Canadian Blood Services and Municipal “No Paid Plasma Zone” Resolutions

Originally posted June 2024, updated November 2024

Canadian Blood Services acknowledges the symbolic gesture of “No Paid Plasma Zone” resolutions. This gesture aligns with Ontario’s Voluntary Blood Donations Act, which supports the national blood system in Canada and exempts Canadian Blood Services and any agent working on our behalf to ensure a secure supply of blood and blood products for patients in Canada.

Our agreement with Grifols was specifically and purposefully drafted to comply with existing legislation. It is in response to a global shortage of lifesaving immunoglobulins and the plasma needed to make them. Acting as our agent, Grifols will open plasma collection sites in Cambridge, Etobicoke, Hamilton, North York and Whitby, Ont. These five centres have been pre-approved by Canadian Blood Services. Grifols’ site selection criteria included factors such as population size, proximity to post-secondary institutions, access to public transit and available real estate. Most importantly, every unit of plasma collected by Grifols:

• is collected for the benefit of Canadians.
• is collected by Grifols acting only as an agent of Canadian Blood Services.
• is collected in compliance with Voluntary Blood Donations Acts.

All donor centres in Canada, regardless of whether donors are paid, are licensed and regulated by Health Canada. Health Canada’s review is independent and grounded in science and safety regulation. This includes routine donor centre inspections and regulatory standards for donor eligibility criteria, donation frequency and donor testing. Additionally, anyone who donates in Canada must provide valid government-issued photo ID, proof of a permanent home address and must meet all eligibility criteria before a donation is collected. Donor and recipient health is paramount to this process.

Federal, provincial and territorial governments support Canadian Blood Services’ efforts to increase plasma collections and ensure domestic security of immunoglobulin for Canadian patients. For more information, please see the 2022 announcement of our plan to bring greater security to Canada's supply of immunoglobulins, as well as our 2023 announcement on next steps for increasing the domestic supply chain and our statement on paid versus unpaid plasma donations. There is also this short video about plasma and how it’s used to make medications.