There are 54 people in Hamilton waiting for a medically-urgent organ transplant, according to the Trillium Gift of Life Network.
While Hamilton has a higher percentage of donors (37 per cent) than the provincial average, the city lags behind the Ontario leaders, North Bay, which reports a 57 per cent registration rate.
WATCH: Organ Donation Act moving ahead in N.S. legislature
In 2018, 78 people in Hamilton received a lifesaving organ transplant, according to the Government of Ontario agency responsible for the province’s organ donation strategy, promotion and supply.
They say there are 1,600 people in Ontario waiting for an organ transplant.
April is “BeADonor Month” in the province.
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Nova Scotia legislation that presumes consent for organ donations is poised to become law, with a key official saying the new system will address concerns raised by civil libertarians and others.
The Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act moved through the committee stage on Tuesday and will soon go to final reading in the legislature, making Nova Scotia the first jurisdiction in North America to adopt presumed consent for organ donation.
— With files from The Canadian Press