Proposed class-action lawsuit against Shoppers Drug Mart alleges ‘unsafe and unethical corporate practices’
Shoppers Drug Mart is going through a proposed class-action lawsuit by present and former franchise homeowners on the retail chain who allege dad or mum firm Loblaw engaged in company practices that positioned them in an “irredeemable conflict of interest” and put affected person care in danger.
The go well with, which has not but been licensed, was filed final week on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice by Toronto-based regulation agency Ricketts Harris LLP and lists the plaintiffs as present and former pharmacists, who had their agreements with the corporate terminated after 2014.
In an announcement of declare reviewed by CTV News Toronto, the category motion alleges that plenty of company practices launched by Loblaw after its acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart in 2014 created “risks to patient safety and pose a significant risk of causing patient harm.”
Some of these practices, in accordance with the lawsuit, embody imposing targets on the quantity of “MedsCheck” appointments– Ontario’s medicine overview service – and minimizing help workers hours in an effort to extend income and reduce prices.
The declare notes that Shoppers Drug Mart can and has terminated its contracts with franchise homeowners who “breach key obligations” or criticize their business selections.
Sivajanan Sivapalan, an Ontario pharmacist and lead plaintiff within the go well with, entered an settlement with Shoppers Drug Mart to run a franchise in Beamsville, Ont. in 2011. He subsequently renewed his settlement in 2014, 2017, and 2020.
The go well with alleges, after Sivapalan “expressed concerns” relating to the company practices to Shoppers Drug Mart, his settlement was terminated with out motive on Jan. 23, 2023.
Moreover, since Shoppers Drug Mart was acquired by Loblaw, franchise homeowners say they’ve expressed issues concerning the company insurance policies and their “increased risk to patient safety.” But the declare argues that Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaw have taken “little to no action” to deal with the issues.
Following a gathering on March 25, the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP) introduced a “zero tolerance” coverage for business practices that impede pharmacists “ability to deliver effective care” after listening to from “thousands” of pharmacy professionals.
In a news launch, which doesn’t identify any pharmacy retail chain particularly, the OCP mentioned it discovered the experiences of “inappropriate pressure” to conduct MedsCheck appointments “deeply troubling.”
“The College will consider every tool available to us to address those concerns,” the OCP mentioned.
To that finish, the declare says the OCP coverage places franchise homeowners at “increased risk of regulatory scrutiny and sanction” from Shoppers Drug Mart.
“Our high-level goal is to seek justice for Shoppers Drug Mart franchisees – pharmacists – who have been forced to practice under corporate policies that place them in an irredeemable conflict of interest, which affects their ability to provide safe and effective patient care,” lead counsel Andrea Sanche instructed CTV News Toronto in an e mail.
When requested for touch upon the go well with, Loblaw instructed CTV News Toronto that the case has “no merit, whatsoever” and the corporate plans to “vigorously defend” itself.
The class-action is in search of, amongst different issues, damages for Loblaw’s alleged breaches of contract with currrent and former franchise homeowners, the quantity of which has but to be decided.
