Loblaws Manulife Deal harms rural Canada

E.A. (Ted) Doleman | Feb 07, 2024

Manulife and Loblaws have announced an exclusive deal where if you rely on Manulife for benefits you will have to use Loblaws owned pharmacies to get your life saving drugs. “Manulife spokeswoman Emily Vear told The Canadian Press in a statement that the deal with Loblaw will provide "more options" for group benefits” I think not. In my opinion it will reduce competition, force many who can’t drive to pay for delivery, and will harm the rural pharmacies we relied on through the pandemic and to the present day. Just as many will start to have more access and cheaper costs to drugs, this insurer and Loblaws have made an arrangement that will place many in our area in the position where they will have to drive to Perth or Kingston to obtain critical medicine. Many of our neighbours have challenges with transportation, prefer to support local businesses and deal with someone they know. Loblaws has proven by their actions, such as the bread price fixing scandal and the recent last day discount scandal that they are only held accountable by threat from the federal government. If they want to create deals that reduce our access to local pharmacists, then they should be barred from the pharmacare or be forced to provide free delivery to all Manulife clients. The lack of competition in our groceries and in our airlines, is now migrating into our pharmacies. Our local pharmacists were there when we needed vaccinations in one of our darkest times, they were there for us, time we stood up for them.

- E.A. (Ted) Doleman