Canadian Blood Services prepares for possible labour disruption
Committed to reaching agreement

Ottawa, June 24, 2005 – Canadian Blood Services is currently in conciliation with support staff and laboratory employees in Ontario who are represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.

Canadian Blood Services is committed to reaching an agreement with our employees and to ensuring that Canadians continue to have access to a safe and reliable blood supply.

As prudent operators of the blood system, Canadian Blood Services is assessing its contingency plans to prepare for the possibility of a labour disruption. In addition, we are updating hospitals that may be affected by the situation.

As circumstances evolve, we will continue to keep our employees, the public, stakeholders and hospitals informed.

As always, the need for blood never stops and we encourage donors to continue their ongoing support of the blood system to help maintain an adequate supply of blood and blood products for Canadian patients.

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 42 permanent collection sites and more than 15,000 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:
Derek Mellon
Media Room Relations Manager
Canadian Blood Services
(613) 739-2177
derek.mellon@blood.ca