A Toronto company that was paid to store potentially life-saving stem cells from the children of roughly 3,000 clients across Canada is now claiming in a lawsuit that all the samples stored by the business were destroyed nearly three years ago. 

But clients of Cord Blood Bank of Canada (CBBC) say owner Bernartka Ellison never told them their children’s samples are no longer viable — and in some cases, the company charged clients the annual storage fee after the samples were allegedly destroyed. 

“I kind of feel ripped off,” said Shannon Callaghan. “I’m very angry about this whole situation.”

The Georgina, Ont.,