Your Digest

Freedom 2022 protest and potential impacts to Canada’s blood supply

Today and throughout the week, thousands of truckers have been heading to Ottawa, from across the country, to protest the government’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. We want to reassure employees that the situation is being closely monitored for possible impacts to Canada’s blood supply, and contingency plans are in place to mitigate risks that might emerge across our network.

The convoy of trucks is expected to arrive in Ottawa tomorrow, Saturday. Jan. 29, and we’re pleased to see that, at this time, donors are keeping their appointments at our mobile event at Ottawa City Hall today. The logistics team has also planned out alternate routes which means that our ability to collect and transport blood products should not be significantly impacted by traffic disruptions in Ontario.

Season of Giving campaign celebrated generosity and inspiration

From late November of last year into this month, we celebrated the generosity of all those who contribute to and support Canada’s Lifeline. We highlighted some exceptional stories of our staff, volunteers, donor and recipients on Connect, blood.ca and in the media. This allowed us to showcase our continued need for support. Thanks to the collective efforts of teams across the organization, we opened the year with an inventory of 20,000 red blood cell units. While the Season of Giving campaign has wrapped up, we will continue to work together to welcome and inspire new and returning donors to Canada’s Lifeline. Read more about the campaign and some of the inspiring stories on Connect.

Reminder: Proof of vaccination should be completed by Jan. 31

Thank you to all employees and leaders who have taken the time to show and verify COVID-19 vaccination status as per our employee vaccine policy update in late December. A reminder that this proof of vaccination requirement for all employees and fee-for-service contractors should be completed by Monday, Jan. 31. If you haven’t done so yet, your manager will schedule private meetings either in person or on Microsoft Teams where employees will need to show either a paper record or digital record of vaccination issued by the Canadian government (preferable in QR code format). This information will not be retained by your manager and we ask that you do not send a copy via email or Teams chat. More information on our COVID-19 vaccination policy is available on Connect and our vaccine policy page. We also welcome your questions at communications@blood.ca.

Question of the day: I have a family member who is experiencing what I think might be a mental health problem or disorder. I’m not sure how to help them — what can I do?

Your health and well-being and that of your loved ones is important. Well-being resources and supports are available to all employees and we encourage you to reach out as needed.

Canadian Blood Services’ Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a confidential support service that employees and family members living in your home can access at any time.

This counselling and therapy support is available over the phone, in person (limited due to COVID-19 restrictions), online or through a variety of self-guided resources. This is available to all employees, union and non-union.

Any member of your family can voluntarily call 1-855-454-2327 or visit guidanceresources.com and register anonymously using the website ID: CBSEAP. You can also reach out to your family doctor for help and if you or anyone you know is in a crisis situation, please call 911.

About Your Digest

This digest highlights the latest policy and employee support measures, resources to help you manage our new reality and original content to remind us that what we do matters. This information can be found on blood.ca/employees from any device, no login required.

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Have questions? Check out blood.ca/employees or email us at communications@blood.ca.