Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

The College is expanding on its existing commitment to cultivate Indigenous Cultural Competency to promote a broader understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and how it can help support a better health system.

Recognizing its role as the provincial pharmacy regulator and the role that pharmacy professionals can play in addressing healthcare disparities, the College is well positioned to help drive positive change in collaboration with the profession to support the delivery of more equitable healthcare in Ontario.

Commitment Statement

In March 2022, the College Board approved the below equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) Commitment Statement signaling their intent related to EDI and the relevance of this work to the College’s public interest mandate. The EDI Commitment Statement formally and publicly acknowledges the College’s dedication to the development of an overall EDI strategy.

“The Ontario College of Pharmacists recognizes the important role we play as an employer and as a regulator that serves and protects the public interest to help build a better health system and society.

We commit to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) with our Board and staff, in our regulatory approach and philosophy, with the profession and with pharmacy patients. We aim to enhance cultural safety including Indigenous cultural competence in an effort to minimize systemic inequities, in collaboration with registrants and stakeholders, in order to contribute to the creation of an inclusive and equitable environment for all.

As we do, we will strive to listen, reflect, learn and take actions and will continue to communicate our progress along this journey.”

What EDI Means

To help recognize how equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) can support the delivery of safe and equitable pharmacy care in Ontario and enhance the College’s regulatory work, it is important to understand what EDI means.

Equity: Equity is about fairness and equal access as well as the provision of practices and policies that help in acknowledging imbalances among people. It is important to identify inherent biases and overcome them to create an environment where everyone can experience the same level of care. Equity is not equality.

Diversity: Diversity is a fact. Nearly 15 million people live and work in Ontario and have diverse backgrounds and experiences—diversity acknowledges and celebrates these unique individual differences. These differences can be visible dimensions such as race/ethnicity, skin colour, physical abilities and gender, or invisible dimensions such as religious and political beliefs, ideologies, socio-economic status and background.

Inclusion: Inclusion is creating an environment in which everyone feels valued and equally respected. It requires provision of equal access to resources and opportunities to create an environment where everyone feels accepted.