Toronto city council voted to oppose the rollout of two Canadian Blood Services-approved clinics that will offer money in exchange for blood plasma.
Canadian Blood Services partnered with Grifols, a global health-care company that plans to open commercial blood plasma clinics in Ontario, as part of an effort to shore up Canada’s “supply chain for immunoglobulins.”
Immunoglobulins are derived from blood plasma and provide life-saving treatment for patients with immunodeficiencies.
The two Toronto sites are slated to open in Etobicoke and North York by the end of 2025.
Toronto Centre Coun. Chris Moise’s motion called the paid blood plasma industry “predatory” and argued council should protect vulnerable Torontonians from “exploitation by for-profit plasma collection companies.”
ProPublica has come out with several stories on Grifols’ practices. The company established several donation centres near the U.S.-Mexico border to entice Mexicans to get visas and donate blood for pay. The U.S. Border Patrol banned the practice following the news outlet’s reporting and donations have since cratered.
Moise referred to these practices in a speech to city council this week.
“This particular company has been known to exploit people for profit … and it’s usually the most marginalized that are affected,” he said. “Once we go down this path, there’s no return.”
Canadian Blood Services has warned that the country fails the self-sufficiency test when it comes to collecting blood plasma, meaning Canadians alone do not donate enough.
Because of this, about 80 per cent of the immunoglobulin utilized by Canadian Blood Services for patients in Canada is imported from the United States where paid donations are legal and commonplace.
Thursday’s 14-5 vote passing Moise’s motion is a token gesture as council doesn’t have any jurisdiction over the issue, the city solicitor said in response to questions from councillors.
“The motion itself is really just a statement of council’s viewpoint,” she said.
Because Canadian Blood Services already pays for plasma and has solid internal controls to ensure safety, council voting against the new clinics is pointless, Coun. Stephen Holyday said.
But Moise contended that council needs “to send a message to the federal government that we don't support this.”
“If they're not getting enough plasma and getting enough blood in Ontario or in Canada, they're just going to buy it from somewhere else. And so why wouldn't we allow them the flexibility and the jurisdiction to do what they think is right?” he said.
After the City of Hamilton passed a similar resolution in June, Canadian Blood Services deemed it “symbolic” and said Grifols still intends to open five locations in Ontario.
“Grifols’ site selection criteria included factors such as population size, proximity to post-secondary institutions, access to public transit and available real estate,” per a news release.
While paying for blood and plasma collection is generally banned by Ontario’s Voluntary Blood Donations Act, clinics operating in conjunction with Canadian Blood Services qualify for an exemption.
“Our agreement with Grifols was specifically and purposefully drafted to comply with existing legislation,” per Canadian Blood Services.
The organization argues adequate controls are in place to safeguard the national blood supply system as it expands paid donations.
Before giving a paid donation, people must meet eligibility criteria, and provide valid government-issued photo ID and proof of a permanent home address.
