The law for donating human tissue and organs is set out in Alberta’s Human Tissue and Organ Donation Act.
Living Donors
You can sign up to become a living donor, which means you agree to donate a kidney, part of your lung or liver, or tissue such as bone marrow or stem cells while you are still living.
Living Donor Programs:
- Edmonton: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/service.aspx?Id=5853
- Calgary: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/service.aspx?Id=1738
Donation on Death
If you are 18 years or older, you can indicate your wish to become a donor in several ways:
- Register online with the Alberta Organ and Tissue Donation Registry (https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Pages/OTDRHome.aspx); or
- Sign the back of your Alberta Personal Health Card (must be witnessed) –this only applies to cards issued prior to 2018; or
- Tell the agent at the registry when you renew your driver’s license and your consent will be indicated on your driver’s license.
If you do not give your formal consent in one of the ways noted above, then you should make your wishes known to your family and friends. That way, your organs may still be donated when you die if one of the following persons (in order of priority) gives consent:
- your spouse or adult interdependent partner, if you are not estranged;
- your adult child;
- your parent or guardian;
- your adult sibling;
- any other adult next of kin.
See also: Planning to Be an Organ and Tissue Donor
Last Reviewed: June 2019
