To protect legitimate patient access to medication containing controlled substances in areas of Ontario affected by wildfires, Health Canada has put temporary measures in place to allow for the movement of controlled substances. The exemption is effective as of June 27, 2025, and expires on December 31, 2025, or until it is revoked or replaced by another exemption.
Pharmacists in Ontario who must evacuate their current pharmacy because of wildfires are exempted from subsections 5(1) and 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, and are permitted to sell, provide, transport, send or deliver controlled substances from their current pharmacy to another pharmacy or hospital located in Ontario, Manitoba or Quebec.
Responsibilities of evacuating pharmacists
To protect controlled substances from loss or theft, Health Canada has indicated that evacuating pharmacists must take the following measures when selling, providing, transporting, sending or delivering these substances under this exemption:
- All reasonable efforts should be made to conduct a physical inventory of all controlled substances prior to being moved. In the event a physical count is not possible due to an emergency evacuation, evacuating pharmacists must take alternate measures to document the inventory as accurately as possible. Options include, but are not limited to, printing a copy of the theoretical inventory of controlled substances.
- Ensure the security of the substances while in transit between the two locations.
- Conduct another inventory count once the substances arrive at the new location to ensure no losses have occurred and keep a record of this for a period of two years.
- Any losses must be reported to Health Canada as described in the Guidance on reporting loss or theft of controlled substances and precursors.
- Make a record of the sale or provision of the substances that is retained for two years and includes the following:
- The brand name (if applicable), substance name and drug information number (DIN) (if applicable) of every controlled substance transferred;
- The strength, dosage form and total amount of each controlled substance transferred;
- The date the controlled substances are received at the other pharmacy;
- The name of the evacuating pharmacist and the municipal address of their pharmacy; and
- The name of the receiving pharmacist and the municipal address of their pharmacy or hospital.
- A receiving pharmacist shall immediately enter the following in a book, register or other record maintained for such purposes and retain it for a period of two years:
- the name and quantity of the controlled substance received;
- the date the controlled substance was received; and
- the name and address of the person from whom the controlled substance was received.
- An evacuating pharmacist who is moving controlled substances to a receiving pharmacist in Manitoba or Quebec must notify the College of Pharmacists of the province where the transfer is taking place (i.e., Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec at dajso@opq.org or College of Pharmacists of Manitoba at fieldops@cphm.ca).
- To notify the Ontario College of Pharmacists of a temporary pharmacy closure, please complete the Notification of Temporary Closure form.
If you have any questions about the exemption, please contact Health Canada at exemption@hc-sc.gc.ca.