During the pandemic, we have seen the usefulness and convenience of Virtual Care appointments for reviewing medication management, connecting about ongoing management of chronic diseases, providing mental health follow-up, and other visits that work well with Virtual Care.  We are excited to navigate the “new normal” in primary care by striking a safe and appropriate balance between In-Person Care visits and Virtual Care visits.  The new rule from the Ministry of Health since December 2022 is that if you are seeing your family doctor at least once in-person every 24 months, your care in-between those in-office visits can be whatever combination of In-Person and Virtual care visits is safe and most appropriate.

There are a few key reasons why the new normal in healthcare is a combination of Virtual Care and In-Person Care:

1.  We need to ensure that our office remains a safe place for patients to receive In-Person care and for our staff to work.  Even with mask use, sanitation procedures and physical distancing, COVID-19 can spread in medical settings, particularly in unvaccinated people, but also in vaccinated people.  If you don’t NEED to be seen in person for your care, it can be safe and convenient to do Virtual Care.
2.  The research shows that patients like the convenience and ease of Virtual Care when it can safely manage their health concerns.  Many counties including the UK, Australia and New Zealand had the combination of In-Person and Virtual Care appointments even before the pandemic, and Canada was just beginning to look at this before COVID hit.  Now it is our new normal to be providing both In-Person Care and Virtual Care.

If you are here for a pre-booked In-Person Care appointment with your doctor, please check in at front desk to tell us you have arrived and our staff will let you know when it is time to be put in a room.

Please make sure you inform our staff prior to your scheduled appointment if you have any illness symptoms.  If you are ill, we ask that you mask in the office.

Call 905-279-1700 with any questions about your appointment and our staff will assist you.

If you are coming to the clinic to use Alpha Lab on your doctor’s instruction, you can either come in with no appointment Monday to Friday between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm, or 1:00 pm -4:00 pm, or you can call the lab ahead at 416-449-2166 ext. 1386 to book a lab appointment time during those same hours.  Please note that this is a new lab booking number as of the week of December 2020.

Same-day lab services are still available if you have just seen your doctor and require lab tests.  Walk-in appointments at the lab will be accommodated whenever possible.

If you are here to pick up medication or speak to the pharmacy, you can come in to speak to pharmacy staff, or you can call 905-896-2424.  

Main Drug Mart is offering regular counter service, curbside pick-up and free daily delivery Monday through Saturday.

PLEASE CALL THE PHARMACY IN ADVANCE TO ENSURE THAT YOUR PRESCRIPTION IS READY FOR PICK-UP BEFORE YOU COME TO THE CLINIC.

Since summer 2021 after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we resumed routine preventive health screening visits to the office.  As you are aware, we have been open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic providing In-Person Care for all essential visit needs.  The combination of In-Person and Virtual Care will continue in primary care Family Medicine.  We are figuring out the new combination of In-Person Care and Virtual Care together and our doctors continue to follow all of the guidance provided by the CFPC (College of Family Physician of Canada), the OMA (Ontario Medical Association) and the MOH (Ministry of Health).  This is definitely a new stage of the pandemic where things are carrying on more like they used to be, but the pandemic is not over, safety measures are still required, and we will still be dealing with COVID-19 moving forward.

We now offer TeleMedicine Virtual Care video conference visits through a Ministry of Health secure encrypted platform called OTNHub (Ontario TeleHealth Network).  Video visits can work well for mental health care and some other health concerns, or if you just prefer seeing your doctor rather than speaking on the phone.  If you are booking a Virtual Care Video visit, our staff will explain that you’ll receive an email invitation right before your appointment starts.  All you need is a computer or phone with a working video camera and speaker. Please download the app if you’re using a smartphone or a tablet before your appointment. 

Our Friday 5-8pm and Saturday 10am-3pm After Hours Clinics are operating as a combination of walk-in in-person care, assigned time slots for walk-in care after you’ve called to get a booking, or assigned time slots for a virtual care phone call appointment with the doctor on call.

If you choose to arrive at the clinic, you will be assigned an in-person care appointment until all of the day’s appointments have been taken.  You can also call our regular office number 905-279-1700 during our Friday night and Saturday hours and the front desk staff will give you either a Virtual Care telephone appointment time slot or an appointment for In-Person examination and care.  If your appointment begins as Virtual Care and the doctor on call needs to examine you, an In-Person appointment will be assigned.

