Saskatchewan · Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals
What Happens During an SCPP Investigation?
In Saskatchewan the committee that investigates your complaint is not the committee that judges it — a deliberate separation that shapes the whole process. An investigation can begin from a field-officer inspection rather than a patient, can suspend your licence before any hearing, and can end with orders that reach your pharmacy, your costs, and the provincial Drug Plan. Understanding the two-stage structure is how you navigate it.
How SCPP investigations begin
A patient complaint is the common starting point, but not the only one. SCPP conducts pharmacy inspections and records reviews through its field officers, assesses competence through its Competency Assurance processes, and receives information from other regulators, insurers, the Ministry of Health Drug Plan, and law enforcement — particularly around controlled drugs. A pharmacist or a pharmacy can come under investigation over something no patient ever raised.
The Complaints Committee investigates
In Saskatchewan the Complaints Committee both investigates and decides the outcome at the complaints stage. It opens a file, gathers the dispensing records, prescriptions, patient profiles and any witness information, and investigates the matter against the three statutory heads — professional misconduct, professional incompetence, and proprietary misconduct.
Cooperation is not optional. The Act and the Regulatory Bylaws require pharmacy professionals to cooperate with the College’s field officers and its regulatory processes, and a failure to do so is itself a professional-conduct matter. Take legal advice on how to respond — then respond, fully and on time.
Interim protection of the public
Where necessary to protect the public, a licence or permit can be suspended or made subject to restrictions while a matter is dealt with. For a pharmacist that can mean a restriction on practice or on handling controlled substances; for a pharmacy, conditions on the proprietor’s permit. These are serious, immediate consequences for a working pharmacist or a pharmacy owner, and they are a point at which representation matters.
The Discipline Committee hearing
If the Complaints Committee refers the matter, a separate Discipline Committee holds a formal hearing. This is where the pharmacy professional or pharmacy manager is formally charged with professional misconduct and/or professional incompetence, and the proprietor may be charged with proprietary misconduct.
The hearing is a formal proceeding. There is full disclosure of the information gathered; witnesses may testify; and the Committee determines, on the evidence, whether the charges are made out. Because the Discipline Committee is separate from the Complaints Committee that investigated, it comes to the charges fresh.
Orders the Discipline Committee can make
Under section 35 of the Act, a Discipline Committee that finds a charge proven has a broad range of orders available, which published Saskatchewan decisions show in use, including:
- A reprimand;
- Conditions on the licence or permit — for example a requirement to complete specified courses within a set time, with the licence suspended automatically if the deadline is missed;
- Suspension or cancellation of a licence or permit;
- Fines and an order for costs of the investigation and hearing;
- Conditions on the pharmacy itself — in one published case, a proprietor’s permit was made subject to bi-annual pharmacy inspections and records review by a College field officer for two years.
Publication, and who else is told
SCPP publishes the decisions and orders of its Discipline Committee — a digest appears in the College newsletter and the full decision on the College website. In addition, under the Act the Registrar sends a copy of the decision to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health Drug Plan and Extended Benefits Branch. The consequences of a finding reach beyond the College.
Appeals
The Regulatory Bylaws provide for appeals of Discipline Committee orders and decisions, and decisions of the Committee may ultimately be challenged in the Saskatchewan courts. Unlike British Columbia, which abolished its statutory court appeal in April 2026, Saskatchewan’s framework retains a route to review. Take advice promptly — appeal rights are time-limited.
Key takeaways
- SCPP investigations can begin without a patient — from field-officer inspections, competency assurance, insurer or Drug Plan information, or law enforcement.
- The Complaints Committee both investigates and decides at the complaints stage; a separate Discipline Committee holds any formal hearing.
- A licence or permit can be suspended or restricted to protect the public while a matter is dealt with.
- At a hearing, the professional or manager is charged with professional misconduct and/or incompetence; the proprietor may be charged with proprietary misconduct.
- Section 35 orders include reprimand, conditions (such as mandatory courses with automatic suspension if missed), suspension or cancellation, fines and costs, and conditions on the pharmacy — one case imposed two years of bi-annual field-officer inspections.
- Discipline decisions are published, and the Registrar notifies the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health Drug Plan. Appeal rights exist but are time-limited.
Related courses
Practical, self-paced CPD courses that map onto the issues in this guide. These are educational courses. They are not accredited by SCPP and are not a substitute for legal advice.
How to conduct yourself through an investigation, on the record and under scrutiny.
View course →Honesty and candour under investigation. Concealment turns an error into a probity matter.
View course →Prescribing, dispensing and controlled-substance standards.
View course →What field officers look for in dispensing records, and what strong documentation protects.
View course →Continue reading: Saskatchewan pharmacists
How to respond to an SCPP complaint Remediation and reflection for Saskatchewan pharmacistsFrequently asked questions
Can I be investigated without a patient complaint?
Who investigates and who decides?
Can SCPP suspend my licence before a hearing?
What orders can the Discipline Committee make?
Who finds out about a finding against me?
Can I appeal a Discipline Committee decision?
This article is general information for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians regulated by the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals 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.