This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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The chain also announced it will eliminate pharmacy students and intern programs in the province, and will impose a hiring freeze at its corporate head office.
Shoppers Drug Mart announced Monday it would cut store hours and charge for deliveries in London, the hometown of Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews, who has said she won’t back down from the changes.
Matthews announced the end of professional allowances — an estimated $750 million a year in payments by generic drug companies to Ontario pharmacies to carry their products.
The move will help bring generic drug costs down, Matthews said.
Pharmacies, however, say the move will dramatically decrease their revenue and force them to cut staff and charge for services.
Comment: Shoppers and Rexall are using seniors has a bargaining chip to gain a better deal with the Ontario government. Sounds like hostage taking to me!
If the big pharmacies don’t want to stay open till midnight I am sure some small pharmacies will see an opportunity to make some extra money by staying open late.
Your comments are welcomed and encouraged.
I always buy my drugs at smaller pharmacies anyway. Shoppers and Rexall are expensive anyway.
These changes will definitely put smaller pharmacies out of business. Not everyone can access a Costco pharmacy – not many of them around. Our monthly delivery charges run as high as $2,000.00 per month – elderly, multiple chronic medications or mentally ill. They rely on free deliveries and they cost us a fortune!
Alan, perhaps you should do a little more research before writing an article so misleading.
What small pharmacy do you know actually stay open until mcomment_IDnight? It is only the chain pharmacies that has the ability to do this. Make no mistake that this change in drug funding will hit the small independent pharmacies the hardest, they are the ones that will end up closing because they can not afford to keep their pharmacy open with such drastic cuts to their funding.
Also, Shoppers and Rexall and all the other pharmacies are not obliged to provcomment_IDe free delivery or the other services they provcomment_IDe for free, inorder to help their patients, especially if doing so will put them out of business. They could afford to do so before because professional allowance provcomment_IDed the funding for those services. With the removal of professional allowance, ofcourse they will have to start charging for those services. It is unfortunate that the seniors will be affected by this, but the government should take some of the responsibilities for this. Perhaps the government can pay for the deliveries instead, because they certainly are not doing that now.
[quote name=”ES”]Alan, perhaps you should do a little more research before writing an article so misleading.
What small pharmacy do you know actually stay open until mcomment_IDnight? It is only the chain pharmacies that has the ability to do this. Make no mistake that this change in drug funding will hit the small independent pharmacies the hardest, they are the ones that will end up closing because they can not afford to keep their pharmacy open with such drastic cuts to their funding.[/quote]
Thank you for your comment_content. In Toronto, there are lot of small pharmacies that stay open till 9 pm. I am sure once they see a need to stay open till mcomment_IDnight that they will extend their working hours.
In the end, everyone will make money and the govt will save some money.
Much do respect I believe all comments here are from smart people. Lets think for one moment. The Ontario Govt is saying that the cuts are saving 750 million a year in Ontario ONLY. 750 MILLION… The Ontario Govt is cutting the cost of generic drugs and professional allowance . Where do you think this 750 million dollars come from??? You are right, it comes straight from the Pharmacies, and we expect them to keep the service going to the same standards as they where before. Come on!! We are barely out of a recession, and now this cut will hurt more then help. The Health care is not the government`s first priority.. You remember how the Emergency rooms where before the government made some cuts there ? See how it is now! Where they should cut is in expensive meals they have, the cost of fancy furniture they buy and the cost of advertisement in order to CRITIC the other party. All we have now is our Pharmacist to rely on. COMMON SENSE, YOU CANT CUT 750 MILLION AND KEEP THE SAME SERVICE.