Public Consultation on Proposed Amendments to the Standards of Operation for Pharmacies

Feedback deadline is: 4:00 PM on August 15, 2026

The Ontario College of Pharmacists is seeking your input on proposed amendments to the Standards of Operation for Pharmacies. The consultation closes on August 15, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Background 

The Standards of Operation for Pharmacies (‘the Standards’) outlines the requirements needed to ensure pharmacies in Ontario provide safe, effective care and comply with regulations under the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act, 1990 (DPRA).

As expanded scope of practice has taken shape over the last year, the College has explored various safeguards that could support its safe implementation. Some of the safeguards include ensuring registrants have access to patient health information, that physical space requirements are appropriate, and that staffing and workflow are optimized. These safeguards already exist to some extent within the Standards of Operation, however, to support the expansion of scope, and to foster consistent interpretation by pharmacy owners and operators, there is an opportunity to refine, modernize and clarify certain parts of the Standards.

Following earlier input from the Board and system partners, amendments to the Standards of Operation were formally presented to the Board in June 2026 (see pg. 184), where they were approved for a 60-day public consultation.

What Are the Proposed Amendments to the Standards of Operation?

Proposed amendments have been made to the following sections of the Standards. For details, please see Expanded Scope: Standards of Operation Proposed Changes.

• Terminology and Definitions
• Management and Employee Relations
• Pharmacy Premises
• Delivering Services
• Equipment and Technology
• Information Management

How You Can Provide Your Input  

The purpose of the consultation is to understand from the profession, the public and system partners:

• Are the proposed amendments to the Standards of Operation for Pharmacies reasonable, feasible and achievable?
• What are the benefits and/or drawbacks of the proposed amendments?
• Are there additional amendments that should be considered, that would directly support the expansion of scope? If yes, please explain?

You have two ways to provide input:

1. Online consultation posting

Feedback may be provided through the usual method – by posting your comments below or emailing us at [email protected]. Please allow 1-3 business days for your feedback to be published. In accordance with our posting guidelines, the College has the right to refuse to publish or remove comments that do not meet the posting guidelines.

2. Responding to a detailed survey

To provide more targeted responses, an additional method to provide your input for this consultation is through an online survey. Responses received through the online survey will be presented in aggregate form through a survey report. The survey report will be included as part of the consultation summary, which is posted after the consultation has closed. Click here to view a PDF version of the survey questions.

Please select only one method to provide input. All comments provided as part of the consultation will be reviewed and considered in the analysis provided to the Board. These summaries will be publicly available. Feedback must be submitted by August 15, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET.   

Next Steps  

Information gathered from this consultation will be brought to a future Board of Directors meeting for discussion and consideration for final approval. A summary of the consultation responses, including those from the survey, will be publicly posted with Board materials and subsequently posted to the consultation webpage.

Helpful Links 

• Draft Amended Standards of Operation for Pharmacies
• Expanded Scope: Standards of Operation Proposed Changes (Comparison and Rationale Table)