• Accessible free of charge, PC Chat^TM helps Quebecers better understand their health questions and determine appropriate next steps.

• Designed to meet the realities of the Canadian healthcare system, the tool draws on over 1000 reviewed and validated Canadian clinical sources.

• Health conversations are kept in Canada and protected in accordance with Canadian privacy laws.

Montréal, November 2, 2026 Today PC Health^TM announced the arrival of PC Chat^TM in Quebec, following the launch of the English version earlier this fall. The free AI-powered tool is now available in French on the PC Health^TM and Pharmaprix^® apps and websites. Designed to meet the needs of our local healthcare system, the tool helps Quebecers better understand their health concerns and determine appropriate next steps, whether that means better understanding a symptom, preparing for a consultation, or knowing which healthcare professional to turn to.

A recent Harris Poll survey found that 48% of Quebec respondents trust health information provided by AI tools, compared to 40% nationally. However, among the Quebec respondents who have sought health information online in the past year, 33% say that they often, if not always, feel unsure about what steps to take or where to turn for support¹.

“Canadians are asking questions about their health every day, but having access to more information doesn’t always mean having a better understanding,” said Lauren Steinberg, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, Loblaw Companies Limited. “We created PC Chat to help them find reliable information and clearly understand what to do next. It is the most comprehensive AI-powered health tool designed specifically for Canadians.”

“In Quebec, pharmacists are a trusted source of information for patients. With PC Chat, we want to go further by helping Quebecers understand their health concerns, identify the right sources of support, and feel better prepared for their medical consultations. The goal is not to replace the expertise of healthcare professionals, but to give patients the tools they need to play a more active role in their healthcare journey,” said Nabil Chikh, Senior Vice President, Pharmacy at Pharmaprix.

Designed in Canada, tailored to Quebec’s healthcare system

PC Chat^TM was designed to consider the realities of Canada’s healthcare systems, including those in Quebec. The tool uses over a thousand reviewed and validated Canadian clinical sources to provide reliable, relevant information. Canadian healthcare professionals from the Clinical AI Advisory Committee have been involved in its development from the outset, including contributing to the selection of sources of information and how the tool directs users to appropriate next steps.

“For over 20 years, our work has been about one thing: making sure healthcare professionals can trust the information in front of them. For PC Health's new AI-powered health tool, we brought that same rigour to the evidence behind the tool, helping curate and vet many of the Canadian sources that inform its knowledge library. Canadians deserve health information grounded in credible, current evidence, and that's exactly the standard we brought to this work ,” said Lena Salach, Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Effective Practice.

Accessible health information with privacy built in

Privacy and the security of personal information are central to the design of PC Chat^TM. User health conversations are kept in Canada and protected in accordance with Canadian privacy laws.

AI in healthcare: A complementary tool

While artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly prominent role in healthcare, PC Health^TM is aiming to contribute to the responsible use of this technology. With PC Chat^TM, the company is taking an approach that combines innovation, trusted information, and collaboration with healthcare professionals.

About Loblaw Companies Limited

Loblaw is Canada’s food and pharmacy leader, and the nation’s largest retailer. Loblaw provides Canadians with grocery, pharmacy, and healthcare services, other health and beauty products, apparel, general merchandise, financial services and wireless mobile products and services. With more than 2,800 locations, Loblaw, its franchisees and Associate-owners employ more than 220,000 full- and part-time employees, making it one of Canada’s largest private sector employers.

Loblaw’s purpose – Live Life Well^® – puts first the needs and well-being of Canadians who make one billion transactions annually in the company’s stores. Loblaw is positioned to meet and exceed those needs in many ways: convenient locations; more than 1,100 grocery stores that span the value spectrum from discount to specialty; full-service pharmacies at nearly 1,400 Shoppers Drug Mart^® and Pharmaprix^® locations and in close to 500 grocery stores; PC Financial^® services; Joe Fresh^® fashion and family apparel; and four of Canada’s top-consumer brands in Life Brand^®, Farmer’s Market^TM, no name^® and President's Choice^®. For more information, visit Loblaw’s website at www.loblaw.ca and Loblaw's issuer profile at www.sedarplus.ca(Open in a new tab).

Source:

(¹) Harris Poll Canada omnibus survey of 1535 Canadian adults, July 29–31, 2026, including a sample of 363 Quebec respondents. The results were weighted to reflect the Canadian population, and the data presented for Quebec was drawn from the weighted Quebec sample. Demographic differences reported as statistically significant were determined at a confidence level of 95%.