Ontario sets new record for organ donation

Ontario says it set a new record for organ donations last year, helping save more than 1,000 lives.

The Trillium Gift of Life Network, the province's agency for organ, tissue and transplant donations, says there were 265 donors in 2014, up 18 per cent from the year before.

Ronnie Gavsie, the agency's president, says the increase is partly due to new initiatives that include public reporting of hospital donation performance.

The agency says more than 3.1 million people are registered as organ donors in the province, which is more than a quarter of the eligible population.

It says there are more than 1,500 people in Ontario currently waiting for an organ transplant.

The Gift of Life agency only deals with donations from the dead, while live donations are conducted by transplant centres throughout the province.