[Street Pharmacist]

I can't speak to Alberta, but BC did the same thing in December here.

Drug costs are under severe pressure. Part of the impetus to get this done is the marketplace has become infinitely more competitive and margins have all but completely disappeared.

However, it should not be the role of the college of pharmacists to administrate here. The power given to the college is specifically to protect the public and the profession by regulating members and making standards if practice that uphold integrity and enforce safety.


Specifically though, here in BC it was an abuse of power IMO. The college of pharmacy is an elected board, and the chair here ran specifically on getting rid of incentives (ie. Points). The reason for that is the only pharmacists engaged in voting are either independent pharmacy owners, or pharmacists working for them. They hate points.

There is no public safety argument in my pinion, but they made the same plea here. I've heard rumblings that the government is none to happy about this overreach as the MLAs are talking the brunt of the decision from their constituents.

The bylaw was upheld here as legal, only in the sense that the College does have the power, not that they should or acted in accordance with their mandate