Canadian Blood Services Acquires New Production Facility

Toronto, Hamilton and London production and distribution facilities combined

Canadian Blood Services has announced that it is purchasing a new state-of-the-art production and distribution facility for southern and central Ontario.

The 120,000 square foot building – which is located at 100 Parkshore Drive in Brampton – will be retrofitted to meet the organization’s needs for blood production and distribution. Production and distribution functions that are currently performed in Hamilton, London and Toronto will be transferred to this single facility once it is opened in summer 2011. The new production facility still requires local zoning approval.

In May 2008, Canadian Blood Services announced that it would invest $83 million to construct a new production and distribution facility for blood and blood products in the western Greater Toronto Area to Hamilton corridor. The organization also stated that a new dedicated site for donor collections would be established in London. Donor testing facilities will remain at their current Toronto location - 67 College Street. This investment in facilities will help Canadian Blood Services provide an enhanced work environment using modern ergonomics, improved work flow and green initiatives, as suggested by our staff. The new facilities will be designed with the customer in mind, in such a way to increase the satisfaction of staff and volunteers who work in them, and donors who visit them.

The new Brampton site was chosen because it met all the selection criteria, which include building size, structural dependability, availability of parking, and access to public transit. The site’s access to multiple highways that serve Toronto hospitals, as well as routes that lead to hospital customers in Hamilton, London, and surrounding areas, and its close proximity to Pearson International Airport are critical to ensuring our hospital customers get the right product, at the right place, at the right time.

“Our organization is committed to improving its ability to meet patient and hospital needs,” said Ian Mumford, Chief Operating Officer of Canadian Blood Services. “The creation of this new production and distribution facility will ensure that we are able to meet the increasing demand from hospitals for blood and blood products. It will also enhance our efforts to supply patients with the right blood products at the right time and in the right place.”

The experience Canadian Blood Services has acquired during its 10 years of operation enables it to commit to a seamless transition from current production facilities to the new building located in Brampton. There will be no disruptions in service to hospitals and no compromise to the availability of blood and timeliness of its delivery. This transition will also be a seamless change for blood donors, who play an integral role in saving lives throughout Canada.

About Canadian Blood Services

Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the supply of blood and blood products in all provinces and territories outside of Quebec. Canadian Blood Services also oversees the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, and provides national leadership for organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Canadian Blood Services operates 40 permanent collection sites and more than 20,000 donor clinics annually. The provincial and territorial Ministries of Health provide operational funding to Canadian Blood Services. The federal government, through Health Canada, is responsible for regulating the blood system.

For more information, please visit thier Web site at www.blood.ca