Your Digest
Canadian Blood Services launches its first Reconciliation Action Plan
Canadian Blood Services is entering a new and significant chapter of our collective reconciliation journey with Indigenous peoples and communities, with the launch of our first-ever Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP is meant to serve as a roadmap for how we intend to work and collaborate with Indigenous employees, donors/registrants, partners, stakeholders and communities moving forward, and will guide our organization’s vision for turning our commitments to reconciliation into action. Visit Connect to learn more about the RAP and how you can play a role in reconciliation.
Corporate social responsibility Q&A with Ron Vezina
As employees continue to share their opinions about corporate social responsibility (CSR) at Canadian Blood Services through the survey, which closes this Friday, June 3, we wanted to learn a bit more about this program. We asked Ron Vezina, vice-president of public affairs, and the executive sponsor of the CSR program, to provide us with his insight about our journey to better environmental and social governance. On Connect, read why the organization began this work and what the program hopes to accomplish in the short and long term.
A lifesaving stem cell transplant that inspired an advocate
Balreen Singh had never heard of stem cell transplants before a family member needed one to survive. “I had a general knowledge of what stem cells were, but I didn’t know they could be transplanted, or that they could help someone recover completely from an illness,” says Balreen. She was 16 when her aunt, Moneet Mann —who is now a Canadian Blood Services employee — was diagnosed with leukemia. The experience inspired Balreen to volunteer with Stem Cell Club, where she shared her story as part of the club’s recent South Asians Save Lives campaign. It’s one of their many efforts to help us build a stem cell registry as richly diverse as Canada — because lives depend on it. Read more at blood.ca/stories.
Leadership Summit Soundbites: What the recent Health Canada approval means to Graham
At the annual Leadership Summit in April, our CEO, Dr. Graham Sher, was interviewed by Ron Vezina, vice-president of public affairs, about the past year, the challenges we have all faced and where he hopes to see our organization heading in the coming months and years. We're sharing audio snippets from this conversation and in this week’s Leadership Summit Soundbite, you’ll hear Graham’s thoughts on the recent changes to our donor eligibility criteria; one important step in our journey toward building a more inclusive blood system.
Reminder: Town hall recording now available/feedback requested
In case you missed it last week, you can access the recording of the May 25 town hall on our employee portal or listen to the podcast on Connect on the Go. To improve upon future live events with our CEO, we ask you to please take a moment to provide us with your views by completing this anonymous three-minute survey by Wednesday, June 1 at 5 p.m. ET.
Question of the day
How does the recent “disconnecting from work” legislation in Ontario impact Canadian Blood Services employees in Ontario and will there be implications to employees throughout the country?
A new Canadian Blood Services’ Disconnecting from Work policy (POL099) will take effect on June 2, 2022 and will impact all employees, regardless of their position or location of work. Under the new Ontario legislation, “disconnecting from work” means not engaging in work-related communications, including emails, telephone calls, video calls or the sending or reviewing of other messages, to give employees time away from their work. Currently, only the province of Ontario has required that employers develop a disconnecting from work policy. We are taking this opportunity to ensure that all employees can create a sense of balance between the important work we do for Canada’s Lifeline and the importance of personal rest and other pursuits. Read more about this new policy on Connect.
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.