TORONTO — Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. has closed some stores and begun a relief program in the wake of the devastating floods in Alberta.
Canada’s largest drug chain, which also includes the Pharmaprix banner, said it’s making a donation to the Canadian Red Cross and working with local stores to ensure supplies and prescription medications are available to those in need.
Through July 19, customers and employees can donate their Shoppers Optimum points to the relief effort, and Shoppers Drug Mart and its associate-owners will match their donations with a cash and product value of up to $150,000.
"Our thoughts are with our customers and our associate-owners and their employees who have been directly impacted by the flooding in Alberta," Mary-Alice Vuicic, chief administrative officer and executive vice president at Shoppers Drug Mart, said in a statement. "By working together with the Canadian Red Cross and our local associate-owners, we hope that we can help bring relief and aid to those impacted in the province."
Because of the flooding, Shoppers Drug Mart has closed nine stores in Calgary and one store in High River, Alberta. For all of those store closures, the chain has recommended the nearest alternate stores and pointed to three other Calgary stores and a store in Canmore that remain open.
This month, heavy rainfall in southern and central Alberta led to flooding that has been called the worst in the province’s histroy. The rising water levels, which resulted in several drowning deaths, forced the government to place many communities under evacuation orders. Reports said that more than 100,000 people have been displaced across the region, and Canadian troops have been deployed to assist in flooded areas.
