Steady flow of donors at one of two Winnipeg for-profit plasma centres By: Malak Abas Posted: 5:39 PM CDT Monday, Apr. 6, 2026 Last Modified: 6:48 PM CDT Monday, Apr. 6, 2026 Updates

It was business as usual at a Winnipeg for-profit plasma donation centre Monday after Health Canada announced that a review sparked by the deaths of two Manitobans found “systemic deficiencies” at sites across the country.

The federal agency launched an assessment into Canada’s 16 Grifols plasma donation centres after the deaths of two people who had donated plasma at Winnipeg’s two locations on Taylor Avenue and Innovation Drive on Oct. 25 and Jan. 30.

The agency, which licences Grifols, told media it found no link between the deaths and plasma donation, but would be placing a number of new terms and conditions on Grifols, including requiring the company to reduce the number of appointments each day to ensure staff can follow procedures, and for the company to provide a “corrective and preventative action plan.”

A spokesperson for Grifols said the Spain-based company plans to comply with Health Canada’s regulations.

“We are implementing these requirements and continue to work collaboratively with Health Canada to ensure ongoing compliance,” an unsigned statement from the Grifols press office sent Monday morning said.

“We are implementing these requirements and continue to work collaboratively with Health Canada.”

Only one of Winnipeg’s two Grifols locations will be required to follow Health Canada’s new terms.The Innovation Drive location, formally named Grifols Family Plasma II Inc., operates under a licence separate from the Taylor Avenue Grifols and the 15 others in Canada and is not subject to the new conditions, Health Canada spokesperson Mark Johnson confirmed.

Johnson said it had inspected the Winnipeg locations and identified areas of “non-compliance,” and was currently reviewing a plan of action provided by Grifols.

The statement referenced recent Health Canada inspections in Regina and Calgary and said action plans had been put in place; no mention was made of Winnipeg’s two locations.

“All of our donor centres remain open and continue to operate under the supervision of Health Canada, in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, with donor safety remaining our top priority,” Grifols’ statement said.

Grifols did not respond to followup questions about possible changes to the number of appointments offered in Winnipeg.

“I’m just kind of sitting here crossing my fingers hoping that they don’t ban this, because the money’s too easy.”

On Monday afternoon, there was a steady flow of clients going in and out of the Taylor Avenue Grifols centre. Several donors told the Free Press they had followed news stories on the two deaths and were not surprised to hear the results of Health Canada’s assessment, but hoped the centre wouldn’t cut its number of appointments.

“As long as you’re eating well, generally healthy, no pre-existing conditions, it’s completely safe,” Kevin, 31, said outside ahead of his appointment.

“Now, whether or not they should (better) screen people and make a cut-off for people with pre-existing conditions, I think there could be conversation about that, but, for guys like me, I’m just kind of sitting here crossing my fingers hoping that they don’t ban this, because the money’s too easy.”

Kevin, who declined to provide his last name, said he used to donate blood several times a year, but switched to donating plasma. He described it as a side hustle he uses to make money during his free time, comparing it to working for food-delivery apps.

“You’re kind of doing a little good, and getting a little extra money,” he said. “It’s good all around.”

The honorarium amount varies, depending on volume and frequency of donations.

Paid plasma donation is banned in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec but Ontario has an exemption in place for Grifols through Canadian Blood Services.

The Manitoba Health Coalition, in tandem with other provincial health organizations, called for Grifols’ closure and for plasma donation to become a public service after the two deaths were made public, calling the for-profit donation system dangerous and predatory against lower-income Canadians.

Manitoba Health Coalition director Noah Schulz said Health Canada’s review has left him with unanswered questions about the people who died after donating plasma and details around staff training.

“We still need, I think, a lot more details to be made available publicly,” he said. “We need a lot more transparency on this.”

“It just seems kind of ridiculous and troubling, certainly, that these processes were not already regularly checked in on.”

Schulz described the new conditions being placed on Grifols as “just harsher language for what they’re already required to do, but don’t seem to get in much trouble for” if they aren’t compliant.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Jen Zoratti | Next

Wednesdays

What's next in arts, life and pop culture.

Sign up for Jen Zoratti | Next

Sign Up

I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies.

I consent to CASL agreement.

“It just seems kind of ridiculous and troubling, certainly, that these processes were not already regularly checked in on and ensured that the safety is there across the process,” he said. “So it’s a little too late on those conditions.”

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Saturday the province would review Health Canada’s assessment and “all options remain on the table.”

Schulz said he’d like to see a full investigation by Manitoba’s Chief Medical Examiner into both deaths and was thankful the province hadn’t shut down calls to ban for-profit plasma donations.

“I still take seriously, and want to think through how a ban affects people financially. I don’t want them to die, but I also know that people need money to live, and they need to have this income,” he said. “I want policy shifts like pursuing a ban to be made in consideration of those folks, and have them as stakeholders, be part of this.”

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Malak Abas
Reporter

Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak.

Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.