According to the Globe and Mail, Walmart will be expanding its grocery delivery service to more homes in Toronto’s downtown core.
Previously, the service was being tested in three of the city’s condos. Walmart CEO Lee Tappenden said to the Globe that while the retailer had previously been using its own trucks, the company will now also work with “Uber-style” delivery services. The delivery service comes with a $10 fee and requires a minimum $50 order.
While many companies are considering growth into the online grocery category, this sector has not caught on in Canada. Last year, BMO released a report that noted grocery ecommerce represented just 1 per cent of total food purchases in Canada.
As such, online grocery seems only to be a way for large-scale grocers—like Costco and Walmart—to remain competitive with one another. While you may want to investigate the future of online grocery retail, it will not be a major issue for independents in the years to come.
This week, Nature’s Emporium officially marked the grand opening of its Burlington location with a ribbon-cutting and bread-breaking ceremony.
The new location showcases a rich selection of premium natural and organic foods, vitamins, supplements, as well as plant-based, sustainable personal and homecare products dedicated to green living.
“Every member of our team has played a part in making our new location at 2180 Itabashi Way in Burlington a reality,” said the company in a blog post. “It’s our third store, our first expansion outside of the York Region, and it represents a big leap forward for the Nature’s Emporium family.”
The Burlington store will also include:
An Always Organic produce department (with seasonal emphasis on local fare)
Juiceppe’s Juice Bar and Cafe, featuring Fair Trade & Organic Coffee, Tea as well as fresh cold-pressed Juices & Smoothies
Traditional, Vegetarian and Vegan Friendly Hot Tables & Salad Bar
According to CBC News, Costco has confirmed that it will be moving its St. John’s warehouse from Stavanger Drive in the city’s east end to the new Galway development in the west end.
Although a specific date has not been set, staff confirmed with CBC that the target date is November.
While Costco customer Walter Harding says he was told by staff that the new location will be 22,000 square feet larger than the existing location, Costco’s Ron Damiani notes that this information will not be released at this time. He did reveal that the Stavanger Drive store will remain open until the Galway location is fully operational, meaning staff and inventory will be located in two stores for a period.
Jamieson Laboratories, Canada’s number one manufacturer and marketer of branded vitamins, minerals and supplements, has announced its acquisition of Body Plus, a leading manufacturer and marketer of innovative natural health and sports nutrition supplements in Canada.
Body Plus is well-known for Progressive nutritional therapies, Precision sports supplements and the Iron Vegan brands. The company has long-standing relationships with over 2,000 Canadian retail locations and employs more than 140 people across Canada, with manufacturing based in Toronto and a distribution centre in Burnaby, B.C. The company also includes Sonoma Nutraceuticals, a well-established manufacturer of private label supplements.
“The acquisition of Body Plus will further accelerate Jamieson’s already-strong growth by expanding our reach into the fast-growing sports nutrition and specialty retail channels,” says Mark Hornick, President and CEO of Jamieson. “We admire Body Plus’ market leadership in its categories, and are committing our global expertise and resources to further elevate its operational excellence and growth.”
Body Plus will continue to operate independently with support from the Jamieson team to accelerate growth in Canada and globally.
“Attracting an iconic Canadian company of Jamieson’s stature is a testament to the innovation of Body Plus’ products, brands and team,” says Norm Danniels, President and Founder of Body Plus. “Through this acquisition, Body Plus will have the resources it needs to grow and meet the needs of its rapidly expanding consumer base.”
Houlihan Lokey, Andrew Durnford of White Point Capital and Bank of Montreal acted as financial advisors on this transaction.
About Jamieson Laboratories: Established in 1922, Jamieson Laboratories is Canada’s number one manufacturer and marketer of vitamin, mineral and natural health supplements. The company also owns Nutricorp, an industry-leading private label manufacturer, and leading women’s natural health brand Lorna Vanderhaeghe Health Solutions. Jamieson branded products are made at the company’s state-of-the-art facilities in Windsor, Ontario. With corporate offices in Toronto, Jamieson exports to more than 30 countries. For more information, visit Jamiesonvitamins.com.
Cereal kingpin Kashi is taking strides to grow organic crop supply through its Certified Transitional Initiative.
This move, which supports farmers during the grueling three-year process required to achieve USDA Organic Certification, has been launched through products like Kashi’s Dark Cocoa Karma Shredded Wheat Biscuits cereal.
