The Need for Blood Continues During the COVID-19 Pandemic

TORONTO, ONTARIO – June 25, 2020 – The need for blood continues. Even during a pandemic. That’s the message Toyota and Lexus are helping the country’s blood agencies deliver to Canadians through more than a million dollars worth of advertising.

Toyota Canada is expanding its existing partnership with Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec by donating advertising time to communicate the ongoing need for donations of blood and blood products during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to help update Canadians about the additional measures the organizations have taken to protect the health and safety of its donors.

The added support comes at an important time. The demand for blood is rising fast as hospitals resume procedures that were put on hold at the onset of COVID-19.

“Many Canadians are looking for a way to help their community during this pandemic and donating blood is one way they can make an important difference,” said Stephen Beatty, Vice President, Corporate, Toyota Canada Inc. “Our partners at Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec suggested that, along with our dealers across Canada, we could do our part by spreading the message that blood will continue to be necessary to help patients in Canada in the months ahead. One powerful choice people can make is to book an appointment to donate blood or register online to become a stem cell or organ donor.”

At the national level, the amplification of this message has included the donation of Toyota and Lexus brand television ad space to Canadian Blood Services, as well as a coordinated online and social campaign to help get the word out. At the local level, Toyota and Lexus dealers across Canada are also helping in a number of other ways to encourage blood donors to fill all available appointments as demand rises over the summer months.

“At a time like this, we are extremely grateful to our partners for helping us to communicate the need for ongoing donations of blood during this challenging time,” said Ron Vezina, Vice-President, Public Affairs at Canadian Blood Services. “Our partnership with Toyota Canada is helping to keep our message strong and letting Canadians know that we have robust safety measures in place to ensure healthy Canadians can provide lifesaving contributions.”

Toyota Canada, Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec have been working together since 2015 to improve the efficiency of the country’s blood supply chain. Through knowledge-sharing projects with both organizations, the principles of the Toyota Production System were applied to identify opportunities for process improvements at their production and distribution facilities. 

Toyota Canada and its dealers have also extended their support to Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec with financial contributions totaling more than $1.5 million.

In addition to the national partnership, Toyota dealers across the country have regularly supported their communities by providing shuttle vehicles, hosting blood donor clinics and donating ad space to help the organizations recruit blood donors at the local level.

Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec are responsible for providing lifesaving products and services in transfusion and transplantation. The red blood cells, plasma, platelets and other blood products collected are essential for patients undergoing surgery, for cancer treatments, and for saving lives following trauma such as accidents.

The Canadian government notes that 52 per cent of Canadians say they or a family member have needed blood or blood products at some point in their lives.

Canadians are being encouraged to book future appointments to donate blood now. To learn more about Canadian Blood Services, go to http://www.blood.ca To learn more about Héma-Québec, go to http://www.hema-quebec.qc.ca

                                                                                                    ###

About Toyota Canada Inc.

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Toyota has sold over five million vehicles in Canada through a national network of 287 Toyota and Lexus dealerships. Toyota is dedicated to bringing safety, quality, dependability and reliability to the vehicles Canadians drive and the service they receive. TCI’s head office is located in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax, and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. Toyota operates two manufacturing facilities in Canada. Having produced more than nine million vehicles, popular Canadian models built at these facilities include Toyota RAV4, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h hybrid. Recent investments at its facilities in Ontario will allow for increased production of the top-selling Toyota RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid models.