Opposed to blood money

Photo: Contributed

Advocates for 'safe blood' have launched a provincial tour in support of a B.C. ban on pay-for-blood and plasma. 

The "safe blood advocates" from BloodWatch.org, the B.C. Health Coalition and the B.C. Hemophilia Society kicked off the weeklong tour yesterday.

They are calling on the province to follow Ontario and Quebec’s lead and implement the ban, following news that private company Canadian Plasma Resources (CPR) wants to open up shop in the province.

The groups will meet with elected officials in Victoria on Tuesday and host a series of public town hall meetings in Abbotsford, Victoria, Parksville, Kelowna and Kamloops. 

“A private, for-profit blood system raises serious concerns about the safety and integrity of our voluntary blood system,” says Rick Turner, BC Health Coalition co-chairman. 

According to the group, CPR had tried to open clinics in Ontario until the province passed legislation forbidding companies from paying people for their plasma in 2014.

Now CRP has said that B.C. is “top of our list” to expand operations.

“Allowing this company, or any other, to pay donors for plasma conflicts with the recommendations of the four-year inquiry into the tainted blood tragedy that infected over 30,000 Canadians with HIV and Hepatitis C. We need a ban in place in B.C. now,” says BloodWatch.org co-founder Kat Lanteigne representing tainted blood survivors.

If you're interested in attending tour events, they will be in Kelowna on May 12 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. for a free town-hall style meeting at the Okanagan Mission Community Hall, 4409 Lakeshore Road.

And they'll be in Kamloops on May 14 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Hotel 540, at 540 Victoria Street.