There’s a lack of registered organ donors in Canada, advocate tells Port Coquitlam council

Port Coquitlam has marked April 7 as Green Shirt Day, falling in line with other municipalities across the Lower Mainland that are looking to raise awareness about organ donations next month. 

The proclamation, announced at a council meeting March 12, comes five years after the first Green Shirt Day was held in Canada. 

The annual event was created to honour the victims of the fatal Humboldt Broncos bus crash, which killed 16 passengers and injured 13 more people on April 6, 2018. 

Logan Boulet, a defenceman for the team, passed away one day later. However, he gained national recognition for registering to become an organ donor and offering to donate his organs before succumbing to his injuries. 

In the weeks following his decision, nearly 150,000 people signed up to be organ donors — the largest number of people who volunteered to become a donor due to one event, according to the Green Shirt Day website. 

“This recognition is really important to keep the message going,” stated Kathleen Fleming, B.C. director of the Canadian Transplant Association, while addressing city council. 

“The many faces of organ donation [are] people who got to see their grandchildren, got to get married, have graduations. It can’t be overstated how important the day is.” 

About 90 percent of Canadians support organ and tissue donation, Fleming said, but only 32 per cent of people in the country are registered as organ donors. 

“There’s this disconnect between people saying it’s a great thing and people doing what needs to be done in order to make that happen,” said Fleming, adding that nearly 4,000 Canadians are currently waiting for an organ transplant. 

“About 250 people die every year in Canada as a result of not getting those organs. We can’t understate how important it is for these conversation to occur.” 

Coun. Nancy McCurrach, who is also a transplant recipient, applauded the Fleming and the city for adding dialogue to the importance of organ donation in Port Coquitlam. 

“It really does mess up your life,” McCurrach said. “I’m really grateful for the people that realize this and do give the gift of life.” 

Port Coquitlam is planning multiple different ways to mark Green Shirt Day this year. 

On April 5, 75 students from Central Community School and Pitt River Middle School are scheduled to attend a free public skate at the Port Coquitlam Recreation Centre. 

Mayor Brad West encouraged residents to come out and cheer on the skaters as they honour Green Shirt Day. 

The City Hall building is also slated to be lit up green on April 7. 

For more information on how to become an organ donor, you can visit the Green Shirt Day website here.