“Kashi knows from firsthand experience how it is still very challenging to source organic ingredients because less than 1% of farmland in the U.S. is organic,” says Nicole Nestojko, senior director of supply chain and sustainability for Kashi. “This is one of the things that inspired Kashi to pursue Certified Transitional — to increase the availability and accessibility of organics, as well as raise awareness of the barriers that farmers face when converting to organic.”
Created by Kashi and QAI, a USDA-accredited organic certifying body, the Certified Transitional label aims to support financially-burdened farmers who as they invest in organic practices. During the first three years of this investment, they are unable to benefit from organic prices for their crops.
According to Kashi, this issue especially effects grain producers—soft wheat is susceptible to disease, which is hard to combat while transitioning to organic. What’s more, wheat tends to be a lower-cost commodity than, say, fruits or vegetables.
Kashi notes that Dark Cocoa Karma has been extremely well-received by customers, with this being the company’s best-performing cereal innovation in over five years. The company plans to add additional Certified Transitional products to its roster.
Moreover, the OTA and the USDA have partnered to create a National Certified Transition Program, the first round of approvals for which are expected to be complete in March. As this trend continues, it is important for retailers, manufacturers and producers to get informed. Certified Transitional labelling could be your next competitor—or your latest money-maker.
Grocery giant Kroger has acquired Murray’s Cheese, a New York-based chain of specialty cheese and meat shops. Since 2008, the pair has been working together to upgrade Kroger’s offerings in 350 stores across the U.S.
While financial terms have not been disclosed, this acquisition is part of Kroger’s wider goal to extend its high-end offerings.
“For cheese lovers and connoisseurs, it doesn’t get more authentic than Murray’s,” says Rodney McMullen, CEO of Kroger. “Our customers are excited to buy the unique offerings of Murray’s Cheese right in our stores, and we’re excited to ensure this iconic cheese shop will remain a part of the Kroger family for many years to come.”
This move marks Kroger’s first purchase of a specialty retailer since 2014, when it overtook online organic titan Vitacost.com.
Organic Garage Ltd. is pleased to announce that is has entered into a lease agreement for a new location situated in the Leaside neighbourhood of Toronto. This will be the company’s fourth store and second in the Toronto market.
“We are very excited to bring Organic Garage to this incredible neighbourhood just northeast of Toronto’s downtown core,” says Matt Lurie, CEO. “This location continues our commitment to developing the Toronto market and bringing healthier food for less to more customers.”
The location will be more than 12,000 square feet and a one-stop shopping experience for customers, incorporating a large 100% dedicated Certified Organic produce department, a self-serve salad bar, and a large variety of grocery, dairy, bakery, meat, frozen foods, vitamins & supplements, health & beauty, and bulk food items.
About Organic Garage Ltd.: Organic Garage is one of Canada’s leading independent organic grocers committed to offering its customers a wide selection of healthy and natural products at everyday affordable prices. The company’s stores are in prime retail locations designed to give customers an inclusive, unique and valuefocused grocery shopping experience. Founded in 2005 by a fourth generation grocer, Organic Garage is headquartered in Toronto and operates a highly efficient supply chain through its centralized distribution centre. The company is focused on continuing to expand its retail footprint within the Greater Toronto Area. For more information please visit the Organic Garage website at www.organicgarage.com
It seems as though every week, a new crop of negative news stories is released about the naturopathic and natural health industries. Often, these articles attempt to discount natural supplements, natural or alternative health practices, or the practice of naturopathy, itself.
Last week, a study, entitled “Peroxide ingestion, promoted by alternative medicine, can be deadly,” was released on Science Daily. The piece discusses the notion that peroxide, often touted as a “natural” cure, can cause embolisms in the cardiac, respiratory, and neurological systems.
While this study is absolutely true, and raises a good (albeit obvious) point about the dangers of consuming chemical products, it gives the natural health industry a bad rep. Although naturopathic doctors would never prescribe this remedy—which is often suggested by non-professional, so-called “alternative health” websites—the title of the piece leads readers to believe that this is a common practice.
The good news: you can combat the spread of fake news and misinformation through social media. Write blogs combatting things you see or hear and share them using Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Do your part to reverse the stigma associated with natural health practices, and allow your clients to see the science-based, professional nature of your practices.
Recently, several high-profile campaigns (including Bell Canada’s “Let’s Talk” initiative) have helped to raise public awareness about the important issue of mental health in Canada. These campaigns have coincided with hopeful political statements of support for expanding access to health care for Canadians living with mental illness.
