Living organ donors would be compensated up to $5,500 for their expenses and lost wages if the Ontario government is re-elected in October, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Friday.
After an emotional meeting with a group of people who either received an organ, donated one, or donated on behalf of a deceased family member, McGuinty officially announced he would eliminate some of the financial barriers associated with donating.
"Donors may have to pay for things like travel, accommodation, food, day care for the kids and there's also from time to time the matter of lost income,'' McGuinty said.
"We want to ease that financial burden.''
He said the policy isn't meant to be a financial reward to encourage more donations, and would simply make sure a donor doesn't suffer financially for choosing to donate.
"We can never truly compensate our living donors for their generosity, nor would we try,'' McGuinty said. "Donors give of themselves literally out of love and compassion, surely humanity's most noble motivation.''
The compensation was recommended in a report released in April, which called on Ontario to follow British Columbia's lead and encourage more people to become living donors.
There are currently more than 1,700 people in Ontario waiting for an organ donation, most needing a kidney transplant.
Conservative critic Frank Klees said the compensation is a great initiative but criticized the Liberals for taking so long to push it forward.
"Don't tell me it wasn't strategic from the standpoint of, `Let's make this part of our re-election campaign,''' Klees said.
"In the meantime, people are dying and have been dying, one person dies every three days on that waiting list.''
The McGuinty government also promised to increase public awareness about the need for organ donors, and to launch a database to help match potential donors with those in need.
None of the new policies will be launched before the election on Oct. 10.
According to the Trillium Gift of Life Network, 172 living donors gave an organ last year. So far this year, 152 living donors have volunteered an organ.
