Table of Contents
By Sandra Hanna, CEO Neighbourhood Pharmacies
Community pharmacy in Canada scored many impressive goals in 2024. Community pharmacy in Canada has long been a trusted partner in healthcare delivery, but 2024 marked a year of transformation. Across provinces, pharmacy teams stepped up to meet new challenges, showcase their capabilities, and deepen their integration into the healthcare system. Our accomplishments are moving us off the bench and helping governments and other healthcare providers envision where the puck is going, so to speak, to build more responsive and resilient healthcare systems.
This is not to say there are fewer challenges. Pharmacare legislation, pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), regulatory issues and the age-old tug of war between investment and cost constantly threaten to sideline our progress. It sometimes feels we spend most of our time dispelling misconceptions and coaxing awareness of unintended consequences. Yet I firmly believe 2024 was a year of considerable learnings on both sides of the table.
Our achievements serve as a testament to the strength and adaptability of our sector, but they are just the beginning. As we move forward, our focus shifts to securing a future where pharmacies thrive as indispensable healthcare providers and innovative businesses. 2025 will be a year of intentional growth, grounded in our new 5-year strategic plan.
Reflecting on Success in 2024
The progress made over the past year has set a strong foundation for the future, with community pharmacies firmly establishing themselves as accessible healthcare hubs. Their growing recognition by governments and payors highlights the value they bring to Canada’s healthcare system.
In British Columbia and Ontario, expanded pharmacist roles have showcased the sector’s potential. The success of minor-ailments programs in both provinces exceeded expectations, with strong public satisfaction driving rapid program expansions. Ontario is now in the process of its third program expansion, with plans to broaden pharmacist authorities to include ordering certain lab tests and administering additional publicly funded vaccines. In British Columbia, pharmacists have gained the ability to order and interpret lab results, further solidifying their role in patient care beyond dispensing medications.
Nova Scotia’s Community Pharmacy Primary Care Clinics (CPPCCs) have emerged as a groundbreaking model, showcasing the transformative power of community pharmacies. The clinics delivered impressive results, including a nearly 10% reduction in emergency department visits for minor conditions and a significant uptake in chronic disease management services for both attached and unattached patients. The program has now become a permanent fixture in Nova Scotia, with plans for expansion to include additional services. A similar pilot was launched in neighboring New Brunswick, though it lacked upfront funding. Both pilots emphasized a key takeaway: while public acceptance of community pharmacy as a care provider is undeniable, sustainability hinges on having the right enablers in place, with appropriate funding being paramount.
The introduction of National Pharmacare legislation marked another milestone in 2024, though it sparked intense debate. Advocacy efforts led to a more targeted approach focusing on diabetes and contraception, mitigating some of the program’s potential disruptions. However, concerns remain and efforts are ongoing to push for solutions that protect patient access while ensuring the sustainability of pharmacies.
Pharmacies have also cemented their leadership in vaccination delivery. This growing role has been met with increasing public trust, and advocacy efforts are focused on expanding funding and access to all publicly funded vaccines (beyond flu and COVID), ensuring pharmacies remain central to Canada’s immunization efforts.
These achievements are encouraging, but they also underscore the challenges our sector faces. In Alberta, the province that boasted the broadest scope and funding, claims for prescribing services as well as for care plans for people with chronic diseases climbed at unprecedented rates during the last several years, fueled by referrals from other providers as well as growing public demand. An average of nine per cent of the population now receives services beyond dispensing at their neighbourhood pharmacy every month. This year, Alberta’s funding cuts for care plans for chronic disease management, despite clear evidence of their value, highlight the ongoing challenges with siloed budgets and competing interests. We must continue to guard against governments reverting to viewing climbing numbers as a cost rather than an investment.
Other challenges also emerged this year, including PBMs’ growing risk to the business of pharmacy and to the autonomy of patients and pharmacists. Drawing on the U.S. experience, we are educating governments and advocating for regulation that promotes healthy competition while prioritizing informed patient choice. Pharmacy regulators have also increased their involvement in pharmacy operations. As public demand grows and pharmacies do more to improve access to healthcare, we are working with regulators and governments to modernize regulations to enable more efficient operations, rather than micro-managing current operating procedures.
