The College also regulates and accredits community and hospital pharmacies, holding them accountable to operational standards and relevant policies and legislation; pharmacies must be accredited by the College in order to operate in Ontario.

The College fulfills its mandate to protect the public by:

• Regulating the practice of pharmacy in accordance with relevant legislation and regulations
• Developing and enforcing pharmacy standards of practice, policies and guidelines and the code of ethics
• Ensuring only those applicants who have met the registration requirements are authorized to practice in Ontario
• Promoting continued competency among pharmacists and pharmacy technicians through a quality assurance program
• Ensuring only those pharmacies that have met the accreditation criteria are authorized to operate in Ontario
• Conducting routine assessments of pharmacy operations to ensure compliance with established standards and support continuous quality improvement
• Managing the complaints resolution process related to pharmacists, interns, pharmacy technicians, intern technicians and pharmacies
• Promoting patient-centred, collaborative health care that utilizes the skills and knowledge of all health-care professionals

More details about the specific objects of the College are set out in section 3 of the
Health Professions Procedural Code.

Legal Powers & Authority:

The legal powers and duties of the College are set out in the Regulated Health Professions Act, the Health Professions Procedural Code, the Pharmacy Act and the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act.

The activities of the College, which are overseen by a Board of Directors comprised of elected practitioners and government appointed public members, are subject to a number of oversight mechanisms including oversight by the Minister of Health, the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board and the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council.

Strategic Plan 2024-2028

On March 21, 2023, the OCP Board approved the College’s 2024 Strategic Plan, a document that will guide OCP’s operational and policy decisions over the next five years through to 2028. Input received through engagement and participation of College staff including frontline professionals, as well as system partners, was used by the Board to inform the development of the Strategic Plan. The College will develop annual operating plans aimed at fulfilling its legislated duty while advancing four new strategic goals, new regulatory principles that will guide this work and expanded organizational values.

Check out the Strategic Plan 2024-2028:  One-page  |  Full Plan