Buyers of the drug are filing a lawsuit against the proposed class action

Shoppers Drug Mart is facing a class action lawsuit brought by current and former franchise owners of the retail chain.

The lawsuit, which has not yet been certified, was filed in Ontario Superior Court last week by Toronto law firm Ricketts Harris LLP and names the plaintiffs as current and former pharmacists whose contracts with the company were terminated after 2014. .

In a statement of claim seen by CTV News Toronto, the class action alleges that a series of corporate practices implemented by Loblaw after its 2014 acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart “threatened patient safety and posed a significant risk of patient harm.”

According to the lawsuit, some of those practices included reducing the number of appointments for MedsCheck — Ontario's drug review service — and reducing support staff hours in an effort to increase revenue and reduce costs.

The complaint notes that Shoppers Drug Mart can and will violate its contracts with franchise owners who “breach fundamental obligations” or criticize their business decisions.

Sivajanan Sivapalan, an Ontario pharmacist and lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, has entered into an agreement with Shoppers Drug Mart to operate a franchise in Beamsville, Ont. He subsequently extended his contract in 2014, 2017 and 2020.

The suit alleges that Sivapalan's contract was terminated without cause on January 23, 2023, after Sivapalan “raised concerns” with Shoppers Drug Mart about its corporate practices.

Additionally, since Shoppers Drug Mart was acquired by Loblaw, franchise owners have expressed concern about corporate policies and their “patient safety risks.” But the complaint alleges that Drug Mart and Loblaw shoppers “took little or no action” to address the concerns.

Following a March 25 meeting, the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP) announced a “zero tolerance” policy for pharmacists for business practices that interfere with their “ability to provide effective care” after hearing from “thousands” of pharmacy professionals.

In a news release that did not name any pharmacy retail chain, OCP found reports of “undue pressure” to hold MedsCheck appointments “deeply troubling.”

“The college will consider all available means to address these issues,” OCP said.

To that end, the complaint says OCP's policy “increases the risk of regulatory scrutiny and sanctions” from Shoppers Drug Mart for franchise owners.

“Our top-level goal is to seek justice for Shoppers Drug Mart franchisees — pharmacists — who are forced to work under corporate policies that put them in irreparable conflicts of interest, affecting their ability to provide safe and effective patient care,” lead counsel Andrea Sanche emailed CTV News Toronto reported by

When asked to comment on the lawsuit, Loblaw told CTV News Toronto that the case has “no merit” and that the company plans to “vigorously defend itself.”

The class action seeks, among other things, damages for Loblaw's breach of contract with current and former franchise owners, the amount of which has not yet been determined.