Province of Ontario Creates Citizens Panel to Help Increase Organ Donation

This looks like a great opportunity to make your views known about how to increase the rate of organ donation in Ontario. Why not make a point of attending these public meetings when the panel comes to your community? I know that I'm looking forward to giving my views, especially given the fact that someone dies every three days in the province while on the waiting list for a transplant. There are currently 1770 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in Ontario. Merv.

TORONTO, Nov. 24 - The McGuinty government has created a citizens panel to develop recommendations to increase organ donation in the province.

Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman announced today. "Organ donation saves hundreds of lives each year across Ontario, yet there are not enough available donors to meet the demand for organ transplants," Smitherman said. "That's why we're creating the Citizens Panel on Increasing Organ Donations consisting of highly regarded individuals in the community who will provide our government with their collective wisdom and develop recommendations for a made-in-Ontario Organ Donation Strategy."

The six members of the Citizens Panel on Increasing Organ Donations are:

• Dr. Ted Boadway, former director of health policy at the Ontario Medical Association


• Alvin Curling, former MPP and Speaker of the Ontario Legislature;


• Peter Desbarats, print and television journalist, and previous dean at the University of Western Ontario;


• Reverend Dr. Brent Hawkes, human rights activist and pastor of Metropolitan Community Church Toronto;


• Gisèle Lalonde, community activist and former mayor of Vanier, who served on the board of directors of the Montfort Hospital and the Montfort Hospital Foundation;


• Joan Neiman, former Canadian Senator


• For in depth profiles of the panel click here.

Over the next few months, (starting Nov. 29th in Kitchener & Sarnia) the panel will hold public forums across the province to consult with the public. See the full schedule of meetings.

See the full news release for a list of topics the panel will be consulting with the public on.