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![\"MIKAELA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4118136_web1_260312-Plasma-00023.jpg\")
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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
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A Health Canada assessment found no link between the deaths and plasma donation at Grifols, but the agency placed new terms and conditions on the company.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Grifols said the Spain-based company plans to comply with Health Canada\u2019s regulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are implementing these requirements and continue to work collaboratively with Health Canada to ensure ongoing compliance,\u201d an unsigned statement from the Grifols press office sent Monday morning said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are implementing these requirements and continue to work collaboratively with Health Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
Only one of Winnipeg\u2019s two Grifols locations will be required to follow Health Canada\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Johnson said it had inspected the Winnipeg locations and identified areas of \u201cnon-compliance,\u201d and was currently reviewing a plan of action provided by Grifols.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s two locations.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll 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,\u201d Grifols\u2019 statement said.<\/p>\n
Grifols did not respond to followup questions about possible changes to the number of appointments offered in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just kind of sitting here crossing my fingers hoping that they don\u2019t ban this, because the money\u2019s too easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s assessment, but hoped the centre wouldn\u2019t cut its number of appointments.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as you\u2019re eating well, generally healthy, no pre-existing conditions, it\u2019s completely safe,\u201d Kevin, 31, said outside ahead of his appointment.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, 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\u2019m just kind of sitting here crossing my fingers hoping that they don\u2019t ban this, because the money\u2019s too easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re kind of doing a little good, and getting a little extra money,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s good all around.\u201d<\/p>\n
The honorarium amount varies, depending on volume and frequency of donations.<\/p>\n
Paid plasma donation is banned in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec but Ontario has an exemption in place for Grifols through Canadian Blood Services.<\/p>\n
The Manitoba Health Coalition, in tandem with other provincial health organizations, called for Grifols\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
Manitoba Health Coalition director Noah Schulz said Health Canada\u2019s review has left him with unanswered questions about the people who died after donating plasma and details around staff training.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still need, I think, a lot more details to be made available publicly,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need a lot more transparency on this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just seems kind of ridiculous and troubling, certainly, that these processes were not already regularly checked in on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schulz described the new conditions being placed on Grifols as \u201cjust harsher language for what they\u2019re already required to do, but don\u2019t seem to get in much trouble for\u201d if they aren\u2019t compliant.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt 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,\u201d he said. \u201cSo it\u2019s a little too late on those conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Saturday the province would review Health Canada\u2019s assessment and \u201call options remain on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schulz said he\u2019d like to see a full investigation by Manitoba\u2019s Chief Medical Examiner into both deaths and was thankful the province hadn\u2019t shut down calls to ban for-profit plasma donations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still take seriously, and want to think through how a ban affects people financially. I don\u2019t want them to die, but I also know that people need money to live, and they need to have this income,\u201d he said. \u201cI want policy shifts like pursuing a ban to be made in consideration of those folks, and have them as stakeholders, be part of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
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Malak Abas Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg\u2019s North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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