As Canada celebrates National Blood Donor Week (June 8–16), Northern British Columbians are rallying behind a grassroots campaign calling on Canadian Blood Services (CBS) to restore blood donation to the region. Residents are invited to sign the petition at www.ourbloodcounts.com in support of a new blood plasma donor centre in Prince George.
Earlier this year, CBS announced its goal to recruit a million new blood donors over five years. Our Blood Counts is a community-led initiative that launched the petition for a new Northern BC plasma donor centre. The petition demonstrates how Northern BC residents want to make a difference for patients and families while supporting Canada’s blood plasma supply.
“We want CBS to succeed. This isn’t just about donating blood—it’s about Northerners stepping up for each other and Canadians,” said Mark Karjaluoto, founder of Our Blood Counts. “We’ve seen how blood and plasma can make a difference for the people we care about. We want to help, and we’re asking Canadian Blood Services to work with us to make that possible.”
Plasma is a key component in life-saving medications for patients with cancer, immune disorders, and chronic health conditions. Canada imports the majority of the plasma-based medications that patients rely on. Even with new donor centres in Canada, CBS expects to reach only 50 percent self-sufficiency, requiring ongoing plasma imports from the United States.
Prince George hosted a CBS whole blood donor centre for 17 years. May 2025 marked the 10th anniversary of its closure, which left the entire region without a blood donation site. Residents must now travel to southern BC or Alberta to make life-saving blood and plasma donations.
To date, more than 1,600 Northerners have signed the petition for the proposed plasma centre. Support has also come from councils in the District of Mackenzie, City of Prince George, City of Quesnel, and Village of Valemount. The North Central Local Government Association (NCLGA), representing more than 240 elected officials from 42 local and First Nations governments, passed a resolution backing the plasma donor centre at its May convention.
Councillor Jesse Wright of Mackenzie, also an NCLGA board member, explained a plasma centre would serve far more than just one city. “We hope Canadian Blood Services will understand that people in our region want to give and are used to traveling between Northern communities for business, shopping, education, and health care. This is not just a Prince George project; it’s a Northern BC project, which is why the District of Mackenzie and wider NCLGA membership were more than happy to support the efforts of Our Blood Counts. I would happily include blood donation in Prince George as part of my travels.”
A plasma donor centre in Prince George would bring innovation to rural health care, advance equity, and strengthen Canada’s domestic plasma supply at a critical time. A Prince George donor centre would also be closer to CBS’s testing facilities in Calgary than the agency’s new Thunder Bay plasma centre is to Ontario’s testing site.
“This isn’t just a health investment—it’s a partnership opportunity,” said Chantelle Messier, a registered nurse and committee member with Our Blood Counts. “We’re committed to ensuring the centre is welcoming, culturally safe, and reflects the values of the North. We’re focused on the same energy and determination that helped bring UNBC, the Northern Medical Program, and BC Cancer’s Centre for the North to the region.”
“Blood and plasma products don’t just help people in an acute medical crisis. It helps people with chronic and at times debilitating conditions as well,” added Amy Margison, a plasma recipient from Vanderhoof who signed the petition. “Plasma products have not only greatly improved my health, they have given me life and afforded me the opportunity to be the involved parent I wanted to be.”
Our Blood Counts continues to expand its outreach across Northern BC. With growing momentum and a region eager to give, Northern British Columbians are ready to be part of Canada’s lifeline. Our Blood Counts welcomes working with Canadian Blood Services to make a Northern BC plasma donor centre a reality.