Cabbies give blood as donor levels 'lowest in decades': Canadian Blood Services

Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is once again putting out the call for donations, as taxi drivers from across Winnipeg roll up their sleeves for a good cause.

Unicity Taxi held its first-ever blood donor clinic Thursday, filling all ten donor slots available at 777 William Avenue for the day.

"It is not just a blood donation; it is an act of kindness through which you can save a life," said Satwinder Singh, a spokesperson for Unicity. He challenged other local corporations to hold clinics for their employees as well.

"We have more than 1,000 drivers with Unicity who are working with us, we will encourage our drivers to donate in the future," said Singh.

CBS is in desperate need of blood, according to Community Development Coordinator Brett Lawrence.

"In the last three years we've seen a drop of 31,000 regular donors across Canada … the lowest donor base we've had in decades," he said.

Lawrence says the decrease in blood donations has led to a total drop of 17 per cent in Canada's national blood inventory.

"In Winnipeg alone, we have around 1,200 open appointments for the month of August," said Lawrence.

He attributes the drop in appointments to several factors, including COVID-related restrictions. However, Lawrence also says this summer is particularly slow compared to the last few years.

"Last two summers, we've been stuck inside, right? And this summer, people are wanting to go outside, go on vacation, go to the cabin, and they're not making as much time to donate blood as they used to."

For Singh, the message is simple.

"Please support Canadian blood banks so we can save lives together."

More information on how to donate can be found here.