The next time you renew your Alberta driver’s licence or register your car, be prepared to be invited to participate in Alberta’s new Organ and Tissue Donor Registry and donate life. It is a free service to Albertans.
Since the Alberta Organ and Tissue Donor Registries’ launch in July 2014, 44,000 Albertans have registered but more donors are needed if Alberta is to regain the lead they once held in organ and tissue donations in Canada.
Recognizing the urgent need for more organ and tissue donations, Len Webber, MLA Calgary-Foothills, introduced private members Bill 207 on March 21, 2013. On May 14, the Legislature unanimously passed the Bill in 2nd reading as a Government Bill. On October 29 the third reading of Bill 207 was passed unanimously. On November 7, 2013, Bill 207 was proclaimed by the Government of Alberta.
In 2012, Ontario set a record for the number of transplant donors during which they performed 1,053 lifesaving organ transplants, an increase of 11% over the previous year and the third year in a row Ontario realized an increase in the number of transplants performed. During the same timeframe, organ and tissue donations in Alberta declined. Thus there is an urgent need to spread the word and increase the number of lives saved in Alberta.
To register for the program, all you need to do is visit any of the 206 registry offices in Alberta with your Alberta Health care card and a valid piece of photo ID. If you have misplaced your health care card or you do not yet have one, you can apply for one at the Registry office free of charge and the registration for the Alberta Organ and tissue donation program is free as well.
You can complete the entire registration process in just a minutes with a registry agent at the counter.
Let’s regain Alberta’s leadership in organ and tissue donations in Canada. One organ donor can save 8 lives and one tissue donor can enhance the lives of 75 others. You can register in person at any of the registry agents in Alberta: http://aara.ca/agents.