News

In response to concerns raised by pharmacy professionals, the College has taken a number of important steps to address corporate pressures that get in the way of pharmacy professionals’ ability to make decisions in the best interests of their patients. These include: Reviewing how we accredit pharmacies and our processes for reviewing applications for accreditation and renewal. This may involve looking at the conduct and character of all directors and the contents of contracts and…

The College is seeking qualified frontline pharmacy professionals to be Practice Assessment of Competence at Entry (PACE) assessors for pharmacy technician applicants. PACE assessors ensure that applicants meet the College’s practice-based requirements to deliver safe, quality care. If you have two or more years of practice experience and are interested in evaluating pharmacy technician applicants’ entry-to-practice readiness, please complete the application form for your primary place of practice: Hospital PACE assessor application form Community or long-term…

Pharmacy technicians and pharmacists are invited to attend one of two virtual information sessions on the upcoming Practice Assessment of Competence at Entry (PACE) for pharmacy technician applicants. The College will be transitioning from the Structured Practical Training (SPT) program to the PACE program for all pharmacy technician applicants by December 31, 2024. PACE has been successfully administered for eligible pharmacist applicants in community pharmacy sites since 2018. As of December 31, 2024, all graduates from CCAPP-accredited…

Sending a strong signal to criminals, time-delayed safes are a proven way to deter crime and reduce pharmacy robberies Toronto, ON – April 10, 2024 – The Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP), alongside the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP), is pleased to announce that all 4,900+ pharmacies in Ontario have now reported the use of time-delayed safes for securing narcotics such as oxycodone, morphine, and codeine. This marks a significant milestone in helping…

At its Board meeting on March 25, the Ontario College of Pharmacists, the registering and regulating body for the province’s pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacies, carefully considered feedback gathered directly from thousands of pharmacy professionals during a series of virtual town halls and an anonymous survey administered by the College over the past four weeks. In response, the Board has adopted the following position: OCP has zero tolerance for business practices that compromise the ability…

To better understand registrant experiences, the College is scheduling a series of virtual town halls to gather insights directly from registrants. Town halls will be managed, hosted and moderated by an independent third-party facilitator. A representative from OCP leadership will be present at each session to solicit and collect input from participants. Participants will have the ability to maintain complete anonymity while sharing their experiences and perspectives, and various feedback options will be available, including anonymous chat.…

The College has heard from pharmacy professionals about feeling pressured to perform certain services or meet targets that might conflict with their professional and ethical duties to patients. To better understand these experiences, the College is inviting all pharmacy professionals to complete a brief survey to share their feedback by March 12, 2024. This survey is part of our work on one of our key goals: ensuring that pharmacy professionals' health, well-being, and adherence to standards and ethical…

Updated January 5, 2024, for clarification under item #3. The College is aware of Ontario pharmacies offering (advertising, promoting) and/or dispensing compounded semaglutide preparations to patients due to an ongoing shortage of the Health Canada approved manufactured product, semaglutide (Ozempic®). The following guidance focuses on the pharmacist’s obligations to keep patient care and safety at the forefront when dealing with current Ozempic® shortages. 1. Compounding is a high-risk activity to be considered after other options…

The Ministry of Health has posted proposed regulatory amendments to the College’s Registration and Quality Assurance Regulations under the Pharmacy Act. The proposed regulation amendments flow from the College’s original submission to the government in 2018 following an open consultation and subsequent Board approval. Pharmacy professionals and system partners can comment on these proposed changes through Ontario’s Regulatory Registry. The deadline to provide feedback is January 12, 2024. If approved, the major changes under the…

The Ontario government has filed regulations that, effective immediately, authorize pharmacy professionals to provide further vaccination and treatment options for COVID-19, influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). This follows government approval of some of the proposed regulatory amendments submitted by the College following a 60-day public consultation earlier this year, and a subsequent consultation by the Ministry of Health. These regulations recognize that Ontario’s healthcare system continues to see additional pressures that are impacting patient access to care. By expanding the scope…