Come summer, a new potentially life-saving registry will be in place in Alberta, tracking where AED's or automated external defibrillators are located  in the province.

The new registry will track where defibrilators are, and if they are in good working condition. It will send out regular email notices to registered owners reminding them when necessary checks and maintenance is due.

Registration in the new database is not mandatory, but the Heart and Stroke foundation's Mike Hoffman says that even if it's not required, it's still a step up from the current situation where first responders can only find out after they've arrived on-scene.

Hoffman adds the registry will also answer the long-standing question, how many portable AEDs are out there.