Alberta judge rules against plan to ban pharmacy loyalty reward program
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Albertans can continue to collect reward points for pharmacy purchases.
A Court of Queen's Bench judge has ruled the regulator of Alberta pharmacists does not have the legal power to impose a ban on consumer loyalty programs.
The Alberta College of Pharmacists wanted to impose such a ban on pharmacists and pharmacies in 2014, but the Sobeys grocery chain challenged the plan in court.
"There is no evidence of actual or reasonable possible harm to customers (patients) as a result of loyalty programs or other forms of inducements," Justice Vital Ouellette said in his written judgment.
Ouellette also said inducement prohibitions do nothing to protect consumers from incompetent or unethical pharmacists.
He said the College's plan would amount to controlling the way commercial businesses operate and compete among themselves in terms of prices offered to consumers and costs.
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