New Pharmacy Ownership Requirements: Pharmacy Renewals after the Transition Period Apr. 24, 2019

New Pharmacy Ownership Requirements: Pharmacy Renewals after the Transition Period 

On April 1, 2018, the College’s amendments to the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act Bylaws came into effect. The new pharmacy licensure process involved identifying all pharmacy owners and determining their suitability for pharmacy ownership which allows the College to hold pharmacy owners accountable for providing safe and effective care by ensuring their pharmacies are compliant with legislative requirements for pharmacies in BC. 

The first pharmacies to complete pharmacy licence renewals under the new requirements were those whose licences expired on June 30, 2018. They marked the beginning of the year-long transition period, which ended with pharmacies whose licence expires in May 2019. 

The transition period enabled the College to collect initial information from previously unidentified pharmacy owners, in order to hold them accountable for providing safe and effective care by ensuring their pharmacies are compliant. The College recognizes that a significant amount of work was required from pharmacies collecting this important information as part of transition period and appreciates their patience and understanding during the implementation of the new requirements. 

Key differences in completing a pharmacy licence renewal now that the transition period has ended:

• Direct Owners that are corporations will not need to submit a certified copy of the Central Securities Register, unless changes have been made; 
• The name, role and email contact of each indirect owner does not need to be entered unless changes have been made.
• Individuals required to submit Proof of Eligibility (i.e. current direct/indirect owners and managers) will be notified when the renewal notice is sent (i.e. 75 days before the pharmacy licence expiry).
• Direct and Indirect owners and managers that submitted a Criminal Record History (CRH) last renewal, will not be required to submit one this year. Submission of a CRH is only required once every 5 years.  

Pharmacy licence renewal applications will continue to require: 

• Ownership information
  • If the direct owner is a corporation, the Authorized Representative  must provide a copy of the most recent BC Company Summary, issued within the year. 
  • If the direct owner has a parent company or shareholder that is BC incorporated and non-publicly traded, the Authorized Representative must provide a copy of the most recent BC Company Summary for that company, issued within the last year. 
• The Business licence for each pharmacy due for renewal
• Attestation from each current direct/indirect owner and manager. 
• An attestation from the current direct/indirect owners and managers is required every year as part of the renewal application, while a CRH is only required once every 5 years. 
• Direct owners with multiple pharmacies due for renewals in the same month, can submit one attestation for all these pharmacies. 

More information on the new pharmacy ownership changes is also available at bcpharmacists.org/ownership and through the College’s New Pharmacy Ownership Requirements ReadLinks Series.