- 2025-2026 CPhM Council
- Continuing Competency Matters
- New Informed Consent Practice Direction and Guideline
- Practice Spotlight: Distance Care Component Required for Out-of-Province Pharmacy Services
- CPhM Updates
- Professional Development Opportunities & Upcoming Events
2025-2026 CPhM Council
The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) is pleased to introduce the members of Council for the 2025-2026 term. As the governing body of the CPhM, the Council is responsible for setting policy and overseeing regulatory programs that protect the public interest. Council members bring diverse expertise and perspectives to their roles, which assist in setting strategic direction and monitoring regulatory functions of CPhM.
Role of the CPhM Council
The CPhM Council is responsible for:
- Establishing education and entry-to-practice requirements for pharmacy professionals.
- Setting professional and ethical standards for pharmacy professionals.
- Implementing quality assurance programs to ensure pharmacy professionals’ continuing competence.
- Setting and monitoring the organization’s strategic plan.
Composition of the Council
Our Council is composed of:
- 4 public representatives appointed by the Minister responsible for health,
- 1 pharmacy technician,
- 6 pharmacists, and
- The Dean of the College of Pharmacy (Ex Officio).
Council members attend five meetings annually and participate in various CPhM committees. Pharmacy professionals serve three-year terms and may serve two consecutive terms, while public representatives serve terms determined by the Minister.
CPhM welcomes the new Council members, who will serve alongside their dedicated colleagues to advance the mandate of the CPhM. Please visit the Council Members Page to learn more about each Council member and their backgrounds: https://cphm.ca/about-the-college/council-and-committees/council-members/
Continuing Competency Matters
Work on revisions to CPhM’s Continuing Competency Program (CCP) continues, with an update provided to CPhM Council and the first meeting of the Quality Assurance Subgroup. In both, discussions focused on two key realities that must be addressed when revising the CCP:
- CPhM’s anticipated regulatory mandate under the Regulated Health Profession Act (RHPA) for a CCP to maintain the competence of members and to enhance the practice of pharmacists, and
- pharmacy professionals being overwhelmed by increasing practice demands.
The second point highlights the importance of pharmacists and pharmacy team members’ well-being, such as finding meaning and satisfaction in their pharmacy work, as a way to reduce burnout. This reinforces the need to avoid simply adding new requirements to the revised CCP.
Discussions included potential ways to re-purpose existing programs to meet CPhM’s regulatory mandate, opportunities to lighten workload associated with existing programs, and options for improving documentation and reporting requirements under the revised CCP.
Another focus is aligning the CCP with best practices from other health professions. For example, by supporting pharmacy professionals and pharmacy teams to use information from their own daily practice as the basis for continuing education and practice improvement.
The Subgroup members, including community and hospital pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, provided valuable insights into the realities of daily practice. The group brainstormed ideas to maximize value, minimize administrative burden, and improve engagement with the CCP.
This work is ongoing with the next Subgroup meeting scheduled for mid-July.
New Informed Consent Practice Direction and Guideline
To support safe, ethical, and patient-centered care, Council has approved the new Informed Consent Practice Direction and Informed Consent Guideline. Both documents came into effect on June 23, 2025, and establish a consistent standard for obtaining and documenting informed consent across all areas of pharmacy practice in Manitoba.
While informed consent is addressed within other practice directions, the creation of a dedicated practice direction and guideline ensures that expectations are outlined for all pharmacy professionals. The new practice direction lists what is required for collecting and documenting informed consent, while the guideline provides guidance on the requirements of the Informed Consent Practice Direction and describes key components of obtaining informed consent.
These documents are intended to strengthen communication, support professional judgment, and enhance the protection of patients’ autonomy and rights.
By following the practice direction and guideline, pharmacy professionals can ensure their practice aligns with legal, ethical, and regulatory requirements, building trust with patients and contributing to high-quality care.
Practice Spotlight: Distance Care Component Required for Out-of-Province Pharmacy Services
Under Section 41(1) of the Pharmaceutical Regulation (Regulation), pharmacists in Manitoba must apply for a distance care component if the pharmacy intends to serve patients who do not reside in Manitoba and who will not attend the pharmacy in person. CPhM issues two types of distance care components
- Distance Care Component: for pharmacies serving out of province patients within Canada
- Distance Care International Prescription Service (IPS) component: for pharmacies serving patients outside of Canada
According to Section 41(2) of the Regulation, a pharmacy applying for a distance care component must meet the following requirements:
- Be open to providing services for a minimum of 25 hours per week over at least four days.
- Ensure distant patients can contact the pharmacy with reasonable ease and at no cost.
- Have a member available to respond to patient inquiries for at least 37.5 hours per week.
- If serving patients who reside outside of Canada, post a council-approved disclaimer on the pharmacy’s website homepage and include it in any patient care agreement or promotional material.
- Be familiar and comply with the practice expectations outlined in the Practice Direction for Distance Care Pharmacies.
Pharmacies intending to serve out-of-province or international patients are required to ensure their operations and staffing meet regulatory requirements of both jurisdictions. This promotes continuity of care and maintains the integrity of pharmacy services across jurisdictional boundaries.
CPhM Updates
The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) is undergoing key changes to enhance operations and better serve the public. These updates include improvements to CPhM phone and fax systems, as well as the upcoming office relocation.
Phone and Fax System Update
To improve communication and efficiency, CPhM has modernized its phone and fax systems. The new modernized phone system includes an automated attendant to help direct calls to the appropriate department, streamlining communication for both registrants and staff.
As of July 1, 2025, the longstanding fax number (204-237-3468) has been discontinued. All phone and fax communications are now managed through a single number, 204-233-1411.
Pharmacy managers should verify that the fax number listed in the pharmacy’s online profile is accurate and up to date. If your pharmacy is not receiving faxes, pharmacy managers should contact registration@cphm.ca for help. While fax remains available for specific document submissions (i.e. Internship or SPT Forms, Loss/Theft Reports, etc.), CPhM encourages the use of email whenever possible for more timely responses.
For department specific contact information, including email and direct extensions, please visit https://cphm.ca/about-the-college/directory/.
Office Relocation
CPhM is pleased to announce that business operations will relocate to the Center for Professional Regulatory Collaboration (CPRC), at 210 Commerce Drive, Winnipeg, effective July 18, 2025. The current property, at 200 Tache Avenue, has been sold.
The CPRC is a shared space, with other Manitoba health profession regulators, following an operations model successfully piloted in British Columbia. The modern regulatory environment creates opportunities for cooperation and collaboration with other health regulators and promotes efficient use of resources, while maintaining CPhM’s independence.
As of July 18, 225, all operations will have transitioned to the new office.
CPhM Council and staff thank you for your patience and cooperation during this period of transition.
Professional Development Opportunities & Upcoming Events
Optimizing Prescription Writing: Essentials and Updates in 30 Minutes
- Click here to access the prerecorded webinar
- 1.0 CEU
University of Manitoba College of Pharmacy’s Essentials in Advanced Patient Care for Pharmacists Micro-Certificate Program
Interested pharmacists can visit the program website for detailed information and to begin the application process. For further inquiries, please email PharmacyPD@umanitoba.ca.
2025 Mandatory Professional Development – Advancing Equity in Pharmacy: Supporting Gender Diversity and 2SLGBTQ+ Patients
Pharmacy professionals who were unable to attend the live webinar on February 5, 2025, must view a recording of the 2025 mandatory continuing education session by clicking here.