New evidence shows Canada’s blood plasma supply at risk due to unsafe practices
WINNIPEG — On September 23, 2026, Health Canada announced it was suspending the license for a Grifols location in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Taylor Avenue location was the same site where 22-year-old international student Rodiyat Alabede suffered a fatal cardiac arrest while selling her plasma to the for-profit company.
“The Manitoba Health Coalition welcomes this suspension, but it did not come soon enough, and does not go far enough. A complete shutdown of Grifols’ operations is needed to protect patients and the integrity of the blood supply,” says Manitoba Health Coalition’s provincial director, Noah Schulz.
This development follows recently published evidence of poor screening practices at Grifols. Multiple sources have confirmed that a Grifols site in Regina was rated non-compliant this January for failing to screen out a plasma seller who told staff they’d had recent sexual contact with someone with HIV.
These latest developments are part of a documented pattern as Regina is the fourth Grifols location across Canada that has been rated non-compliant by Health Canada in the past year. Thus far, the Taylor Avenue location in Winnipeg is the only site to have its license suspended due to a failure to effectively implement protective measures.
Despite this pattern of non-compliance, Canadian Blood Services CEO Graham Sher is standing by the for-profit company and CBS’s undisclosed contract with the paid plasma firm. In his statement following the news from Regina, Sher acknowledged undisputed quality gaps at Grifols, but claimed that there were no risks to patients due to those gaps.
Prior to the suspension of the Taylor Avenue license in Winnipeg by Health Canada, Sher maintained that the fact that the federal regulator hadn’t shut the company down was evidence that its practices were safe. It has become clear that leadership at CBS is not taking the risks Grifols is exposing patients across Canada to seriously enough. Health advocates say that the federal government must step in.
“This is an urgent call for Health Canada to work with CBS to build an entirely voluntary donation system. The Krever Commission was clear: voluntary collection puts public safety first. Efforts should be undertaken by Health Canada to begin this work, including re-thinking the CBS-Grifols contract,” says Andrew Longhurst, senior researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Plasma collection at all Grifols sites has been temporarily paused following sustained media scrutiny and multiple non-compliance reports from sites across the country. Advocates say the pause does not go far enough to protect the integrity of Canada’s blood supply and are calling for a return to a fully voluntary, public model for blood and plasma collection in Canada.
As the Federal Health Minister prepares to meet with provincial and territorial ministers in Winnipeg, public health advocates across the country are renewing our demands for federal action and oversight on the issue of paid plasma. We are demanding that all Grifols locations remain closed, that the contract between CBS and Grifols is terminated, and that an independent, federal inquiry into the deaths connected to Grifols locations in Winnipeg.
Little is known about the deal between Grifols and CBS, which currently allows the for-profit company to operate as an agent of CBS across the country. The public deserves to know the details of the agreement and why this deal was signed in the first place.
“We should never have allowed private plasma corporations to buy plasma. It’s not allowed in most countries so why is Canada allowing it?” said Jason MacLean, chair of the Canadian Health Coalition.
“We cannot allow another preventable tragedy like the tainted blood scandal to occur. It is past time for Health Canada to step in to protect patients and the integrity of our blood and blood plasma supply in Canada,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare.
Signed:
Manitoba Health Coalition
Canadian Health Coalition
Friends of Medicare (Alberta)
Nova Scotia Health Coalition
New Brunswick Health Coalition
Saskatchewan Health Coalition
PEI Health Coalition
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