As we look to the year ahead, we will build on our successes and continue to position ourselves strategically as solutions focused partners to policy makers and payors.
Introducing Our Strategic Vision
As we step into 2025, Neighbourhood Pharmacies’ new strategic plan provides a clear roadmap for the future. Our vision—Thriving Pharmacy Businesses—is supported by a mission to drive innovation and integrated services for a sustainable future in community pharmacy. This vision is grounded in four core values: inclusivity, innovation, catalyzing meaningful change, and a future-focus, anticipating trends to secure a dynamic, resilient future for the sector.
Our plan is ambitious, but it is rooted in the realities of what pharmacies need to succeed in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.
Priorities for 2025
The Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada has outlined three strategic priorities for the year ahead, each aimed at strengthening the community pharmacy sector while enhancing patient care and system sustainability.
Protecting and improving pharmacy funding remains a critical focus. Securing sustainable and separate reimbursement models for medications and pharmacy services is essential to ensure that pharmacists’ time, expertise, and the cost of operating pharmacies are appropriately funded. As demonstrated in Nova Scotia, funding models that include key enablers—such as access to electronic medical records and lab-order authority—yield better outcomes for patients and healthcare systems alike. Building on this success, the association will advocate for similar frameworks across Canada. In addition, addressing the growing threat of pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) will be a priority. Drawing lessons from the U.S., efforts will center on educating governments about the risks PBMs pose to patient autonomy and healthy competition.
Modernizing policies and operations is another pivotal area of focus. Policies must evolve to reflect the expanding role of pharmacies in healthcare. For example, enabling pharmacy technicians to take on more responsibilities can allow pharmacists to concentrate on delivering higher-value care. Additionally, technology will play a fundamental role in these modernization efforts. Advocating for tools like e-prescribing systems, electronic health records, and cross-jurisdictional central filling is key to enabling pharmacies to operate efficiently while providing seamless, patient-centered care. Regulators, too, have a role to play by shifting their focus away from micromanaging operations and toward creating policies that empower pharmacies to innovate. Reducing administrative burdens will free up valuable resources that can be redirected to patient care.
Finally, driving innovation and efficiency will be instrumental in positioning community pharmacies as leaders in healthcare delivery. Pharmacies are well-equipped to excel in areas such as chronic disease management, minor-ailments care, and public health initiatives, provided they have access to sustainable funding and operational support. The association’s role in this effort includes equipping members with the analytics and insights necessary to drive innovation. At the same time, it will advocate with governments to demonstrate the broader value of pharmacy-led solutions in improving healthcare outcomes and reducing system costs.
By focusing on these priorities, the association aims to ensure that pharmacies continue to thrive as indispensable healthcare providers, meeting the evolving needs of patients and the broader healthcare system.
Strengthening International Ties
In 2024, we deepened our global engagement by joining the World Pharmacy Council. This membership has opened doors to invaluable conversations with international counterparts, where pharmacies face similar challenges and opportunities, despite differing health systems.
By sharing insights and advocating with a united voice, we can amplify our impact.
A Vision for the Future
Looking ahead, 2025 is a year of immense opportunity. Our guiding principle of “protect and pursue” encapsulates our dual mandate: safeguarding the progress we have made while boldly pursuing new opportunities to elevate the role of community pharmacy.
Our strategic priorities are not just about strengthening the business of pharmacy—they are about improving healthcare for all Canadians. By integrating pharmacies more fully into the healthcare system, we can reduce barriers to access, improve outcomes, and ensure sustainability for both providers and payors.
As we roll out our strategic plan, we are confident that the actions we take today will set the stage for a thriving future. Together, we can ensure that pharmacies remain indispensable partners in Canada’s healthcare system, delivering care that is accessible, innovative, and impactful.