If you have a medical history of symptoms that suggest that you may have COVID-19, we ask that you do a COVID 19 RAT test (rapid antigen test) at home before coming to the clinic whenever possible.  Please notify the medical office assistant on duty at front desk if you are COVID-19 positive or if you have not been able to rapid test at home for symptoms that could be COVID-19.

All injections like Prevnar 20 or Pneumovax for pneumonia vaccination, Adacel in Pregnancy, Shingrix, and Prolia injections for osteoporosis treatment are currently being offered by nursing appointment.  Please keep in mind that the COVID-19 vaccine should be given at least 2-4 weeks after any other vaccination you may have received, and plan your immunization visits with our nurses accordingly.

Cancer Care Ontario testing including mammograms and fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) for colorectal cancer should always be planned for patients who require them.  Talk to your doctor about whether you are due for these routine preventive health cancer screening tests for breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer.

We are accepting new patients at Dixie Road Medical Associates.  If you are a patient at Dixie Road Medical and you have an immediate family member (spouse/partner, child, parent) in need of a doctor, ask your doctor if they can make an exception to accept your family member.  We do have a waiting list that people can leave their name on if they are interested in becoming patients at DRMA in the future (located at the top of the home page under PATIENT INFO and then NEW PATIENTS).

If you have been contacted and agreed to become a New Patient, Forms for New Patient intake to provide your health history, and forms to have New Patients request that their medical records be transferred to us from your former physician are available under the Patient Information and Forms sections of this website.

Thank you for being patient with us as we adapt to new ways of providing your health care.  Your medical needs remain our top priority, so please contact front desk to book an appointment about any health problems that you have.  We are very busy caring for our patients for both urgent and non-urgent health needs and we always try to do our best to help!

We encourage you to follow all of the Public Health and School Board Directives that have been sent to you about managing COVID-19 symptoms in a child who attends school, daycare or camp.  If you are an adult who goes out shopping in the community, rides transit, or goes to a workplace with others and you have new viral illness symptoms, you need to consider that you could possibly have COVID-19 (even if you have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and even if you have had a case of COVID-19 before).  The following points summarize those recommendations:

1.  If you or your child has any one or more viral illness symptoms that are new or worsening that could be COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, loss of taste/loss of smell, feeling unwell, muscles aches, headache, unusual fatigue, sore throat, painful swallowing, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea) you are advised to self-isolate at home assuming that you have COVID-19.  If you have access to a rapid antigen test (RAT test), test at home.  If your RAT test is positive, this is a very good indication that you have COVID-19.
2. Vaccinated members of your household (parents, siblings, children, grandparents) don’t need to self-isolate once you know that one family member has tested positive for COVID-19 (either with a RAT test or a PCR test), unless they develop illness symptoms.  If a household member goes on to develop symptoms themselves, then they follow the directions for self-isolation (a minimum of 5 days after their symptoms develop if vaccinated, 10 days after their symptoms develop if not vaccinated or immunocompromised).
3. Please call to book a time to speak to your doctor if you have questions or concerns about an ill person’s health status or how to manage COVID-19 illness symptoms at home.
4. If you or your child are not a known contact of a COVID-19 case, and your COVID-19 test result is negative, you can return to school or work or essential errands in the community once your viral illness symptoms have resolved.
5. If you or your child test positive for COVID-19, you should isolate for a full 5 days, and you should only return to work or school or essential errands in the community after 5 days or longer until your viral illness symptoms have resolved.  Please note that if you have tested positive for COVID-19 and still have active symptoms on day 5 (fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat) it is smart and respectful to self-isolate for a few days longer.  The decision to shorten the isolation period to 5 days is based on science that shows that a person is most likely to pass the COVID-19 virus on to someone else from 2 days before their symptoms develop to 3 days after their symptoms develop, but we do know that it is still possible to transmit COVID-19 to another person past day up to day 10-14 of symptoms if you are still actively symptomatic with your infection.

