Relocating a Community Pharmacy

Step 1: Submit an Application for Certificate of Accreditation as a Pharmacy

A complete application must be submitted to the College at least 45 days prior to the proposed opening date of the new pharmacy at the new address and includes:

1. Application for Certificate of Accreditation as a Pharmacy
2. Application fee
3. A Director of a Corporation Declaration of Good Character for every pharmacist director of the operating corporation
4. A Pharmacy Self Assessment
5. A pharmacy floor plan for OCP approval labelled with the following details:
   • Total square footage of area to be accredited – if the pharmacy is part of a larger area, clearly delineate the pharmacy portion and identify how the accredited area is kept secure/physically separate from the non-accredited area
   • Total square footage of dispensary (area behind the counter)
   • Location of required two sinks in the dispensary (if the pharmacy does Level B or C compounding you must also show the additional sink in the compounding room)
   • Location of acoustically private consultation room or area
   • Location of compounding area(s) and C-PEC (hood) if any – if the pharmacy will not be providing compounding services, please indicate “no compounding” on the floor plan

Applications may be submitted by email to pharmacyapplications@ocpinfo.com, faxed to 416-847-8399 or mailed to the College to the attention of Pharmacy Applications & Renewals at 483 Huron St, Toronto, ON M5R 2R4.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The College evaluates each person who is an applicant based on the criteria set out in Part III of the Regulations under the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act including an assessment to determine if past and present conduct of the proposed owner(s) affords reasonable grounds for the belief that the pharmacy will be operated with decency, honesty and integrity and in accordance with the law. The College will take whatever time is necessary to complete this assessment. Application processing time varies, and a pharmacy’s proposed date of opening is subject to change.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Ensure all paperwork required by Ontario Drug Benefits has been filed. ODB is not open on weekends. All transactions must occur on a weekday.

Step 2: Activate Assurance and Improvement in Medication Safety (AIMS) Pharmapod account

Once the College has processed your application, you will be contacted by Pharmapod, the third-party vendor for the AIMS Program. Follow the instructions outlined in the Pharmapod email with the subject line “Pharmacy Name – Invitation to Pharmapod” to activate your account.

Step 3: Schedule an Assessment 

Once an application has been approved, a Community Operations Advisor will contact the pharmacy’s Designated Manager to schedule an assessment before the proposed transaction date. Access details of the assessment criteria in the Accreditation Assessment Criteria for Community Pharmacies.

Step 4: Complete the Assessment 

Issuance of a Certificate of Accreditation is subject to approval of the application, a satisfactory pharmacy assessment, and successful activation of the pharmacy’s AIMS Pharmapod account. For more information on the assessment process, please review the Protecting the Public section of our website.

Once a Community Operations Advisor has completed their assessment and is satisfied that the operation is safe and the public is protected, notification will be sent to the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) program confirming the pharmacy transaction.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Ensure all paperwork required by the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) program has been filed. ODB is not open on weekends. All transactions must occur on a weekday.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The relocation of a pharmacy has an impact on existing access to provincial clinical viewers like ConnectingOntario and ClinicalConnect. If you have relocated your pharmacy to a new location, you are required to communicate this change in accreditation number to minimize service disruption and ensure legal agreements are updated if applicable. For changes to ConnectingOntario, please email oh-ds_connectingontario@ontariohealth.ca or call the Ontario Health Service Desk at 1-866-250-1554; for changes to ClinicalConnect, please email support@clinicalconnect.ca or call 905-577-8270 ext. 1

If your pharmacy does not yet have access to a clinical viewer, please visit the ConnectingOntario ClinicalViewer webpage for more information. Please scroll to the ‘Let’s determine the clinical viewer available in your region’ section and enter your pharmacy’s postal code to obtain additional instructions for applying for access to the appropriate clinical viewer in your region.

Step 5: Opening Day

On opening day, the College will contact the Director Liaison or the Designated Manager of the pharmacy to confirm that the relocation was completed and the new pharmacy is open to the public.

Once confirmed, the pharmacy will be activated and have a profile on the College’s Find a Pharmacy or Pharmacy Professional tool. A certificate of accreditation will be sent by email to the Designated Manager of the pharmacy – display of the certificate in the pharmacy is optional.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The College will not activate the new pharmacy and the new pharmacy will not be permitted to bill third parties without confirmation.

Step 6: The Callback Assessment

A Community Operations Advisor will conduct a follow up assessment of the pharmacy 6-12 months following the opening to ensure that the operation is safe and the public is protected. For more information on the inspection process, please review the Protecting the Public section of our website.

If you have any questions about the accreditation process, send an email to pharmacyapplications@ocpinfo.com or call 416-962-4861 ext. 3600