News

At its December 2024 meeting, the Board approved changes to the College By-Law, including the removal of controlled substance (narcotic) signer status from the public register (Find a Pharmacy or Pharmacy Professional Tool). As of December 9, 2024, the College no longer requires controlled substance signers to be reported or displayed on the public register. Unless otherwise indicated on the public register, all Part A pharmacists in Ontario are authorized to order/receive controlled substances. Under…

We are pleased to present our latest progress update sharing how we are addressing corporate pressures in pharmacy in Ontario. In March 2024, the Ontario College of Pharmacists’ Board of Directors established a zero-tolerance approach for any business practice that impedes the ability of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to deliver safe, quality care. In June, we shared with you an extensive list of strategies we are pursuing under four key streams: regulatory programs, data collection…

All registrants must ensure the contact information they provide to the College is current and accurate. Because the College uses email to communicate important information to registrants, it is vital that the email address we have on file is up to date. The College’s By-Law (16.1.3) states that registrants are required to notify the College within 30 days of any change to their contact information, including email address. We are aware of some student email accounts being…

Earlier in the year, the College undertook an audit of our formal communications to see whether we were meeting our strategic goal of effectively providing registrants, members of the public and other system partners with clear, timely and relevant information. We invited registrants to participate in a series of focus groups and to complete a written survey to help us identify which communications channels are the most useful, what content is the most relevant and…

Only College registrants or those enrolled in a pharmacy education program can perform the controlled acts of the profession. On October 1, the College eliminated the student class of registration. Although those enrolled in a pharmacy education program can no longer register with the College as a student, there has been no impact to their scope of practice. If you are enrolled in a pharmacy education program, you can continue to engage in any of the controlled…

Pharmacy professionals: There are several ways you can share your experiences with corporate pressures with us. Use our online corporate pressures reporting tool – a convenient way for you to share your experiences. Provide as much detail as you want, including attachments. Online form submissions are sent to us anonymously. File a report or a complaint – this is an important way for us to get the information we need to take action on these issues. Reports and…

Regulatory changes that affect the College’s registration and quality assurance processes are now in effect. To better understand these changes and how they may impact you, please visit the College’s information hub. There you’ll find: A summary of the changes Audience-specific FAQs Pharmacy Connection articles highlighting key registration changes and quality assurance changes Recordings of information sessions Other resources, including a table that compares the previous environment with the current environment and a supervision authority table (community pharmacy environment) Access the information hub.

We are seeking input from registrants, members of the public and system partners on proposed By-Law updates during a 60-day open consultation. The proposed updates address changes in regulations, application of gender-neutral language, changes or additions to administrative fees, and updates to the public register, as well some minor housekeeping revisions that do not change the intent of the By-Law or introduce new provisions. For a summary of the proposed changes and to submit your…

The Board of Directors met on September 15, 2024, and made a number of key decisions including: Electing pharmacist Doug Brown as its new Chair and pharmacy technician Connie Beck as its Vice-Chair. Electing public directors Adrienne Katz and JP Eskander, and elected director Siva Sivapalan, to the Executive Committee along with the Board Chair and Vice-Chair. Initiating an independent third-party governance review that will be guided by the Board. The Board will set the…

The next OCP Board meeting is on September 15 and 16. Members of the public who wish to observe the meeting will be able to do so via live stream only. You can access the Board materials, and the link to observe the meeting virtually, online.