Privacy Policy

Last Updated: May 11, 2025

1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Permanent Drug Mart (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the personal information, including Personal Health Information (PHI), of our patients and website users (“you”). This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website [Insert Website Address Here], use our online services (such as prescription refills, transfers, new prescription uploads, virtual consultations), or interact with us in any other way.

We adhere to the principles and requirements of Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA) and Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

2. What is Personal Information and Personal Health Information?

• Personal Information (PI): Information about an identifiable individual, such as your name, address, email address, phone number, date of birth, and any other information that can be used to identify you.
• Personal Health Information (PHI): A subset of Personal Information, PHI includes information relating to your physical or mental health, family health history, health care provider, health card number, prescriptions, medication history, test results, and any information collected in the course of providing health services to you.

3. Information We Collect

We may collect Personal Information and Personal Health Information in the following ways:

• Information You Provide Directly:

  • When you register for an account or use our online services (e.g., prescription refills, transfers, new prescription uploads, appointment bookings for MedsChecks or minor ailments, virtual consultations). This may include your name, contact details, date of birth, health card number, insurance information, medication details, and health conditions.
  • When you contact us with inquiries or for support (e.g., via contact forms, email, or phone).
  • When you subscribe to our newsletter.

• Information Collected Automatically:

  • Log Data: Like many websites, we may collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our website. This Log Data may include your computer’s Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, browser version, the pages of our site that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other statistics. This information is generally used in an aggregated and anonymous form.
  • Cookies and Similar Technologies: We may use cookies (small files stored on your device) and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our website, understand usage patterns, and for service functionality. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our services.

4. How We Use Your Information

We collect, use, and disclose your Personal Information and PHI for the following purposes (often referred to as “Purposes”):

• Providing Pharmacy Services:

  • To dispense your prescriptions accurately and safely.
  • To provide medication counselling and manage your medication therapy (e.g., MedsChecks).
  • To facilitate prescription refills, transfers, and new prescription processing.
  • To offer compounding services.
  • To provide assessments and treatment for minor ailments.
  • To facilitate virtual consultations.
  • To provide immunizations.
  • To manage prescription delivery services.

• Communication:

  • To communicate with you regarding your prescriptions, appointments, or other health services.
  • To respond to your inquiries and provide customer support.
  • To send you important updates about our services or changes to our policies.
  • With your consent, to send you newsletters, health information, or promotional materials.

• Improving Our Services:

  • To understand how our website and services are used, to improve their functionality and user experience.
  • For internal quality assurance and training.

• Legal and Regulatory Compliance:

  • To comply with legal and regulatory requirements applicable to pharmacies in Ontario (e.g., record-keeping, reporting to health authorities or drug benefit plans).
  • To prevent and detect fraud or abuse.

5. Consent

Your knowledge and consent are required for the collection, use, or disclosure of your Personal Information and PHI, except where permitted or required by law.

• Implied Consent: In many situations, your consent to collect, use, and disclose your PHI for the purpose of providing you with pharmacy care is implied. For example, when you provide us with a prescription, we assume your consent to collect the necessary information from you and your prescriber to dispense that medication, bill your insurer, and counsel you.
• Express Consent: We will obtain your express consent (verbal or written) before we:
  • Disclose your PHI to a third party for a purpose other than providing or assisting in providing health care (e.g., to an insurance company for non-billing purposes, to an employer, or for marketing purposes).
  • Use your PHI for a purpose not directly related to your care without your specific agreement.

You have the right to withdraw your consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of your information at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. However, withdrawing consent may impact our ability to provide you with certain services. Please contact our Privacy Officer to discuss the implications of withdrawing your consent.

6. Limiting Collection, Use, Disclosure, and Retention

We will only collect the Personal Information and PHI necessary for the identified Purposes. We will not use or disclose your information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with your consent or as required/permitted by law.

We retain your Personal Information and PHI only as long as necessary to fulfill the Purposes for which it was collected and to comply with our legal and professional obligations (e.g., as required by pharmacy regulations for record retention). When your information is no longer required, it will be securely destroyed or de-identified.

7. Accuracy of Information

We make reasonable efforts to ensure that the Personal Information and PHI we collect and use is accurate, complete, and up-to-date as necessary for the Purposes. We rely on you to provide us with accurate information and to inform us of any changes. You have the right to request corrections to your PHI if you believe it is inaccurate or incomplete.

8. Safeguarding Your Information

We are committed to protecting your Personal Information and PHI from loss, theft, and unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. We have implemented appropriate physical, organizational, and technological safeguards, including but not limited to:

• Securing physical records in locked cabinets or restricted areas.
• Using secure networks, strong passwords, encryption, and firewalls for electronic information.
• Restricting access to your information to authorized personnel who need it to perform their duties.
• Training our staff on privacy policies and procedures.
• Using secure methods for the transmission of sensitive information online (e.g., for prescription uploads).

It is important to note that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information and PHI, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. Please take care when submitting information online, especially sensitive health information.

9. Your Rights Regarding Your Information

Under PHIPA and PIPEDA, you have certain rights regarding your Personal Information and PHI, including:

• Right to Access: You have the right to request access to your PHI that we hold, subject to limited exceptions.
• Right to Correction: You have the right to request corrections to your PHI if you believe it is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: You can withdraw your consent for certain uses and disclosures, as outlined above.
• Right to Ask Questions and Make Complaints: You have the right to ask questions about our privacy practices or make a complaint.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer in writing. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

10. Openness and Transparency

We are committed to being open about our privacy policies and practices. This Privacy Policy is made available on our website. If you have any questions about our privacy practices, please contact our Privacy Officer.

11. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to other websites or use third-party services (e.g., for appointment scheduling, payment processing if applicable in the future). This Privacy Policy only applies to Permanent Drug Mart’s practices. We are not responsible for theprivacy practices of third-party websites or services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal obligations. We will post any revised Privacy Policy on this page and update the “Last Updated” date at the top. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our website or services after any changes to this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of such changes.

13. Contact Us – Privacy Officer

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our handling of your Personal Information or PHI, or if you wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact our designated Privacy Officer:

Privacy Officer: Salman Syed
Permanent Drug Mart Address: 106 Humber College Blvd, Etobicoke, ON, M9V 4E4
Phone: (289) 497-9787
Email: permanentdrugmart@gmail.com

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario if you believe your privacy rights have been violated:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400 Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8 Phone: 416-326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073 Website: www.ipc.on.ca