We need your help more urgently than ever before to help pets in Ontario.
WE NEED TO ACT NOW TO SAFEGUARD AFFORDABLE PET MEDICATION, #ImproveBill171!

Bill 171, The Enhancing Professional Care for Animals Act, is a new Ontario bill that has been fast-tracked to come into effect June 2024. 

Automatic prescription portability, which safeguards consumer choice, is missing from this Bill. We need automatic prescription portability in the new Act now, not just potentially added to the Regulations later. Automatic prescription portability means once a veterinarian has decided on the proper treatment, they must automatically provide a written prescription to the pet owner, whether or not the pet owner specifically requests it, without additional charge. 

Without automatic prescription portability, pet owners may be afraid to ask their vet for the prescription or may not even realize they have options on where to buy pet medication. The Competition Bureau has written powerful comments on prescription portability. See its full Comments on the Modernization of the Regulation of the Veterinary Profession here.

Bill 171 must be amended so pharmacists are regulated only by the regulator for pharmacists, not the regulator for the veterinarian profession. Currently, both pharmacists and veterinarians are legally authorized to dispense and sell pet medications. Since veterinarians profit from selling medications they prescribe, there is a troubling conflict of interest if the veterinary regulator has the power to regulate and ban pharmacists from dispensing pet medications. Pharmacists should continue to be solely regulated by the Ontario College of Pharmacists. This maintains clear regulatory boundaries while upholding professional standards for both veterinarians and pharmacists.

At this time, Bill 171 is in front of the Standing Committee of the Interior, who will decide if it passes as is or if revisions should be made. We urge you to use your voice at this crucial time to ensure Bill 171 can only become law if (1) automatic prescription portability is embedded in the Act now and (2) the veterinary regulator does not control pharmacists.

Why do we need to act NOW? 

We must urgently reform the Act to protect consumers from monopolistic high drug prices. The Veterinary Act hasn’t been reviewed and materially updated for 35 years so we must seize the opportunity now to make changes while we can. Automatic prescription portability and removing the veterinary regulator's control over pharmacists are crucial steps. Let's work together to make these changes happen. If you’d like to take a closer look at Bill 171, you can read it here.

How can I help more?

First of all, sign this petititon! Then, get in touch with your local representatives and the Standing Committee of the Interior. To make it easy, we have prepared an email form for you at PetsDrugMart.ca/Fair-Pricing. You can use the form to send an email to the Standing Committee of the Interior, who are currently considering Bill 171. Your provincial representative may be able to help us put pressure on this issue, so you can also find a contact list for Ontario MPPs on the page. We invite you to use any information on the page, including the letter we drafted for our email campaign, to help spread the message. And please, share this petition and the page widely!

What are we asking for?

We support the proposed revisions to Bill 171 advocated by our federal Competition Bureau and other key stakeholders to increase competition and consumer choice, including on prescription portability. 

Need for Automatic Prescription Portability: We want automatic prescription portability codified in a revised Bill 171. It needs to be added in the Act now, not just potentially added to Regulations later.  Consumers need the freedom to choose where they fill prescriptions. Pet owners may not know or may be afraid to ask for a copy of their pet medication prescription, so the Act must require veterinarians to automatically release the prescription, whether specifically requested or not, at no additional charge to the pet owner. Without a prescription, pharmacists cannot dispense pet medications, forcing pet owners to purchase the medication from the veterinarian prescribing the medication who may be charging higher prices than pharmacies.

Monopoly Concerns and Fair Pricing: Protecting pharmacists from the oversight and control of the veterinary regulatory body is necessary to ensure fair competition. Only veterinarians and pharmacists can dispense pet medications. Veterinarians profit from selling medications, raising concerns that the veterinary regulator might prioritize the veterinary industry over consumer choice and competition by overregulating or prohibiting pharmacists from dispensing pet medications. Pharmacists should be solely regulated by the Ontario College of Pharmacists to maintain clear regulatory boundaries while upholding professional standards for both veterinarians and pharmacists.

We must urgently reform the Act to protect consumers from monopolistic high drug prices. Automatic prescription portability and removing the veterinary regulator's control over pharmacists are crucial steps. The Competition Bureau has written powerful comments on prescription portability. See its Comments on the Modernization of the Regulation of the Veterinary Profession here. Let's work together to make these changes happen.

If you agree with us, please raise your voice! If you’d like to take a closer look at Bill 171, you can read it here.

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Why are pet medications so expensive in Ontario? 

Pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors are attempting to maintain veterinarian offices as the sole source of pet medications, not informing consumers of choice and the option of paying less for pet drugs. 

As a result, most people believe veterinarian’s offices are the only place to buy drugs for their pets - they aren’t. You can get a veterinary prescription and have it dispensed at a pharmacy or a site like PetsDrugMart.ca. Pet medications are 20-98% less expensive through PetsDrugMart.ca than from the vet’s office. We want to keep pet medications accessible, less expensive, and readily available.

Is anyone doing anything about this?

Yes! Wendy Chui, the pharmacist who owns PetsDrugMart.ca, has launched a complaint under the Competition Act regarding the pharmaceutical companies and their distributors, who want to squash competition and maintain high prices for pet medications. And as a result, consumers have very few choices - and end up paying more at the vet’s office. Pets and pet-lovers deserve options, transparency, and the ability to source lower-cost pet medications to care for their animals.

Can I do anything?

Yes – voice your concern and advocate for lower costs and fair competition in pet medication! The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) is reviewing the Ontario Veterinary Act regulations and have opened a consultation period. Tell them that we deserve choice. Use the form below to tell OMAFRA and the College of Veterinarians of Ontario that Wendy & PetsDrugMart.ca, and businesses like this, offer a valuable service to our communities and should be able to continue operating.