JARVIS/HAGERSVILLE—Some customers of the Cavanagh IDA pharmacy locations in Jarvis and Hagersville were surprised to find the doors to both locations locked during regular business hours on Thursday, June 18, 2026, with the stores remaining closed until 11 a.m. the following morning.
Both stores were ordered closed by the Ontario College of Pharmacies (OCP).
The Press called the Jarvis location on the afternoon of June 19 and was told by a staff member that the location was temporarily closed due to a “couple of glitches.”
However, the OCP site listed the locations as temporarily closed due to an accreditation issue.
OCP spokesperson David Bourne said, “In May, the College’s Accreditation Committee imposed terms, conditions, or limitations (TCLs) on Cavanagh IDA Pharmacy (Jarvis) and Cavanagh IDA Pharmacy (Hagersville) because they were operating without a designated manager in place. As no new designated manager had been appointed by June 18, the pharmacies were required to close temporarily.”
According to a posting listed May 19, a panel of the OCP accreditation committee directed the registrar to renew both pharmacies’ certificates of accreditation only when set conditions were met.
The conditions required that a new designated manager – other than current owner Paul Cavanagh – be appointed by June 18, with the registrar given 10 days following that appointment to consider whether the new manager would be approved.
“Both pharmacies have since satisfied the TCLs and have now reopened,” said Bourne.
These closures are the latest concerns being addressed by OCP for these locations.
At a hearing on October 25, 2024, a panel of the Discipline Committee made findings of proprietary misconduct against Cavanagh in his role as the designated manager at that time.
Some of the panel’s findings between November 2022 and April 2023 included:
Failure to maintain the pharmacy in a clean, orderly, and safe condition, including an untidy compounding area with food present; a cluttered and wet patient consultation area with missing ceiling tiles; and inadequate monitoring of fridge temperatures.
Failure to post required public signage, including patient notices and a Point of Care symbol.
Failure to maintain required records and documentation related to pharmacy operations and compounding standards.
Failure to ensure procedures were in place to protect confidential patient information, such as delivery logs and returned stock medications.
Allowing medications and compounded materials to be improperly labelled.
Breaching multiple Ontario pharmacy-related statutes and regulations.
Cavanagh was found to have failed to maintain standards of accreditation and to have failed in responding in a timely manner to OCP requests, including the implementation of action plans following assessments.
On its website, the OCP describes the cumulative actions listed above as behaviour that would “reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional.”
Speaking with The Press, Cavanagh responded, “I’ve been at this for 40 years, for 40 years I’ve always put patients’ needs first.”
Cavanagh did not provide additional comments on the OCP’s findings.
In the 2024 case, Cavanagh was issued a formal reprimand, ordered to take part in a mandatory mentorship program and a mandatory ethics/professional training program, and was prohibited from performing as a designated manager for a period of four years. He is subject to ongoing compliance audit reviews for a three-year period, beginning once the mentorship program was complete. His pharmacist registration was also suspended for a period of five months.
According to the OCP website, both locations were allowed to reopen June 19 with the classification ‘entitled to operate – with conditions.’
Cavanagh confirmed a new designated manager, Kevin Longman, has taken over the position to fulfill OCP’s requirement. Cavanagh said there was difficulty filling the position, saying a rigorous search was needed due to what he described as a disinterest from qualified candidates to work in rural locations.
First, Longman was found to have incorrectly dispensed a controlled medication to a pediatric patient in 2020.
While Longman cited incorrect prescription logs as the reason for the error, OCP found he missed opportunities to identify conflicting prescriptions, did not complete due diligence, and lacked safeguards for a vulnerable patient. Longman was ordered to complete a remedial education program at the time.
OCP also found Longman at fault for misconduct related to sexually harassing pharmacy employees while working as a dispensing pharmacist in 2023, calling his behaviour completely unacceptable and a violation of ethical and legal standards.
As a result, Longman was suspended for four months and ordered to complete ethics training with an external consultant, complete a reflective essay, and was prohibited from acting as a designated manager for a period of three years or until he completed the required training.
Bourne said, “With respect to Mr. Longman, any Part A pharmacist can act as a designated manager of a pharmacy, providing they do not have any TCLs preventing them from doing so. Mr. Longman is a Part A pharmacist and does not currently have any TCLs preventing him from acting as a designated manager.”
