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Hamilton plasma clinic temporarily closed amid regulatory concerns and nationwide halt
Posted: August 15, 2026
(August 14, 2026) By: Hannah Schneider, The Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath says the Grifols clinic should be permanently closed.
A for-profit blood plasma donation clinic in Hamilton’s east end has temporarily closed its doors.
The closure comes after its Spanish parent company announced Thursday it is temporarily halting plasma collection across Canada following years of intense public scrutiny, including previous attempts by Hamilton city council to block compensated plasma collection.
Grifols, which operates the clinic at 2255 Barton Street E., near Nash Road North, said in a statement Friday that it “proactively and voluntarily” paused its collection activities amid what it called “unfounded attention” on its for-profit plasma operations.
“The temporary pause will allow Grifols to work with Health Canada and Canadian Blood Services on the framework needed to support the continued development of a sustainable and robust plasma collection network in Canada,” the company said.
Grifols stated that it communicated the decision to Health Canada on Wednesday, with the pause taking effect on Friday.
Donors at the Barton Street clinic could give plasma twice a week and earn $30 to $100, depending on how often and how much they donated. The clinic is located in an east Hamilton neighbourhood with some of the lowest incomes in the city.
In an email to The Spectator, Health Canada confirmed it was notified of the decision after “various deficiencies” were identified at a Grifols clinic in Winnipeg.
The Spectator previously reported that the multinational company’s facilities have faced intense scrutiny following the deaths of two Winnipeg donors, though the regulator found no link between the donations and the fatalities.
However, on-site inspections conducted since December at four collection centres in Winnipeg, Calgary and Regina, as well as the head office in Oakville, revealed “recurring, systemic deficiencies” at several sites, leading Health Canada to modify the company’s licences in April.
The Barton Street facility has avoided an on-site inspection since opening its doors in March 2025, an oversight some local politicians have criticized.
Health Canada did not answer specific questions from The Spectator regarding whether it ordered Grifols’ plasma collection pause or whether it is considering revoking the company’s operating license.
“Health Canada has a rigorous compliance system in place for plasma collection, with processes and enforcement mechanisms to protect the safety and quality of Canada’s blood system,” the regulator said.
In statements to The Spectator, both Canadian Blood Services and Health Canada said the pause will not impact the availability of Canada’s blood and plasma supply.
Canadian Blood Services, which partnered with Grifols under a 2022 agreement to exclusively provide finished plasma products, said that the pause is meant to “allow Grifols to complete staff retraining as part of its comprehensive action plan that’s been underway for some time.
“This plan will address the identified concerns and ensure its operations meet rigorous safety and quality standards,” the service said.
For Hamilton city council, the temporary pause is long overdue. The east-end clinic’s controversial history began before it opened. In 2024, Mayor Andrea Horwath’s motion to declare Hamilton a “paid plasma-free zone” passed unanimously, but the clinic opened its doors the following year anyway.
“A pause is not good enough for me,” Horwath told reporters at a news conference Friday. “I want a permanent closure.”
Horwath had previously championed a 2014 provincial law banning paid plasma in Ontario. However, Canadian Blood Services claimed an exemption as the national operator and argued Grifols was similarly exempt when acting as its private agent.
“This clinic does not belong in our city,” Horwath said, adding that it is unacceptable “when profits become the priority in public health.”
While noting that the city’s power is limited because plasma donation is federally and provincially regulated, she added that Hamilton will “continue to advocate with a loud voice.”
Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, questioned how Grifols could claim a voluntary suspension following recent noncompliance findings, asking why Health Canada did not enforce the shutdown itself.
“Given what’s happened, Health Canada should have suspended their operations months ago,” Mehra said, citing what she described as systemic issues “from top to bottom.”
“Why have they been allowed to carry on?”
