P.E.I. pharmacists warn of worsening shortage, closures and reduced hours – CTV
October 23, 2025
Pharmacies may be the front door to health care, but across P.E.I., local leaders warn those doors are closing.
An internal survey by the P.E.I. Pharmacists Association this year found pharmacy owners need to hire nearly twice as many pharmacists – and even more technicians – in the next year or two to keep up with demand.
“It’s very concerning that we do have such a shortage,” said executive director Erin MacKenzie. “We’ve already seen three pharmacies in the province close in just over a year.”
More pharmacies have scaled back hours due to vacancies, she said, with some teams struggling to cover vacations or time off.
MacKenzie explained pandemic burnout drove many health-care workers, including pharmacists, to leave the profession. Others are finding jobs in different provinces or simply reaching retirement age. Those losses, layered on an aging population and too few family doctors, are straining teams. But cuts and closures leave some people in small, rural communities with no options.
