The following are highlights from the Council meeting, which took place virtually December 10-11, 2025.
2026 budget approved
Council approved ACP’s 2026 operating budget. Included in the budget is a one per cent increase in fees charged by the college. This is below the cost-of-living allowance (COLA) of 1.8 per cent calculated by the Conference Board of Canada. Council typically bases fee increases on the COLA data in order to maintain ACP’s ability to operate as other prices rise, but approved a reduced increase of one per cent for 2026. Complete details about the college’s fees can be found in the 2026 Fee Schedule.
Changes to Structured Practical Training (SPT) program for pharmacy technicians
Council approved new rules for the SPT program for pharmacy technicians in preparation for the development of a revised SPT program. SPT is the required training and assessment period that ensures provisional pharmacy technicians can practise their skills and demonstrate behaviours in a supervised practical environment before becoming pharmacy technicians.
The new rules include the following changes:
- Pharmacy technicians as preceptors – At least one of the practical experiences for provisional pharmacy technicians must be precepted by a pharmacy technician.
- Mandatory preceptor training – Preceptors must complete ACP’s preceptor training to be eligible to become a preceptor.
- Experience required to become a preceptor – Preceptors must be on the pharmacy technician or pharmacist register for at least one year to become a preceptor. Previously, pharmacy technicians or pharmacists needed two years of experience on the register to be eligible to become a preceptor.
- Preceptor commitment – Preceptors must spend the majority of their time working with the provisional pharmacy technician (at least four days per week or 75 per cent of their time).
- Co-precepting – This allows two regulated members to share the load of precepting responsibilities of a provisional pharmacy technician participating in the SPT program.
- Different preceptors and sites – a provisional pharmacy technician must complete the SPT program at two different practice sites and with different preceptors.
The new rules for the SPT program for pharmacy technicians will take effect with the launch of the revised SPT program in the summer of 2026. Watch for more details in The Link.
Strategic planning
Council was presented with a draft of ACP’s three-year strategic plan for 2026-28. The plan has identified three themes with descriptions of objectives addressing each theme. Council’s feedback will be applied to a final draft of the plan, which will be presented for approval by Council in February 2026. Watch for more details about ACP’s strategic plan in the spring of 2026.
