Minor Ailment Assessments in Kitchener

What a Pharmacist Can Do

Ontario pharmacists are authorized to assess patients for a specific list of minor ailments set by the province, and to prescribe from a defined set of medications for them. The authority comes from Schedule 4 of O. Reg. 256/24 under the Pharmacy Act, 1991.

What that means in practice: for something on that list, you may be able to be seen at our pharmacy counter rather than waiting for an appointment elsewhere. The pharmacist assesses you first, and whether a prescription follows is their judgement, not a given. If your situation is not one a pharmacist can prescribe for, they will tell you and point you to who can.

The Province's Minor Ailments List

As of August 2026 the province's list runs to 28 conditions, and our pharmacists assess for all of them:

• Acne (mild)
• Allergic rhinitis
• Aphthous ulcers (canker sores)
• Calluses and corns
• Candidal stomatitis (oral thrush)
• Conjunctivitis (bacterial, allergic or viral)
• Dermatitis (atopic/eczema, allergic or contact)
• Diaper dermatitis
• Dry eye
• Dysmenorrhea
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Hemorrhoids
• Herpes labialis (cold sores)
• Impetigo
• Insect bites and urticaria (hives)
• Mild headache (tension-type)
• Musculoskeletal sprains and strains
• Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy
• Pediculosis (head lice)
• Pinworms and threadworms
• Seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff)
• Tick bites (post-exposure prophylaxis for Lyme disease)
• Tinea corporis (ringworm)
• Tinea cruris (jock itch)
• Urinary tract infections (uncomplicated)
• Verrucae — vulgaris and plantar, excluding face and genitals (warts)
• Viral rhinitis and rhinosinusitis (nasal congestion)
• Vulvovaginal candidiasis (yeast infection)

This is the province's list, not ours, and it changes — nine conditions were added on 1 July 2026. If you are unsure whether yours is on it, call (519) 742-9955 and ask.

What to Bring

• Your Ontario health card
• A list of the medications you currently take
• Any product you have already tried for it

Assessments are done in person at the pharmacy counter. Walk in during pharmacy hours, or call ahead if you would rather arrange a time. There is no online assessment and no online consultation: prescriptions are not accepted, filled, or shipped online.

The assessment is covered by OHIP — bring your health card. That covers the pharmacist seeing you. If a pharmacist writes you something as a result, what you pay for the medication itself depends on your coverage, the same as it would anywhere else.