Canadian Blood Services encourages donations at upcoming clinics

LEDUC -- Leduc residents are encouraged to roll up their sleeves at a pair of upcoming donation clinics hosted by Canadian Blood Services. 

The first clinic is scheduled to take place on Friday, Aug. 28, while the second will be held on Friday, Sept. 4. Both of these opportunities to give blood will be held at the Leduc Fellowship Church and will run from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m. Shamus Neeson, Community Development Manager with Canadian Blood Services, encourages residents of Leduc and the surrounding areas to roll up their sleeves for a good cause.

"A lot of times people don't think about donating blood because it's never impacted their lives," said Neeson. "What I try to convey to people who are sitting on the fence is just picture that if you had a family member that needed blood, how quickly you would act on that. So, we just encourage people to decide to donate blood to help somebody out. Because, in a lot of cases, there's a chance they'll be helping someone they know." 

Since June 1, 2026, Canadian Blood Services has seen a significant decline in blood donations of up to 20 per cent across Canada. This has led to limited days on hand of several blood types, which the organization says will not be sustainable for patient care should this trend not reverse itself.

"It turns out that the dip that we've experienced is not just happening in Canada, but worldwide," said Neeson. "There seems to be an increase in the need for blood, but the amount of donors is staying the same and, in some cases, decreasing based on the time of year." 

Residents who would like to book an appointment for either Aug. 28 or Sept. 4 can do so at blood.ca, though Neeson says that walk-ins are also acceptable due to the high volume of open appointments.