Varsity Pharmacy expands into vacant MacHall space

By Tina Shaygan, August 23 2017 —

University of Calgary students can expect a renovated and expanded Varsity Pharmacy in MacEwan Hall at the beginning of the fall semester.

Varsity Pharmacy owner Ron Summers-Gill said the store negotiated with the U of C to acquire the space that was previously home to Campus Ticket Centre. The university now controls the space after they gained control of MacHall admist an ongoing lawsuit with the Students’ Union.

Summers-Gill said the expansion will allow for a designated space for pharmacists to consult with patients regarding their medications.

“We needed more space for a few things, particularly a dedicated counselling area. So that would be what this space becomes,” Summers-Gill said.

He also stated that the pharmacy hopes to offer more products and services upon re-opening.

The expansion would also allow for more injection services.

“We currently do a variety of other shots like travel vaccines or B12 shots. And we’ve been doing flu shots for years,” Summers-Gill said.

While a flu clinic has operated in MacHall for the past three years, Summers-Gill said some people may not be able to utilize that service.

The on-campus flu clinic was first funded through an SU Quality Money grant in 2015 and is open to students, staff and faculty members.

Summers-Gill said that while he can’t provide exact dates, renovations are moving fast and the space is expected to be operational by the end of August.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that the on-campus flu clinic was first funded through a SU Quality Money grant in 2014. The program actually was first funded in 2015. Additionally, the earlier version of this story erroneously stated that the SU denied a funding increase to the program in 2015. The Gauntlet apologies to its readers for these errors.