National Facilities Redevelopment Plan

In March 2008, Canadian Blood Services received approval from the Provincial and Territorial Governments for a $118 million investment in a national Facilities Redevelopment Plan to improve the production and distribution of blood and blood products. This long-term, strategic initiative is the most significant facilities investment in the organization's 10-year history.

The Board of Directors of Canadian Blood Services approved the first phase of this plan in May 2008 - an $83 million investment that includes construction of a new production and distribution facility for blood and blood products in Southern and Central Ontario. The next phase, approved by the Board of Directors in March 2009, is a $38 million investment in Atlantic Canada.

Details of the Plan

Ontario

• Production/distribution and some support functions currently performed in Hamilton, London and Toronto will be transferred to a new 127, 000 square foot facility, located at 100 Parkshore Drive, Brampton. This is scheduled to open in late summer, 2011.
• Donor Testing facilities will remain at the 67 College Street location in Toronto, and will be renovated to address the current space restrictions.
• A new dedicated site for donor collections will be established in London, to be opened in the summer of 2011. Details on where this clinic will be located will be based on donor needs and are still to be determined.

Nova Scotia

• A new 51,000 sq. ft. facility will be located on John Savage Drive in the Dartmouth, Burnside Industrial Park, to be opened in the late fall 2011.
• A new permanent blood donor clinic will be leased in Halifax for whole blood, plasma and platelet collections, to be completed in early 2010.
• Donor testing for Atlantic collections will be consolidated into the Toronto operation. The transfer will occur in the fall of 2011.

New Brunswick

• Production and some support services will be consolidated into the new facility located in Dartmouth.
• A new permanent blood donor clinic will be leased in Saint John for whole blood, plasma and platelet collections. This site will open in the fall of 2011.
• A new blood donor clinic will be leased in Moncton, to open early in 2010.
• The current Saint John facility will be vacated and sold once production has moved and the building is decommissioned. This is expected to be some time in the summer of 2012.

Once completed, the new facilities and related process changes will allow us to improve productivity, offer employees a better work environment, enhance the volunteer and donor experience, and provide the flexibility and efficiency required to accommodate future needs.

For our hospitals customers

Canadian Blood Services has done extensive research on logistics, including storage, transportation and weather disruptions and is confident the new service model for production and distribution will maintain current customer service levels in Ontario and all Atlantic Provinces, all while driving efficiencies within the healthcare system.

Canadian Blood Services is committed to working with hospitals through the transition phase of this plan. In Atlantic Canada, our hospital customers in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island will provide significant input into designing the new logistics infrastructure required to support these changes. Hospital customers in Southern and Central Ontario will also be included in the planning of the new infrastructure for their regions to ensure their needs are met. All current products will continue to be offered to hospitals in Atlantic Canada and Ontario.

For our donors

The new blood donor clinics will be situated in convenient locations and will be designed with the needs of our donors in mind. They will serve to improve the donation experience by offering a new, brighter, more comfortable environment.

Commitment to Safety and Service

At Canadian Blood Services, we manage a national system for delivering blood and blood products to the hospitals. Every day we ship products across the country to ensure a safe, efficient and stable supply of blood for Canadians. The experience we have acquired during our 10 years of operation enable us to commit to a seamless implementation that will not disrupt service to hospital customers, nor compromise the availability or timeliness of the supply.

We recognize that consideration of the needs of our employees, donors and hospital customers is paramount to the success of this plan. As such, we are committed to working with all stakeholders throughout the process.

Canadian Blood Services is committed, as operator of the national blood system (outside of Quebec), to provide a safe, secure, cost-effective, affordable and accessible supply of quality blood and blood products to our hospitals and the patients they serve.

For more information

If you require more information, please contact us at feedback@blood.ca.