Request Corporate Records

The following outlines the process for requesting access to corporate records.

This applies to requests for access to non-personal, non-public corporate records and shall be interpreted in accordance with applicable privacy legislation. 

In accordance with our values, Canadian Blood Services makes records accessible to the public, including: 

  • The mission, vision and values of Canadian Blood Services; 
  • Public statements; 
  • Annual reports; 
  • Corporate performance reviews;  
  • System progress reports; 
  • Strategic plans; 
  • Health policy discussions; 
  • Salary disclosures; 
  • Agendas for open meetings of the board of directors; 
  • Approved minutes of board of directors meetings; 
  • Audited financial statements; 
  • Health Canada inspection activities and Canadian Blood Services’ responses; 
  • Clinical guidelines and leading practices; 
  • Product information; 
  • Publications; and 
  • Research funded projects. 

These may all be found on our website at www.blood.ca. If you cannot find the information on our website or you have a question that is of a general nature, please email feedback@blood.ca or ask our virtual agent.

If you cannot find the records you are seeking, please follow the process below to request access.

Request Process

All requests for corporate records not available on our blood.ca website must be made in writing.  Requests must include your full contact information and a detailed description of the records you are seeking and forwarded to corporateinformation@blood.ca.

Responses will be provided within ninety (90) business days after a sufficiently detailed request is received. The requester will be notified if an extension is required where for example: 

  • a large number of records is requested or must be searched;  
  • meeting the timeline would interfere with the operations of Canadian Blood Services;  
  • Canadian Blood Services must consult with a third party; or 
  • more time is required to review the request and decision criteria related to disclosure. 

Canadian Blood Services may partially or wholly deny a request: 

  • in accordance with the exceptions set out or referred to below; 
  • if the request would place a burden upon Canadian Blood Services’ resources; 
  • if the request is vexatious and/or repetitive;  
  • if the record does not exist; or 
  • if the record, or part of it, is not in the custody or under the control of Canadian Blood Services. 

Where records are subject to an exception to disclosure and information contained therein can reasonably be severed from a record, Canadian Blood Services may release the remaining part of the record that is not subject to the exception.

Providing access to records may be administered at a fee, in which case, an estimate will be provided prior to starting the process.

Exceptions to Disclosure

The effective functioning of the organization requires some records be excluded from disclosure.  Records containing the following categories of information with restrictions on disclosure include: 

  1. Information that is readily available to the public, whether without cost or for purchase. 
  2. Information that would reveal the substance of deliberations of the board of directors, including, but not limited to, record of deliberations or decisions; advice, recommendations, policy considerations and analysis, background research, memorandum, discussion papers or similar briefing material submitted or prepared for the board of directors; communications or discussions among the board of directors and/or officers on matters relating to the making of decisions or the formulation of policy.  
  3. Information which could reasonably be expected to reveal: advice, proposals, recommendations, analyses or policy options developed by or for Canadian Blood Services; consultations or deliberations involving directors, officers, members (or their representative/delegate) or employees of Canadian Blood Services;  positions, plans, procedures, criteria or instructions developed for the purpose of contractual or other negotiations by or on behalf of Canadian Blood Services, or considerations that relate to those negotiations; plans relating to the management of personnel or administration of the organization that have not been implemented or made public; the contents of agendas or minutes of meetings; information, including proposed plans, policies or projects of Canadian Blood Services, the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to result in premature disclosure of a pending policy or budgetary decision; the contents of a formal research or audit report that is incomplete; drafts, outlines, preliminary notes and other similar documents. 
  4. Statistics, market research, surveys and public opinion polls conducted by or on behalf of Canadian Blood Services. 
  5. Information which, if disclosed, could endanger or compromise the security or proper conduct of any employees, operations, activities, investigations, audits, facilities, or systems. 
  6. Information relating to labour and employee relations, collective bargaining, grievances, mediation and arbitration (either contemplated or actual). 
  7. Information that is subject to solicitor/client privilege, litigation privilege or settlement privilege. 
  8. Information that will be published or released within 180 days of the request. 
  9. Information relating to, or collected or retained by or on behalf of, Canadian Blood Services’ subsidiaries or third-party insurance administrators, or the subject of a potential or actual claim. 
  10. Information, the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to be harmful to relations and/or negotiations between Canadian Blood Services and local, provincial, territorial or federal governments. 
  11. Canadian Blood Services’ trade secrets. 
  12. Financial, commercial, scientific, technical or other information which Canadian Blood Services has a proprietary interest or a right of use or is reasonably likely to have monetary or other value.  
  13. Innovative, scientific or technical information obtained through research the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to deprive a researcher of priority of publication. 
  14. Information, the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to harm the economic interests of Canadian Blood Services, result in financial loss or prejudice the competitive or negotiating position of, or interfere with contractual or other negotiations of, Canadian Blood Services. 
  15. Information supplied, either explicitly or implicitly, in confidence by a third party, as well as information which could reasonably be expected to reveal a third party’s trade secret, commercial of financial information; labour and employee relations; information that may harm or interfere with a third party’s competitive position or negotiation(s); information, which if revealed, may result in it or similar information no longer being supplied to Canadian Blood Services by a third party; information, which if revealed, may result in undue financial loss or gain of a third party.  

Definitions:

“Business day” means Monday to Friday inclusive, and excludes statutory and other holidays recognized by Canadian Blood Services’ head office located in Ottawa, Ontario. 

“Corporate Record” means recorded information, regardless of medium or format, created, collected, received, used and retained by Canadian Blood Services in carrying out its daily business activities. “Corporate record” does not include information that must be created from a machine-readable record, computer program, software, or any mechanism that has the ability to create records.