Saint John Mayor Ivan Court hopes the premier and minister of health will attend the symposium. ((CBC))

A committee of New Brunswickers fighting to keep the blood processing and delivery clinic in Saint John will hold a symposium on the issue next month.

Despite the symposium, Canadian Blood Services plans to move the service to Dartmouth, N.S., in 2013.

Saint John Mayor Ivan Court, the committee's chair, said the public event on Jan. 24 will bring together people who want to see blood production services enhanced in the city, not reduced.

"The health care system in the province of New Brunswick belongs to the citizens of New Brunswick," he said.

"And it's the government's job to manage it properly and efficiently and to save lives and to save money."

The committee, which has been meeting for about three months, will invite doctors and labour officials speak at the event, said Court.

He hopes Premier David Alward, Health Minister Madeleine Dubé, Opposition Leader Victor Boudreau and other MLAs will also attend.

CBS will participate

Canadian Blood Services plans to participate as well, so it can get its message across unfiltered, said spokeswoman Amanda Cullen.

Earlier this month, the head of the blood agency, Dr. Graham Sher, argued New Brunswickers aren't getting a true picture of how blood services will run in the province after the Saint John facility moves to Dartmouth.

The chief executive officer published an open letter in three of the province's daily newspapers to correct what he claims are false allegations around patient safety, supply and costs.

Blood collection and inventories will still stay in New Brunswick and the quality of blood won't change through consolidation, Sher said.

Meanwhile, the province's health minister has promised a decision soon on the future of blood services in the province.

The options being considered include staying with the national agency, creating a new agency, or partnering with another agency such as Héma-Québec.

A report earlier this month suggested New Brunswick would be better off setting up its own independent blood centre.

The report by Growth Strategies, a copy of which was obtained by CBC News, said it would be cheaper than staying with the national agency.

It suggests an independent service would save the province more than $10 million in the first three years, resulting in a payback of approximately 38 months.

A previous government-commissioned report, released in July, suggested that New Brunswick's best option is to remain with Canadian Blood Services after it consolidates services in Dartmouth.

Although the report by KPMG stopped short of endorsing any of the three options under review, it ranked sticking with Canadian Blood Services the highest.

The report said setting up a stand-alone agency at the Saint John facility would cost about $23 million.