The city has questions it wants answered over the closure of a local plasma centre.
Canadian Blood Services announced last week that it will be closing the Thunder Bay Plasma Donor Clinic April 12, putting its 28 employees out of work. The CBS said the reason was a lack of demand and new replacement products. Coun. Boshcoff said over the past few days he’s been speaking with health-care professionals, he doesn’t believe that’s the reason. Up until the last minute, donations were being encouraged.
“And now we’re told we have 20 per cent more than we need,“ Boshcoff said Monday night at a city council meeting. “Figuring it out last Thursday seems pretty far-fetched.”
Coun. Larry Hebert, who along with Boshcoff met with CBS officials in Thunder Bay Monday, agreed.
“Basically you’ve (CBS) done false advertising over the last couple of years,” Hebert said.
Both councillors said it was a devastating visit to the local office.
“It was a shockingly depressing day there,” Boshcoff said.
The city’s inter-governmental committee, the mayor’s office and Community Economic Development Corporation are starting a lobbying effort to get the centre to stay open.
Also Monday, council approved $2.7 million in paving contracts to Bruno’s Contracting. Nadine Contracting was awarded a $3.1 million bid for sewer and watermain replacement and $637,562 was awarded to Bur-Met Contracting to replace the Victoria Parkade roof.