For instance, at the Canada 2020 Health Summit in the fall of 2016, Federal Minister of Health Jane Philpott remarked on the importance of improving accessibility to pharmaceuticals for Canadians and emphasized the need to invest more in mental health treatment. However, a new study suggests that the political rhetoric about improving the mental health of Canadians is not matched by timely access in Canada’s public drug plans to the newest medicines available for the treatment of mental illness
The study, published by the Canadian Health Policy Institute (CHPI), examined how health technology assessment (HTA) decisions affect access to new drug treatments for mental health in Canada’s public drug plans. The data included all new drugs that were certified as safe and effective treatments by Health Canada, that were also submitted to the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) Common Drug Review (CDR) for HTA evaluation from 2004 to 2015. The experience of the group of mental health drugs was compared to the group of non-mental health drugs in terms of HTA outcomes and the eventual public drug plan coverage.
The study found that a higher percentage of non-mental health drugs (51.5%) compared to mental health drugs (23.8%) were recommended positively (with or without conditions) for public drug plan coverage by the CDR. The CDR also took less time to provide recommendations for non-mental health drugs (192 days) compared to mental health drugs (242 days). The CDR reviewed drug submissions covering 21 mental health indications during the study period. Schizophrenia (44%) and bipolar disorder (100%) are the only two mental health indications that received any positive recommendations from the CDR over this period. In contrast, none (0%) of the drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dementia/Alzheimer’s disease, and major depressive disorder received any positive CDR recommendations. Public drug plans eventually covered many of the drugs rejected by the CDR, but only after lengthy waits. For mental health drugs, the average wait for drug plan coverage was 1173 days compared to 884 days for the non-mental health drugs.
The findings are important because clinical research reviewed for this study strongly suggested that a wide choice of therapy is important to be able to find the best treatment option for each patient because a one-size-fits-all approach does not work in treating mental illnesses. Delayed coverage of new medicines can restrict the range of treatment options for patients.
The study also suggested that delaying access to mental health treatments can cost more than the upfront investment in earlier access to a greater range of treatment options. It was estimated that in 2015, spending by the public drug plans of 9 provinces (excluding Quebec) and the federal government on the direct costs of new mental health drugs represented less than 1% of the nearly $55 billion in annual societal costs associated with the economic burden of mental illness in Canada.
Get the Study: HTA Decisions and Access to Mental Health Treatments in Canada’s Public Drug Plans, was authored by Brett J Skinner (Ph.D.), Nigel SB Rawson (Ph.D.) and Kimberley Tran (M.A.). It is available online at: www.canadianhealthpolicy.com.
About CHPI: Canadian Health Policy Institute (CHPI) is an independent think-tank dedicated to providing information and ideas for a better health system.
Through its holistic outlook on healing, Lemon Water Wellness provides its patients with a newfound zest for life.
BY CORRINA MOSCA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHESTER AVILA
With its high ceilings, soft white walls, and soothing atmosphere, the serene interior of Lemon Water Wellness feels more akin to a high-end spa than it does a doctor’s office. While traditional clinics tend to operate with a detached, sterile air, this centre offers its patients a sense of relaxation that is essential to holistic healing.
Located in Downtown Toronto, Lemon Water is anything but ordinary—a sentiment that is echoed in its operations.
“Not only are we a multi-disciplinary clinic with incredibly talented therapists, but we also operate a general store—a one-stop shop for all-natural, clean, organic, and locally-sourced merchandise,” says Keira Seddon, the clinic’s co-founder and director.
“Our motto is ‘Live Your Life Well,’ and that is exactly what we are helping our patients to achieve on a daily basis.”
By catering to each facet of their patients’ lives, Lemon Water Wellness has established itself as a unique retreat from the urban chaos of its locale. With its modern approach to natural healing, highly skilled staff and unique space, its quick rise to success is no surprise.
A FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Walking into the clinic, one is instantly struck by how welcoming the space is. Surrounded by large windows, Lemon Water looks out onto the scenic streets of the city’s Distillery District, an area known for its laidback, warm air. As such, it was only natural for Seddon and her co-founder, Dr. Selene Wilkinson, ND, to open a centre that reflected this tranquil energy.
“The Distillery District is one of the most historic, charming and picturesque areas in Toronto,” says Seddon. “We wanted our clients and patients to experience this beauty during their time with us. It really helps them to unwind.”
However, it’s not just the clinic’s atmosphere that keeps clients coming back for more: the 1700 square-foot space is fully equipped to satisfy all of its patients’ needs. With five private treatment rooms, a beautiful Vitamin IV Therapy Lounge, and, of course, the storefront, Lemon Water Wellness has something for everyone.
