Alberta · Alberta College of Pharmacy

How to Respond to an ACP Complaint

Pharmacy professionals in Alberta are regulated under two statutes at once, and a single dispensing or records issue can be charged as both unprofessional conduct and misconduct. Every formal complaint runs through one officer, the Complaints Director. And the error-reporting system that feels like a burden on a busy shift is, when a complaint lands, one of your strongest pieces of evidence — if you used it.

Two colleges of law govern you, not one

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Alberta are regulated by the Alberta College of Pharmacy (ACP). But a pharmacy professional sits under two statutes at once, and this is the first thing that sets pharmacy apart from medicine or dentistry.

The Health Professions Act, RSA 2000, c H-7 governs your conduct as a regulated member and defines unprofessional conduct. The Pharmacy and Drug Act governs the operation of pharmacies and the handling of drugs, and defines misconduct. A single incident — a dispensing error, a records problem, a diversion allegation — can be charged as both unprofessional conduct and misconduct, and Alberta hearing tribunals routinely find both in the same decision.

The vocabulary is Alberta’s: you are a regulated member, what is at stake is your practice permit, and if you own or manage the pharmacy you also hold responsibilities as a licensee or proprietor that are separately regulated.

Concerns versus formal complaints

ACP sorts what it receives into two streams, and knowing which one you are in matters.

• Issues of public concern — resolved by ACP through direct collaboration between the complainant and the pharmacy professional. Many concerns never become formal complaints.
• Formal complaints — more serious matters warranting formal investigation: conduct alleged to be intentional, conduct with potential for public harm, conduct clearly outside accepted standards, or concerns about capacity to practise.

A formal complaint must be in writing and signed, and — a point pharmacists often do not expect — your complainant’s name is shared with you so that you can respond. This is not an anonymous process.

One person decides: the Complaints Director

Every formal complaint runs through ACP’s Complaints Director — a statutory officer, not a committee. After assessing or investigating, the Complaints Director can:

• Dismiss, where there is insufficient or no evidence of unprofessional conduct;
• Resolve through education and/or mediation — alternative complaint resolution;
• Refer to a hearing, where the evidence suggests possible unprofessional conduct or misconduct.

CQI+ : the error-reporting duty that can help you

Pharmacy has something medicine and dentistry do not: a mandatory continuous quality improvement program, CQI+. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are required to prevent errors and, when errors occur, to respond to and learn from them.

Your first week

1. Get legal advice and notify your liability insurer before you write anything.
2. Diarise every deadline and ask for an extension early if you need one.
3. Preserve the record exactly as it stands — the dispensing record, the prescription, the patient profile, the CQI+ documentation. Never alter, backdate or “correct” a pharmacy record after a complaint arrives. Falsifying records is itself a serious, separate finding.
4. If you are an employee, understand your position relative to the licensee and proprietor — their obligations and yours may not align, and their lawyer is not your lawyer.

Answer the College — it is a statutory duty

This article is general information for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians regulated by the Alberta College of Pharmacy and does not constitute legal advice. Regulatory processes and the law change, and every case turns on its own facts. If you are the subject of a complaint or investigation, obtain advice from a lawyer experienced in professional regulation, and notify your professional liability insurer, before you respond. Last updated July 14, 2026.