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She's Donating a Kidney to Her Sister. Nova Scotia Won't Cover Her Support Person
An Ottawa woman donating a kidney to her sister in Halifax says she only learned weeks before surgery that the province won't pay travel costs for a companion to support her recovery
Published: July 19, 2026
An Ottawa woman preparing to donate a kidney to her sister says she was blindsided to discover that Nova Scotia's live organ donation program will not cover travel expenses for a companion to accompany and support her during surgery and recovery. The donor says she had been in contact with both the Ontario and Nova Scotia transplant programs for months and believed her costs were covered, only learning of the gap in coverage a few weeks before the operation. Nova Scotia does reimburse donors themselves for travel, hotel stays and meals, but unlike Ontario, British Columbia and Yukon, it does not extend that support to a companion, leaving the donor facing roughly three thousand dollars in unplanned expenses. The province's health minister says jurisdictions take different approaches and that Nova Scotia does what it can with available resources, while officials note the policy is under review as the health authority's website is redesigned. The donor is calling for earlier, clearer communication about costs so future donors are not caught off guard, arguing that the ability to save a life should not hinge on a family's ability to absorb thousands of dollars in unexpected expenses.
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