The Boyle McCauley Pharmacy opened in July of 2012. It is located on the corner of 95 Street and 108A Avenue, formerly Jewel of the Tile. The owners are Rajeh and Rawan, a husband and wife owner-operator team. Rajeh and Rawan are both pharmacists. They came to Canada from the West Bank of Palestine. They left Palestine because of its economic and social instability.

“Canada is a good place to raise a family. The strong economy and multicultural tolerance here was a strong attraction. Canada is a good place to live a normal life,” says Rawan.

Rajeh and Rawan came together through an arranged marriage. When asked how things were going, Rawan says, “So far pretty good. He is my husband.” It was clear to me, that they are a very happily married couple with a beautiful child, Lamar.

When asked how business was going, Rajeh says, “Business is great – way beyond our expectations. We were pleasantly surprised at the level of support that has come from the community. I love the diverse cultural essence of McCauley. It’s a place where everybody seems to know their neighbour.”

In addition to filling prescriptions, the store offers a range of over the counter personal care products. Along with these products comes an attentiveness towards customers from Rajeh not often found in larger, chain operated pharmacies. “I worked for a while in a large chain pharmacy and it was hard to do more that simply fill prescriptions when there were a dozen people standing in line. Here, I can invest the time to get to know my patients as whole people.” says Rajeh.

When asked if Rajeh wanted to make a political statement about the fate of the Palestinians, he paused for a moment and then said, “I want everyone to know that Palestinians and Jews have, for the most part, lived together in peace for thousands of years. We had neighbours and friends in Palestine who were Jews. It is the politicians who use religion to further their territorial policies that is the problem.”

You can reach Rajeh, Rawan, and Lamar at (780) 705-6333 or boylemccauleyrx@phamachoice.ca. Better still, drop by and say hello.