If you or your child has has had a close contact with a case of COVID-19, how you need to proceed depends on whether you are vaccinated or not.  If you or your child are fully vaccinated and have no symptoms, it is wise to do a rapid antigen test (RAT) if you can, as we know that a vaccinated individual can be an asymptomatic spreader of COVID-19.  If you or your child test negative for COVID-19 and have no symptoms, you do not need to self-isolate.  If you develop any symptoms, you should test again.  If you do not have access to a RAT test but you are symptomatic, assume that it is COVID-19.

A person with a positive COVID-19 test result and no symptoms should still self-isolate for a minimum of 5 days.

Medical Notes are NOT Required to Return to Work or School After Being Home Sick, Whether You Had COVID-19 or Not!

Please be aware that Ontario Health and OMA guidelines state specifically that a doctor’s note is not required to return to school or work after illness during the pandemic.  Whether you were home until your COVID-19 test result was negative and your viral illness symptoms resolved, or whether you stayed home for a full 5-7 days without getting a COVID-19 test, you can return to school or work without a doctor’s note.  Your school board may have a form that you will have to fill out yourself before your child can return to the classroom after illness.  Please do not call our office requesting a doctor’s note.  Our call volumes at the office are at an unprecedented all-time high, and we ask that you please not call us asking for unnecessary documentation.  A school teacher or daycare staff member who requests a doctor’s note for your child is misinformed.

There is still a need to use caution and common sense to control the spread of COVID-19 and protect ourselves and our loved ones against the virus.  At this stage of the pandemic, every individual must assess their own risk and make decisions about their personal habits, but we can all continue to do our part in preventing the spread of COVID-19 by isolating and testing when we have symptoms that could be COVID, and isolating for the appropriate 5-7 day period if we have tested positive for COVID-19.  We can be respectful of each other in public by recognizing that some people will continue to wear masks and be cautious in order to best protect themselves and those they love, and many others now feel comfortable not masking in public.

We respectfully request that masks be worn in our office if you are coming into the clinic with any infection symptoms (fever, sore throat, nasal/sinus congestion, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, rash with illness) as we are a healthcare setting.

There is still significant community prevalence of the COVID-19 virus.  Vaccines work.  Unvaccinated patients are estimated to be at 20 times higher risk of hospitalization and death than unvaccinated patients.  Another way to frame this is that if you are fully vaccinated and boosted, you are at 90% lower risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 than an unvaccinated patient, or a patient whose last dose of COVID-19 vaccine was more than a year ago.  Our best recommendation is to keep receiving COVID-19 booster vaccine doses every 6 months, and 6 months after you have a case of COVID-19, until Public Health recommends something different.

If you or loved ones you know remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, please consider booking an appointment with your doctor to discuss your concerns and questions about COVID-19 vaccination.  The virus will be around for a long time and being unvaccinated is considered a serious risk to your health if you are out in community shops and restaurants, receiving healthcare in community and hospital settings, or socializing with multiple households.  All of our Dixie Road Medical doctors have had patients in their practices die from COVID-19 in the last 4 years.

By summer/fall 2022 we had reached a point where 1 in 300 US citizens has died of COVID-19, and 1 in 700 Canadians has died of COVID-19.  Death from COVID-19 is vaccine preventable and 5th, 6th and 7th dose booster vaccines are still rolling out to ensure that we remain as protected as possible against the virus and the serious outcomes of hospitalization and death.  All of the research shows that the protective benefits of COVID-19 vaccination far outweigh any very minimal risks.

Try to be patient and kind when you’re out in our post-pandemic world; people are struggling along trying their very best.  There is so much negativity and pessimism everywhere, and it can help our own anxiety and anger levels to remember that even imperfect elected officials and healthcare leaders are working hard and doing their best for the interests of Canadians under highly uncertain circumstances.

Vaccine Exemption Letter Requests

In accordance with the guidelines for physicians from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), we can only issue a vaccine exemption letter for a patient if a patient meets one of very few acceptable medical exemption criteria:  an allergist/immunologist-confirmed severe allergy or anaphylactic reaction to a previous dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or to any of its components that cannot be mitigated; or a diagnosed episode of myocarditis/pericarditis after receipt of an mRNA vaccine.  Here is a link to an excellent document from the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy which clearly and accurately explains why COVID-19 vaccine exemption is so rarely medically indicated:

COVID-19 VACCINE MEDICAL EXEMPTIONS b (uwaterloo.ca)

Mask Exemption Letter Requests

Because there is no medical condition for which the use of a mask is unsafe, the physicians of Dixie Road Medical Associates are following the guidance of the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) and are NOT providing doctors’ notes stating that a patient cannot wear a mask for a specific medical reason.  We appreciate that wearing a mask can be uncomfortable and can create anxiety in some patients, but these concerns simply don’t justify not wearing a mask in medical settings where they are requested.

