Dental checkups, groceries, funerals pricier because of COVID
At the offices of Dr. Taras Konanec, patients can expect to see an extra charge on their next dental visit, thanks to COVID-19.
The Montreal dentist is adding a set fee to visits as suggested by his professional association to compensate for increased expenses. Most of his colleagues are doing the same.
“Patients who are just seeing a hygienist will be charged $20,” Konanec said. “But if you’re seeing a dentist as well, that means two sets of protective equipment and additional measures, so we set a fee of $40.”
With added security measures and time needed to perform services, Quebec consumers can expect to pay more for everything from eye checkups and haircuts to funeral services and groceries through the coming months.
After his father died of COVID-19 at a Lachine seniors’ residence in April, a man who spoke to the Montreal Gazette was surprised to see a fee of $195 added to the bill from the Rideau Funeral Home, since his father had prepaid his funeral expenses.
The charge was linked to the cost of a special protective bag used to envelop the body of patients who have died of COVID -19, explained Dustin Wright, communications director for parent company Arbor Memorial. No other fees tied to COVID-19 are being added by the company, he said.
Some Quebec funeral homes have added fees as high as $895 for COVID -19 patients, with extra charges for services such as disinfecting hearses and refrigerated rooms.
While the son (who asked that his name not be used) said he does not begrudge the funeral home the extra expense, he thinks the government should pay.
“My anger and frustration is directed at the government, who said they would protect the elderly,and then the seniors’ homes got ransacked.”
As part owner of the Drummond Dental Group, Konanec and his colleagues spent tens of thousands of dollars on air purifiers, gowns and masks that have recently surged in price, to comply with new directives from Quebec’s health ministry.
Many dentists complain the orders are overly strict, particularly compared to rules in Ontario. Extra fees for surgical dental procedures could be as high as $85. The government has not offered to cover extra costs incurred by dentists, despite demands. While U.S. insurance firms have agreed to cover additional fees, that hasn’t happened yet in Canada, Konanec said.
Quebec’s association of optometrists is recommending members charge $10 per visit to cover extra costs, says the group’s general director, Maryse Nolin.
Corporations and stores are allowed to increase fees, particularly if they’re justified by higher expenses, as long as they advise consumers in advance, said Alexandre Plourde, a lawyer with consumer advocacy group Option consommateurs.
His group has had a few calls regarding added fees, connected to dentists, hairdressers, funeral homes and auto mechanics. Sellers have an obligation to indicate any increases clearly before a customer is ready to pay.
“My main preoccupation is that these fees remain temporary,” Plourde said. “If it becomes a permanent thing, that will become an issue.”
On Tuesday Premier François Legault said companies are within their rights to pass costs on to consumers, “but they must remain reasonable.”
He noted the government has limited powers to intervene in the private sector.
Consumers can expect to see higher prices for groceries, said Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. Food inflation is already at 3.4 per cent, four times the general inflation rate, as had been predicted in December.
It is expected to continue on that course due to extra costs associated with packaging, protective equipment and social distancing in processing plants.
Beef, pork and chicken are on course to increase in price by eight, five and three per cent, respectively, as had been predicted prior to the pandemic.
Restaurant prices are expected to drop somewhat as owners engage in a price war to attract business, before returning to normal.
“We’re expecting prices to go up over the next two years because of COVID,” Charlebois said.
My main preoccupation is that these fees remain temporary.
If it becomes a permanent thing, that will become an issue.