “shout out” to everyone in the GTA supporting hospice care. Kristyn Wong-Tam, MPP Toronto Centre, also stopped in to show support.

Thanks to Enbridge for sponsoring their annual barbecue; Mount Pleasant Group, our lead community partner who brought their biggest team ever; Artik Promotions our Emily’s House t-shirt sponsor, the Family Advisory Council who hosted the Legacy Tree and were available to talk to families. Special thanks to the Hike for Hospice Partners, the hike event committee that brings the fun every year, and all the volunteers who served with joy. Thank you to everyone who contributed in any way!
On Sunday, we announced approximately $50,900 raised in total including approximately $35,000 raised for Emily’s House & Philip Aziz Centre so far. Donations are still welcome!
The full photo album of the event, prize winners, and complete “thank yous” will follow once we’ve collected all the great shots from our volunteer photographers. Please loop back for that!

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Who guessed that this year’s Hike t-shirt would be purple?! Here’s a preview of this year’s t-shirts … AND a preview of ...
09/25/2026

Who guessed that this year’s Hike t-shirt would be purple?!

Here’s a preview of this year’s t-shirts … AND a preview of the sunshine we have booked for Sunday.

Special thanks to t-shirt sponsor Artik Toronto. You always make us look good!

Hike for Hospice – Sunday, Sept 27, 2026, 9:30 am – Preregister online:
https://paceh.ca/2026-hike-for-hospice/

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Emily’s Mom Lindsey Pours Out Her Heart on this Anniversary(Republished with permission and knowing the outpouring of lo...
09/24/2026

Emily’s Mom Lindsey Pours Out Her Heart on this Anniversary

(Republished with permission and knowing the outpouring of love from our social media community will encourage Lindsey’s heart).

Emily, Emily… Emily Elizabeth Anne. In this photo here, you were in our house in Shanghai. Some people will recognize that familiar Foreign Service furniture. But Emily, seven years ago tonight was the last time I got the privilege of holding you in my arms and caring for you. Then soon after midnight, very early on September 24th, 2019, you slipped from my arms into the arms of God.

Torrents of precious memories have come rushing over me again. I still hear your unmistakable voice, singing and chattering away, brimming with energy and zest for life, startling people by sometimes lapsing into Japanese or Mandarin Chinese which you studied at school. I still see you in the days where you would take off with your long legs and run like the wind, or tighten your fists to show off the muscles in your arms and prove how strong you were. You would try anything and encouraged others to do so as well. You lived your childhood to the full.

Then things suddenly changed. Dramatically. Yet your faith never wavered and no matter what transpired you never lost your capacity for that infamous smile. You still graced us with your infectious laughter and profuse tears. Your mind and spirit and emotions remained intact although speech and mobility and the ability to eat or do anything for yourself anymore was abruptly taken away from you. You showed us that your value and widespread influence in life never depended on any of the things which our culture tends to adulate and for which many simply sell their souls and still come out empty in the end. You effectively taught us many deep lessons without money and without a word, and it would blow you away to see on how many levels your several legacies continue to affect and impact others to this very day.

Whoever imagined you would pick up a brush again in the last two and a half years of your life, for example, leaving us over 400 breathtaking paintings to not only muse over but to profoundly touch our ongoing lives and infuse us with wonder and inspiration? For those who truly have eyes to see and ears to hear, you still bring a distinctly rich sense of awe and hope and possibility.

My whole body still aches with both the terrible missing of you and also the overwhelming gratitude for having the honour of being your Mom. It is still amazing to me as time went on how you loved and trusted me and wanted me to always be near, especially in the darker hours.

We were alone, you and I - yet not completely alone - seven years ago tonight. By then you were 26 years old! I shall never forget how you tried to say something to me from somewhere deep in your throat before you took your last breath… or how a few hours later the sun rose golden all over and around you…

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Address

558 Gerrard Street East
Toronto, ON
M4M1X8

Telephone

+14163639196

Website

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