During the pandemic, patients became a lot more comfortable with how to manage early viral illness symptoms at work.  If you have mild cold or flu symptoms, try your best to use common sense at home.  Fluids, tea with honey, tylenol or advil for fever, throat lozenges, and over-the-counter cold and cough products can support many of us through typical cold and flu viruses without formal us requiring formal medical care.

As always, we encourage you to call for an urgent appointment with your own family doctor, or one of the other family doctors at our practice, if you need help because your symptoms seem more serious than a mild viral illness.  Symptoms including high fever that’s not coming down with tylenol or advil, severe sore throat with swollen glands and fever, severe ear pain in a child, worsening coughs with shortness of breath, or feeling very weak or lethargic may indicate more serious infection and it is appropriate to seek medical attention.

When a patient rostered to DRMA goes to a walk-in clinic, the MOH deducts the cost of that walk-in clinic visit from our remuneration for your care for the year.  If you go to a hospital-based urgent care, emergency department, or a hospital based pediatric after hours clinic, that is not the case.  If you need help, please contact DRMA or use a care setting where we are not penalized for your choice.

Please do not visit the Emergency Department for mild symptoms and concerns that should be managed at your Family Doctor’s Office.  It is of course essential for your medical safety that you go to the ER if you are experiencing a severe or life-threatening symptom such as chest pain, loss of limb movement, difficulty breathing or a significant injury.  Waiting at home with severe symptoms because of fear of contracting COVID-19 in ER or hospital can have disastrous consequences.

Please help our emergency department physicians focus on true medical emergencies, and let your family doctor help you with less acute symptoms.

Please visit the following link to register through Maple/ THP and one of their doctors will contact you. Click on the following link :

COVID-19 – THP Assessment for testing through Maple

Please visit the following link :

COVID – 19 Self-assessment

Lancashire Teaching Hospital in Preston , UK has created a great guide to support patients with their recovery from COVID-19 infection – please visit their website here

Here at Dixie Road Medical Associates, we have been provided with Moderna COVID-19 vaccine supply booster doses to our patients.  As of spring 2023, we are receiving very few requests for booster vaccine doses, so availability and booking dates vary each week or two depending on demand, so please email covidvaccine@drma.ca or call front desk to request a COVID booster.  We encourage our Dixie Road Medical patients to get their COVID-19 boosters wherever they are able to source them.  Thank you for your patience as we deal with very high call volumes at the clinic for flu shots, COVID-19 vaccine doses, and regular medical care appointments.

Check on the link below if you are uncertain about whether you are eligible for a 4th, 5th or 6th dose booster vaccine:

Click here —> book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment

Individuals 12 years and older who live in Ontario can book a Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine with us at Dixie Road Medical Associates (must be 18 at time of vaccination).  See the Notice Board on the home page of this website for all of the current details about booking a vaccine appointment at DRMA.

Please follow the link below to view the list of participating pharmacies by region and schedule a pharmacy appointment.

COVID-19 pharmacy vaccine locations (ontario.ca)

Find out if you are eligible and how you can schedule your vaccine appointments.

You can also do this for someone else, if you manage their medical care and appointments.

Click here —> book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment

For more information about where you can book your COVID-19 vaccine, please visit:

PeelRegion.ca’s COVID-19 Vaccine page  

Click here —> book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the Provincial Vaccine Portal

If you are a Dixie Road Medical Associates patient who lives outside of Peel Region, please check the website of your local Public Health Unit or local hospital for details about where you will get your COVID-19 vaccine, or see the details on our home page Notice Board about how to receive your COVID-19 vaccine at our office.  At Dixie Road Medical, we are able to give COVID-19 vaccination to any patient meeting eligibility criteria who lives anywhere in Ontario, regardless of whether they are a Dixie Road Medical Associates patient or not,  so spread the word if you know of family or friends in need of a vaccine appointment.  We are happy to try to help and we are proud to be contributing to vaccine efforts in Ontario!