New location for Canadian Blood Services Plasma Donation Centre at Thunder Centre

Canadian Blood Services is returning to northwestern Ontario.

A plasma donation centre is being opened up in Thunder Bay.

The location will be the 10th plasma donation centre that CBS has opened in Canada since 2020, with funding from the federal and provincial governments.

The centre will collect plasma to manufacture lifesaving medications, called immunoglobulins, which are widely used in medications.

These medications are used to treat a variety of life-threatening rare and chronic conditions, such as immunodeficiency, autoimmune disease and neurological disorders.

CBS previously operated a plasma donor centre in Thunder Bay between 1996 and 2012.

In 2012 the location was closed in response to a significant decline in the use of plasma for transfusion at hospitals across the country according to CBS.

The closure was met with protest from the Thunder Bay community with city council advocating to CBS to keep the centre open, without success.

The new plasma donation centre will be located in the Thunder Centre plaza.

Construction is beginning this week, with plans to open the centre in early 2025.