Ontario’s Voluntary Blood System Under Threat as Grifols Opens Paid Centre
Members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO), representing Canadian Blood Services (CBS) frontline workers, will convene today at 1:00 p.m. EST in Whitby to protest the operational launch of Ontario’s first paid plasma collection facility, operated by Grifols, a multinational pharmaceutical corporation. Joined by allied healthcare unions, the demonstration targets the Grifols Donation Centre at 1801 Dundas Street East, signaling escalating tensions over the privatization of Canada’s plasma supply chain.
The Whitby facility represents the initial phase of a broader rollout, with CBS administrators having secured a 15-year contractual agreement with Grifols to establish multiple compensated plasma collection sites across Ontario. This move, however, has drawn sharp criticism from OPSEU/SEFPO, which contends that the arrangement exploits an exemption within Ontario’s Voluntary Blood Donations Act—a statute enacted in 2014 to prohibit remunerated donations and safeguard the integrity of the province’s voluntary blood system. The union asserts that CBS, by designating Grifols as its agent, circumvents the legislation’s intent, introducing a for-profit model that undermines the ethical framework established post-Krever Inquiry.
“This rally is a stand against the commodification of a vital public resource,” said Geoff Cain, OPSEU/SEFPO Executive Board Member and Chair of the Blood Services and Diagnostics Sector. “The Voluntary Blood Donations Act was designed to protect Ontarians from a pay-for-plasma system that prioritizes corporate gain over donor safety and system sustainability. CBS’s partnership with Grifols jeopardizes that mandate.”
The Grifols initiative, part of a strategic push to bolster Canada’s immunoglobulin supply amid global demand pressures, has sparked debate over its implications for voluntary donation rates and vulnerable populations. Critics, including OPSEU/SEFPO, argue that paid collection could disincentivize altruistic donations while disproportionately targeting economically disadvantaged communities—dynamics that echo concerns raised during the 1980s tainted blood scandal. CBS maintains that the partnership aligns with its mission to enhance domestic plasma self-sufficiency, projecting a reduction in reliance on imported plasma products.
Today’s demonstration in Whitby, a Durham Region hub, marks a critical juncture as stakeholders await further clarity on the operational and ethical ramifications of this precedent-setting facility. Additional protests are anticipated as Grifols prepares to activate sites in Hamilton, Cambridge, and two yet-to-be-disclosed Ontario locations by mid-2025. Updates on OPSEU/SEFPO’s position and the rally’s outcomes will be disseminated as events unfold.