News release: Heart & Stroke welcomes Ontario private members bill to create an AED registry


(Toronto) — Today, Member of Provincial Parliament and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health Robin Martin on introducing a private member’s bill to create an AED registry in Ontario. In response to this bill being introduced Avril Goffredo, Executive Vice President, Ontario & Nunavut issued the following statement. 

"Every 15 minutes, someone in Canada experiences a cardiac arrest. It can happen to anyone at any time. When it happens out of hospital, a cardiac arrest is fatal 9 times out of 10. However, the chances of survival double when an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and CPR are used within the first few minutes.

We congratulate Member of Provincial Parliament and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health Robin Martin on introducing a private member’s bill to create an AED registry in Ontario, and call on all Members of the Legislative Assembly to support the legislation. A comprehensive registry of AEDs connected to 9-1-1 dispatch will give anyone experiencing a cardiac arrest the best possible chance for survival.  

We also know that this legislation will have support from more than 90% of Ontarians who feel that all AEDs should be registered and maintained, according to a survey commissioned by Heart & Stroke and conducted by Sentis in September 2019. If passed, this legislation will go a long way to putting these life-saving tools into the hands of everyday heroes across the province. 
We look forward to swift passage of this legislation, and the opportunity to collaborate with the Government of Ontario during the development of supporting regulations.”

For more information:

Joshua Terry
Communications Manager, Ontario, Heart & Stroke
416-489-7111, x. 24806
joshua.terry@heartandstroke.ca

About Heart & Stroke

Life. We don’t want you to miss it. That’s why Heart & Stroke leads the fight against heart disease and stroke. Together, we are working to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery through research, health promotion and public policy.