Question 1

How many pharmacies are there in Ontario?

Accepted Answer

There are 5,440 active pharmacies on the Ontario College of Pharmacists public register as of July 28, 2026, spread across 519 cities and towns. Ontario is the largest pharmacy market in Canada by a wide margin.

Question 2

Which pharmacy chains have the most stores in Ontario?

Accepted Answer

Loblaw Companies is by far the largest pharmacy operator in Ontario with 875 active stores on the register, counting Shoppers Drug Mart, the pharmacies inside its grocery banners (registered as Loblaw Pharmacy and the drugstore pharmacy), and MediSystem, its long term care specialty division. Rexall follows with 231 stores; it was acquired from McKesson by Canadian private equity firm Birch Hill Equity Partners in a deal that closed at the end of 2024. Wal-Mart is next with 151. Grocery banners are grouped under their parent company, so Sobeys includes Safeway, FreshCo, and Foodland stores, and Metro includes Food Basics. Banners such as Pharmasave, I.D.A., Guardian, Medicine Shoppe, and Remedy'sRx are groups of independently owned pharmacies rather than corporate chains: each store belongs to its own pharmacist or corporation.

Question 3

Does this directory show who owns each pharmacy?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. The Ontario College of Pharmacists publishes owner of record only on each pharmacy’s individual detail page, not in its bulk register export, so ownership is not included here. We are adding it gradually, the same way our British Columbia directory’s ownership data was built up over time.

Question 4

Where does this directory data come from?

Accepted Answer

Every record is pulled from the Ontario College of Pharmacists public register export. This snapshot was captured July 28, 2026.

Question 5

What does a Sold status mean on the Ontario register?

Accepted Answer

A "Sold" record is a previous certificate of accreditation, not a closed pharmacy. When an Ontario pharmacy changes hands, the College closes the old accreditation record and issues a new one for the same location, so most sold records have an active successor at the same address under a new accreditation number. This directory lists active pharmacies only, so each location appears once. Verify current details with the College before relying on them for a transaction.

Ontario pharmacy directory

Largest pharmacy banners in Ontario

What is on the Ontario register

Where active pharmacies are concentrated

List of all pharmacies in Ontario

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