SWEETER SERVICE
Currently, the Lemon Water clinic offers consultations in naturopathic medicine, reg- istered massage therapy, vitamin IV therapy, osteopathic therapy, chiropractic treatments, physiotherapy, acupuncture, psychotherapy, holistic nutrition, wellness coaching, reiki, yoga, and meditation.
“Our naturopathic services, customized vitamin IV therapy and registered massage therapy are our most popular appointments,” says Seddon. “Personally, I’m a huge fan of the vitamin IV therapy. I find that it helps with my energy levels and immune support. Many people could benefit from it.”
Meanwhile, the centre’s general store features a selection of natural items handpicked by Seddon and Dr. Wilkinson, including clothing, makeup and accessories, skincare products, cleaning solutions and supplements. Brands sold in the store include bkr, Seroyal’s Genestra line, MediHerb, goodhYOUman, Aspen Clean, and The Good Bar.
“The clinic-meets-store arrangement allows our patients to access superior health care and a curated selection of natural products at the same time,” says Dr. Wilkinson. In this way, Lemon Water takes the holistic approach to naturopathy one step further—here, patients can focus on improving all aspects of their lives, from the products they use to the way in which they approach various health issues.
This highly integrative approach comes as no surprise from Seddon and Dr. Wilkinson, who have each benefitted from embracing a holistic outlook on life. For Dr. Wilkinson, who has been practicing naturopathy for over nine years, this stems from her experience as a patient of naturopathic medicine.
“I initially became a naturopath because I was suffering from my own health issues,” she explains. “I went to see a naturopathic doctor, and it helped me tremendously. I found the holistic and root cause methods really resonated with me, and I wanted to help others experience this form of healing.”
Conversely, Seddon’s philosophy comes from a years-long career in the health and wellness industry.
“After working in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, fitness, and beauty industries, I was inspired to amalgamate everything I had learned into one practice,” she says. “This is fully realized in our beautiful holistic wellness centre, where our patients know they can achieve their health and wellness goals.”
THE TIME IS RIPE
Armed with attitudes like these, the dynamic duo—who met during their time at another busy health clinic—were poised for massive growth from the start. However, neither of them expected the business to take off the way that it did.
At first, the clinic’s team consisted of Seddon as clinic director, Dr. Wilkinson as the sole naturopath, a physiotherapist, a massage therapist and a chiropractor. Less than a year after opening, Lemon Water’s staff has tripled.
“We had to grow a lot to meet the demand of our patients,” notes Dr. Wilkinson. “After less than a year in business, our team now includes two naturopaths, two osteopathic manual practitioners, three registered massage therapists, a chiropractor, two physiotherapists, a psychotherapist, a holistic nutritionist, yoga instructors, a wellness coach and reiki practitioner.”
Seddon notes that in the upcoming year, the pair hopes to maintain this expansion. “There are still a few services we would like to add to the clinic. In 2017, we will continue our search for only the best practitioners so we can pass that level of care on to our patients,” she says. “We are very particular when we select our team members, and I truly believe we have some of the most talented, genuine and kind people working with us.”
This talent, kindness and scrupulousness are reflected in the clinic’s commitment to its community. Whether they are patients or not, Seddon and Dr. Wilkinson strive to educate and improve the lives of each individual that walks through their doors. Every month, the pair holds free community talks, educating the general public about various issues—and the practice of naturopathy itself.
“A large issue that naturopaths face is a public lack of understanding of our full scope of practice,” says Dr. Wilkinson. “When people are informed about the immense schooling, medical knowledge, and training it takes to become a naturopath, they have a much greater appreciation and understanding for our holistic approach. They realize that we can help enrich and create health and balance in their lives.”
The pair also works to educate the public—and create meaningful connections with clients—through their social media channels. This is especially prevalent on Lemon Water’s Instagram page, which features posts on health advice, inspiring thoughts, recipes and product information.
“We like to have fun with our social media and connect with the community around us,” notes Seddon. “Our Instagram account is an honest, dynamic mix of images from our venture as new business owners. We also provide value to our followers through useful health tips and uplifting content.”
Overall, the pair’s goal is to assist their patients in making informed, well-rounded decisions about their own healthcare.
IT’S NO LEMON
Although it is still in its infancy, this business has all the refinement of a seasoned industry veteran. With its foundation resting firmly in a passion for holistic patient care and a deep understanding of the modern consumer, this clinic has set itself up for success.
One thing’s for certain: the future of Lemon Water Wellness is sure to be sweet.
