Organ and tissue donation

Donation options

You can choose to:

• donate all of your organs and tissues
• donate some of your organs and tissues
• not donate your organs and tissues

Living donation

You need to contact the Kidney Transplant Donation Program if you want to donate a kidney while you're still alive. This is called a living donation.

Registering your donation decision

You can register your decision to donate your organs and tissues after death if you have a Health Card and are 16 or older. If you’re 15 or younger, your parent or legal guardian needs to complete the registration for you.

Your registration options include:

• registering to be a donor and donate all organs and tissues
• registering to be a donor and only donate some organs and tissues
• registering to not be a donor (opt out) and not donate organs and tissues
• not registering a decision

Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) can also register a decision to donate after death. If you’re a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, you need to contact MSI Registration and Enquiry to request an Organ and Tissue Donation Form for Canadian Armed Forces. If you’re a member of the RCMP, you need to contact MSI Registration and Enquiry to register your decision.

Record of consent

After you register, your donation decision is recorded in the Health Card Registry and displayed on the front of your Health Card.

Your Health Card shows if you consent to donate all organs and tissues (DONOR 1) or some organs and tissues (DONOR 2). Cards also show if you don’t consent to donate organs and tissues (OPT OUT).

The Health Card Registry keeps a record of your donation decision, including if you didn’t register a decision.

Before any transplant activities take place, health professionals check the registry to see if you registered a decision. Health professionals also meet with your family to review your recorded decision and to see if the family has additional information about your decision.

If you don't register a donation decision

If you don't register a donation decision and you’re 19 or over, you’re seen as having consented to donate all organs and tissues under the Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act. This is called deemed consent.

Deemed consent doesn’t apply to living donation or to donation for scientific research or education purposes.

Deemed consent also doesn’t apply if:

• you’re 18 or younger
• you don’t have the capacity to make decisions, including a decision about donating your organs and tissues
• you don’t have the capacity to understand that you’re automatically seen as having given your consent, unless you specifically opt out
• you’re an out-of-province student studying in Nova Scotia
• you’re an international student studying in Nova Scotia
• you’re someone who came from out of province to work in Nova Scotia on a temporary basis (including foreign temporary workers)
• you’re in prison in Nova Scotia
• you’re a Canadian Armed Forces member posted to Nova Scotia
• you’re a family member of a Canadian Armed Forces member posted to Nova Scotia
• you’re a Royal Canadian Mounted Police member posted to Nova Scotia
• you’re a family member of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police member posted to Nova Scotia

Changing your donation decision

It’s your choice. You can change your donation decision at any time.

Talk to your family, friends and those closest to you

It's important that you discuss your donation decision with your family, friends and those closest to you so they know your wishes. Talking about your decision makes sure that it doesn’t come as a surprise to them. It also helps them support your decision.

Help making a donation decision

Legacy of Life can help you understand what it means to be a donor and how organ and tissue donation works. If you have questions about how donation affects your religious or spiritual practice, you should speak with your spiritual leader.