Mailing Address / Adresse Postale
Box 48
Kingston ON K7L 5J3

Dear Mr./Ms.

We are contacting you because you registered or updated your consent online to be an organ or tissue donor between March 23, 2013 and September 19, 2014.

Through an internal review, we discovered that organ and tissue donor registrations and/or updates made online during this time may not have accurately recorded your wishes, including any exclusions you may have chosen. Exclusions are when you choose to exclude certain organs or tissue from your donation decision.

We are taking this matter very seriously and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and concern this may cause. The technical issue with the website has been fixed. We would like to assure you that at no point was your privacy or the security of your personal information compromised. Fortunately, no donations have taken place which were not in keeping with the donor’s wishes, and no donation opportunities have been missed.

Organ and tissue donation truly is the gift of life. One donor can save up to eight lives and enhance as many as 75 more. Your gift of life is important, and we want to ensure we have correctly recorded your personal wishes.

In order to make sure your donation choices are accurately recorded, please visit ServiceOntario.ca/BeADonor to update your registration. It will only take a couple of minutes. Please have your health card on hand.

Visit ServiceOntario.ca/BeADonor – select “Update your registration” and follow the prompts

Should you prefer to update your registration by return mail instead of online, we have enclosed a Gift of Life consent form. Please fill this out and return it to us in the enclosed, postage-paid envelope.

For more information or if you need assistance, please contact ServiceOntario at 1-844-209-9287.This number is a dedicated hotline we have set up to answer questions from the public on this issue. We have also attached an FAQ to answer any immediate questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Amin Remtulla, Director, Citizen Services Transformation Branch

Organ Donor System Frequently Asked Questions – September 2014

Q1. What happened?

A1. A technical problem resulted in some incomplete or inaccurate records for people who registered or updated their consent to donate organs and/or tissues between March 23, 2013 and September 19, 2014 through the online donor registration option on ServiceOntario.ca/BeADonor. Specifically, during this period the system was incorrectly recording donor exclusions. Exclusions are when you consent to donate any needed organs or tissue except for certain ones that you explicitly specify you do not want to donate.

Q2. Has the privacy or security of anyone’s donation information been affected?

A2. This technical problem did not affect the privacy or security of the information of any person who has registered their consent online or otherwise.

Q3. What happens to individuals who registered their consent between March 23, 2013 and September 19, 2014? What should they do?

A3. Beginning the week of September 29th a letter from ServiceOntario, will be sent to Ontarians who registered or updated their information online between March 23, 2013 and September 19, 2014. They will be asked to visit ServiceOntario.ca/BeADonor to update their registration or fill out the Gift of Life form and mail it back in the enclosed postage-paid envelope.

Q4. How do I know my information is correct this time if I can’t see it on the screen?

A4. Once you have finished updating your preferences a screen will appear confirming your status including exceptions. Please be sure to review this carefully as this screen will not be available to you the next time you log in unless you update your registration again.

Q5. If I chose “all”, do I have to update my donation?

A5. Yes, those who chose “all” still have to update their wishes. When a client intended to record consent to donate all organs/tissues for transplant or transplant and research through the Online Donor Registration system, the pancreas was recorded on the ministry’s database as an exception.

Q6. Can you guarantee the site’s accuracy now?

A6. While the system was temporarily taken out of service, the ministry developed and executed a plan to resolve the issues with the On-line Donor Registration system. The system was tested and retested before it went back on line on Thursday, September 25. The ministry is confident that the system now accurately records potential donor wishes.

Q7. Can I change my mind about being an organ donor?

A7. You can change your mind about your donation preferences at any time. You can withdraw your consent or change any exceptions you would like to make in your consent profile by logging on to the website ServiceOntario.ca/BeADonor or mailing in a Gift of Life consent form or visiting any ServiceOntario centre.