Canadian Blood Services Announces Changes to Board of Directors
Dr. Verna M. Skanes reappointed as Chair; five new members added to Board of Directors from across Canada

OTTAWA, Ontario, December 14, 2005 – The Honourable Angus MacIsaac, Minister of Health for Nova Scotia, is pleased to announce the re-appointment of Dr. Verna M. Skanes of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador as Chair of the Canadian Blood Services Board of Directors, on behalf of the Provincial/Territorial Ministers of Health.

“I want to express my sincere appreciation to the new and existing Board members who contribute their services, expertise and time for the benefit of the blood system in Canada,” said MacIssac.

Dr. Skanes, originally appointed Chair of the Board in September 2003, is a health research consultant. She is also a founding member of the Canadian Blood Services Board of Directors, is a member of the Board of Directors of Stemnet; a member of the Advisory Board for the Atlantic Innovation Fund; a former Professor of Immunology and Assistant Dean, Research and Graduate Studies, in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University; and a former Chair of the Management Committee with Memorial University’s Centre for Applied Health Research.

“I am honoured to lead this group of dedicated and committed Board members,” said Dr. Skanes. “I look forward to another term of continuing to build a better blood system for all Canadians.”

Also re-appointed to the Board of Directors is Leah Hollins, former Deputy Minister of Health (B.C.) and representative of the British Columbia and Yukon region.

In addition, five new members have been appointed by the Ministers of Health to the Board of Directors in the following areas:

Consumer Interest Representative

Mr. Gord Sanford – Richmond Hill, Ontario
Mr. Sanford is President of the Aplastic Anemia and Myelodysplasia Association of Canada. He is former Regional Director of Ontario Hydro, a former partner of Enterprise Peru Consultants and a former Director at St. Joseph’s Hospital, as well as Rotary Clubs throughout Ontario, Nigeria, and Peru. He is also a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario.

Medical, Scientific, Technical, Business and Public Health Representatives

Dr. Gary Glavin – Headingley, Manitoba
Dr. Glavin is Deputy Scientific Director, Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory. He is a professor at the University of Manitoba and has extensive board experience with organizations including the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, and Genome Prairie, Inc. Dr. Glavin is also a former Board member with St. Boniface General Hospital Research Enterprise Committee.

Mr. Lynn Gordon Mason – Halifax, Nova Scotia
Mr. Mason commanded the Navy in the rank of vice-admiral until his retirement from the Canadian Forces. His board experience includes his current role as Chairman of the Minister of National Defence’s Education Advisory Board, Director, Board of the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust, and Honorary Director, Board of the Nova Scotia International Tattoo. Mr. Mason is also a Research Fellow at Dalhousie University’s Centre for Foreign Policy Studies.

Dr. Michael Mehta – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Dr. Mehta is Professor of Sociology at the University of Saskatchewan and Chair of the Sociology of Biotechnology Program. He has had board experience in the energy and not-for-profit sectors and was a Post Doctoral Fellow in Risk Perception and Risk Communication at Queen’s University.

Mr. Thomas Warner – Toronto, Ontario
Mr. Warner is Vice-President and Registrar of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Canada. He has provincial and national-level experience on human rights commissions and task forces, including time spent as an Ontario Human Rights Commissioner. Mr. Warner is a Fellow and former President of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Canada. He is also a founding member and spokesperson for the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Ontario.

About Canadian Blood Services’ Board of Directors
Canadian Blood Services Board of Directors operates at arms-length from government to provide Canadian Blood Services with overall strategic direction, financial and corporate oversight and to ensure good governance. It has a duty to protect the long-term interests of the organization, safeguard its assets and practice due diligence in its decision-making. It is comprised of 13 Directors, as follows:

• one director elected to serve as Chair;


• four regional representatives:


• Atlantic provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick;


• Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Nunavut;


• Ontario; and,


• British Columbia and Yukon;


• two consumer group/general public representatives; and,


• six medical, scientific, technical, business and public health representatives.

Directors are appointed for four-year terms. The Board of Directors will have its first meeting with its newest members in Ottawa December 14-16.

For more information about the Canadian Blood Services Board of Directors, please visit the “About Us” section on the organization’s Web site at www.bloodservices.ca.

About Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the blood supply in all provinces and territories outside of Quebec and oversees the country's Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry. Canadian Blood Services operates 41 permanent collection sites and more than 19,000 donor clinics annually. The Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health provide operational funding to Canadian Blood Services. The federal government, through Health Canada, is responsible for regulating the blood system. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.bloodservices.ca

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For further information, please contact:
Ron Vezina
Director, External Communications and Media Relations
Canadian Blood Services
(613) 739-2044
ron.vezina@blood.ca