Niagara pharmacists are still waiting to learn how much AstraZeneca vaccine they can expect to receive and when it will arrive, after the province included 22 local pharmacies on its expanded list of drug stores that will vaccinate people 55 years old and up.
In a media release Thursday, it said some locations will begin offering the vaccine as early as Saturday.
But local pharmacists — many of whom have been allowing patients to pre-register for a vaccination via their websites and phone calls — are still waiting to determine how much vaccine they can expect to receive.
They also wonder when those shipments will arrive, before they can begin contacting preregistered customers to schedule appointments.
“Honestly, the amount of information coming out of the ministry (of health) is like next to nothing,” said pharmacist Aaron Boggio, who co-owns three locations on the list of nearly 380 additional pharmacies that will provide doses of vaccine to patients.
“We don’t know when we’re going to receive them. We honestly expect them to just show up on our doorstep. … We were told to sign up, so we’re expecting them. We may honestly receive them as early as this weekend, or early next week,” he said.
“We’re ready. We’re just waiting for them (the province) to get their act together.”
Pharmacist Sean Simpson, who owns two Niagara-on-the-Lake pharmacies on the province’s list, said he too is “still waiting for more details.”
“We have been waiting for it. We weren’t sure when the government was going to make their official announcement, but it looks like the cat’s out of the bag now,” said Simpson, a member of Niagara’s COVID-19 vaccination task force.
“We were somewhat hopeful they wouldn’t make the announcement until we actually had vaccine.”
Despite the unknowns, local pharmacists are eager to do their part in protecting people from the spread of COVID-19.
“We’re excited to be able to help our customers and the residents of Niagara,” Boggio said. “In my mind, it’s taken far too long to get to this point. But we’re really excited.”
Pharmacist Donnie Edwards, who runs a pharmacy in Ridgeway, said he hopes the first of the vaccine shipments will arrive on the weekend, “and hopefully we’ll be starting vaccinations on Monday.”
As COVID-19 cases increase across Ontario during the pandemic’s third wave, Edwards said pharmacies are “going to have to play a huge role in getting vaccinations into people’s arms as quickly as they can.”
“We’re definitely prepared to go 24-7, 365 days a year if we need to,” he said. “We want people back to regular life as quick as possible.”
Local pharmacists have also arranged for extra staff, bringing in licensed pharmacists and registered pharmacy technicians and ensuring they have been trained to administer the vaccinations.
“We’re just raring to go, just waiting for the go-ahead. As soon as we get the vaccines, we’re going to be ready to put them into people’s arms,” Boggio said.
Simpson said he plans to allocate appointments to patients as the vaccine becomes available, and he has an idea of how much he will receive.
“We’re expecting to sort of test our workflow on the first day or two and to see how much we can accommodate, and we’ll scale up as safely as we can,” Simpson said.
“We’ll be trying to do our best to get as many needles in arms as we possibly can.”
Edwards was pleased to see the list included pharmacy locations from throughout Niagara rather than just urban centres.
As an Ontario Pharmacists Association board member, he said the group worked hard to ensure rural pharmacies were involved in the expanded rollout, as well as “fair distribution into all different facets of pharmacies” including chains, big box stores and independent shops.
“People trust their pharmacists and we’re so accessible. It makes it easier for folks, especially in rural areas, instead of having to go into an urban centre to get vaccinations at a mass clinic,” Edwards said. “These are people they know and trust.”
The following pharmacies in Niagara are part of the vaccine program:
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
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