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Pharmacists turning heat up on Oakville MPP By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF 3 · Wednesday, May 19, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Approximately 20 protesters, representing Ontario's Community Pharmacy Coalition (OCPC), gathered outside Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn's constituency office Friday morning calling for a stop to what they call proposed cuts to front-line health care. The protest was sparked by provincial plans to cut generic drug costs in Ontario by reducing payments made by drug makers to pharmacies to stock their products. The move is expected to save the Ontario government $535 million per year. "I have received tremendous support for our government's reforms that will finally fix a broken system and ensure that Ontarians are getting a fair deal," said Flynn. "People are calling in, sending e-mails, responding to what they are hearing out there, saying, `Stick to your guns on this, there's no way I should be paying this much more for my drugs.'" Flynn said under the existing system, Ontario is paying some of the highest prices for generic drugs in the world, 25 per cent higher in some cases. The protesters included representatives from Oakville's Cims Guardian Drugmart, Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, Total Health Pharmacy, Health-Aide Pharmacy, Edward's Pharmacy, River Oaks Medical Pharmacy and Oak Park Community Pharmacy. They say the Province cannot take $530 million out of their industry without doing some considerable damage. "I think if this is done there are definitely going to be a large number of independent pharmacies that close down," said Scott Russell, of Cims Guardian Pharmacy. "I think, in the long run, the government is going to have to find a business model for us that works, but in that process a lot of your independent local pharmacists are going to close. I think the number of pharmacists that are unemployed DAVID LEA / OAKVILLE BEAVER PROTEST: Pharmacists staged a demonstration outside Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn's Oakville constituency office on Friday morning. is going to be significant. I think stores are going to have to cut back their hours. I think patients are going to have to start paying for services like even speaking to a pharmacist." Russell said the protest outside Flynn's office was also taking place because the Oakville MPP had refused to meet with members of OCPC until certain phone calls being made to his office stop. "The calls coming into his office are from his constituents who are concerned about what's going on. So I don't understand why he wouldn't want to speak to those people, why he wouldn't want to speak to us and hear our side of what's going on and try to understand the business model as we understand it because we are the ones that live it every day," said Russell. The situation is not that simple, countered Flynn. Flynn said for the last few weeks his office has been periodically deluged with hundreds of calls from confused residents, who, he says, appear to have been forwarded to his office by a call centre, which called their homes. Flynn alleged that when the constituents picked up their phones someone, who said they were calling on behalf of the `community pharmacy coalition,' asked something vague like, `Are you concerned about cuts to health care in Ontario?' When the constituents answer yes, Flynn alleges, they were forwarded to his office without their permission or a proper explanation of the issue. Flynn said he would not meet with the people behind the campaign until the phone calls stop. "There's no sense of anyone meeting in a climate that's this hostile," said Flynn. "I'm not adverse to bringing a contrary message to my own party, but in the case of these bully-boy tactics, I just don't stand for that. I don't go for that and I know the people of Ontario don't tolerate that either." Flynn said he would meet with any pharmacist to discuss the proposed legislation provided they are not affiliated with OCPC. A spokesperson for OCPC, who did not want her name used, said she had no knowledge about how exactly the telephone campaign in Oakville was being conducted, but said telephone campaigns across Ontario will continue until OCPC reaches an equitable agreement with the government. Russell has said that if such an agreement is not reached the side effects will be felt well beyond the pharmacy with drug stores having to cut back on the amount they spend on advertising and the sponsoring of things like youth sports. George Benakopoulos, of Cims Guardian Drugmart, said the cuts would also have an impact on health care as people, who could go to a pharmacy for their medical needs may now have to go to a hospital if pharmacy services need to be reduced. 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