It’s an act that could save lives, but Torontonians are the least likely in the province to register to become an organ donor, according to a recent report.

North Bay has the highest organ donor registration rate in Ontario, followed by Sudbury, according to a report in the Toronto Star Monday.

The provincial average is 17 per cent. In the northeastern part of the province, stretching from Muskoka to the northern shore of Lake Superior, the rates are more than 30 per cent.

The donor registration rates in various regions of Toronto hover between four and ten per cent - the lowest recorded in the northwestern portion of the city, Scarborough and part of Markham.

Experts believe there are a number of factors that contribute to the vast differences in registration rates and Toronto’s low standing, including the small town effect, an awkward registration process, Ontarians who still have the old red and white health cards and the average age of a city’s residents.

University of Toronto Bioethicist Kerry Bowman told the paper Toronto’s diverse population may also be a contributing factor. Different customs around death, meaning some people may not agree with the idea of organ donation, observed in a diverse city like Toronto likely don’t exist in smaller towns.

The registration rate is 25 per cent in Hamilton, 20 per cent in London and 15 per cent in Ottawa.

The Trillium Gift of Life Network said 90 per cent of Ontarians claim to support organ donation, while, on average, only 17 per cent have actually registered.

How to become an organ donor