Appointment confirmed
Please note, as part of the donation process, all donors must complete a mandatory questionnaire on the day of their donation appointment which requires you to provide accurate answers and includes questions that are sensitive and/or technical in nature (e.g. questions related to your health, social and travel history). To keep donors and recipients safe, all potential donors need to be able to fully understand the set of questions, respond accurately and be able to communicate fluently with donor centre staff throughout the screening and donation process.
Our donor questionnaire is currently available in English and French – however, we do operate in French at select donor centres across the country (please contact your local donor centre to inquire).
Due to the vast number of languages spoken within Canada, we unfortunately cannot provide interpreters at this time, unless you are part of a large group donation appointment (minimum 20 people). Also, due to the confidential and sensitive nature of the donor questionnaire and screening process, we unfortunately cannot permit donors to bring friends or family members to a donation appointment to communicate on their behalf or to translate screening questions for them.
We are committed to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Canadian Blood Services and we acknowledge that we have work to do to ensure that Canadians of diverse backgrounds are better represented among our donor base. We will continue to share the details of our DEI journey at blood.ca/dei.
Important COVID-19 update:
Enhanced wellness measures are in effect to help protect everyone who enters our doors.
Please read carefully:
- NEW: Surgical face masks provided by Canadian Blood Services are mandatory while within our donor centres and mobile donation event venues.*
- If you have indicated you cannot wear a surgical mask, you have the option of:
- wearing the Canadian Blood Services-supplied surgical mask over your own mask or
- wearing a Canadian Blood Services-supplied cloth mask.
- Unfortunately, anyone who refuses these options will not be allowed to enter our facilities.
- If you have indicated you cannot wear a surgical mask, you have the option of:
- Before entering any Canadian Blood Services donor centres or mobile donation event venues, please confirm that you have reviewed and answered a list of COVID-19-related questions posted at our entrances. To review the wellness questions in advance, please click here. If you answer “YES” to any of the questions, please reschedule your appointment at a later date.
- We have suspended giving out pre-donation salty snacks in donor centres. We encourage you to eat something salty and drink at least 500 ml of water prior to your appointment. This helps your blood volume and improves your donation experience.
- After your donation, please stay and rest for five minutes. You will still be provided with post-donation drinks and snacks, but we ask that you do not consume them until you are outside our centres.
Due to physical distancing, capacity within our donor centres is limited. Only donors with scheduled appointments can enter our centres. You cannot bring a friend or family member with you unless they have an appointment booked at the same time as yours. We recommend arriving within 10 minutes of your appointment to allow enough time to get through the wellness checkpoint. While you may experience a short wait outside the donor centre before being called to enter, please ensure you're dressed appropriately and comfortably for the weather conditions.
Learn more at blood.ca/COVID19.
The donation process
Follow these steps to make your donation experience even easier.
1. Before you arrive
You can complete your donor questionnaire online or on the GiveBlood app before arriving at the donor centre. (Not available if you are a first-time donor.)
If you complete your questionnaire online, print your Q-pass barcode and bring it with you. If you complete the questionnaire on the GiveBlood app, your Q-pass barcode will be saved in the app. Just remember to bring your phone with you.
2. Check in and donate
Check into our donor centre with your Q-pass and ID (or Canadian Blood Services donor card, if you have one). One of our trained team members will go over your questionnaire answers with you and perform a hemoglobin test to determine if you can make your donation today. When you’re all set and sitting back to donate, we recommend doing some leg muscle tensing exercises.
3. Relax and refresh
After your donation is complete, sit back and rest a bit. You can still help yourself to some snacks, but they cannot be consumed inside the donor centre.