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Coalitions call for provincial ban on paid plasma donations after two deaths at Grifols Winnipeg locations
Posted: March 16, 2026
(March 13, 2026) By: Eddie Huband, CityNews Winnipeg
The Manitoba and Ontario Health Coalitions came together on Friday, calling to ban paid plasma donations on a provincial level, after two deaths at Grifol’s plasma donation centre in Winnipeg, in the last five months.
Both groups say monetizing donations prey on more vulnerable populations who donate more frequently due to the financial incentive.
“This is an acute problem right now in Manitoba. We’ve had these two suspicious deaths, including an international student at 22 years old, whose reports suggest her heart stopped while giving plasma. This is tragic and very disturbing,” said Noah Schulz, the provincial director of the Manitoba Health Coalition.
Sara Labelle, with the Ontario Health Coalition, added, “If you’re a healthy individual and you donate, it’s not a big of a concern, but we know that the social determinants of health care are an issue, and they are very real for people who are under the poverty line.”
David Bardwell, who is a plasma donor, doesn’t want to see a ban on paid plasma donations. While he’s aware of the deaths, he said it hasn’t deterred him from continuing to donate, as the couple of hundred dollars per week he receives keeps him afloat to buy food.
“I choose to donate because I’m actually on income assistance, so it’s actually a [source] of income,” Bardwell explained.
“It doesn’t scare me off, of course, it raises an alarm bell, but if my family found out, yeah, I would not be allowed to come here.”
Health Canada tells CityNews that they are reviewing the situation, and says so far, no link has been made between the two deaths.
According to Health Canada inspection reviews on their website, two Grifols locations in Regina and Calgary both received non-compliance ratings since last December, citing a series of issues, including maintenance and calibration of equipment, operating procedures not being properly followed, and not carrying out sufficient and preventive actions when required.
A statement from the companies reads in part: “’Non-compliant’ rating means that the identified operational processes require improvement, and we are working hard to address those swiftly. For the recent inspections in Regina and Calgary, we submitted detailed action plans to Health Canada and began implementation immediately with a focus on preventing recurrence and strengthening overall compliance. Both centers, which had previous compliant inspections, continue normal operations while we implement corrective actions to address the cited concerns.”
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara would not commit to decisions about the potential for banning paid donations in Manitoba until the Health Canada investigation is complete.
“Under these particular circumstances, it’s incredibly important that we have a full understanding of what has happened,” said Asagwara.
“This particular company and the way these companies operate are licensed at the federal level, but again, we’re going to wait to hear the findings of the investigation and then see what steps we need to take at the provincial level after that’s concluded.”
