Criminal Record History Checks for Pharmacy Owners and Managers Jan. 18, 2023

Criminal Record History Checks for Pharmacy Owners and Managers 

On April 1, 2018, the pharmacy ownership requirements in the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act (PODSA) came into effect. As part of these requirements, all owners, both direct and indirect, and managers of a pharmacy must provide Proof of Eligibility (POE) as part of their pharmacy licence renewal application. POE consists of an attestation and a Criminal Record History (CRH) check once every five years. 

The first CRH checks were completed between 2018 and 2019 when the requirements first came into effect. As such, owners and managers will be required to complete another CRH check as part of their pharmacy licence renewal application in 2023-2024. 

Completing Your Criminal Record History Check

Pharmacy owners and managers will receive a CRH  reminder notice by email approximately 30 days before the expiry date, and can choose to complete their CRH upon receipt of the notice or when they receive their pharmacy’s renewal notice 75 days prior to the pharmacy licence renewal expiry date.  Instructions to complete their CRH are included in the notices.

Authorized representatives will be able to see if an indirect owner or manager has completed their CRH for their pharmacy licence renewal application using the dashboard in eServices. Refer to pages 104-106 of the Pharmacy Licensure Guide for more information. 

Pharmacy licence renewal applications that are missing requirements (including the CRH from any direct/indirect owner or the manager) 30 days before the pharmacy licence expiry date are considered incomplete, and will be subject to an administrative fee as per PODSA Bylaws Schedule A as well as referral to the Application Committee for review.

For questions about completing your CRH and other pharmacy ownership requirements, please contact the Licensure Department at: [email protected].