In the 1980's, Canada's blood collection and distribution system, once considered a model around the world, went off the rails. What occurred was a disastrous chain of events that still reverberates to this day for the thousands whose lives were changed forever by the system's failure.

Vic Parsons examines the causes of what many have called the most significant public health issue in our country's history and outlines the failure of The Red Cross and the various levels of government implicated in what was a very preventable tragedy. The price of which cost taxpayers over $10 billion dollars, and many others their lives.

This book also forms the backbone of an 8 part series being funded jointly by CBC Canada and Sundance TV that will air early 2019.

This is not old wine in new bottles. The issue of blood collection and distribution continues to this day in Canada, the US, the UK and Australia. The public policy debates remain current as companies wishing to open pay-for-blood-services now operate in one province and are being blocked in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. The UK is re-opening hearings this fall into the tainted blood collection issue as successive governments have failed to deal with the aftermath. It remains one of the most topical health issues today.

Vic Parsons is a retired journalist living in Victoria, B.C. His career spans over 30 years with wire services and newspapers based in Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto. While in Toronto he was national business editor for The Canadian Press and later became the Deputy Bureau Chief at the CP bureau in Canada's capital. He also wrote a column mainly on economics for the Thomson News Service. He has done occasional freelancing for the Globe and Mail, International Herald Tribune and Maclean's Magazine, CBC and NPR among others.

Parsons knows whereof he speaks: his son, a hemophiliac, was infected with both viruses through the blood supply. Bad Blood was shortlisted for two awards.

Vic Parsons' profile page