Your Digest

Celebrating Black excellence and contributions to Canada’s Lifeline  

February is Black History Month, an opportunity to celebrate Black excellence and reflect on the many contributions Black Canadians have made throughout history and into the present day. Canadian Blood Services is proud to take this month to engage employees, donors, volunteers and recipients in honouring the experiences and histories of our Black communities to Canada’s Lifeline. We invite you to join us for learning, reflections and celebrations that can initiative lasting change. You can also share YOUR story and help us all to deepen our critical consciousness to advance equity and social justice. Learn more about Black History month, events and resources on Connect.

Critical need for donors in the next two weeks

Earlier this week, we issued a call to donors – new and returning – to help replenish our national blood inventory and prevent a significant drop in the supply of blood products. With the many challenges associated with recruitment events, illness and winter storms across the country, we are seeing a concerning trend in inventory numbers. We are now asking any employees who are eligible to donate to consider booking an appointment in the next week or two. If possible, encourage a family member or friend to also book an appointment to donate. We’ve issued several public calls for help through various marketing and communications efforts and will continue to monitor the situation closely. Thank you to those who have donated already and who continue to spread the word. You can access our social media assets here if you’d like to share on your own personal channels. Together, we are Canada’s Lifeline.

CEO reflections on current events in Ottawa

In his latest blog, CEO Dr. Graham Sher reflects on the ongoing protests in Ottawa and shares his personal thoughts and experiences having witnessed the chaos firsthand. “My hope is that however each of us may be processing the current events, we seek to reflect on the importance of inclusion and equity. I am saying unequivocally that hurtful symbols of hate and vitriol have no place in our environment and our society.” Read Graham’s full blog on Connect. Please remember — there are many resources available to you to support your mental health and well-being during times like these.

Question of the day: Given that many regions are still experiencing lockdowns, restrictions and rising Omicron cases, should employees consider cancelling their March Break or any other vacation plans?

Many of us are feeling the pressure and the stress from being in lockdowns and living with extensive travel restrictions over the past two years. While we are optimistic about the near future, there is still reason to be cautious if you are thinking about travelling during these winter months. It is at the discretion of each employee to assess the level of risk for travelling and what precautions you will need to take, depending on where you are travelling to or from.

We are continuing to ask employees to do their part to keep our teams, donors and operations safe. If you choose to travel for personal reasons, please follow federal and provincial regulations to assess if, upon your return, you must isolate. Please inform your manager/supervisor so they can make staffing arrangements. 

It is important to remember that if you are considering personal travel inside or outside of the country, that you check your personal travel insurance before leaving. Following the advice from public health, upon your return you must follow all the provincial and federal rules in effect. If you have to isolate when returning from personal travel and cannot work virtually, you will not qualify for COVID-19 financial leave measures such as quarantine leave.  

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.

Click here to read past editions of your digest. 

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