Can my pharmacy get an exemption from installing a time-delayed safe?

No – all community pharmacies in Ontario are required to install a time-delayed safe as a way to protect patients and pharmacy teams. This decision was approved by the Board at its March 21, 2023 meeting.

Because the College does not have specialized classes of accreditation for community pharmacies based on business models, if your pharmacy is accredited as a community pharmacy by the College you must meet all the requirements of a community pharmacy. This includes installing a time-delayed safe.

The time-delayed safe expectation is outlined in Time-Delayed Safes Policy and the Standards of Operation for Pharmacies.

Because the potential to carry narcotics is always present as pharmacies meet the evolving medication needs of their patients, community pharmacies that currently do not have narcotics on site are still required to install a time-delayed safe.

A unified, Ontario-wide implementation approach is expected to have the impact of deterring pharmacy robberies in all community pharmacies across the province and will help protect patients and pharmacy staff.