'A bloody shame': Last day for blood donation in Corner Brook

Thursday was the final day for people to donate blood at the Corner Brook Canadian Blood Services clinic.

The west coast location is one of three centres across Canada that will be closing down permanently.

• Canadian Blood Services in Corner Brook closing clinic in May
• Canadian Blood Services to close 3 clinics

Canadian Blood Services said in April the demand for blood was decreasing and the decision to close clinics was based on factors including the overall volume of units collected, labour and transportation costs, and the distance to the nearest production site.

Gary Wiseman says he's been donating regularly for the last 35 years and Thursday was his 169th donation — and it may also be his last.

"I can wait until I go in to St. John's or I can wait until a mobile comes to Grand Falls [but] I don't think they're going to see me again," said Wiseman.

The closure is going to be felt in the community with the jobs lost, Wiseman said, but he also feels blood services will feel the loss.

"It's a shame, a bloody shame. The other side of it is I think they're going to miss out with the generations coming behind us, university students, high school students, these kids are not going to get a chance unless a mobile [donation van] happens to come this way," he said.

"They're going to miss out as an organization from the simple fact there's no presence in the community and that's where it all starts."

Ten part-time employees and two casual workers will lose their jobs when the Corner Brook clinic closes.