This year the Canadian Red Cross Society commemorates the twentieth anniversary of the birth of its national blood transfusion service.
It was in February, 1947 when the first Red Cross Depot was opened in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was the prototype of 16 similar depots that would be established throughout Canada in the next 15 years. The Canadian Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service became truly national in scope with the opening of a depot in Quebec City in 1961.